IT has become pretty clear that Abdullah Lemsagan (pictured above) is very much a hands-on owner since recently buying Oldham Athletic.
Mr Lemsagan, a Dubai based former agent, has clearly been using his extensive contacts to sign obscure foreign players that surely won’t have been on the radar for managers John Sheridan and latterly Richie Wellens.
I am thinking of little-known players like Gyamfi Kyeremeh, Mohammed Maouche, Queensy Menig, Wilfried Moimbe, Gevaro Nepomuceno, Abdelhakim Omrani, Johny Placide and Zeus de la Paz who hardly anybody had heard of.
And it begs the question as to whether former manager Sheridan had and current boss Wellens have become back-seat drivers as Mr Lemsagan has taken over the steering wheel.
That was reinforced by Wellens’ recent comment that he would not be signing free agents because they have that status for a reason.
Yet days later Latics signed free agent Jonathan Benteke, younger brother of Crystal Palace’s Christian.
There is also the signings since Mr Lemsagam took charge. Usually it is the manager pictured welcoming the player but, in every instance, it has been the new owner.
What is happening off the field is intriguing as Latics battle to stay in League One.
The situation on it over the last 10 days has improved dramatically with wins against Bradford City and MK Dons and a draw at Blackburn Rovers.
Wellens, who became manager in September after Sheridan’s departure when Latics were rock bottom with four points from the first nine league games, masterminded a great revival lifting the club to 15th places.
Just as quickly the wheels came off and Latics failed to win in nine league games with three points from a possible 27 plunging them back into the bottom four to increase pressure on Wellens.
However, the tide appears to have turned with seven points from a possible nine lifting Latics back out of the relegation places.
Wellens believes that is the case as Latics’ plight looks nowhere near as bad as it did at the start of February.
It remains desperately tight at the bottom of the table and Latics must build on the last three results if they are to stay clear of trouble.
The dreadful state of the SportsDirect.com Park pitch is also a handicap as Wellens is an advocate of playing a passing game that is difficult to do on such a surface.
Captain Anthony Gerrard was so concerned he called for the pitch to be relaid.
The fact that the pitch has been so poor in recent seasons is due to a lack of investment. With the club strapped for cash under Simon Corney’s stewardship they often did the bare minimum of work in the close season.
It was a dilemma for the club but, when games have been called off due to the state of the pitch as has happened in recent seasons, it may have been a case of false economy when you look at the bigger picture.