9th October 2000   

More on the Miller's loss

ATHLETIC were given yet another cause for concern today when Scott McNiven underwent X-rays on a facial injury. The 22-year-old was caught by an elbow during the 3-0 collapse at Rotherham and there are fears that he has suffered more damage to his left cheekbone. McNiven broke the bone in pre-season while helping to train an amateur side and, yesterday, he was unable to play the second half at Millmoor. The problem was being checked at hospital today and Athletic, who have now failed to win for 10 league games, were nervously awaiting the results. Another problem is looming on the horizon as Shaun Garnett marked his return from injury by collecting a fifth yellow card of the season. 

The big centre-back, whom boss Andy Ritchie believes was badly missed during his absence with a broken hand, must now serve a one-match ban. Garnett will sit out the home match against fellow strugglers Luton Town later this month. He has already been suspended due to a sending off at Wrexham, but that coincided with his six-match injury break. Several first-team players turn out for the reserves tonight in an Avon Insurance League match at Barnsley. Paul Jones, Danny Boshell, Mark Innes and Mark Allott are among the men hoping to impress before the next senior fixture, at home to Swindon on Saturday. Trialist Colin Pluck, a defender who is currently with an Icelandic club, is available to play as his international clearance has arrived. 

Reserves (from): Campbell, Pluck, Jones, Futcher, Prenderville, Boshell, McLaughlin, Innes, Walsh, Allott, Sugden, Haining, Doran, Otto, Wright, Duncan, Smith.

PROFESSIONAL footballers are, by and large, a contented bunch who work short hours doing something they enjoy. Other than the risk of injury, there isn’t a lot to complain about as they kick a bit of leather round a field prior to collecting some handsome wages. So is it too much to ask that, once or twice a week, they bare their souls for 90 minutes and give absolutely everything they can? It shouldn’t be. But, at Millmoor yesterday, that seemed to be the case for Athletic. No pride, plus no passion, meant no points as Andy Ritchie’s side lurched deeper into crisis and showed neither the ability nor the will to drag themselves out of it.

There were exceptions to the rule, notably skipper Lee Duxbury who must have been out on his feet after a show of total commitment. But, collectively, Athletic ran up the white flag of surrender. They didn’t work hard enough, they didn’t tackle with conviction and they feebly allowed Rotherham to play exactly as they wanted. Take a look at the statistics — 19 shots against five, ten corners to nil. It really was that bad. At a time when desire and effort are as crucial as any footballing talent, the heart stopped beating and Athletic simply lay down and died. Their performance, quite frankly, was shameful. There was hardly a single redeeming feature during 90 minutes which were as bleak as it can possibly get. If Athletic had been playing a Walsall or a Wigan, rather than a Rotherham side who were useful without being special, it could have been 8-0. And, most depressing of all, far too many players allowed it to happen instead of showing the guts to change things.

It’s always acceptable to lose to a better team if you are seen to be giving your all. Even Athletic’s long-suffering fans, whose condemnation grows louder by the week, might grudgingly admit that. But, yesterday, there was none of the fight everyone connected with the club — not least the manager — has a right to expect. After making a truly awful start to the game, Athletic appeared to view their latest defeat as inevitable. In short, they threw in the towel. So what can be done to bring the nightmare to an end? Answers on a postcard, please, to Mr A Ritchie, Boundary Park, Oldham. The manager and his assistant, Bill Urmson, are mystified that a decent squad of players are under-performing to such a massive extent. But there has to be a foundation on which to build and there is no better starting point than showing the right attitude. Some argue that the manager plays the key role in motivating his players. Surely, however, some of that hunger should come from within. Already reflecting on nine league games without a victory, Ritchie made five changes to his side and left out his two loan players, Chris Lightfoot and Paul Smith. Back in the starting line-up were Mark Hotte, Phil Salt, Mark Watson, Matthew Tipton and, sporting a cast to protect his injured hand, Shaun Garnett.

Rotherham striker Mark Robins aggravated a stomach injury in the warm-up and had to pull out at the last minute. Although that may have been good news for Athletic, it was all downhill from there. The last thing they needed was to concede an early goal yet, typically of the recent run, they lasted all of 42 seconds before falling behind. Rob Scott sent over a long throw from the right and goalkeeper Gary Kelly came to meet it with his fists. He missed. And Paul Warne exploited the mistake ruthlessly by firing through a ruck of defenders from the edge of the box. Athletic had barely touched the ball, never mind had a chance to settle, but their hopes turned to dust only five minutes later when Rotherham’s second goal left the visitors stunned. Once again, the lethal weapon was Scott’s long throw, which Athletic could only half-clear, giving the defender a chance to cross. When he did so, David Artell climbed highest in the middle to thump home a header from close range. It should have been three after 18 minutes as Athletic’s atrocious defending almost landed them in more trouble.

Rotherham striker Alan Lee — at 6ft 2ins, not a man you can easily miss — managed to arrive in the box unnoticed, only to send an easy header past the post. Lee then put another clear chance straight at Kelly, who immediately jumped to his feet and played hell with the men who were supposed to be protecting him. Rotherham were already winning the game in a canter — and Athletic were doing precious little to stop them. The visitors were inept at the back and sloppy in midfield, failing to keep the ball long enough for any kind of danger to materialise. Two speculative efforts from Salt, both of them well off target, were the sum total of their attacking menace in a ridiculously one-sided first half. The frustration was summed up when Tipton conceded a throw-in with poor control and then booted the ball at the dug-out, taking a chunk out of the roof and narrowly missing his manager. Athletic made life slightly more difficult after the break, weighing in with some heavy tackles which, under a stricter referee, would have brought them more than four bookings. But they were still lacking creativity and it was a big surprise when Craig Dudley, who had been working hard up front, was taken off in the 63rd minute. The best chances both fell to Lee, who blazed over from an angle and also shot weakly after a strong run.

Athletic finally posed a threat of their own after 72 minutes, but Garnett couldn’t adjust his body in time and lifted his effort over the bar from eight yards. Shortly afterwards, the Yorkshiremen took the game beyond reach thanks to another mistake by Kelly. The ‘keeper, whose own form has dipped with that of his team, could only parry Stewart Talbot’s 20-yard drive and watched in agony as it looped into the air and bounced apologetically over the line. Kelly atoned with a tremendous save from Darren Garner as Rotherham went through the full range of backheels, flicks and feints. They could have scored at least two more as Athletic, having plumbed new depths in a season of lows, waited to be put out of their misery.

Rotherham: Gray, Artell, Scott, Hurst, Garner, Talbot, Watson, Beech, Berry (Monkhouse 80), Warne, Lee. Subs (not used): Pettinger, Wilsterman, Varty, Hudson.

Oldham: Kelly, Watson, Garnett, Hotte, Adams, Holt, Duxbury, Salt, McNiven (Smith 45), Tipton, Dudley (Allott 63). Subs (not used): Campbell, Lightfoot, Boshell.

UNDER-FIRE manager Andy Ritchie insists he will NOT walk out as manager of Athletic. Ritchie’s team faced vitriolic abuse from some of their supporters yesterday, but the former playing idol is refusing to cave in and `do a Keegan’. Though Ritchie admitted there was “absolutely no passion” against Rotherham, he stressed that he and Bill Urmson are intent on halting Athletic’s decline. “Yes, I feel under pressure. Of course I do,” he said. “And if the board don’t want me here, all they have to do is tell me. “But we are both totally committed to this job. We are determined to get it right. “I just wish some of the fans could see how hard we work in training and how promising things can look before a game. “I don’t know why it’s going wrong at that stage, but the players seem to forget everything we’ve said as soon as they cross the white line. “We were absolutely dead (against Rotherham). There was no commitment, no fire in their bellies and it looked as though we hadn’t worked on any team play at all. “Even though we made a bad start, we weren’t necessarily out of it at 2-0. But they showed absolutely no passion and they weren’t willing to get hurt. “We told them at half-time that they needed to show more, but they still didn’t have a go. They just went through the motions. “There are players who have a lot of thinking to do about their jobs and whether they want to be at this club.

“If they don’t, they should tell me and I’ll stick the kids into the side. “It’s tempting to do that anyway, but it would be like throwing the Christian's to the lions. “We have lads like Danny Walsh and Gerry McLaughlin in the reserves but, at the moment, we would be throwing them in to get slaughtered. “We were without key players again, but I don’t think even John Sheridan would have made a jot of difference in that game. “These players got us into this situation — and they are the ones who have to get us out of it.”

Cheers

Owen Paul of Ashton writes ..... I have just returned from a very poor performance (in my opinion) at Rotherham. Myself and a couple others where really looking forward to a change in fortunes. How every these thoughts were straight out of the window 60 seconds after kick off. I must say that this must be the worst ever Oldham performance I have ever seen. I do not think that the problem lies with Andy or Billy, but with 70-80% of the players themselves. They are just not good enough to play in the first team. Some should not even be wearing
the Oldham shirt. Kelly has had a terrible time of late and this has carried on today. He seems to have lost all confidence he needs to talk to the defence a lot more than he does. I think a return to the 4-4-2 formation would help things dramatically. Maybe playing Miskelly could fetch a change in ways. Sheridan is sorely missed but what happens when he finally hangs up his boots, he is not going to be around forever is he (maybe one more season). Who will then plug the gap in midfield. Changing the manager is not going to help whatsoever I believe that Andy is doing his best and always will. The look on his face at half time today spoken a million words, he was very dejected and looked at his wits end with the lads. I think the time has come for the players to take some responsibility for the decline in Oldham Athletic because this is not the Oldham way and never has been. We belong in
top flight football and that's where we should be. Andy has my full support and should have the fans 100% support because getting on his back is not going to help the cause. The players should either give 100% or get out of Oldham Athletic, because I will be a very sad day for Oldham if Andy decided to call it a day, or if supporter power removes Andy from the hot seat. I challenge any Oldham supporter to do any better with a bunch of players like Andy has got. Paul Is this true? There was a lunatic asylum at the back of the Boundary Park Hospital a long time ago. It is said that one day one of the inmates put his head over the wall and asked those returning from the match "Ow 'ave t'latics got on?" One of the spectators said, "Eeh, they've won two nil." The inmate said, " Eeh, they'll go mad in 'ere when I tell em." Anyone do better?

Canada bowed out rather ignominiously after a humbling 4-0 loss in Trinidad on Sept. 3. It was the fifth game during which Canada had failed to score and Jim Brennan was happy to end that drought late in Monday's game with a neat little shot that scooted across the path of Panama goalkeeper Ricardo James. "We're all disappointed getting knocked out of World Cup qualifying and all that but we've got to get our heads down," said Brennan. "We've got to win here and we can start another run and get ourselves going for the summer." Osieck said he tried to mix things up a little, moving around his players and trying out a few new faces. "The boys picked it up. I got my impression today, I know where I stand."

One of those new faces belongs to Daniel Imhof, who made his debut at the World Cup level. Imhof, a midfielder who plays regularly with St. Gallen in Switzerland, made a solid showing and displayed a bulldog tenacity that earned him more than a few scrapes. "He showed why he is doing well in Switzerland," said Osieck. Martin Nash saw action late in Monday's game and helped set up Brennan's goal. Paul Stalteri also made his return after a one-game suspension and had one of Canada's best scoring chances early in the game. Canada dominated the match and had several scoring opportunities but just couldn't get the ball past James. "We didn't want to rush things," said Brennan. "We wanted to keep possession and when the time was right go forward."

In the first half alone, however, Canada had seven shots to just one for Panama. Canada's last qualifier is against Mexico on Nov. 15 in Toronto, and Osieck said he will be changing the line-up again because of the need to keep conditioned players on the field. "I have to call in other guys that I left out for this match."