Latics to supporters: we’re sorry

Neil Joy: apology to supporters

JOHN Sheridan has been handed a two and a half year contract, Athletic has revealed - while the owners have denied claims they care more about the ground’s surrounding land than the team.

Athletic chief executive Neil Joy said last night on radio that the faith placed in returning boss Sheridan has meant a long-term deal for the manager.

And though Athletic rent the ground on a 20-year lease from landlord company Brass Bank Ltd - run by previous club directors Simon Blitz and Danny Gazal - Joy denied a recent report that the land around the ground is more vital than the team’s ailing fortunes. He also apologised for the decisions made across a torrid last 12 months.

“If the land did matter more than the club, I am sure the land would have been sold a long time ago,” said Joy.

“I’d like to issue an apology to the fans and everybody connected to the club. Things haven’t gone well and it’s been a very difficult 12 months. We’ve seen with the appointment of John Sheridan that things are changing. Shez has had that impact and there is a smile on everyone’s face. I admit that in the last year, that hasn’t happened.

“We had to do something about that and we believe the appointment of Shez is the start of that.”

Joy also cited the loss of then-boss Lee Johnson to Barnsley last season as the start of a downward spiral.

“We were left with a situation of what do we do now? Go for inexperienced managers, as we had before, or for experience,” he said, referring to the period in which Dean Holden became boss.

“With the new stand and the new start, we had to get the right person in. We took a long time to make the appointment of Darren Kelly. Since then things haven’t gone well. We admit we have made mistakes and things haven’t been brilliant.

“We are where we are in the league and things had to change. We need a positive impact now and that’s what we have tried to do with Shez.

“The new stand is open and we had 4,000 home fans against Bury on Saturday. We believe the club has the potential to go places.”

With club chairman Simon Corney having ssaid the club is up for sale, Joy was asked exactly what a potential bidder would stand to gain.

“Oldham Athletic is a brand, a name with history attached. It’s a proper football club and has a value on that basis,” he added. “Simon said he will hand it over to somebody who will guarantee the future of the club. Anybody interested can approach him and he will listen.

“Oldham Athletic is the football club and there has to be football played on that land. We have a long-term 20-year lease and the future of the club is secure.”

Joy also said that profits from the new North Stand will be funnelled back into the club.

He added: “The club has invested £6.5million in a facility that will generate the revenue to allow the club to stand on its own two feet. The money raised may not all come to club, but it will help the club. That is the whole point.”