Welcome to today's issue of 
 
The Unofficial Daily On-line e-zine for  250 Oldham Athletic Supporters Worldwide
 
Today's Edition for
 
    28th February 2002 
The logo's are used with the permission of Oldham Athletic Football Club
 Oldham Evening Chronicle (www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk) Latics move for Rachubka fails GOALKEEPER Paul Rachubka has turned down a big–money move from Manchester United to Athletic. The 20–year–old is planning to stay at Old Trafford and fight for a place in their star–studded first team. United were willing to sell the England Youth star for around £300,000 but his agent said he was unsure about dropping to division two. Athletic will keep a close eye on Rachubka’s progress. But, as Gary Kelly is their only fit professional keeper, they must now look elsewhere for cover. Chief Executive Alan Hardy said: “We didn’t reach the stage of sitting down with Paul to discuss personal terms. The only issue was whether or not he wanted to join us.“Unfortunately, Paul’s agent told us he was uncertain about playing in the second division at this stage of his career. “We understand the decision because he is a young goalkeeper with bags of potential – that was obvious from his loan spell here. “He is still learning and we would have liked a chance to be part of his development in the game. “In the three months he has been here, Paul has played 17 games, won over the fans and enjoyed himself. We hoped those things might have an impact on his decision . “We wish him well and can see his point of view. And we like to think that at some stage in the future he could still wear a Latics shirt.” Rachubka has been told by Sir Alex Ferguson that Fabien Barthez and Roy Carroll are his top–rated keepers. He could even struggle to become third choice for the moment, but time is on his side. Athletic are now focusing on their other transfer bid of the week – a move for Bournemouth defender Eddie Howe. Sources on the south coast believe there are still grey areas over the fee – which is around £500,000 – but Howe has been given permission by his club to hold talks. As his agent is currently in France, Athletic admit there will be a delay in their negotiations with the 24–year–old centre-back. Howe, a former England under-21 international, is known to be ready for a move from Bournemouth, who are in the second division relegation zone. Athletic’s reserve match at West Brom was postponed last night due to a waterlogged pitch. It meant a frustrating wait for Wayne Gill and Paul Jones as they attempt to come back from long–term injury, while Queens Park Rangers defender Marcel Nugent (19) was also due to appear during a trial spell. 
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 Official Oldham Athletic Web Site (www.oldhamathletic.co.uk)Content from the Oldham Athletic Web Site is used with permission of Oldham Athletic Football Club EDDIE HOWE

Latics confirm that an offer of £500,000 for Bournemouth central defender Eddie Howe has been accepted by the South Coast club. However after talks with the player's agent Latics have decided not to pursue the matter. Latics' Chief Executive Alan Hardy exclusively told oldhamathletic.co.uk "We have given careful consideration to the whole deal, the transfer fee involved and the player's requirements, and have decided to inform Bournemouth that we do not want to progress the matter". 
LATICS vs. STOKE CITY

Following a meeting with Police and Safety Officials earlier this week Latics can announce special arrangements for the Stoke City game at Boundary Park on 6th April.With both Clubs vying for a promotion play-off spot and the anticipated attendance it has been decided to make the game ALL TICKET with a 1pm kick off. These discussions have been taken with the safety of all spectators in mind and we must stress that there will be NO CASH ADMISSION ON THE DAY so please ensure that you purchase a ticket in advance of the game. In addition, both Latics and Stoke fans purchasing tickets will be handed a note reminding them of the zero tolerance policy operated within Boundary Park. 
Accommodation At Bury

Discussions were held with Bury today regarding accommodation for Latics fans at next Tuesdays game. Bury confirmed that 2,500 seats are available in the Tower FM Manchester Road Stand behind the goal with contingency plans in place to open the left-hand side of the Main Stand (turnstiles 8 and 9) providing a further 1,000 seats. It will be pay on the day with admission prices £14 adults and £7 concessions in both stands. There is also a Family Ticket available-     1 adult and 1 child - £12
                                                             1 adult and 2 children - £14
                                                             2 adults and 1 child - £22 These must be purchased from the Bury Ticket Office before 7.30pm on the night of the game. DUDLEY BACK TO THE FOLD

Craig Dudley's one-month loan spell at Scunthorpe has come to an end. The 22 year old striker did not make any appearances for the Iron and although Scunthorpe has shown an interest in taking him for a further month, it was decided it was best for Dudley to return to the Latics and play regularly in our Reserve side. 

 Official Colchester United web site (www.colchesterunited.net) 
Duguid The Main Absentee As U's Head North

Karl Duguid is the main absentee from the Colchester United squad as they prepare to travel north for this weekend’s game against Oldham Athletic. Duguid is serving his second suspension for the season – this time for reaching five yellow cards – and will not travel to Lancashire. Also missing is Gavin Johnson, who is yet to recover from his troublesome hip injury. With Duguid out of the starting line-up, his likely replacement is David Gregory who completed an hour of Wednesday’s reserve game against Luton before being replaced by Ollie Blackwell. Gregory has been out since the game against Bournemouth at Layer Road – some twenty-one games ago – but has been a regular in recent reserve games as he sought both fitness and form. In midfield, Kem Izzet and Thomas Pinault are likely to retain their starting places with manager Steve Whitton impressed with how the youngsters have regained their sparkle after a relatively disappointing spell. Both started the season in top form, and the U’s boss believes that they are heading in the right direction to return to the heights of that early season sparkle. He said: “The pleasing thing has been the return to form of some players who’d been off the boil a little bit. Thomas Pinault and Kem Izzet have come back into the midfield and taken their chance when they’ve got it. Hopefully, they can now push on and regain the form that they were showing at the start of the season. If they can do that, we will win a fair few matches before the end of the season.” Kevin Rapley has recovered sufficiently from his midweek bout of sickness to be part of the travelling squad of eighteen, which has a distinctly young feel about it – partly a reflection of the work of Steve Whitton and assistant Geraint Williams in the last couple of years. In the squad, only Scott Fitzgerald, David Gregory, Micky Stockwell and Bobby Bowry are aged over thirty, whilst there are no fewer than seven players aged 21 or under. One of those is Glenn Williamson, who is hoping to continue to make an impact on the senior management. Williamson has stepped up to the first team squad to replace Andy Woodman in recent weeks and is enjoying the experience. He told the official website: “The last few weeks have given me a taster of what’s available in being involved regularly with the first team. With the situation as it is now with Woody being at Oxford, it gave me the chance to step up and I’m enjoying every single minute of it. It’s good being around the first team and learning from the experienced players. “I hoped that chance would come along, it gives me an opportunity to prove what I’m capable of. I’ve played a couple of reserve games and I feel like I have to keep it going between now and the end of the season with decision time just around the corner.”

 Coluonline.com (colchesterunited.rivals.net) Match Preview - Oldham Athletic I think this is what is known as a grudge match as Colchester United travel north to take Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park on Saturday (kick-off 3pm). Oldham? Hang on, we haven't got a problem with Oldham have we? Oh yes we have. Ever since they made the appointment of a certain ex-U's manager by the name of Mick Wadsworth! Wadsworth? I seem to remember him. Wasn't he the guy that saved us from relegation after Steve Wignall resigned as he felt he couldn't take the club any further? I thought he did a good job? Well, yes and no. Yes, he kept us up and made what appeared to some good signings, like Stephane Pounewatchy and Warren Aspinall who had the much-needed experience we were lacking at the time. However, things went awry after that. More signings followed, and then, shortly after defeat by Crystal Palace in the First Round of the League Cup - Wadsworth resigned. There was uproar among the terraces as many fans felt the board had let him down by refusing to follow his, and the then Managing Director Stephen Gage's ambitions. Gage had quit the club on the eve of the season, and the reasons for that have never been fully explained. Wadsworth's given reasons for leaving the club were because he wanted to move back north. Now, that I can understand. Family reasons must come first, but when he appointed as first team coach at Crystal Palace, the fans view of him changed. In the weeks to follow, many of the players he had signed the club left. Sagi Burton for "personal reasons". Warren Aspinall was exchanged for Ross Johnson because of his detrimental effect on the changing room atmosphere, while Brian Launders was sacked for gross misconduct. That case dragged on for nearly two years, and Launders failed to get a positive decision in his favour from two Football League tribunals and one High Court hearing. What had happened to the club? We appeared to be on our way down, with poor results, and seemingly isolated at the bottom of the division. Thankfully, through careful management at both team and boardroom level the club slowly but surely got back on its feet again, and the Wadsworth era ended up being nothing but a bad memory. Good points of the man? Well, there are a few. He is a decent coach having done well at Carlisle United, while two of his signings remain at the club in Thomas Pinault and Joey Keith, with both having their fair share of first team appearances this season. However, the downsides to him more than cancel this list out. Signing players on vastly inflated wages and money that simply didn't exist. Creating major divisions between the "have's" and the "have not's" in the dressing room (players who had handfuls of first team games were earning much more than those with years of experience). Leaving a Scarborough team that got once got the play-offs when they were just a couple of places off the bottom of the league. Oh, and Colchester fans hate the way he has always tried to claim he "introduced" Lua Lua to Colchester. He didn't sign the player, and he certainly didn't give him his debut! Since leaving the U's, and Crystal Palace, he moved to Newcastle United to spend his time as Bobby Robson's number two. With his aversion to all things southern, he made the only sensible decision by becoming number two to Stuart Gray when he took over the reigns at Southampton following Glenn Hoddle's move to Spurs. Robson, at a press conference shortly afterwards, was less than complimentary about his former colleague. His spell at St Mary's lasted just a few weeks as he was sacked along with Gray after failing to get the Saints to win at home - though he did get a lovely big payout afterwards! On the 7th November the poor innocent fans of Oldham Athletic were unlucky enough to have this man take over as manager. Now he may have been a good coach, but he ain't no manager as his spells with Scarborough and Colchester have proved. Indeed, both clubs were on their knees shortly after he left. It remains to be seen whether he is allowed the run the rule carte blanche. If he is, Oldham fans should be very concerned indeed. Still, I'm allowing the man in charge to dictate this preview, which should actually be about the team that Oldham Athletic put out. Oldham are certainly coming up in the world and Wadsworth has wasted no time in spending some of the finances available to him. Since his arrival ten new players have arrived at the ground either on loan or permanently, while eight have left. I'm fairly sure that those arriving are on better money than those who have seen Oldham through some dark times indeed. Wadsworth took over from Latic's legend Andy Ritchie when the Chairman felt that the former Manchester United player couldn't take the club any further. Ritchie, who didn't have the privilege of spending cash like his successor, had successfully fought off relegation to the lowest division when the club were struggling to cope with the after effects of relegation from the Premiership. Oldham's problem was a simple one. They got relegated from the top flight, and were left with players on Premiership wages in the First Division, and in some cases the Second. It has taken them a long while to turn the boat around, and I would hate to see it happen to them again! They've been looking to add to their squad again this week. Paul Rachubka, who has been on loan at Oldham for the last three months, looked set to sign for £300,000 earlier in the week but has since decided to stay at Old Trafford. Meanwhile Eddie Howe, the Bournemouth central defender, couldn't agree personal terms on his £500,000 alleged move from Dean Court. When the two sides met back in September (I bet it was a Tuesday night...we always play Oldham on a Tuesday night!) this match was a real top-of the table clash, but alas, the U's form has faulted while Oldham still have play-off aspirations. They are just one point adrift of a spot in the end of season lottery at the moment with the teams around having played fewer games as well. They have collected 52 points over the season and have a good home record, having suffered just two defeats all season (Bristol City and Reading both won by the only goal of the game). Of the remaining 16 games at Boundary Park (still, officially, the coldest ground in existence beating IA Akranes home ground in Iceland by a degree!), Latic's have won eleven and drawn the other five. They enjoy scoring goals at Boundary Park - presumably because the visiting goalkeeperr has hypothermia - having hit the nets there 37 times this season, with only Brentford having scored more at home. Defensively, they've only let in sixteen at home which at just under a goal a game is considered allowable by most managers. Time to take a look at the Latic's last six league encounters and the first of these was against our opponents on Tuesday evening - Notts County. Unlike the U's though, they came away victorious thanks to goals from Paul Murray, who previously played for Wadsworth at Carlisle, and Carlo Corazzin. Another good win followed, this time against title challengers Brighton & Hove Albion. On loan Matty Appleby opened the scoring against a Seagull's side that initially excluded Bobby Zamora from the starting line-up. He was on the pitch though to see David Eyres double the lead nine minutes from time, and shortly afterwards petulantly kicked out and received a red card. Zamora is currently serving that a three-match suspension for that dismissal and his team have suffered, scoring just one goal, and gaining one point from the six available to them. Could that one incident ruin their hopes of promotion? Back to the Latic's though, and it was back to a bump for them as they went down 3-0 to an out of form Bristol City side at Ashton Gate. Lee Peacock put the home side ahead in the first half, and shortly after Julian Baudet was dismissed in the second, Tony Thorpe stroked home a penalty and Mark Lever scored his first ever City goal. More play-off rivals were in town for their next home game this time against Dave Watson's Tranmere Rovers side. Veteran Paul Rideout scored for the visitors but Argentinean Cristian Colusso scored on the hour mark to give each side a point. A better one for Rover's than Mick Wadsworth's side though! It was a roller-coaster first fifteen minutes in the following fixture at London Road for the Oldham faithful, as they firstly went behind, then took a lead against Barry Fry's side. Howard Forinton put Peterborough ahead on nine minutes, but Paul Murray hit his fourth goal since arriving at the club from Southampton two minutes later. Four minutes later and another Wadsworth disciple Allan Smart, who had to go off in the first half against Colchester in the Auto Windscreen Final, put Latic's ahead. Again, it was a bad period for them shortly after the hour mark as Neale Fenn poached a goal to end the game in a draw. Oldham's last game was against another play-off contender this time in the shape of Brentford. The Bee's on loan striker from Blackburn Rovers, Ben Burgess, put Steve Coppell's men ahead after Canadian Carlo Corazzin had earlier missed had a penalty saved by Paul Smith. It took a second penalty, this time taken by David Eyres, to send the sides in at half time level. It was the work of the Argentinean Colusso who created it, crossing for Allan Smart to volley home and he got a second for himself and a third for Oldham on the night eight minutes later. Brentford did pull one back, Burgess scoring with three minutes left, but it was too little too late for the London club. Oldham's team for that game against Brentford was Kelly, Clegg, Balmer, Baudet (McNiven 26), Armstrong, Appelby, Murray, Colusso (D Sheridan 72) Eyres, Smart (Reeves 76), Corazzin. The unused subs were Rickers and Holden, which if memory serves me right means that Wadsworth's team went into the game with no back-up keeper. There are rumours that Paul Gerrard may return to Boundary Park from Everton though. This will be the 22nd meeting between the two clubs, with the hosts on Saturday taking the honours having won eight to Colchester six. We first met back in 1961, and played each other home and away seven times over the next ten years. After that though, there was a huge gap, remember Oldham were a Premiership side not that long ago, and we didn't resume conflict until the 98/99 season. Of the seven games that have played since hostilities resumed in 1998, the U's won twice, Oldham twice with three scoring draws, just proving how close the two sides have been over the last few seasons. The U's last win came at Boundary Park came on 14th November when a Lua Lua inspired United chalked a 2-1 win. Lua Lua scored the U's first with a shot from outside the penalty area, while his mazy run was ended abruptly inside the penalty area for David Greene to fire home the correctly awarded penalty. Craig Dudley, who has just returned from a loan spell at Scunthorpe, scored the Oldham goal. The U's team that day was Vaughan, Richard (Farley 55), Greene, Wilkins, Keith, Gregory, Dozzell, Skelton, Duguid (Lock 61), McGavin, Lua Lua (G Johnson 85) with Jamie Moralee and Andy Walker unused substitutes. The Latic's the team was Kelly, McNiven, Futcher, Hotte, Holt, Adams (Tipton 75), J Sheridan, Rickers, Duxbury, Dudley, Allott (Whitehall 71). Their unused subs were Walsh, McLean and Miskelly. 
Contributions and letters should be sent to Gary Davies by e-mail at LaticsGary@ntlworld.comor at Boundary Bullet-zine,41 Verney Road,Royton,Oldham,United Kingdom.OL2 6AZ07786 928689Or in the Setons Chaddy end Row R Seats 67 & 68Boundary Bullet-zine Archive can be found at http://www.oocities.org/laticsgary.geo.Boundary Bullet-zine Message Board can be found at http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=939&p=16&forumid=5973The views expressed on this e-zine are not the views of Oldham Athletic F.C. nor necessarily the views of the Editor.This e-zine is a unofficial publication NOT sanctioned by Oldham Athletic Football Club.The editor will not publish any letters containing bad language.This e-zine is written using Microsoft Outlook Express and is best viewed with the HTML (rich) text option enabled.