Dear Fellow Supporters,

Things have been hectic recently and as a result the programme is a little late but your reward for waiting is a bumper edition. As there is not much happening on the footballing front I am including an article from a recent English newspaper as part of my editorial. It is a follow up to the manifesto on page 3. Remember what the Chairman does today the, world does tomorrow.

Plan to stamp out classroom violence.
Exclusive by Howard Smith

Football style red and yellow cards will be introduced to curb classroom hooligans if Labour wins the next election. Rowdy pupils' who ignore initial warnings could be made to stay in during breaks or kept apart from friends. Repeated misbehaviour would result in a red card and more serious sanctions. The radical measures, which have already been tested in a Newcastle upon Tyne school, came as teachers complained of increased violence. Shadow Education Secretary, David Blunkett, said: "These provide warnings and controls which are readily understood by the children. If they misbehave they will be yellow carded. If they do it again a second yellow card will send them to the headmaster (principal) who will ask for an explaination. If they do not improve a red card will be issued and parents will be brought in to see the head." Mr. Blunkett said vandalism has been wiped out, bullying reduced and suspensions were very rare since the system had been introduced at Mary Trevelyan in Newcastle. Educational psychologist Dr. Keith Topping, of Dundee University, warned that the cards should not be waved around in the same way a football referee uses them. Ed.'s note - they always say something stupid, don't they?

Remember where you saw it first.

The Chairman.

A new article will soon be appearing. We are very fortunate to be in a position to obtain the valuable information about pubs in Oldham and surrounding areas. Our new contributor, I. Will B. Drunk will start the fascinating dossier in the next programme.

Just when you thought the election spirit was over, a new party with an exceptional building programme has come to Surrey. We feel that it is never too late to begin to fight an election campaign. The beauty of this timing is that we will be able to catch all other parties unaware(s). They will be resting and we will be garnering support and will win!!

The following is the constitution of the Latics Party:

1. There will be only one candidate.
2. This person will be nominated by acclamation.
3. This person is Dave Moore.

The following is the platform of the Latics Party:

1. School will only be held on Fridays.
2. There will be no reduction in salary even if time is reduced.
3. Drinking and driving is not recommended because it might spill.
4. All information is contained in the Blue Book.
5. Most promises will not be kept.
6. If any promises are kept or even if they are not, the candidate promises to. resign if elected.
7. Attacks on protesters, photographers, trustees, and adminstrators are recommended.
8. Any promise to resign can be changed at any time even before election or after resignation or even after the election.
9. The platform must be constructed of solid planks preferably fur.

We invite your comments and support and remember:

At present there are many fans calling for the sacking of manager Graeme Sharp. I'd like to put forward a few basic facts/opinions relevant to his performance in the last approx 1.6 seasons since he took over.

1. Latics were in 19th. place in Div. l when he took over. No real change there.

2. He took over an expensive buch of ‘has beens’ and ‘never will be's’. After the great promotion team was sold off nearly all of the money was squandered on old or failed players. Eg. the £700k from the sale of Paul Warhurst went on Ian Olney. Eg. another £500k on Neil McDonald. Eg. another £500k on Sharp himself. The policy of buying youth and potential, which made Royle such a success, was dropped, and we ended up with the dregs of anybody from Everton or City with a squad number of >30. If we had bought Adrian Heath then we'd have had a full set.

Is there any change here? Yes. A very large part of the old squad was released, and with no money to spend Sharp has made vastly greater use of the Boundary Park youth resources. Five good young players (Serrant, S. McNiven, Rickers, Hughes and Beresford) have been given an extended run in the side, which they would have stood no chance of under Royle, and Graham has been given the chance to grow in stature.

3. It took years for Joe Royle to make Latics into a better team than the one he took over (which had finished 7th. the previous season and was 'on the up'). He made virtually no changes for the first year as he learnt the job.

4. In Joe's first season we finished one place clear of relegation, when the table was nowhere near as closely packed as today.

5. Many of Joe's early signings failed (remember Derrick Parker and Joe McBride??)

Conclusion:-

It's bloody hard, even for a good manager, to come to Oldham and make them play like Bayern Munich. Our success has come from bringing on young players. The “Next Generation” is in full production.

GIVE THE BLOKE A CHANCE!!!

Obviously the last competition was too hard as the editor did not receive one correct answer!

Just who is Cissie Charlton? Is she real or ficticious?

It was not a picture of Norm on a ladies body as someone suggested. Cissie Charlton was the mother of the famous Charlton brothers. Bobby and Jack both played for England when they won the World Cup final 4-2 against Germany in 1966.

All time total results: - England 3 Germany 0

This weeks question:

Which member of the Royal family played football for England at Wembley? There is a catch to this question. As there are limited answers only one guess per. member.

This weeks player profile is a little different. It is a Player's cigarette. Players have been around a long time and many is the time we, as children, slipped away for a quick fag. All players need some recognition so next time you need a little puff, think of Players please.

Did you know?
Until promotion to the First Division in 1991 the Latics had been out of the top flight since 1923.

Their best performances in the F.A. Cup were in reaching the semi-finals in 1913, 1990 and 1994.

Their best in the League Cup (Coca-Cola) was a run to the final in 1990. A match the Chairman returned to England for after two weeks in Canada. More about this in a later programme.

Dear Editor,

Regarding activities at Boundary Park there are a lot of rumours flying about but the plain fact is that the Board have come out of this very badly indeed whatever the outcome. It would appear that there is a boardroom split and the issue is not only the question of Sharp's contract but also the ambitions of the club. I think Royle bought very badly once we got promoted to the top flight but in mitigation of this the Board obviously did not back the club in order to stay up. On meagre resources the club were always doomed to drop back down. Signings like Kilcline and McDonald were always doomed to failure and Royle clearly lost the taste for the struggle once the dream had been achieved.

I can't remember feeling so down about the club. I was pretty euphoric about survival but the way the decision has dragged on, a big cloud of doom is settling around Boundary Park at the moment. If Sharp stays I believe crowds will fall further still next season as most of the public will think that we are in for another season of the same. For all it’s worth, I think that if Sharp stays the Board need to sort themselves out and that someone should go, so that what is obviously a split between them is sorted out. Otherwise he won't be able to get on with the job that he is paid to do.

Other than that..... I am fine !!! Looking forward to my holiday, all the sununer jobs like loft converting and gardening etc. etc. before the new season and new baby arrive !!! Keep in touch !!!

Allan Poyner.

It’s interesting to hear of a Canadian Latics fan club! I work for a Canadian company in the U.K. (near Heathrow) and I may be spending three months in Montreal later this year. If it goes through maybe I could attend one of your meetings (?), as we will be travelling around Canada a bit. All the best,

Ian Bastow.

Dear Ian,

Did you get a good mark in geography at school?

The Editor.