John Sheridan is calling on Oldham Athletic fans to get behind him and the embattled club in their 21-game bid to survive relegation to non-league.
Latics are marooned at the bottom of League Two by seven points, and are on course to become the first former Premier League club to drop out of the Football League.
The club have been embroiled in a number of scandals and controversies in the last year and beyond, with protests increasing against controversial owner Abdallah Lemsagam's running of the club. Fans have invaded the pitch, thrown tennis balls onto the playing surface, flown a plane over Boundary Park, and placed a coffin outside the club with the message 'RIP OAFC'.
Recently, Lemsagam tried to ban three supporters for 'promoting dislike' of the club, before reversing the decision after an intense backlash. The owner announced this month that he is in talks to sell the club after conceding it is in the best interests of Oldham for someone else to take over.
Back on the pitch, after a dismal 3-0 defeat to Harrogate on Saturday, Oldham turned to club legend Sheridan to return for a sixth spell in charge either permanently or as caretaker - he is the tenth managerial change in four years of Lemsagam's ownership. On his last two occasions, he has been hired in January with the goal of masterminding a 'great escape' from relegation, and successfully turning fortunes around.
However, even someone with a solid record of keeping teams up against the odds like Sheridan admits the current task is the most difficult he has faced in his career.
"It looks mammoth, it will be very difficult," he said.
"I'm a firm believer that I wouldn't have come in if I thought we will get relegated, I'd have stayed home.
"It's going to be tough, we've got a bit of a gap but that can be turned around in four, five, or six games. There's a little league of five or six teams and we're capable and we believe that we can finish top of that mini-league. It will be an achievement if we stay up. That's what we've got to look at, we've got a big fight on our hands but it's achievable."
Sheridan's return has seen many fans decide to end personal boycotts or protests against owner Lemsagam and return to Boundary Park to back the new manager and get behind the fight for survival.
And the former Republic of Ireland international says wants to harness that positivity as he made no reference to Lemsagam or the controversies that have gone before him.
"I'd like to think there's a buzz, I can feel it a bit," he said of his return to the club, with the biggest crowd of the season expected at Boundary Park on Saturday against Rochdale.
"It's been very difficult for them, for everyone involved in the club it's been very difficult but the only thing I can concentrate on is not to think about it, me and Tommy [Wright, assistant] we're different, we enjoy a laugh in training and work our socks off to understand where we are. We've come in and the response they can feel the fans have got a lot of time for me. Hopefully the players can go out with a bit of belief to turn a corner.
"I came back on Monday and it felt I've been back here for four or five years. I've got a lot of time for the club. A few people I know work here. It's different to what I'm used to, I don't want to talk about it, I'm here for one purpose, I don't want to talk about it.
"I'm here to keep the club and fans in the Football League.
"It's going to be a good atmosphere on Saturday, whatever the negativity, or what's happened since I've been away, I'm just thinking of the next 21 games and if we can look forward, the one thing that will help is the team winning on the pitch that changes the mentality of people."
Sheridan hinted at bringing in a new striker and one other position before Monday's transfer deadline, and suggested he will make some changes to the shape and personnel of the team in their bid for survival. He called upon his experienced players to lead that fight, and highlighted the importance of improving Latics' home form.
With a current gap of seven points - and a huge trip to second-bottom Scunthorpe next week after Saturday's local derby with Rochdale - Sheridan said keeping Oldham up will be one of the biggest achievements in a career that saw him play at the highest level and in two World Cups.
"One of the biggest, if not the biggest," he declared.
"A team bottom of the league and you're talking about 'I've won this league or that.' But the position they're in at the moment, it's a really tough ask but it's something you can get through. Whether it's third, fourth, fifth from bottom, just stay out of that bottom two if we can.
"We know if we can hit the ground running, get a couple of early results, we've got a couple of games in hand but they don't count for nothing. If you do win them or get points you're closer to the opposition. We start with the [Rochdale game]. More than anything put confidence in the players."
