New Oldham Athletic owner Frank Rothwell tells fans their ‘pain is over’ after completing the £12million takeover of the club from Abdallah Lemsagam…as he vows to bring the good times back to Boundary Park
Local businessman Frank Rothwell has an acquisition of Oldham. completed for £12 million
It follows the controversial and unpopular regime of Abdallah Lemsagam
Oldham dropped out of the Football League altogether under its former owner
Rothwell has told supporters the ‘pain is over’ after his takeover
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Oldham Athletic’s new owner Frank Rothwell has told fans ‘the pain is over’ after completing a £12 million deal from the formerly troubled club.
In a raucous and sometimes surreal press conference, the local businessman, who rowed across the Atlantic at the age of 70, vowed to bring the good times back to Boundary Park after the controversial and highly unpopular regime of Abdallah Lemsagam.
Under the Moroccan former football agent, the founders of the Premier League were relegated twice in four years, leaving them completely out of the competition last season. Wages were late several times, twelve managers came and went in four years and desperate fans stormed the field several times to protest.
Indeed, it is clear that Oldham was only days away from his liquidation before Rothwell came in. And amid joyous scenes, the 72-year-old stopped the unveiling to greet crowds gathered outside the ground, drinking champagne, to greet a new era.
The deal was set up by Darren Royle, son of Oldham legend Joe, who will become chief executive and sit on the board with his father.
Frank Rothwell has finalized the £12million takeover of formerly turbulent club Oldham
“I hope you understand that I’m passionate about Oldham,” said Rothwell, who has also rowed around the world, holds two Guinness world records and is a freeman of the borough.
“A successful club will have a big impact on the lives of the people of Oldham. The pain is now over.’
Rothwell, who also starred in a Bear Grylls reality show and who made his fortune through his Manchester-based hut business, also turned to manager John Sheridan and joked, ‘We’re in a league we can easily handle!’
Rothwell replaces Abdallah Lemsagam (right) after his very unpopular regime at the club
Oldham fans protested Lemsagam during a bitter campaign that saw them out of the Football League
Darren Royle praised ‘a very important day in the 127-year history of the club and for the city’.
He said: ‘It’s a new start and an opportunity for the club. Some of us will remember the glory years and some of the more bleak times. Today is an opportunity to look ahead. It’s a dream ticket for the city, the local people who put the interests of the club and the community first.’
Royle also turned to Rothwell and joked, “If you thought the Atlantic was heavy and an infernal ride, you haven’t seen anything yet.”
Rothwell is a local businessman who rowed across the Atlantic at the age of 70
Rothwell told fans their ‘pain is over’ and vowed to bring back the good times
Rothwell, who left school at 14 and has lived in the city for nearly 50 years, also outlined his ambitions for the club.
“I think every football club has its natural level,” he explained. ‘Where is Oldham’s level? It’s the top of League One knocking on the Championship door. That’s where we want to be. It will be hard work and a lot of fun.
“We cannot promise the Premier League, it has happened before, but that is still a long way off and a big challenge. Let’s make people proud of Oldham again, talking about the club in the chippy, at school, in the cafeteria at work.
“I want people to feel that they own the football club.”
The last remnants of the Lemsagam regime left Boundary Park yesterday with Mohamed, the previous owner’s brother and much-maligned football director, last seen walking to his car with a coffee machine under his arm.