Another building application has been proposed for a new stand at Boundary Park which would accommodate a gym, a conference and banqueting suite and a mini-supermarket. The new stand would be built on the Broadway side of the ground and would be a 3,000 seater.
Owner Simon Corney said, "It’ll be one-tier, about 3,000 seats and it will be three storeys high, but it’s not about the capacity it’s about what we can put in there to drive revenue. There will be a gym, a conference and banqueting centre, a mini-supermarket and some retail outlets. We’ll see what they are once we have submitted the application and approached tenants. It’s a slight worry [there are no investors] but I have earmarked some money and we will get it built. It won’t be difficult to find investors once we have tenants in place and if we have to do it out of capital we have to do it out of capital."
Corney also admitted that he has turned down offers for the club and that he has ‘never felt as confident about the future’ and that he remains ‘in love’ with Oldham but would sell up to any bidder he believes could take them further than he could. He added, "Not one has been genuine or legitimate. I ask them what are their plans and do they have any money. The answer is always ‘we don’t know and we have not got any money’ – that is not an offer for the football club. If someone could secure the future of the club I would hand over the keys tomorrow."
He is approaching ten years at the club and quipped, "Ten years – what did I do to deserve this? I love it here and Oldham has become dear to me. In all seriousness it’s a bit like a girlfriend that drives you mad but you have an attachment to her. I love the people, it’s a great town and for the first time ever there is a really good council leadership. Now I feel confident that there is a future here and if you asked me three years ago I would not have had that confidence."
Regarding the upcoming season Mr. Corney said, "I would say to fans ‘do not be fooled by our budget.’ We have conducted some real expert negotiations especially when you look at what the players we have brought in so far would have got elsewhere. We won’t end up lowering the budget by that much. I would imagine if we break the league into six lots of four we won’t be in the first two but we might be between the third and fourth."