Chairman posts message to fans

Good afternoon and welcome to Boundary Park for what is hopefully the last time you will see the ground as it is -- but more of that later. It's been a strange season, one that I feel we never really got going in. In fact although I do not have the results to hand I am sure we never recorded three wins in a row, something that I am equally sure the six teams occupying the automatic and play-off places did. On top of that our early-season form once again let us down and I would hope that next season we will have finally figured out where we are going wrong in the early stages of our campaign. Consistency is everything at our level and until the management and players find it we cannot expect to move up another level."

"However I have to be fair and admit we have had the most horrific injury problems that I have seen since taking over and the constant changing of playing personnel and bringing in of loan players will seriously disrupt any team. Perhaps we never quite adapted to it. But if I flip the coin again I would ask why we have had so many injury problems and what are we doing about it. Answers will be found. The one good thing to materialize from all these injuries has been the emergence of several youth players who have been thrown in at the deep end and performed with great maturity, defying both their youth and inexperience. If the right two or three players can be brought in and the injuries to our more established names clear up then I truly believe we have the makings of a very strong squad for next year."

"There were many great moments as well this year, not least of all going to Everton and beating them in the FA cup. Gary Mac's goal was probably one of the best in this year's competition and one that I will remember for a long time. I suppose football lures you in with promises of gold before spitting you out again into the land of disbelief -- a home tie against a team below us in our division, one that we destroyed at Boundary Park later in the season, one that was pretty average all year -- and they beat us with a goal from an ex-player, then get Chelsea in the next round. Very cruel!"

"But we had our luck too. Finding Neil Trotman (who Burnley kindly released) watching him go from a kid on loan at Halifax to a Championship team for £500,000 after only 20 or so games for us was both fortunate and well needed. For those bean counters who like to guess what we make and lose in a season of football I will tell you simply -- after getting just over £330,000 for our cup exploits and receiving the first half of Trotman's money we lost around £380,000 this year. I am not sure if I should laugh or cry but I do admit to being scared of the thought of how much we would have lost if not for the above unforeseen factors. In a year of tough trading and a weak dollar we have to realise how fortunate we have been."

"The biggest battle that took place this season was not on the football field but in the offices of Oldham Council. You are all aware of the eventual outcome but it was a close call. The support from many of the fans, including those who arranged the march was quite astonishing. In particular we must give thanks to Alan Thornley, a regular season ticket holder, who gave up much of his time and expertise and guided us through the minefield of dealing with councils on property related matter -- cheers, Al. If I had to put a negative spin on the subject it would be to say that all the time we spent trying to get planning has seen a dramatic fall in the values of land and apartments and several developers who we have been in discussions with are reviewing their strategy. This of course is not the end of the matter and we still intend to see out our plans and hope that we do not have to scale back on our dream."

"That dream should start at the beginning of June with the demolition of the New Start Mortgages stand as well as the Clayton Arms. I must stress to the fans that although we know when we are knocking the stand down we don't know when building will commence. Many issues still need to be resolved at various levels but nothing will consume more of our time than this. I must also ask for those fans who will lose their seat for at least one season to bear with us. I know it is inconvenient but we are doing this for the greater good of your club and apologise in advance. Please do not be abusive to the club's staff when making enquiries for your new seating arrangements; they will do their best to accommodate everyone."

"A few thank-you's before I sign off. Firstly to our season ticket holders and to our incredible away supporters, you have once again been phenomenal. I know it's not always been pretty but you stick at it, perhaps one or two moan but so do I so I can't have a go -- it's football. Thank you to our sponsors especially Hillstone Developments, Horners Motor Group, Detect All Alarms and New Start Mortgages. All your efforts and sponsorship are appreciated and we look forward to continuing our relationship next year."

"Thank you as well to the two shoplifters we caught last week, please go to Blackpool's shop next time you want to steal some football clothing, thank you as well to the ones we didn't catch yet -- we are working on it. Thank you as well to those that took credit from the club and then refused to pay (too many to list here) and thank you to those who promised sponsorship for dinners and corporate hospitality but also refused to pay after attending. We have sent out debt collectors to people this year and had to issue court proceedings to several companies but next year we will just name and shame (and still collect)."

"Please also understand that if you do not buy a ticket you will not be entering the ground on match days unless invited by the club. We have had a degree of success in stopping the freeloaders but there is room for improvement. I would like to end on a positive note and say that although there are many trials and tribulations in running this club we have been here for five years and love it as much as when we first arrived. We won't be here forever but when we leave it will be in a much stronger position than when we arrived. Oldham is a great place (a little bureaucratic) and we have a great club, let's keep the faith and see where we go..."

Your Chairman,
Simon Blitz