Strikingly incongruous features on Football Focus yesterday, a desperately sad piece on the current plight of Oldham Athletic, followed immediately by another on the excitement in Newcastle around the gazillions they now have to spend. Something’s not right.
And it is desperately sad to see Oldham in the trouble they’re in, 3-0 win v Stevenage yesterday notwithstanding. For a while they brought real fun and entertainment to the top division and were well loved by most, me included. Oldham had gone something like 66 years without ever having beaten a top flight club before embarking on a fabulous run that saw them in the Premier League for its inaugural season, finishing 19th, level on relegated Palace on 49 points but with a goal difference two better. Of course, that was 9 points better off than bottom-finishers, errr, Forest. Having looked doomed at one point, Oldham won their last 3 matches to ensure a 3rd season in the top flight. The nature of that escape captures what so many loved about Oldham. A 1-0 win at Villa, 3-2 at home to Liverpool and 4-3 on the final day v Southampton. They were free-scoring and played with a fantastic sense of adventure. They scored 63 goals, only 4 less than champions United and more than anyone up to QPR in 5th. The problem was the 74 conceded! It was honours even between Oldham and Forest, with a 5-3 Oldham win at Boundary Park early on and a 2-0 home win for Forest in late December.
As an aside, interesting to see the gates in that season. Top was 41,000 at the Merseyside derby, lowest 3,000 for Wimbledon v Everton. Lots of 9-15,000s around the country. Forest typically 17-19,000, 20,000 for Liverpool, though that was an early live TV match (the first?).
Back to Oldham. The love-affair for many started in the 89-90 season, when the then 2nd Division Latics went about things with a devil-may care attitude; a 3-4-3 formation at times, including in a 6-0 League Cup semi demolition of West Ham. Earl Barrett was often their only central defender, but his phenomenal speed kind of made that irrelevant, as did the even faster Paul Warhurst. Up front, goal-machine Andy Ritchie made being a baldy completely cool. Only he and Roger Palmer were over 25.
The FA Cup run to the semis saw Brum, Brighton, Everton and Villa all beaten. The semi saw a titanic battle with United, Oldham leading, going behind and eventually getting a 3-3 draw in an absolute classic. United, to the disappointment of most right-thinking people, won the replay 2-1.
In the League Cup, Leeds (over two legs, both won 2-1), Arsenal, Scarborough (7-0), Southampton and West Ham all fell en route to Wembley and a meeting with Forest.
It’s probably fair to say that while Forest were mostly well-liked at the time, the majority of the country would have been behind Oldham. The majority of the country then would have been mightily disappointed that a 47th minute low drive from Nigel Jemson gave us our last major trophy win to this day. As I remember the day, it wasn’t a particularly free-flowing match and Forest certainly weren’t at their best. It all seemed a bit ‘meh’, a bit routine, as winning trophies did for us back then. Just another day on the larrup at Wembley. There’ll be another along soon. Should’ve savoured it more given what was to come, eh?
In 1994, another FA Cup semi v United and only a Mark Hughes late equaliser denied Oldham a FInal and that point is seen by many as the start of the decline. Oldham’s demise since is a sad one and, as with so many of late, looks like a tragi-drama of disastrous ownerships. In 2001, an Oxford-based businessman, Chris Moore, took over, promising a quick return to the top level. Oldham just missed out and Moore walked, leaving massive debts. Valuable players were sold for low fees as assets were well and truly stripped. The club faced liquidation, but a takeover rescued them in 2004-5. The club survived winding-up orders and a raid by HMRC. In 2018, current owner Abdallah Lemsagam, a Moroccan agent, bought a 97% share in the club, leaving 3% owned by a fans’ trust.
In 2018, Oldham were relegated to the 4th tier for the first time since 1971, which is where they are now. Harry Kewell took over as manager in 2020 and the team showed some signs of revival. He was sacked, many fans wold say prematurely, earlier this year and Keith Curle took over. Hampered by a transfer embargo, it continues to be a struggle. Fan protests against Lemsagam grew in intensity, but he hangs on at the club.
All in all a sorry tale and one that it is to be hoped will have a happy ending. Fans interviewed for that FF feature mostly seemed to just want their club back. Clubs matter enormously to their communities and their continued existence is crucial. Chasing a dream is all well and good, but not if it puts your club out of business, No one interviewed was bothered about trophies, the Premier League; they just wanted their club back.
It can be done. Look at visitors Blackpool yesterday, back from the brink after catastrophic times under the Oystons. A decent side, a decayed stadium revived, brilliant away support yesterday. All good. I’ll not be getting carried away, but yesterday went some way to restoring my love of football at this level. Forest aren’t suddenly world-beaters; they got a good win against a Blackpool side with a few key players missing. But it was fun. We played with energy and some invention. We looked for a third goal when 2-1 up and made it over the line. Brennan Johnson is fun to watch, as is Philip Zinckernagel and as are the overlapping full backs. Ryan Yates passed it forwards and put in a good performance to quieten the critics (me included). Grabban covered a million miles and Worrall was Worrall. The first goal was a thing of great beauty. The crowd, 28,000 of them, sensed something and the atmosphere was positive. Mostly; there’ll always be the blokes behind us, who will never be happy. Credit too to Blackpool’s 1,700 who never stopped singing and added to the atmosphere. The goal was celebrated like a cup final winner. My own favourite, the feller in Tangerine cagoule, either a bit mad or possibly on something, crossing Lady Bay Bridge post-match, theatrically looking for Billy Davies. “Where’s Billy? Have You seen him? I’m looking for Billy Davies? For fuck’s sake, has anyone seen Billy Davies?”
So, best wishes to Oldham, best wishes for the rest of the season to Blackpool and up the mighty Reds!
Excellent observations chap .. reminiscent of musings of the Brian era, which were top class!