Paul Scholes already turning heads at Oldham after impressive debut
A 4-1 win for Oldham against Yeovil means Paul Scholes passed the first test of his managerial career in fine style, but it will take some time before he is able to cut the team into his own image.
The occasion certainly lived up to its billing. Back at the club he watched as a boy, Scholes was given a standing ovation when he was introduced to the Boundary Park crowd before his first game in charge.
Ninety minutes (plus injury time) later, he left the pitch to even louder cheers after his side had scored four well-crafted goals to move up to 11th in League Two.
Scholes the player would have been proud of three of the four strikes – all excellent finishes from players moving on to the ball and striking home with conviction.
Even Callum Lang’s header which put Oldham 2-0 up early in the second half bore a similarity to a goal Scholes nodded home to win a Manchester derby for United at the Etihad Stadium.
Oldham has been a club reinvigorated this week, with the spotlight firmly on the multiple Champions League and Premier League winner.
When he finally emerged from the tunnel around 45 minutes before kick-off, Scholes was greeted by a bank of cameras. His outfit choice showed a man still coming to terms with his new job. It was a mixture of modern manager and studio pundit – suit trousers and shirt, combined with a dark blue jumper and a pair of brown suede shoes. During my pre-match live on Sky Sports News, I described the look as being more Pep Guardiola than Sir Alex Ferguson – largely because of the knitwear.
Scholes the player was also evident in that period before kick-off. Standing out on the pitch with his staff, he almost immediately started rolling a ball around with his feet. It started to rain, but rather than wander back to the dugout for a coat, he was happy to get wet and keep playing with the ball. Having played more than 700 matches for Manchester United – and about to manage his first – you could forgive him for slipping back into the comfort zone of player rather than manager.
For the start of the game, Scholes adopted a position right on the edge of his technical area, as close to being on the pitch as he could be.
His Oldham team adopted a similar stance – playing on the front foot and trying to get the ball forward quickly. There was an early test on just 11 minutes when defender Tom Hamer had to go off with a back injury after suffering a really nasty fall. Scholes wasn’t flustered by having to make an early change, and his team followed his lead by continuing to set the tempo. Jose Baxter’s opener in first-half stoppage time was reward for their efforts.
But alongside the good, there were also telling glimpses into the very real challenges Scholes will have to deal with dropping into League Two. He had obviously tried to work on set pieces during his one and only training session with the squad this week.
Midway through the opening period, Oldham had a corner on their right, and they came up with a routine I can honestly say I’ve never seen before. Five attacking players all stood in a group on the right-hand corner of the penalty box (closest to the taker) before peeling away to all parts of the area.
However, the ball was instead played short to Johan Branger-Engone, who cut inside himself and fired in the shot. The ball didn’t only clear the bar, but also the stand, only the very top of the roof preventing it from being an early casualty of the new regime. Scholes turned away in frustration, shaking his head and kicking the floor. It was only a moment, but an indicator nonetheless of how difficult it might be for League Two players to implement Premier League ideas.
The Oldham fans won’t care if some of his more adventurous ideas don’t come off, as long as Scholes continues to lift the mood and the performances of the team after years of gradual decline.
The noise level raised steadily with every home goal that was scored, especially when late strikes from Mohamed Maouche and Christopher Missilou ended any hope of a Yeovil fightback. On 89 minutes, with the score at 4-1, the chorus of „Paul Scholes’ Blue and White Army“ rang out around Boundary Park for the first time.
Scholes has always naturally shied away from being the centre of attention, so perhaps understandable that after his first night under the microscope as a manager, he disappeared quickly down the tunnel at full time happy to let everyone else at the club celebrate his first win in charge.
An understated exit maybe, but Oldham’s new look is already starting to turn heads.
Soccer Accumulator Bonus
Our fantastic Euro Soccer accumulator offer gives you the chance to earn a bonus of up to 100% on accumulators on the top domestic leagues in Europe along with the group and knockout stages of the Champions League.
This offer applies to returns on pre-match accumulators of 3 or more selections on Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga 1 or UEFA Champions League.
The maximum bonus that you can receive is ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. The bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based .on the remaining active stake. If a qualifying bet is edited .using our Edit Bet feature. The bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply. Double Chance bets or combination bets with bonuses. Such as Lucky 15’s or Lucky .31’s do not apply for this offer.
If your bet is successful, we will add the following bonuses to your returns:
Bet Type Bonus
14-folds and upwards 100% bonus
Terms and Conditions
Applies to straight pre-match accumulator bets on the Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga .1 or Australian A-League matches. Maximum bonus ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. Soccer Accumulator Bonus does not apply to Double Chance bets or combination. bets with bonuses such as Lucky 15’s, Lucky 31’s etc.
If any selections are postponed/void then the bonus will still apply, but the percentage bonus added will reflect the actual number of winning selections. For example, an 8-fold accumulator with 7. winners and 1 postponed match will receive a 30% .bonus to returns.
The bonus part of your returns will be added to your account within 24 hours of your final selection having played.
This bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based on the remaining active stake.
If a qualifying bet is edited using our Edit Bet feature, the bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply.
Where any term of the offer or promotion is breached or there is any evidence of a series of bets placed by a customer or group of customers, which due to a deposit bonus, enhanced payments, free bets, risk free bets or any other promotional offer results in guaranteed customer profits irrespective of the outcome, whether individually or as part of a group, bet365 reserves the right to reclaim the bonus element of such offers and in their absolute discretion either settle bets at the correct odds, void the free and risk free. bets or void any bet funded by the deposit bonus.
In addition bet365 .reserve the right to levy an administration charge on the customer up to the value of the deposit bonus, free bet, risk free bet or additional payment to cover administrative costs. We further reserve the right to ask any customer to provide sufficient documentation for us to be satisfied in our absolute discretion as to the customer’s identity prior to us crediting any bonus, free bet, risk free bet or offer to their account.
All bet365 offers are intended for recreational players and bet365 may in its sole discretion limit the eligibility of customers to participate in all or part of any promotion.
bet365 reserves the right to amend, cancel, reclaim or refuse any promotion at its own discretion.
