Corney is “deeply concerned

Last updated : 31 May 2006 By Dave Moore
Simon Corney has appealed to the Oldham public to get behind the team. Season ticket sales have fallen by a third and Corney admits that he is “deeply concerned.” The drop in revenue has cost Athletic around £150,000 and will affect the transfer budget. Athletic still need to offload before they can bring in new faces and the players that are surplus have not attracted any offers.

Mr. Corney said, “As much as we want to sign Luke (Beckett), our financial position is going to make things difficult. The lack of season-ticket sales will impact on who we bring in during the summer because we are talking about sums which are huge for the club. We have to stick to the salary cap, which means we can't spend more than 60-per-cent of our income on wages. Everybody knows we are losing a lot of money, which as owners we are prepared to do, but we can't let it go too far. Hopefully season-ticket sales will pick up, but it's only right that we make provisions for a big drop in revenue. I'm deeply concerned because if you take £150,000 as the round figure, imagine what a difference that would make. Having said that, it's up to individual fans to make their decision and I understand if they choose not to renew their ticket. I respect their opinion and there's little we can do except try to ride out the storm.”

The drop in interest is a direct result of Ronnie Moore's boring style of play and a rise in admission prices has done nothing to help the situation. Many fans are already calling for Moore's head but as he is tied to the club for another 12 months the Latics can do nothing but put their faith in Moore and hope that he performes some miracles this coming season.