Oldham Athletic have took to issue a club statement while a video showing what John Sheridan said to fans in their protest goes viral.
Sheridan, who is in his fourth spell in charge of the club and also spent six years there as a player, was brought into the club in January to try and pull off an escape from relegation but had little success.
He was seen on the pitch trying to reason with the supporters as the protests went on, before they left and the game was able to restart.
❌ Oldham vs Salford has been abandoned at 1-2 after the Oldham fans stormed the pitch to protest.
Oldham would’ve been relegated if the score stayed the same at full-time pic.twitter.com/T9XUsWHjYH
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 23, 2022
Oldham are yet another example of how poor ownership can damage a club, with their financial issues meaning there is still a real possibility they could yet go out of business.
Their supporters will be hoping that isn’t the end reality, although dropping out of the EFL certainly makes the task of keeping the club alive all the more difficult.
For those wondering what Sheridan was saying to fans, a video was recorded of him on the pitch trying to restore some faith in the club’s fanbase, yet Barrow had won their game and Oldham’s fate was practically already sealed at the time unless they got a point back to pretty much delay the inevitable.
for people asking what shez said #oafc pic.twitter.com/PX9HI6ianD
— . (@josh_oafc) April 23, 2022
Asked if he had been involved in any plans for pre-season, he said: “Not at all. I’m not even thinking about anything else.
“Lots of things are going on in my head but there’s only one really important thing. Hopefully we stay up and then whoever’s involved in the talks, we can do that.
“The most important thing is the team and the club stay in this league.”
Sheridan also insisted after the game that he has had no interference from owner Abdallah Lemsagam or his sporting director brother, Mo, in the running of first team affairs.
The club’s hierarchy have been accused of being too involved in dressing room matters by previous head coaches.
But Sheridan says he has been left to his own devices in his sixth spell at the Boundary Park helm as he tried to get them out of the drop zone, and at one point looked like he was going to, ultimately though they failed with results not going their way of late.
“They’ve let me get on with the game. They’ve let me pick the team, everything,” he said.
“I talk to Mo when I see him, I have a coffee with him.
“I’m just trying to concentrate on winning the points. I’ve just been trying to get the lads out to win games.”
OLDHAM ATHLETIC STATEMENT:
A club statement from the Board of Directors.
The Oldham Athletic Board of Directors is devastated at the club’s relegation. The issues that have led to this point go back years but the buck stops with the Board and relegation represents a total failure.
The plan for next season starts now. The objective is clear, promotion and a return to the EFL. Our budget will be unchanged due to EFL parachute payments and we want to start preparations now.
Key to that is keeping the manager. John Sheridan did the best he could in a short amount of time. With backing and preparation, we think he will get this club promoted back to the EFL, which is where it belongs. In the following days, we will meet with John to agree on a new contract with him.
The club’s owner remains committed to selling the club. There is a clear process in place for interested parties. Each bidder has been asked to sign an NDA and provide proof of funds. Conversations with those qualified bidders are ongoing and will continue.
Whilst appreciating the huge upset and disappointment to fans we urge everyone to continue to support the club in these difficult times.
The Board and staff are committed to working hard to restore our rightful position in League Football.
Oldham issue statement while video showing what John Sheridan said to fans goes viral
Oldham Athletic’s Supporters Foundation want fans to take over the club from owner Abdallah Lemsagam, and hope to rally the town’s community in support, says OASF representative Matt Dean.
The trust currently owns a 3% share in the Latics, who were relegated from the EFL on Saturday.
Lemsagam came in at Oldham in January 2018, and subsequently has seen two relegations and a huge number of managers come and go during his stewardship.
“We have to take responsibility for it as fans,” Dean told BBC Breakfast.
“The supporters’ trust I represent owns 3% of the football club already but we want to increase that.
“We have to fundraise, contact the businesses and the people of Oldham and say: ‘It’s important. If you’re invested in Oldham, invest in Oldham Athletic’. And that’s what we’re going to try to achieve as a supporters’ trust.”
“The owners of the club currently have to take responsibility for what they’ve done to the club,” Dean added. “They’re not doing that, they’re not communicating with anybody.
“The honourable thing would be for them to turn around and say: ‘We’re not going to get the money we want for the club, we’ve invested badly’.
“If you buy a car and trash it, you don’t get the value for what you paid for it when selling. So I think they need to accept that and say: ‘This is your club, you want to take responsibility for it, we don’t anymore, so there you go, get on with it’. We’ll deal with it, because it’s our club.”
Twitter users gave their reaction as Oldham issue a statement while a video showing what John Sheridan said to fans goes viral…
@m1871e: Fair play for keeping Sheridan. Hopefully you’ll be back up in no time
@Tommy_Oldham1: Promotion, same budget? The same shoestring budget that has got us relegated and still be one of the lowest in The National League? Good luck Shez but it wouldn’t surprise me if he walks. I like the talk of promotion but under Abdallah I don’t see it happening. #oafc
@Ollie1894: ‘The issues that have led to this point go back years’ stopped reading at that. Just take accountability.
@Greavesey2403: Same budget 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@AndyRob19133934: Tell Shez we’ll be right behind him at the away days.
@Laticsmatchworn: The same budget 😬
@Lifstylejourne1: I’ve heard some drivel today but this tops the lot Owen
@fazzablue: I assume someone from the club had taken a look at the Stockport and Wrexham budgets for the current season before making this statement 🤦🏻 #oafc
@richard_pattie: Tell u what. Remove mo from his position n I might just about believe u!!!!
@Dean_AR_Jackson: Our budget will be unchanged so we still have fuck all to back shez with… #oafc
@Jmjm803: Do you even understand? How on earth is any club going to get promoted from anywhere on our current budget? Look what Stockport and Wrexham have had to spend to try and get promoted…AND they don’t have Mohammed involved. Just sell the club!!! #OAFC
@TonyBro02178017: Nobody has a rightful place in the EFL as was put in the statement, as a Grimsby fan I know that all too well
@1rhysparsons: Apologise once it’s too late, you’ve had so many chances to stop and prevent this. Do one the lot of you.
@healdsgreen: Still in denial, plenty of clubs in National League have bigger budgets than us. Will be luck to settle mid table never mind arrogance of automatic promotion.
@Savino78: Of course we’ll continue supporting the club, no matter how much you destroy it. It’s ours not yours.
@rphamer1984: How do you know the budget when you don’t know Season Ticket sales? How can you tell the club is full of shit? Answer – it releases a club statement. Next statement needs to be – The Chuckle Brothers, Barry & Halliwell have fucked off, never to return. Otherwise, don’t bother.
@RossHaslam1: A full team of free transfers from National North and South it is then 😍😍😍 #oafc
@Danny_h_2005: you haven’t a chance of getting promoted. Sheridan cant do it, and you’ll make the same mistake Chesterfield made by having past it EFL players and you will struggle big time
@andy171076: Is “our budget remains unchanged” supposed to be a positive? The current budget filled our team full of Sunday league wasters.
@MattCowburn: Forget selling the club, give it away for nothing, or a nominal £1. It’s the least you can do after all the harm you’ve done. #Abdallahout
@oafc19:
1) I love Shez but he’s not the right person to take us up
2) Budget is bottom half in the national league
3) You are not selling are you?
4) Barry Owen please fuck off
5) dont buy a season ticket
6) Sell the club
7) its your fault
#oafc
@mattbrock89: Don’t half the clubs in the National League have a bigger budget than us already anyway? They’re saying it’s staying the same like it’s a good thing? Dicks.
@isabelleol: You really are taking the fans as mugs. You had a chance when the fans returned as Shez returned. You made promises which proved to be lies. Now you expect the fans to roll over again and believe your yarn. So many chances. It doesn’t matter which league we’re in. Just go! #oafc
@StandringLiam: This is the absolutely devastated board that wasn’t present at Boundary Park when we got relegated. Yeh, tell us more lies please. You just love spewing absolute bollocks 🤬🤬 #oafc
@Laticsbiffo: Fuck off Abdallah!
@LeeElse16: What a load of shit
@English_Raider: You’re a disgrace. Same budget? Are you for fucking real. Get out of our club you parasites.
@mills_thesir: GET THE FUCK OUT OF OUR CLUB. NOBODY WANTS YOU HERE. WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE. FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK OFF
@OL9_Chris: You’re full of shit.
@Mossleytic: Go fuck yourselves you lying bastards, your words hold no credibility and mean nothing… Don’t dangle the only honest man in the club as a carrot, that’s low!! Oh and until you ensure Inspector Gobshite is not involved in the club, forget your statements #oafc
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