Oldham chief says he didn’t interfere with Scholes’ role
OLDHAM ATHLETIC owner Abdallah Lemsagam has denied interfering in team affairs after Paul Scholes walked out just 31 days into an 18-month contract as manager.
The United legend quit the club last week stating ‘it became clear that I would not be able to operate as I intended and was led to believe prior to taking on the role’.
Rumours of interference from board level have dogged the League Two club during Lemsagam’s tenure, but he has rejected claims that was what forced Scholes to leave.
“I was away for 21 days, how could I interfere with his job?” he said. “It is not true. I never spoke to him about who was going to play and who was not going to play.
“As a chairman or owner I ask who is going to play, which is normal in football.
“The only time I talked with him was about one player when I asked him if he wanted to keep a player and he said he was happy for me to let him go.
“I don’t speak to any players. If I speak to anyone it is the manager.”
Scholes reportedly quit via a WhatsApp message but Lemsagam claims he tried unsuccessfully to get the former United midfielder to return.
“How he left is not an easy question. It is a pity because he left in a difficult situation,” he added.
“I gave him a contract for 18 months and the first thing I told him was ‘You’re not under pressure’. It’s a pity he just left.
“To send it just a WhatsApp message was a little bit hard. It hurt but it is part of life.
“We tried to convince him to come back. I tried to call him many times but he didn’t answer.”
Oldham, who don’t have a game today, have brought back former caretaker manager Pete Wild as head coach for the remainder of the season.
Wild was temporary boss prior to Scholes’ appointment, overseeing four wins – including an FA Cup victory over Premier League Fulham – a draw and three defeats having replaced previous manager Frankie Bunn. IT’S not been a memorable few years for the office of United captain.
An honour once bestowed on leaders of men and Old Trafford giants has lost some of its lustre recently.
From 1982 to 2014 Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, Steve Bruce, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Nemanja Vidic served the role with distinction - mostly - and all lifted trophies aloft at Old Trafford.
But since the armband was handed to Wayne Rooney in 2014, United have lacked a long-serving leader to take the role.
Rooney might have led by example on the pitch at times, but he was given the captaincy as his influence began to wane, and it was debatable whether a player who had such an open flirtation with leaving the club on at least two occasions should have been handed such an honour.
Giving Michael Carrick the captaincy in 2017/18 was a better judgement, but the heart problem he suffered that season meant he led United out only once in the Premier League, for his final appearance for the club against Watford at Old Trafford.
Antonio Valencia was skipper in his absence and took the role permanently at the start of this season, but the Ecuadorian has barely kicked a ball this term and has shown little leadership.
Having to apologise for liking a social media post calling for the manager to go is hardly conduct befitting the United captaincy.
The status of the job was dragged through the mud earlier in the season when Paul Pogba was told he wouldn’t wear the armband again under Jose Mourinho after criticising the style of play during United’s 1-1 draw with Wolves. The World Cup winner was back as captain under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, ironically against Wolves in the FA Cup quarter-final last Saturday, but he didn’t ooze the leadership skills required of the role in the Molineux capitulation. Pogba took the captaincy last weekend in the absence of Ashley Young, who has been the skipper under Solskjaer, even if the Norwegian insisted Valencia remained club captain early in his Old Trafford reign. David De Gea and Chris Smalling have also led United out in the Premier League this season, but it’s Young who has been the regular skipper. While De Gea and Smalling’s auditions for the captaincy didn’t Tyrone Marshall