Owner on going it alone
In the second of a series of exclusive reports, Latics’ chairman Simon Corney looks back on his ten years in charge at Boundary Park.
It provides a unique perspective on the struggles of owning a lower-division football club and the rollercoaster of emotion, the highs of beating the likes of Liverpool and Everton in the FA Cup to the financial challenge.
Here Mr Corney reveals the hardest part of owning a football club and also going it alone after Simon Blitz and Danny Gazal pulled out.
THE HARDEST PART
I would say dealing with players is the hardest part, the stress, emotional blackmail and the inability to say no.
We have backed our managers much more than people would ever understand. I don’t think any manager could turn round and say we didn’t back him in terms of signing players, either permanently or on loan.
We have brought in more players than anybody would realise. We haven’t been able to go for the most expensive players as we cannot afford them, but we have more than put our money where our mouth is and have backed our managers in every possible way.
ONE OF ONLY 92
Anybody who is involved in football should be honoured and it is special to be one of only 92 owners of a league club.
I don’t look on it like that. I see it as a job to be done whether as CEO, chief executive or on the finance side. I just get on with the job.
GOING IT ALONE
It definitely has been harder on my own, something I never wanted or intended to do,
I questioned Simon’s timing but I think he ran out of patience with delays about the building of the new North Stand and what has gone on in the past with Oldham Council.
Business was very tough in America and he decided he didn’t want to fund it anymore because the cash flow wasn’t there.
As everybody knows Simon is still a partner here in relation to the land and he wants the club to do well.
He is very benevolent to the club because he doesn’t charge rent and it therefore still costs him money.
I wish he had stuck with it a little bit longer and I still try and persuade him every week to come back and to join us again, but he doesn’t have the same desire as he did ten years ago.
Log on to the official website tomorrow to discover the highlights and low points of Mr Corney's ten years at Boundary Park.