FROM PRE TO NON LE
The fall and fall of Oldham, founder members of the shiny new top flight in 1992... now in a toxic battle to avoid dropping out of League Two and fans fear it’s over
THEY were one of the founder clubs of the Premier League in 1992 and claimed the prized scalps of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham in a single season.
But now Oldham are facing the ignominious prospect of becoming the first former Premier League club to drop out of the top four divisions and slide into non-League.
The Latics currently lie above the League Two relegation zone only on goal difference with their heady days as a top-flight club a distant memory for fans who have since endured three decades of decline.
Fan protests against the current owner, Abdallah Lemsagam, have drawn attention to Oldham’s plight, but have yet to achieve the desired aim of forcing the Dubai-based former football agent to sell up.
More than 500 fans protested before a game against Hartlepool last month, with more direct action and even a boycott planned.
In last month’s protests, a coffin bearing the words ‘RIP OAFC,’ followed by a fan posing as the Grim Reaper, was laid to rest by the main entrance at Boundary Park by four mock pallbearers. It illustrated the demise of the Lancashire club, which has been at the heart of the local community for 126 years.
Oldham fans fear that, unless Lemsagam ( far right) is forced out, their club could go the same way as
nearby Bury and Macclesfield To and cease to exist.
“The owner takes no accounta ity or responsibility for anything th gone wrong,” said Steve Shipm spokesman for fans’ group Push The Boundary.
“The atmosphere at home games has taken a turn for the worse, a lot of apathy has set in.
“We’re rooted to the bottom of the Football League, we’ve got fans walking away, and a guy in charge who will kill the club and send it into oblivion.
“The challenge is to keep people energised
and make them realise we could drop out if we don’t all come together, abilhat’s which could be the end of us.” If Oldham relinquish their EFL status, man, there’s certainly no guarantee of a return. Since 1999, 39 clubs have been relegated and only 20 have made it back. “We’d be the first founding member of the Premier League to drop out of the football league, which is unthinkable,” added Shipman (left). “You look at some of the teams now in the National League – like Wrexham, Stockport, Chesterfield – they’re league teams with pedigree and yet they struggle. I don’t think we’ve got the infrastructure in place to even contemplate getting back up if we went down.
“It’s a graveyard down there.” Oldham have appointed a staggering nine different managers since Lemsagam bought the club back in January 2018, including Manchester United legend Paul Scholes.
Scholes lasted just 31 days in charge before quitting, claiming he was misled over the amount of control he would be allowed.
Ex-England defender Keith Curle (above), who replaced axed Aussie Harry Kewell in March, is currently in charge but he has little chance of achieving success with such turmoil behind the scenes. Many believe
Oldham’s demise can be traced all the way back to their FA Cup run in 1994.
A Mark Hughes equaliser in the final minute of extra-time in a dramatic semi-final at Wembley earned Manchester United a replay and floored Oldham boss Joe Royle and his team. United went on to win the replay 4-1.
Oldham failed to win any of their remaining seven Premier League games and were relegated on the last day of the season. They have never come close to returning.
Whether they can survive the drop remains to be seen. But Oldham are certainly staring into the abyss, with little hope of an escape.