Editing Joe Royle (section)

===Oldham Athletic===
In June 1982, Royle moved into management in the Second Division at [[Oldham Athletic A.F.C.|Oldham Athletic]]. He spent more than 12 years in charge at [[Boundary Park]], taking them into the First Division in 1991 (a year before it became the [[FA Premier League]]) as Second Division champions. Royle's teams won many friends with their cavalier style of play, which was particularly evident during the season that they played on artificial turf on their home ground. Oldham reached a cup final for the first time in 1990 when they reached the final of the [[League Cup]], but they were beaten 1–0 by [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]. They also reached the FA Cup semi-finals that season, and held [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] to a 3–3 draw in the first match at [[Maine Road]] before losing the replay 2–1.

When [[England national football team]] manager [[Bobby Robson]] announced in May 1990 that he would be quitting the job after the [[1990 FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] that summer, Royle's name was strongly linked with the role and [[the Football Association]] shortlisted him along with [[Graham Taylor (footballer)|Graham Taylor]] and [[Howard Kendall]]. This was despite Royle having yet to manage in the First Division; whereas in contrast Kendall had won two league titles, an FA Cup and [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup|European Cup Winners' Cup]] with Everton, and Taylor had taken both [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] and [[Watford F.C.|Watford]] to runners-up spot in the top flight and Watford to an FA Cup [[1984 FA Cup Final|final]]. Incredibly, Royle was selected on the shortlist ahead of [[Terry Venables]], the [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] manager whose managerial CV included taking [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] to the Spanish [[La Liga|league title]] and to a [[European Cup]] final, as well as guiding [[Queen's Park Rangers F.C.|Queen's Park Rangers]] to an FA Cup final in [[1982 FA Cup Final|1982]]. Venables himself had expressed interest in the job&nbsp;– which would finally become his in January 1994. In the event, Graham Taylor was appointed as England's new manager.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/teammgr/Mgr_TaylorG.html|title=England Managers - Graham Taylor|website=www.englandfootballonline.com}}</ref>

In 1991, Oldham finished champions of the Second Division, and were promoted to the First Division where they had last played 68 years earlier.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/2017/april/on-this-day-april-27-1991/ |title=On this Day: April 27, 1991 |website=Oldham Athletic AFC |date=27 April 2017 |access-date=10 February 2023}}</ref>

Royle was able to attract established stars to Oldham, as well as developing talent which would go on to excel at a higher level. These included striker [[Graeme Sharp]] – one of the most accomplished goalscorers of the past decade&nbsp;– who was signed from Everton in 1991,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.efchistory.co.uk/Graeme%20Sharp.htm |title=Graeme Sharp |access-date=13 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930090055/http://www.efchistory.co.uk/Graeme%20Sharp.htm |archive-date=30 September 2011}}</ref> midfielder [[Mike Milligan (footballer)|Mike Milligan]] (who was sold to Everton for £1million in 1990 and signed back for £600,000 a year later),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.evertonresults.com/MilliganM.htm|title=Everton Results|website=www.evertonresults.com}}</ref> left back [[Earl Barrett]] (who was one of the most expensive defenders in England when he was sold to [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] for £1.7million in early 1992)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/page/Facts |title=Oldham Athletic &#124; Club &#124; Facts &#124; FACTS |access-date=13 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210201009/http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/page/Facts |archive-date=10 December 2011}}</ref> and right-back [[Denis Irwin]], who was signed on a free transfer from [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] in 1986 and was sold to [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] for £625,000 in 1990, where he went on to win numerous domestic and European honours over the next 12 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soccer-ireland.com/manchester-united/denis-irwin.htm|title=Denis Irwin : Manchester United : Irish Footballer : Cork|website=www.soccer-ireland.com|date=3 January 2023 |last1=Com |first1=Soccer-Ireland }}</ref>

The Latics finished 17th in [[1991-92 in English football|1991–92 season]] – their first top flight campaign for almost 70 years&nbsp;– and secured their place in the new Premier League. A key game which helped ensure survival was a 5–1 home win over eventually relegated [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]], in which Graeme Sharp scored four goals. They also hosted Manchester United on Boxing Day 1991, and went down 6–3 in one of the most thrilling league contests of the season.

They survived on goal difference on the last day of the [[1992–93 in English football|1992–93]] with a remarkable 4–3 home win over [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]], their survival also boosted by an earlier 1–0 away win over [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] – a victory which handed the title to Oldham's local rivals [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/may/02/5 |title=The Joy of Six: great escapes |author=Rob Smyth |work=The Guardian |date=2 May 2008 |access-date=10 February 2023}}</ref> This result sent [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]] down instead.

However, [[1993-94 in English football|1993–94]] brought another battle against relegation and this time the Latics were unable to win it. They were rarely outside the bottom three all season. Another away win over Southampton at the end of March 1994 lifted the Latics out of the relegation zone<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldhamathletic-mad.co.uk/footydb/loadgen.asp?Day=30&Month=Mar&ssnno=123&teamno=404|title=Oldham Athletic Sky Bet League One 2017/2018 - Footymad|first=Digital Sports Group|last=LTD|website=www.oldhamathletic-mad.co.uk}}</ref> and a 4–1 home win over [[Queen's Park Rangers F.C.|QPR]] in the next game put them three points clear of the drop zone with two games in hand.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldhamathletic-mad.co.uk/footydb/loadgen.asp?Day=02&Month=Apr&ssnno=123&teamno=404|title=Oldham Athletic Sky Bet League One 2017/2018 - Footymad|first=Digital Sports Group|last=LTD|website=www.oldhamathletic-mad.co.uk}}</ref> However, a late Manchester United equaliser put their FA Cup dream on ice in the Wembley semi-final and they were defeated 4–1 three days later in the [[Maine Road]] replay.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-fa-cup-semifinal-replay-imperious-robson-sweeps-united-down-wembley-way-kanchelskis-helps-set-up-final-with-chelsea-1370046.html |title=Football / FA Cup Semi-Final Replay: Imperious Robson sweeps United down Wembley way: Kanchelskis helps set up final with Chelsea |author=Joe Lovejoy |work=The Independent |date=13 April 1994 |access-date=10 February 2023}}</ref> The Premier League campaign had already brought two thrilling matches between Oldham and their bigger local rivals - a 5–2 win for United at Boundary Park just after Christmas, and at the beginning of April the return match at [[Old Trafford]] saw the hosts win a closely-fought game 3–2.

The Latics failed to win any of their final eight games and a 1–1 draw at [[Norwich City F.C.|Norwich City]] on the final day of the season was not enough to stave off relegation. Royle remained in charge of Oldham despite their relegation, and oversaw their first few months in Division One.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oldhamathletic-mad.co.uk/footydb/loadtmrs.asp?ssnno=123&teamno=404 |title=Fixtures/Results - Oldham Athletic FC - Latics Mad |website=www.oldhamathletic-mad.co.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007114535/http://www.oldhamathletic-mad.co.uk/footydb/loadtmrs.asp?ssnno=123&teamno=404 |archive-date=7 October 2011}} </ref>