Chairman Simon Corney has today called upon some Oldham Athletic fans to be more positive at home games as Latics attempt to overcome their torrid Boundary Park form, according to the Oldham Evening Chronicle.
Corney suggested that there was a ‘negative feedback loop’ on match days and that the vocally negative minority are adversely affecting the club’s chances of success.
Struggling to win at home has been a feature of Athletic’s recent past with the club having one a meagre 32% of home league matches since the start of the 2009/10 season. However, 2015 has seen home form plummet to new lows and Latics have won just four home games this calender year; an unwanted record ‘bettered’ only by Newport County in the whole of the football league. Away form has been slightly better yet still Oldham have won just two games in their last 27 and the result of such a run has seen even the most ardent fan display signs of apathy.
Yet the results over the past nine months haven’t even been fans’ biggest gripe. The quality of football on display has been lethargic at best and continual off the field setbacks have left a sour taste in many mouths and have led to renewed questions about the club’s management.
Consequently, Simon Corney’s comments seem rather untimely and slightly misplaced. In an ideal world, fans would be intrinsically positive at all times, however supporters are passionate and seeing their team perform as poorly as has been the case in recent months is bound to lead to negative effects. Whether Corney believes that the fans are part of the problem or not (and I would suggest that he’s barking up the wrong tree somewhat), comments like these will only serve to alienate a part of the already dwindling core section of support base.
I’ve no doubt that Corney hoped today’s comments would serve as a rallying call as Latics look to end their home form hoodoo however the reaction has, understandably, been annoyance at the club chairman. Supporters have a job to support their team as best as they can and to be the proverbial ‘twelfth man’. However these are testing times for supporters of the club and criticism such as this will inevitably cause more harm than good at a time when Oldham can hardly afford to see a further reduction in attendances.
