Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
RISE AND FALL AT JOE ROYLE’S ‘ICE STATION ZEBRA’
Oldham used to give Premier League elite the chills at Boundary Park... now they face life out in the non-League cold after drop
IT’S the quiz question that will haunt Oldham fans for years – which was the first former Premier League club to tumble into non-League football?
The days of Joe Royle’s side giving a few bloody noses to the top-flight elite on the notorious plastic pitch at Boundary Park were a distant memory a week ago, as defeat against Salford City confirmed relegation into the National League.
Watching on was Paul Scholes in his guise as a Salford co-owner – but feeling the hurt as a Latics fan who used to stand on the Chadderton Road End.
He’s also numbered among the 10 managers employed by owner Abdallah Lemsagam during his controversial four years at the helm (below).
Scholes lasted just 31 days after seeing his team plans undermined amid broken promises.
It’s not hard to see who he blames for “the club I have supported all my life” falling into disrepair and facing an uncertain future.
“There need to be stronger regulations governing the ownership of clubs,” Scholes said. “We’ve seen bad management resulting in Bury going out of business. We don’t want to see the same thing happen to Oldham.
“The town is in a sad place football-wise right now. It’s going to take time to get back into the Football League because there are already some big clubs in the National League fighting for promotion.”
Lemsagam is desperate for current boss John Sheridan (below) – a cult hero with the fans – to stay on and attempt to mastermind an immediate return.
And Lemsagam – whose brother Mo is the sporting director who has had a number of fallouts with the stream of managers – insists he is striving to sell up.
But an asking price of £6million, together with an estimated £1m-a-season shortage after falling out of the EFL, has been putting off potential suitors.
One of the interested parties is a consortium led by Darren Royle, the son of legendary former boss Joe, who has the experience of helping run Wigan Athletic as executive director and chairman.
If only Oldham could turn the clock back to the Royle years when life at ‘Ice Station Zebra’ – as he called Boundary Park for its hostile climate – buzzed with anticipation and the big boys came to town. During a stellar playing career at Everton, Royle used to earn more by polishing up and selling second-hand cars – a skill which was very handy when he became Latics boss, with the club plumbing the depths of the old Second Division. Doing some restoration work on the careers of Denis Irwin, Ian Marshall, Earl Barrett and Andy Ritchie – and the installation of the artificial surface – saw an upsurge in their fortunes.
It led to three seasons in the top flight – the last two in the newly formed Premier League. Royle was also named Manager Of The Year, but, after he left to take over as Everton boss in 1994, Oldham went into decline and have reached their nadir.
Former Oldham chief executive Alan Hardy, who was around during the Royle days, believes the club’s fans hold the key to the future.
“There are some proactive groups who want to take the club forward,” Hardy said.
“Sadly, many fans have never experienced the Premier League days. All they have seen is a club struggling.
“If John Sheridan can be persuaded to stay on, then that would defnitely be a
good start.”