5th April 2000    

Leeds deal to be investigated
Stoke reports

ATHLETIC’S £1million link with Leeds United is under threat today after the Football League revealed plans to investigate the ground-breaking deal. Leeds have taken a 9.9 per cent stake in Athletic and agreed to pay half their School of Excellence costs — around £200,000 for each of the next five years. The two clubs hoped their arrangement, which is the first of its kind to become official, would go through without delay. But the League have now contacted Athletic and are set to launch moves which would veto the entire proposal. League spokesman John Nagle said: “The regulations specifically state that clubs cannot hold or deal in shares of other clubs without prior written consent of the Football League. “We have not given our consent and, if necessary, have the power to prevent this from happening. “All clubs must abide by our rules and regulations and this whole issue will need to be examined. We will be in touch with Leeds and Oldham.” 

Athletic’s sale of shares has not been agreed with Leeds United themselves — a detail which could prove crucial — but with the Premiership club’s owners, Leeds Sporting plc. The prospective partners hope this will allow them to press ahead with their joint scheme to develop the players of the future. Angry Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale said: “If this was stopped from going through, the only people to lose out would be Oldham. “We could set up a Centre of Excellence right on their doorstep. Is that what the League really wants?” Athletic chief executive Alan Hardy was more reluctant to comment, but confirmed that the League had requested more details of the initiative. He added: “I expect further contact with them and, until we know more about their concerns, we are unable to comment any further.” Leeds are keen on the idea because it would allow them to snap up youngsters from a wider geographical area. There were rumours in Yorkshire today that Athletic would not be the only club to come under the wing of the Elland Road giants. 

Meanwhile, Athletic’s new relationship with Leeds took a step forward today when teenage striker Dale Crawford arrived on trial. Crawford (18) has been given permission to play two games for Athletic’s reserves, beginning this afternoon against Manchester United. 

The Manchester Senior Cup tie at The Cliff was due to herald Crawford’s debut, along with that of a second new face from a Premiership club — Andy Walker (19), a midfield player who is on Newcastle’s books. 

ATHLETIC insist the historic decision to sell a tenth of the club to Leeds United will not make them a feeder team to the Premiership giants. Leeds have not paid big money for the stake and will not provide funds for team strengthening. Instead, the pioneering deal is an attempt by both clubs — one rich and powerful, the other in financial trouble — to strengthen their hand with home-grown talent. It is possible that the agreement will spark a number of similar link-ups, with clubs at all levels trying to find ways of avoiding extortionate transfer fees and sky-high wages.

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE LINK-UP BETWEEN ATHLETIC AND LEEDS?

Leeds Sporting PLC, the owners of Leeds United, have bought a 9.9-per-cent stake in Athletic.

The shares were owned by Athletic chairman David Brierley and directors Derek Taylor and Peter Chadwick, the three men who bought the majority shareholding from JW Lees six months ago.

They did not make a profit on the sale, which went through for a “nominal amount.”

Mr Brierley said Leeds — who will have no influence whatsoever in the running of Athletic — had bought the shares to show their long-term commitment.

“We are now locked into a relationship with one of the top clubs in Europe,” he added.

The deal will not provide any funds for manager Andy Ritchie to use in the transfer market.

All money put in by Leeds will go towards Athletic’s youth system and has to be “for investment purposes only.”

For an initial five years, the two clubs will go 50-50 in the costs of Athletic’s Centre of Excellence, which needs an annual budget of up to £400,000.

WHY HAS IT HAPPENED?

Athletic could not afford to sustain their Centre of Excellence, which is crucial to the club’s survival, in its current form.

Their average gate is 5,500, while the figure they need to break even is almost double that.

Mr Brierley contacted his Leeds counterpart, Peter Ridsdale, who was so enthusiastic about the idea that no other club was approached.

This kind of formal deal has never been struck before, but it is unlikely to be the last.

From Leeds’ point of view, a five-year investment of around £1million is little more than a drop in the ocean.

For Athletic, who lost that amount during last season alone, it is like manna from heaven.

HOW WILL IT WORK?

When 16-year-old players end their time at Athletic’s Centre of Excellence, the next step is to continue their education with a scholarship (the old YTS scheme).

Under the new agreement, the Premiership side will have first pick of the youngsters available.

Athletic will then make a choice, followed by Leeds, followed by Athletic . . . a bit like choosing teams in the playground.

The youngsters will then be nurtured in the usual way by their respective clubs, both of whom have traditionally had a conveyor belt of talent.

Athletic are unlikely to become an Academy club in the near future as, according to Mr Brierley, “the feeling in football seems to be that there are enough of them for the moment.”

But he added: “There’s no reason why we can’t build up the same level of facilities at our School of Excellence.”

Athletic and Leeds will also exchange ideas on everything from scouting to administration of the school.

There is every chance that Andy Ritchie and his coaching staff will spend time at Elland Road, while David O’Leary and Co will pay visits to Boundary Park.

If Leeds want to sign someone who is tied to Athletic, they must pay a transfer fee or compensation package in the usual way.

WHAT DO ATHLETIC GAIN?

The first advantage — and the reason the whole deal was proposed — is that they can continue to run their School of Excellence to a similar, or eventually higher, standard.

Leeds have a bigger and more costly scouting system, so any youngster they feel is just short of Premiership standard will instead be offered to Athletic.

The kudos of being linked with such a highly-respected club may also attract players who would have moved elsewhere, such as Manchester United or Liverpool.

At first-team level, Boundary Park could become a finishing school when Leeds feel their best young prospects need league experience.

Said Ritchie: “This doesn’t mean I’ll discard the players I have here, and it doesn’t mean Oldham Athletic are going to become Leeds reserves.

“It hopefully means that, if we are struggling, I can make a phone call and ask if they have anyone available.

“There’s also the possibility of getting people on loan for a whole season.”

WHAT DO ATHLETIC LOSE?

After using up time, expertise and some of their own money, Athletic will see some of their brightest young stars head straight over The Pennines at the age of 16.

If they discovered the next Harry Kewell, he would only be at Boundary Park until Leeds moved in with their first option.

Athletic point out that, under the selection system in place, they would then be able to sign the next Jonathan Woodgate.

There might also be players at the club who wouldn’t have been there if Leeds hadn’t been involved.

WHAT DO LEEDS GAIN?

Under current rules, Leeds are not allowed to sign anyone for their Academy who lives outside a 90-minute travelling radius.

The new agreement has found a loophole in this system and allowed them to extend their catchment area.

Leeds could now recruit a player from Lancashire, Merseyside or North Wales and leave them in the official care of Athletic.

When the player reaches 16, they could return and snap him up as a trainee.

Therefore, Leeds are now competing for youngsters with Manchester United, Everton, Liverpool and the like — as well as catching the cream of their own region.

This is why other top clubs will be watching these developments with intense interest.

WHAT DO LEEDS LOSE?

Like Athletic, they will miss out on roughly half of the 16-year-olds who have completed their time at the Boundary Park School of Excellence.

Leeds will also be spending a seven-figure sum over five years — but if they discover only one top-class player in that time, the scheme will pay for itself several times over.

AFTER four attempts and almost six hours of trying over the course of the season, Athletic have failed to break through the defences of play-off chasing Stoke City. Last night, the final 90 minutes of that scoring drought led to the end of their six-game unbeaten run. It was a disappointing outcome for Athletic, who did enough to warrant a point on a night when Boundary Park lived up to its nickname of Ice Station Zebra. The sides were evenly matched after Peter Thorne exploited a defensive blunder, highlighting how the line between second-division success and failure can sometimes look as thin as a Rizla. There were consolations for Athletic, however, in the full league debuts of Ryan Sugden and Danny Boshell. The two teenagers have known each other since the age of six and are now best friends, making this occasion all the more memorable for them both. Neither player showed big-match nerves, probably because Sugden is accustomed to the senior stage and Boshell has an old head on young shoulders. They also put in highly-promising performances to advance their claims for more regular first-team recognition.

It was a particularly tough test for Sugden, who ended up with cramp after taking on one of the most resilient backlines Athletic have faced all season. Boshell, meanwhile, showed poise and invention, along with enough confidence to shoot from distance and take command at most of his side’s set-pieces. Boshell was effectively handed the John Sheridan role in Athletic’s gameplan, despite being just over half the veteran’s age. It took the hosts a while to get over their playmaker’s absence but, once they adapted, cohesion returned to their ranks. In a ragged first half, they were grateful for the wayward finishing of Thorne, who might have had a hat-trick. Afterwards, the roles were reversed and Stoke spent much of the last half-hour clinging on by their fingertips to a slender advantage. It didn’t take long for Thorne to sound a warning as he shot just wide of Gary Kelly’s far post in the fifth minute. Kelly got down to block another Thorne effort from Brynjar Gunnarsson’s well-weighted pass and Stoke had their third opening of the first quarter-hour when Kyle Lightbourne got away through the middle but saw his attempted lob saved. It was Thorne again in the 23rd minute, ghosting through to test Kelly’s reflexes after Lightbourne flicked on a goal-kick. And the forward — who bagged a hat-trick in Stoke’s controversial draw at Bristol Rovers on Saturday — finally made it count moments later when he opened the scoring with his 21st goal of the season. Graham Kavanagh’s long throw looked unlikely to cause many problems for the home rearguard when it was hurled in from the right. But Shaun Garnett made a bad misjudgement, allowing the ball to bounce through to Thorne, who pounced with a diving header from no more than six yards. For all their hard work, Athletic didn’t make any impression until the 33rd minute when Scott McNiven’s low cross brought consternation in the Stoke penalty area.

Otherwise, the only worry for the visitors was that their near-unbroken domination had yielded just a single strike. They should have put that right when a cross from the dangerous Gunnarsson gave Thorne yet another sight of goal — and another one he wasted. Athletic were relieved to go into half-time with a foothold still in the game, and they emerged from the break with a much stronger sense of direction. A dipping drive from Boshell called Potters ‘keeper Gavin Ward into action for the first time, while Steve Whitehall’s snapshot also needed a diving save. The best chance fell to Garnett in the 66th minute, but Ward pulled off a brilliant one-handed stop from a 12-yard piledriver which looked certain to level the scores. Stoke, meanwhile, remained dangerous on the break and the hosts had to make a last-ditch clearance when Kavanagh reached the heart of the area. Sugden headed narrowly over from a Boshell free-kick as Athletic probed away in search of the equaliser. There was a double chance 11 minutes from time, with Paul Rickers having his first effort blocked before his follow-up was grabbed on the line by Ward.Kavanagh went close for Stoke and, when substitute Matthew Tipton blazed over from a tight angle at the death, the game was finally up for frustrated Athletic. 

The only concern for the visitors was a fear that their total dominance had yielded just a single strike. They should have put that right when a cross from Bjarni Gudjonsson gave Thorne yet another site of goal - another one he wasted. Oldham emerged from the break much stronger, with a dipping shot from Boshell and Steve Whitehall's snap-shot calling goalkeeper Gavin Ward into action. Their best chance fell to big defender Garnett in the 66th minute but Ward pulled off a brilliant one-handed stop from a 12 yard pile-driver which looked certain to level the scores. Stoke, meanwhile, remained dangerous on the break and the hosts had to make a last-gasp clearance when Kavanagh broke into the area. Sugden headed narrowly over from a free-kick as Oldham battled away in search of the equaliser. There was a double chance with 11 minutes to go, with Paul Rickers having his first effort blocked before his follow-up was grabbed on the line by Ward. When substitute Matthew Tipton fired over at the death the game was up for Oldham.

Oldham 0, Stoke 1

Last three meetings Oldham 0, Stoke 1 (18/1/2000) Stoke 0, Oldham 0 (28/12/1999) Oldham 1, Stoke 0 (4/5/1999)

Final

Final Results Oldham 0 Stoke 1 Name, Minutes No Scorers Name, Minutes Thorne, 23  Yellow Cards Name, Minutes Duxbury, 36 foul   Name, Minutes Gudjonsson, B, 68 foul Red Cards Name, Minutes No Red Cards   Name, Minutes No Red Cards Match Stats 14 Goal Attempts 14 7 (On Target) 4 0 (Bar/Post) 0 8 Fouls 17 2 Offsides 4 4 Corners 3

Match Squads & Ratings 3 stars (out of 5) Oldham Stoke G 1. Kelly - 7 D 2. Garnett - 6 M 3. Hotte - 7 D 4. Jones - 6 D 5. McNiven, S - 6 D 6. Holt - 6 D 7. Duxbury - 6 M 8. Rickers - 6 9. Boshell - 8 M 10. Sugden - 7 F 11. Whitehall - 6 G 1. Ward - 8 F 2. Gudjonsson, B - 6 D 3. Mohan - 7 D 4. Dryden - 7 D 5. Clarke - 6 F 6. Gunnlaugsson - 6 M 7. Kavanagh - 7 8. Gunnarsson - 8 M 9. O'Connor - 6 F 10. Lightbourne - 6 F 11. Thorne - 7 Substitutes Substitutes M 3. Tipton (81) M 10. Futcher (90) 12. Miskelly 13. Jones 14. Salt F 2. Melton (90) F 6. Hansson (72) F 10. Iwelumo (86) 12. Jacobsen 13. Muggleton *Players ranked from 4 (lowest) to 10 (highest) Referee: K. D. Hill

your opinion will differ from many Latics fans opinions and from Andy Ritchie's opinion.

Personally, having only missed a select few games this season due to work & the cost, I think that when our midfield performs to it's best we are more than a match for any team. The game against Wigan at the turn of the year proved this.

Adams still puts in good balls, Ok not like we are use to, but this is a totally different playing field to when he was first with us. Sheridan is a pass-master but will need replacing soon, which is fair enough. Holt and Rickers are very good when they go forward and Duxxy grinds out the ball in midfield and likes to get forward every now and then (but not often enough).

All in all, I personally believe the midfield can survive as it is at the moment, with Salt and Boshell who are progressing nicely too, available if we need the back up. We have created enough chances to win 39 games this season, but have not taken them. Infact, at one point we were close to heading the table for chances created. Little consolation, but every proof of the chances we have made and missed. We clearly don't have a born finisher, and that is what this club needs to bridge the gap between the middle of this division and the top of it.

Whether we'll find the man for the job remains to be seen.

Cheers. Ross.