Latics legend Andy Ritchie has given his views of the recent sacking of Richie Wellens and feels that former teammate Frankie Bunn could be the man to take charge. Fans had wondered why the sacking was so sudden and why it wasn't done after relegation was confirmed, if it was to be done at all.
Ritchie said, “I’m always disappointed about anybody losing their job in football, and I know how he feels – it’s not nice. I feel for Richie. Nothing ever shocks or surprises me in football, though. When I last spoke to Richie two or three weeks ago he was quite upbeat and he had received certain assurances from the owner. Maybe they were looking forward then, so to hear this now does surprise me a little. He’s just got to take this news on the chin. There’s nothing more certain than knowing that when you take a job in management, you’re going to get the sack. It’s the way of the world these days and unfortunately sometimes the first thing you get sorted in your contract is your pay-off. That shouldn’t be the way it is, but that’s the reality sometimes. He knows he’ll get more knocks during his coaching and management career path, but I know he’s a top coach and he wants to get on – he just has to take this on the chin.”
“I think Oldham need someone with an affiliation to the club, so my vote would go to Frankie Bunn. I think he’d be fantastic for the role. He’s a former Oldham player, he knows the football club, he knows what the fans want and I believe he’d be a good appointment. The hierarchy do need to get this next appointment right now. They need to give a spark to the crowds, and they need to get players in. Players need stability too, they need to get themselves into an environment they know. They need to know what they’re doing properly, to get into a system of playing, and they need to enjoy training – that’s a massive part of management. I always tried to make sure players enjoyed training when I was a manager. Any uncertainty does create havoc at football clubs, and sometimes I think owners need to look at the bigger picture and maybe think ‘yeah, we need to give this fella a bit of a chance.’”