Former Latics star Richie Wellens believes that John Sheridan will need to recruit for next season if they are to mount a promotion season.
Wellens commented, “The key is the recruitment. Will this same group of players push towards the play-offs? Personally, I don't think so. The form has been top six, but it's a totally different mindset working hard to get a clean sheet and get a goal from a set-piece, compared to teams like Sheffield United or Bolton who will go out expecting to dominate possession and win games every week. It changes the dynamics in the team. John Sheridan wants his teams to play good football and to win games in the right way. The challenge is to find those players who can play that way.”
Of manager Sheridan he said, “The first time he came back to the club last season, it was a very difficult job that he had and you could say that he worked a miracle then. The second time around, you almost expected it - which is testament to what he did before. There will have been disappointment to lose him to Notts County, but he is just a really good fit with Oldham. He is very approachable and a very good man-manager who keeps things simple. It's different if you are working with top players. Some modern managers will feed a lot of information to players and at that level they can take it on board and not over-think things on the pitch. With League One players, sometimes you are better off just letting players do what they are good at. I played under him a long time ago, but back then what I liked was that he was always honest. You could have a chat with him and a bit of banter, but then he knew when to be serious as well.”