27th June 2000  

Youth coach appointed

ANDREW BEAGLEHOLE, a former top youth coach at Middlesborough, Notts Forest and Leeds, is Athletic’s new Director of Youth Development. Beaglehole — an appointment described by the club as a real coup — replaces Peter Lowe, who was sacked in March for “administrative reasons”. The 37-year-old will oversee the development of Athletic’s youngsters from the age of 10 upwards, working closely with youth coaches Tony Philliskirk and David Cross. Manager Andy Ritchie, who was part of the interviewing panel, said: “Andy has a superb pedigree and is highly regarded in the game. This is a real coup for Oldham Athletic.” Beaglehole has the UEFA `A’ coaching badge, a degree in sports science and is a fully-qualified British Athletic Federation coach, specialising in speed training. He has been Director of the Centres of Excellence at Leeds, Forest and Middlesborough and has also taken three teams to the FA Youth Cup final — twice with Leeds and once with Boro. 

He said: “I am eagerly looking forward to working with Andy Ritchie and the staff at Oldham Athletic. “They have an excellent track record for producing home-grown players and giving them a chance in the first team. “That is the way forward for English football and I am delighted to be working at such a progressive club.” Beaglehole, who has been working as Leeds’ head of football development in South Yorkshire, plans to sell his home in Doncaster and move closer to Oldham. He will have a staff of 12 full and part-time coaches and head a scouting network which has seen 120 young players registered with Athletic. Despite the obvious connection between Athletic and Leeds, especially at grass-roots level, chief executive Alan Hardy said the appointment was made purely on credentials and ability. He added: “Leeds played no part in the selection process, nor did they have any influence.” 

OLDHAM will get a third-rate, cobbled-together sports stadium if plans to rebuild Boundary Park go ahead. The accusation was made by Councillor Peter Dean last night, after he called for feasibility and viability studies on the plans. He spoke out as the Policy and Resources Committee voted to ditch the plans to build on Clayton playing fields — a pledge made by the Liberal Democrats before the May elections. They also approved in principle plans to redevelop the Sheepfoot Lane ground for Oldham Athletic and Oldham Rugby Club, plus community facilities. Councillor Richard Knowles, the council leader, said instead of talking down the stadium plan, Councillor Dean should be looking at grounds such as Wolverhampton or Burnley. 

He said: “They wouldn’t agree with your comments. Old, town-centre stadiums have been transformed into community-use, first-class stadia.’’ But Councillor Dean said the Boundary Park idea should be dropped until a full feasibility and viability study had been carried out. He added: “It is a poor, confined site, tucked away and surrounded by houses. “I just feel that that this is not the vision of Oldham which I had. “This is a third-rate vision of a third-rate stadium, and Oldham people deserve better. “Last year, figures and costing's showed that the council will sink around £8 million into it and I want some safeguards. “Year after year we will be pumping money into this stadium and, if it doesn’t achieve viability, someone has to pick up the tab.’’ He was supported by Councillor David Jones, Labour group leader, who criticised the lack of information on which members had to make a decision: “There are three sides of A4 paper asking us to make a decision costing this town £15 million, yet there is not a single figure in it.’’ 

But Councillor Knowles said full funding was never in place for the Clayton playing fields stadium plan: “Developing Boundary Park could be quicker than the Clayton proposal was. It could have taken years.’’ Although a new stadium company is still being set up, a shadow board has been appointed and Oldham Council and Oldham Athletic will have equal shares, and three directors each. A seventh director will be appointed from the rugby club, although at the moment it has no shares. Councillor Chris Shyne said that Oldham Rugby Club was being treated like a second-class citizen, and he called for equal treatment for the Roughyeds. He also questioned the financial arrangements and said the council appeared to be the only body putting money into the stadium. 

Councillor Dean also warned that residents were already up in arms because homes would be closer to the stadium and ancillary uses, such as fast-food, banqueting, and conference facilities, than they were under the Clayton playing fields plan. He added: “If you thought the Clayton Action Group was powerful, you ain’t seen nothing yet.’’

just thought I would let you know about the fiasco I had on Friday afternoon. It regards my application for my season ticket, however all turned out well in the end, with the help of one Mr Brierley, who became involved.

It all began in the middle of May, when I decided to pay for my ticket using the Latics easy-payment scheme. I phoned up the club (as I am not in the Oldham area and thus can't get to the ground in the week) and I asked about how the scheme works.

Basically, you take a loan for the ticket, from The Associates and they pay the club. Your repayments go to The Associates. Simple I thought...not so!!!
Around the 20th May, OAFC still hadn't received any forms so that they could send them to punters like myself. Eventually, I got one around about the 25th May and rushed it back to OAFC and The Associates so that they had it by Saturday 27th May. I knew the discount deadline was the 31st, but I wanted to get it in, just to be safe.

Since then I have been told that OAFC and The Associates would deal with it between them and sort it all out. However, this didn't occur. I waited and occasionally I phoned the club, but got the same response. So I got onto The Associates, and eventually arranged a time for when I could make it, Friday 23rd June.

After the meeting, everything was signed and I received a cheque to cash and the I went to BP, to give them a cheque from me. This was for the £195.50 which was the discounted price for the ticket. As I handed the cheque over I was told that I couldn't have my discount. From here I was embroiled in a 15 minute argument over what had occurred over the past month and that I was told that the club and The Associates would sort it out and when I hadn't heard much, I had to take action myself. I also stated that I had waited until 6 days before the deadline for the forms to come through to me from OAFC. I had done everything by the book and had been promised that I would receive my discount. However, the lady in the ticket office was extremely rude, called me a liar and said that it was practically tough luck. What customer service that is.

At times, things became quite a heated, as this women blatantly came out with comments like "for all I know you could be making all this up" and "I don't want to know about your personal life" when I'd said June 23rd was the only day I could see The Associates, as I'm in Dukinfield, don't drive and work from 8.30 am till 5 pm.

As David Brierley became involved, he was prepared to listen to me (on the contrary to the other lady, who talked over my every attempt to relay the events of the last 30 days.) He thought about the situation and then when I said "I suggest you speak to The Associates" he duly phoned them and spent a good 20 minutes on the phone with them. In the end, he came back and stated that The Associates have admitted that there had been an administrative error on their part. From this David Brierley said I could have the discount.

Thank god for sanity. Also, thank god we have a caring Chairman. Unfortunately though, there is a sense of deadwood in the club and people like the women I had to deal with in the Ticket Office are not assets to the club, but an hindrance. David Brierley said afterwards "We do try to help and get things sorted out" however I only felt a degree of bitterness and relief, and half expected an apology from the women I dealt with. That never came, but she did shut her up a bit after speaking with The Associates.

The main thing that I have learnt from this though, is that the relationship with the fans needs to improve. Okay, we are hearing more publicly from the club, and well done to David Brierley for the interview, however if things were sorted, then maybe more would turn up at BP and maybe more would travel to the away games. In the past I have blamed a lot on Man City fans and Man Utd fans who used to follow the Latics but are now at their "new" clubs, but when you get the sort of treatment that I had on Friday, you just have to think, maybe that is why people are now elsewhere. After all, we are all customers and we deserve to be treated with a little bit of respect. Sadly, the women I dealt with doesn't seem to know that.

Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know about this and maybe some of you have had similar experiences? All comments are welcome.

Ross.