Name: Carl J Clare
Age: 19
How long have you been supporting the Latics?
12 years
What was expected of
After the mass exodus of the bulk of our quality players we faced up to the fact that relegation was a possibility, many pundits had us down for bottom two but so far Iain Dowie has worked wonders with the team he has and a mid table finish would be great considering everything that happened with us over the summer.
Who or what is to blame for the club’s fall from the Premiership to administration in Division 2?
Ø Lack of investment from major shareholders JW Lees
Ø Paying premiership wages what we couldn’t afford to certain players when in Div 1 and 2
Ø Bad management (Graeme Sharp and Neil Warnock)
Ø Ever Dwindling Crowds
What is the likelihood of 
A proposed takeover by two American businessmen is making good progress, they have paid the wages for October and November and a takeover is due in January so at the moment we are hopeful we will still be a league club next season.
Your most important player?
Paul Murray- Arguably the most creative midfielder in the Division, currently injured.
Form Player- Calvin Zola- scoring for fun at the moment
Other quality players amidst the
Les Pogliacomi (GK) Player of the year last season with 17 clean sheets, very good in the air and superb shot stopper
Dean Holden (Defender) has done superbly since returning from injury, slotting in nicely at left back even though he was naturally a right back/ central defender. Very comfortable on the ball.
David Eyres (Left Winger), 39 yet plays like a 27 year old, very tricky and a sweet left foot. Currently Injured
John Sheridan (Center Midfield) Still going at 38, with a superb passing ability. Not bad at free kicks either. Although currently suspended.
Calvin Zola (Striker-On Season loan from
Is Iain Dowie really as good as the media say he is?
Better, he brings out the best in all his players and isn’t afraid to try new things. Bringing in a fitness conditioner (John Harbin- established rugby league coach) was a very smart move. He is a forward thinking manager who has a very good eye for players eg Fitz Hall and Wayne Andrews- BOTH playing for non league Chesham United before they joined
Any advice you would give the manager?
Keep up the hard work
Score prediction… 2-1
Where will you finish come May ‘04?
At full strength we could have been challenging for the play-offs, but a top-ten finish is a realistic target.
A big thank you goes out to this week’s fan, Carl Clare, who kindly agreed to fill out the Q&A form on such short notice.