Not only has it been a tough few years for Oldham Athletic, but it’s also been a tough few decades. No trophy since 1991, the longest wait of any professional club in England.
21 years in League One, two relegations in four years and no top-half finish since 2009 – why have Oldham fans had such a tough time?
We spoke to Oldham Athletic fan Arlene of the Boundary Park Alert System Blog, to find out why, what the fans are doing about it, and what next season could look like.
Dubai-based Moroccan football agent Abdallah Lemsagam completed his takeover of the club in January 2018, there was hope that he could kick off a successful new era, but that wasn’t the case.
“Overall, his tenure has been an utter, catastrophic failure. He said he wanted to take us into the Championship within five years, and instead he’s taken us out of the Football League”.
“We’ve got a revolving door staff recruitment policy, on and off the pitch, we still have the EFL loan to pay off, we owe rent, we owe £882k in tax. And we’ve played the worst football I’ve ever seen in the last few seasons”.
Arlene explains that it’s not just Abdallah’s ownership which is hurting the club, as the club’s former owners still own the ground and surrounding land – impacting any potential sale – with no sign that the club and land will be brought under one roof anytime soon.
“The land and club being separate certainly complicates things, especially in terms of attracting potential new owners”.
“The current regime’s grudge against the Fan Led Group who own the Oldham Event Centre, which is based at the back of the Joe Royle Stand, has led to the stand being closed again this season, supposedly on safety grounds, despite it being the newest stand and the Main Stand being decrepit”.
“The club is also taking legal action against the former club owners, who own Boundary Park and the surrounding land, claiming financial misconduct regarding council funds and the building of the Joe Royle stand”.
“Club ‘advisor’ and former club director, the ever popular Barry Owen, has admitted that this is deterring potential buyers and delaying the sale of the club”.
The North Stand may not be in use this season following another ‘dispute’.
Club legend John Sheridan returned to Latics in January with the club bottom of League Two, seven points from safety – despite some good results at first, form slumped with his side losing 11 out of the last 14 games and the club’s relegation was confirmed following a 2-1 loss to Salford City.
“He was superb for us as a player (playing on for longer than his doctors advised him to) and he’d saved us from relegation against the odds a number of times before”.
“Shez came in when we were dead and buried, and if he hadn’t briefly revived our form we’d have been relegated before the clocks went forward – sadly this was a Shezurrection too far”.
“The damage was done before he came in, he was dealing with a paper-thin squad thanks to our sporting director’s disastrous recruitment and the transfer embargo”.
Looking towards next season, Arlene is hoping that young players can play a role next season.
“Harry Vaughan and Benny Couto both impressed last season and lots of us were surprised they didn’t play more”.
“Junior Luamba was desperately unlucky with injuries and I really hope he manages to stay fit, his pace and attacking threat could be a huge boost to the team”.
“Under the current owners, avoiding relegation to the National League North is as much as I dare hope for. The ultimate goal has to be bringing in new owners as things aren’t going to improve until that happens.
“We were in desperate need of a target man up front last season – we thought Shez might have fixed that when he brought Mike Fondop in but he only lasted two games before getting injured. To be honest there’s no position we can claim to be strong in.
“After years of pressure from fans, the club released a statement saying Abdallah Lemsagam was looking to sell the club. That was back in January, but fans are increasingly frustrated at the lack of movement towards new ownership.
“We’ve had no real update from the club, other than Barry Owen confirming that the court case regarding the Joe Royle stand is putting buyers off”.
“Someone called Chris Lees appeared in the press a few months ago claiming he could ‘renew and re-energise’ the club with cryptocurrency, but he turned out to be a delusional fantasist who had appeared on Come Dine With Me sticking carrots up his nose”.
“What we desperately need is owners who will provide stability, pay the bills, look after the ground and leave the manager alone to look after the team”.
“The fans will come back if that happens. The increase in attendances in February after Sheridan was appointed and Lemsagam said he was looking to sell the club proved that”.
Arlene gave us the lowdown on what Boundary Park is like to visit:
“Sadly, what was once a lovely traditional ground full of character is showing its age, neglect and decline”.
“We’d like away fans to join in with our boycott, but if you do visit Boundary Park, please consider not spending any money in the ground (there’s no guarantee the kiosks will be open or stocked anyway)”.
“The fan bar in the OEC is always lively on a match day and does good food, and the Rifle Range and the Greyhound are only a short walk away. Oh and bring a coat!”
With fears the club could go the same way as other clubs in the area, Oldham Athletic Supporters Foundation (OASF) set up a fundraiser in 2021.
“OASF are looking to raise the money to purchase Boundary Park, which would be a step forward and would ensure a Bury-like scenario can’t happen and a dodgy owner can’t take out loans they can’t pay back, with the ground as a guarantee”.
“We hope this will help us secure the long-term future of the club. If you’d like to support us, you can donate at www.oasf.co.uk. Any donations are very much appreciated”.