Everything going according to plan

WELL, everything has been happening recently — the build-up to the big election in the States, the budget over here, the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, the natural disaster in Spain, the Russia-Ukraine War and, of course, in Rugby League IMG and the start of the controversial grading era.

I don't intend to get involved with politics on here or even with the whys and wherefores of the controversial gradings, writes ROGER HALSTEAD

Suffice to say that everything at the club is positive and on an upward trajectory and as far as IMG is concerned the club's statement reflected perfectly the views of Bill Quinn and Mike Ford that everything will come right in the end if we carry on the excellent work that has been done on and off the field in the last 19 months and that the period under review covered far more than that and did, in fact, go back to Whitebank days or, as it became, the Vestacare Stadium.

ON the field, we are continuing to buy first-class players; we have none other than Sean Long as head coach; we have walked away with Betfred League One with only one league defeat and seven opposition nils; we have won automatic promotion to the Championship or second tier; we are playing in quality surroundings on a new £1M pitch; and crowds have gone up significantly and, in some matches have doubled and even surpassed many of those in the higher division.

OFF the pitch, you could argue we have done even better with all sorts of staffing developments and appointments; the remarkable work at and development of Melrose as a shining beacon and as an example to many others; the formation of a women's team; the general interest that has been re-kindled in the town; the huge strides forward taken in social media output and, most of all, the connection with the local community clubs and with local lads via the RFL's Pathway programme.

There have been setbacks and challenges along the way, 'tis true, but that old Oldham Rugby saying: "When the going gets tough. . . Etc, etc" has come into play with the shortened, more streamlined version, "Stronger Together".

We are, indeed, "Stronger Together".

And I can tell you that Longy is really enjoying his time at Oldham; that he is rejoicing in the events that led up to his decision to accept a three-year contract here as head coach; that he has fully bought into the Roughyeds dream; and that he and Mike Ford, another rugby leader who knows a bit about coaching, are hand in glove and together form a fabulous team.

I had the pleasure of sitting alongside Long at the Players' Association's 2024 annual dinner. What an unassuming bloke! He might have been a loose cannon in his youth, but these days he is the perfect gentleman — a bloke who NEVER wants to talk about what HE did as a player (like winning the Lance Todd three times, for example) but who will talk all day about the modern game, about coaching, about life generally, about what's going on now at the Oldham club and the vision he has, alongside many others, for this club of ours in years to come.

Neither Bill Quinn nor Fordy could make it because of their crowded diaries — they are busy people — but Longy and John Chadwick were on the top table, director Jim Minton and commercial manager Kieran O'Reilly were in the body of the hall and l was there in my capacity as president of the parent club.

Oldham RLFC was well represented — good to see — and Fordy wrote a message in the event programme, apologising for his absence, saying it "really hurt" him as a former Oldham player and coach and singing the praises of the Players' Association and its members and all the other organisations and stakeholders which make up the Oldham rugby family.

He wrote of being "STRONGER TOGETHER" — his main theme — and it was quite obvious from his overtures that the club was going places and that it wanted its many and supportive stakeholder organisations, like Rugby Oldham, the Heritage Trust, the Oldham Amateur League, the YEDS Supporters Group, Oldham Council, sponsors, and most of all those wonderful fans, to join it on what will be an exciting journey.

Incidentally, it was great to see so many former players at the dinner at which Richard Russell, Tony Wainwright, Bob Marsden and Leo Casey stepped forward to receive their heritage certificates while relatives of Jack Keith and John Fairbank, both no longer with us, received theirs for them.

An auction raised a phenomenal £1,760 for five items at which point top-table guest Frank Rothwell, wealthy owner of Oldham Athletic, offered two tickets and directors' facilities at a Latics match next season and that went for an additional £400.

On my way out of St Herbert's I bumped into Steve Molloy, Leo Casey, Steve Patterson and Richard Russell—local lads all whose enthusiasm for their old club has been re-ignited. "It was my first visit to this particular dinner, but I'll certainly be back. It was a great night," said Molloy, a Boundary Park regular as Long's men raced to promotion at the end of last season.

Talking of Long, might I say that he did a wonderful job as chief guest when interviewed by George Riley at last week's Network meeting for business people. He's used to talking to rugby people, not people who are there mainly for business opportunities. Likening leadership in sport to leadership in business, he said two things which this scribe found particularly interesting.

He said:

"You've got to work hard at training, but you've got to have fun, too. In sport, as in business, you want people coming to work with a smile on their face. That's when you get the best out of your staff. So try to create an environment in which hard work is a given, but fun is also part of it.

He also said:

"I've coached in the Championship (where Oldham will play next season) and its tough, VERY tough. We need to be fitter, faster, stronger, better. We are as confident as we can be that we'll assemble a squad that will do us proud."

THE AIM IS TO CONTINUE TO GROW THE CLUB ON AND OFF THE FIELD UNTIL THOSE GRADING SCORES ARE MUCH IMPROVED — AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS NO ONE WILL BE PROUDER THAN THE OLDHAM MANAGEMENT.