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TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 10:10 - Apr 25 with 4359 views
A win tomorrow would put maximum pressure on Oldham for that 4th Spot.
Looking at how it might play out 4th v 7th with the winner avoiding York in the semi final.
Lots of ifs and buts and variables of course and regardless of who we might play it becomes a 3 game shoot out to achieve promotion finishing 4th 5th 6th or 7th!!
[Post edited 25 Apr 10:11]
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TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 11:10 - Apr 25 with 4280 views
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 10:10 - Apr 25 by Dale_4_Life
A win tomorrow would put maximum pressure on Oldham for that 4th Spot.
Looking at how it might play out 4th v 7th with the winner avoiding York in the semi final.
Lots of ifs and buts and variables of course and regardless of who we might play it becomes a 3 game shoot out to achieve promotion finishing 4th 5th 6th or 7th!!
[Post edited 25 Apr 10:11]
It's a very big game tomorrow , our last home league game and a great opportunity to clinch a play off place in front of our own fans. A game that i thought the club would have promoted around the Town more, similar to what they did for the Spennymoor game. These type of games don't come around very often and the drum needs banging around the Town, it's a bit late now. I'm hoping lessons have been learned following the Spennymoor game and tomorrow we'll take the game to Hartlepool from the first whistle, surely the manager can get them firing on all cylinders for this game? It's important to clinch that 4th spot and to go into the play offs with momentum, tomorrow is a great opportunity to do just that. We've seen what happens when cat and mouse tactics are deployed, it kills the atmosphere and fans don't return.
[Post edited 25 Apr 11:17]
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TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 11:30 - Apr 25 with 4219 views
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 10:10 - Apr 25 by Dale_4_Life
A win tomorrow would put maximum pressure on Oldham for that 4th Spot.
Looking at how it might play out 4th v 7th with the winner avoiding York in the semi final.
Lots of ifs and buts and variables of course and regardless of who we might play it becomes a 3 game shoot out to achieve promotion finishing 4th 5th 6th or 7th!!
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 11:10 - Apr 25 by TalkingSutty
It's a very big game tomorrow , our last home league game and a great opportunity to clinch a play off place in front of our own fans. A game that i thought the club would have promoted around the Town more, similar to what they did for the Spennymoor game. These type of games don't come around very often and the drum needs banging around the Town, it's a bit late now. I'm hoping lessons have been learned following the Spennymoor game and tomorrow we'll take the game to Hartlepool from the first whistle, surely the manager can get them firing on all cylinders for this game? It's important to clinch that 4th spot and to go into the play offs with momentum, tomorrow is a great opportunity to do just that. We've seen what happens when cat and mouse tactics are deployed, it kills the atmosphere and fans don't return.
[Post edited 25 Apr 11:17]
In terms of marketing, the club have been severely hampered by the Spennymoor game which was extensively marketed, with the club praised on that account
We weren't 'unlucky' to concede that late, late goal. No amount of marketing right now would make any difference - in fact, it'd be derided by the majority of non-regulars who'd turned up for the semi-final
This is why i was hoping some conversations were taking place behind the scenes, but the Fylde game suggests not
I asked TVOS for some data sets as I was interested in how we are performing statistically, set against the perception of sections of the fanbase.
What I found was actually quite eye opening.
For a team often accused of lacking excitement, this Rochdale side is quietly rewriting the record books.
We’ve scored four goals at home on four separate occasions this season, something that’s only been done twice since the 1959/60 campaign. And if we factor in the National League Cup, that number rises to five, a joint record.
Only once in the modern era - during the 2009/10 promotion-winning season - have we managed to score four goals at home five times. That season, and this one, stand alone since 1959/60 in achieving that feat. So whether or not we get promoted, this squad is performing at an historical level in terms goals (entertainment).
Defensively, it’s just as impressive. A clean sheet on Saturday would mark the most home clean sheets in a league season since 1968/69. That’s over half a century ago - proof that we’re not just scoring, we’re shutting teams down too. Actually, if we keep a clean sheet tomorrow, it will be 12 in total in the league. The only better are 16 in 1923/24 and 13 in 1959/60 & 1968/69!
In short, this team is stacking up against some of the best-performing Rochdale sides in living memory. Maybe it’s time to retire some of the negative clichés and recognise some of these achievements too? Perhaps we could market that?
I get that people will suggest these stats might be skewed due to this being the lowest national level we have competed at but, again, I say, I don’t think this standard is any worse than some of the crap sides we played in the 80s.
I get that some games have been frustrating - I share that and take those games as I find them - but the overriding narrative that it’s all bad, doom and gloom is actually now annoying me, because it isn’t.
From nearly not having a team at all this time last year to a team achieving the above milestones the following season, while sat in the play-off positions, is quite something as far as I’m concerned. We could have had nothing, we could have had a team staring down the pit of relegation, we could’ve had dozens of permutations in between. We don’t.
I’m not advocating complacency, by the way. Improvements to the squad are needed over the summer for sure, along the lines of what I mentioned in a previous post about getting our own keeper and signing experienced players to build a squad rather than relying an inexperienced loans.
But irrespective of that, this season has been anything but the disaster some are making out.
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 12:22 - Apr 25 by D_Alien
In terms of marketing, the club have been severely hampered by the Spennymoor game which was extensively marketed, with the club praised on that account
We weren't 'unlucky' to concede that late, late goal. No amount of marketing right now would make any difference - in fact, it'd be derided by the majority of non-regulars who'd turned up for the semi-final
This is why i was hoping some conversations were taking place behind the scenes, but the Fylde game suggests not
You are right - they can throw all the marketing they want at this game, people won't come as it will be seen as a nothing game. Of course we are not yet guaranteed our spot so to us it isn't a nothing game.
The time to get the marketing in motion will be for a play-off game at home if we get one. No excuse for not trying to fill the ground. We can all remember the atmosphere v Darlo all those years ago.
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TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 12:54 - Apr 25 with 4008 views
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 12:31 - Apr 25 by fitzochris
I asked TVOS for some data sets as I was interested in how we are performing statistically, set against the perception of sections of the fanbase.
What I found was actually quite eye opening.
For a team often accused of lacking excitement, this Rochdale side is quietly rewriting the record books.
We’ve scored four goals at home on four separate occasions this season, something that’s only been done twice since the 1959/60 campaign. And if we factor in the National League Cup, that number rises to five, a joint record.
Only once in the modern era - during the 2009/10 promotion-winning season - have we managed to score four goals at home five times. That season, and this one, stand alone since 1959/60 in achieving that feat. So whether or not we get promoted, this squad is performing at an historical level in terms goals (entertainment).
Defensively, it’s just as impressive. A clean sheet on Saturday would mark the most home clean sheets in a league season since 1968/69. That’s over half a century ago - proof that we’re not just scoring, we’re shutting teams down too. Actually, if we keep a clean sheet tomorrow, it will be 12 in total in the league. The only better are 16 in 1923/24 and 13 in 1959/60 & 1968/69!
In short, this team is stacking up against some of the best-performing Rochdale sides in living memory. Maybe it’s time to retire some of the negative clichés and recognise some of these achievements too? Perhaps we could market that?
I get that people will suggest these stats might be skewed due to this being the lowest national level we have competed at but, again, I say, I don’t think this standard is any worse than some of the crap sides we played in the 80s.
I get that some games have been frustrating - I share that and take those games as I find them - but the overriding narrative that it’s all bad, doom and gloom is actually now annoying me, because it isn’t.
From nearly not having a team at all this time last year to a team achieving the above milestones the following season, while sat in the play-off positions, is quite something as far as I’m concerned. We could have had nothing, we could have had a team staring down the pit of relegation, we could’ve had dozens of permutations in between. We don’t.
I’m not advocating complacency, by the way. Improvements to the squad are needed over the summer for sure, along the lines of what I mentioned in a previous post about getting our own keeper and signing experienced players to build a squad rather than relying an inexperienced loans.
But irrespective of that, this season has been anything but the disaster some are making out.
I've not heard the term "disaster" used by anyone
Those stats, whilst of some interest, sit alongside "possession" when the stat that really counts is - how many more people are we bringing through the turnstiles?
The ST numbers have held up well and formed the bedrock of our steady gates throughout the season; however, the Eastleigh fixture was something of a watershed and those not turning up even when their seat was paid for months ago wasn't just due to the eventual loss against Spennymoor, but the sheer waste of opportunity by trying to win a cup tie "playing by stats" - for want of a better way of putting it
If citing those stats will get more people through the gate, go for it... best of luck
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 12:54 - Apr 25 by D_Alien
I've not heard the term "disaster" used by anyone
Those stats, whilst of some interest, sit alongside "possession" when the stat that really counts is - how many more people are we bringing through the turnstiles?
The ST numbers have held up well and formed the bedrock of our steady gates throughout the season; however, the Eastleigh fixture was something of a watershed and those not turning up even when their seat was paid for months ago wasn't just due to the eventual loss against Spennymoor, but the sheer waste of opportunity by trying to win a cup tie "playing by stats" - for want of a better way of putting it
If citing those stats will get more people through the gate, go for it... best of luck
The Eastleigh game was between the Spennymoor and Fylde games - and we won 4-0!
And the stats I have posted are not related to possession though, are they? They indicate a team that scores goals at home and they indicate a team that hasn't conceded many. Clear outcomes relating to a match result. That is the overall picture for this season, the one that counts, and not the frustrating performances that occur in between (which I am not dismissing, by the way).
The stats are also not indicative of a manager who doesn't know what he is doing and needs to be replaced, to paraphrase a lot of rhetoric I see on here and elsewhere.
Maybe it's just me, but I cannot be downbeat about this club at the moment, sorry. Given what we have been through the past six years, no way.
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 13:02 - Apr 25 by fitzochris
The Eastleigh game was between the Spennymoor and Fylde games - and we won 4-0!
And the stats I have posted are not related to possession though, are they? They indicate a team that scores goals at home and they indicate a team that hasn't conceded many. Clear outcomes relating to a match result. That is the overall picture for this season, the one that counts, and not the frustrating performances that occur in between (which I am not dismissing, by the way).
The stats are also not indicative of a manager who doesn't know what he is doing and needs to be replaced, to paraphrase a lot of rhetoric I see on here and elsewhere.
Maybe it's just me, but I cannot be downbeat about this club at the moment, sorry. Given what we have been through the past six years, no way.
[Post edited 25 Apr 13:03]
I know what the score was against Eastleigh
The very fact that fewer turned up is actually more significant, since it indicates a level of disillusionment - not just about the Spennymoor performance, though that seemed to be the last straw for quite a few
I get that you're not one of those who feel that way, and there are others who no doubt take a similar view
Again... what actually counts is the virtual impossibility of growing our gates with the type of football played, hence my original point about marketing. And again... if you can use those points you raise to encourage people through the turnstile, i wish you the best of luck
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 12:31 - Apr 25 by fitzochris
I asked TVOS for some data sets as I was interested in how we are performing statistically, set against the perception of sections of the fanbase.
What I found was actually quite eye opening.
For a team often accused of lacking excitement, this Rochdale side is quietly rewriting the record books.
We’ve scored four goals at home on four separate occasions this season, something that’s only been done twice since the 1959/60 campaign. And if we factor in the National League Cup, that number rises to five, a joint record.
Only once in the modern era - during the 2009/10 promotion-winning season - have we managed to score four goals at home five times. That season, and this one, stand alone since 1959/60 in achieving that feat. So whether or not we get promoted, this squad is performing at an historical level in terms goals (entertainment).
Defensively, it’s just as impressive. A clean sheet on Saturday would mark the most home clean sheets in a league season since 1968/69. That’s over half a century ago - proof that we’re not just scoring, we’re shutting teams down too. Actually, if we keep a clean sheet tomorrow, it will be 12 in total in the league. The only better are 16 in 1923/24 and 13 in 1959/60 & 1968/69!
In short, this team is stacking up against some of the best-performing Rochdale sides in living memory. Maybe it’s time to retire some of the negative clichés and recognise some of these achievements too? Perhaps we could market that?
I get that people will suggest these stats might be skewed due to this being the lowest national level we have competed at but, again, I say, I don’t think this standard is any worse than some of the crap sides we played in the 80s.
I get that some games have been frustrating - I share that and take those games as I find them - but the overriding narrative that it’s all bad, doom and gloom is actually now annoying me, because it isn’t.
From nearly not having a team at all this time last year to a team achieving the above milestones the following season, while sat in the play-off positions, is quite something as far as I’m concerned. We could have had nothing, we could have had a team staring down the pit of relegation, we could’ve had dozens of permutations in between. We don’t.
I’m not advocating complacency, by the way. Improvements to the squad are needed over the summer for sure, along the lines of what I mentioned in a previous post about getting our own keeper and signing experienced players to build a squad rather than relying an inexperienced loans.
But irrespective of that, this season has been anything but the disaster some are making out.
I haven't seen many people suggesting it's been a disaster, it hasn't. The manager and the players can't be relied upon though because the inconsistencies have been there for us all to see, not just in home games but also away. Some of the performances have been up there with the worst ive ever witnessed, against really poor teams. Our results against the bottom four teams are testament to that. I accept we've had some high scoring wins but they just serve to highlight the depths that our performances have plummeted in some games and is good enough reason for the criticism, we can't trust how the manager will set the team up. Look at that performance against Spennymoor, the way we approached that game in the first half at home against a lower league club takes some explaining.
I dont get the bad, doom and gloom narrative as you are suggesting. The narrative is that nobody can trust how the manager will set the team up to play, and i don't buy into the theory that the players leave the dressing room and don't adhere to his tactics. To not say anything and just accept poor performances isn't right, some of the football that we've played has been a disgrace really, the first half against Spennymoor wasn't unusual, we've seen that display too many times to ignore. The Fylde keeper had one decent save to make last week, we've seen loads of games like that this season and it's not good enough. You've been quite vocal yourself this season in respect of McNultys style of football, the walking football and negative substitutions and tactics that have dropped us so many points..even knocked us out of the FA Cup.
[Post edited 25 Apr 14:43]
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TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 14:42 - Apr 25 with 3748 views
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 14:27 - Apr 25 by TalkingSutty
I haven't seen many people suggesting it's been a disaster, it hasn't. The manager and the players can't be relied upon though because the inconsistencies have been there for us all to see, not just in home games but also away. Some of the performances have been up there with the worst ive ever witnessed, against really poor teams. Our results against the bottom four teams are testament to that. I accept we've had some high scoring wins but they just serve to highlight the depths that our performances have plummeted in some games and is good enough reason for the criticism, we can't trust how the manager will set the team up. Look at that performance against Spennymoor, the way we approached that game in the first half at home against a lower league club takes some explaining.
I dont get the bad, doom and gloom narrative as you are suggesting. The narrative is that nobody can trust how the manager will set the team up to play, and i don't buy into the theory that the players leave the dressing room and don't adhere to his tactics. To not say anything and just accept poor performances isn't right, some of the football that we've played has been a disgrace really, the first half against Spennymoor wasn't unusual, we've seen that display too many times to ignore. The Fylde keeper had one decent save to make last week, we've seen loads of games like that this season and it's not good enough. You've been quite vocal yourself this season in respect of McNultys style of football, the walking football and negative substitutions and tactics that have dropped us so many points..even knocked us out of the FA Cup.
[Post edited 25 Apr 14:43]
To address your final point, I’ve consistently spoken out about aspects of our performances - both individual games and the team collectively - that I’ve felt haven’t been up to standard. But none of that suggests I believe the head coach should be replaced.
I’ve made my expectations clear on here and elsewhere on social media: a top-seven finish this season would be enough for me, regardless of how it’s achieved.
The result in the FA Trophy semi-final was unacceptable - few would disagree with that.
Could McNulty be more tactically flexible during matches? Yes, absolutely. Should we have more central midfielders in the squad? Yes, absolutely. Do we have too many wide players? Yes, absolutely.
These are issues that can be addressed over the summer. This is, we’re told, a three-year project of evolution. I’m prepared to let that process unfold. That’s not to say we shouldn’t aim high in the play-offs this season, but I’m willing to see the three-year plan through and judge it on that basis.
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 14:42 - Apr 25 by fitzochris
To address your final point, I’ve consistently spoken out about aspects of our performances - both individual games and the team collectively - that I’ve felt haven’t been up to standard. But none of that suggests I believe the head coach should be replaced.
I’ve made my expectations clear on here and elsewhere on social media: a top-seven finish this season would be enough for me, regardless of how it’s achieved.
The result in the FA Trophy semi-final was unacceptable - few would disagree with that.
Could McNulty be more tactically flexible during matches? Yes, absolutely. Should we have more central midfielders in the squad? Yes, absolutely. Do we have too many wide players? Yes, absolutely.
These are issues that can be addressed over the summer. This is, we’re told, a three-year project of evolution. I’m prepared to let that process unfold. That’s not to say we shouldn’t aim high in the play-offs this season, but I’m willing to see the three-year plan through and judge it on that basis.
[Post edited 25 Apr 14:50]
Well i stated a few weeks ago that a Wembley final or a play off place will be enough for McNulty to keep his job. I want him to succeed next year because it means the club succeeds, so even though i have lost faith in him i would love to be proved wrong. I actually think that when you analyse this season and go through the individual games we've underperformed and I think it's the manager who has to accept responsibility for that. Others including yourself won't agree with that but had we had a more pro-active manager and better recruitment during the season i think we would have been top three and maybe challenging Barnet. I think with a change of mindset from the manager we could win the play offs this season but when the pressure's on McNulty reverts to his defensive reset and the lack of bravery kills us..he even did it against Spennymoor so that's why I've no faith in him.
[Post edited 25 Apr 14:55]
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TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 14:56 - Apr 25 with 3678 views
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 14:42 - Apr 25 by fitzochris
To address your final point, I’ve consistently spoken out about aspects of our performances - both individual games and the team collectively - that I’ve felt haven’t been up to standard. But none of that suggests I believe the head coach should be replaced.
I’ve made my expectations clear on here and elsewhere on social media: a top-seven finish this season would be enough for me, regardless of how it’s achieved.
The result in the FA Trophy semi-final was unacceptable - few would disagree with that.
Could McNulty be more tactically flexible during matches? Yes, absolutely. Should we have more central midfielders in the squad? Yes, absolutely. Do we have too many wide players? Yes, absolutely.
These are issues that can be addressed over the summer. This is, we’re told, a three-year project of evolution. I’m prepared to let that process unfold. That’s not to say we shouldn’t aim high in the play-offs this season, but I’m willing to see the three-year plan through and judge it on that basis.
[Post edited 25 Apr 14:50]
When i say i hope there's been conversations taking place behind the scenes, i'm not speaking about replacing McNulty (although it may come to that, eventually) but rather about the approach to key games which were well marketed but had the home crowd silenced after 10 minutes.
On more than one occasion, it's been suggested the "penny had dropped" - Eastleigh being an example. Then, we had Fylde and back to square one
Someone at the club has got to get a grip on this, and the person who has the most skin in the game is Cameron Ogden, on behalf of his family. The reality of trying to sell the club when many regulars are bored to death (overall) is something he just has to address. Like you, i wish him luck
Ultimately we have not scored enough goals and whilst the 4-0 home games show we are capable, in the tight games we have more often than not come up short which has prevented us from challenging for the title.
The squad has been unbalanced and we have used too many players. We have lacked striker depth all season and Mitchell's form has fallen off a cliff. We have not really had consistency in the wide forward positions and this lack of guile, pace, point of difference is what is needed when we are playing against teams that sit deep and try and kill the game. Left wing back has also been an issue at times as well with Allarakia suffering a mid season dip in form and the revolving door of loan players not really making an impact. They have been very raw and often lacked end product.
I have no problem with the basic shape as when we are playing well it allows Gordon and Beckwith to get forward and link up with the wing backs. What 442 and others have refered to and I would agree, is the lack of flexibilty when it is not working. We haven't had a target man to throw on or a really quick wide player so that we can go more direct. That comes back to the make up of the squad and having too many similar players in those wide areas. It is no coincidencethat we have looked a bit better with Rodney and Barlow playing there as they both have different attributes.
For next season to improve the team we need:
- A permanent keeper who can actually kick. - A left wing back which will allow Allarakia to cover both sides as depth. - A central midfielder with different attributes to East and Gilmour, maybe a more physical box to box player. - Two centre forwards who have complimentary attributes. Jay Bird would be nice and then someone who is either really quick or an experienced rough house target man. - A first choice wide forward with either guile, pace or both.
It would be interesting to ask Jim what he has learnt most this season and what he will do differently next year.
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TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 17:32 - Apr 25 with 3358 views
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 16:45 - Apr 25 by isitme
Ultimately we have not scored enough goals and whilst the 4-0 home games show we are capable, in the tight games we have more often than not come up short which has prevented us from challenging for the title.
The squad has been unbalanced and we have used too many players. We have lacked striker depth all season and Mitchell's form has fallen off a cliff. We have not really had consistency in the wide forward positions and this lack of guile, pace, point of difference is what is needed when we are playing against teams that sit deep and try and kill the game. Left wing back has also been an issue at times as well with Allarakia suffering a mid season dip in form and the revolving door of loan players not really making an impact. They have been very raw and often lacked end product.
I have no problem with the basic shape as when we are playing well it allows Gordon and Beckwith to get forward and link up with the wing backs. What 442 and others have refered to and I would agree, is the lack of flexibilty when it is not working. We haven't had a target man to throw on or a really quick wide player so that we can go more direct. That comes back to the make up of the squad and having too many similar players in those wide areas. It is no coincidencethat we have looked a bit better with Rodney and Barlow playing there as they both have different attributes.
For next season to improve the team we need:
- A permanent keeper who can actually kick. - A left wing back which will allow Allarakia to cover both sides as depth. - A central midfielder with different attributes to East and Gilmour, maybe a more physical box to box player. - Two centre forwards who have complimentary attributes. Jay Bird would be nice and then someone who is either really quick or an experienced rough house target man. - A first choice wide forward with either guile, pace or both.
It would be interesting to ask Jim what he has learnt most this season and what he will do differently next year.
Good summary.
Results dictate mood and the issues you’ve listed have had the biggest impact on results.
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 16:45 - Apr 25 by isitme
Ultimately we have not scored enough goals and whilst the 4-0 home games show we are capable, in the tight games we have more often than not come up short which has prevented us from challenging for the title.
The squad has been unbalanced and we have used too many players. We have lacked striker depth all season and Mitchell's form has fallen off a cliff. We have not really had consistency in the wide forward positions and this lack of guile, pace, point of difference is what is needed when we are playing against teams that sit deep and try and kill the game. Left wing back has also been an issue at times as well with Allarakia suffering a mid season dip in form and the revolving door of loan players not really making an impact. They have been very raw and often lacked end product.
I have no problem with the basic shape as when we are playing well it allows Gordon and Beckwith to get forward and link up with the wing backs. What 442 and others have refered to and I would agree, is the lack of flexibilty when it is not working. We haven't had a target man to throw on or a really quick wide player so that we can go more direct. That comes back to the make up of the squad and having too many similar players in those wide areas. It is no coincidencethat we have looked a bit better with Rodney and Barlow playing there as they both have different attributes.
For next season to improve the team we need:
- A permanent keeper who can actually kick. - A left wing back which will allow Allarakia to cover both sides as depth. - A central midfielder with different attributes to East and Gilmour, maybe a more physical box to box player. - Two centre forwards who have complimentary attributes. Jay Bird would be nice and then someone who is either really quick or an experienced rough house target man. - A first choice wide forward with either guile, pace or both.
It would be interesting to ask Jim what he has learnt most this season and what he will do differently next year.
Pretty much how I see it needing to develop. The key issues currently being the struggle to break down low-block teams often enough and one-goal leads rarely being enough away from home to secure maximum points. I’m hoping more experienced personnel on the pitch, brought in over the summer, will help remedy that, plus a bit of flexibility from the head coach when the need arises.
I think the word experienced is a pertinent one, not just with reference to permanent signings but also loan deals. We have tended to be signing loanees in their late teens, Jay Bird excepted. I noticed that when York came the other week that their second goal was scored by Lewis Richardson (?) on loan from Burnley. He’s 23 though and a bit more streetwise and I think that can make a difference. They have more “clout” though I suppose.
0
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 20:08 - Apr 25 with 3036 views
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 12:31 - Apr 25 by fitzochris
I asked TVOS for some data sets as I was interested in how we are performing statistically, set against the perception of sections of the fanbase.
What I found was actually quite eye opening.
For a team often accused of lacking excitement, this Rochdale side is quietly rewriting the record books.
We’ve scored four goals at home on four separate occasions this season, something that’s only been done twice since the 1959/60 campaign. And if we factor in the National League Cup, that number rises to five, a joint record.
Only once in the modern era - during the 2009/10 promotion-winning season - have we managed to score four goals at home five times. That season, and this one, stand alone since 1959/60 in achieving that feat. So whether or not we get promoted, this squad is performing at an historical level in terms goals (entertainment).
Defensively, it’s just as impressive. A clean sheet on Saturday would mark the most home clean sheets in a league season since 1968/69. That’s over half a century ago - proof that we’re not just scoring, we’re shutting teams down too. Actually, if we keep a clean sheet tomorrow, it will be 12 in total in the league. The only better are 16 in 1923/24 and 13 in 1959/60 & 1968/69!
In short, this team is stacking up against some of the best-performing Rochdale sides in living memory. Maybe it’s time to retire some of the negative clichés and recognise some of these achievements too? Perhaps we could market that?
I get that people will suggest these stats might be skewed due to this being the lowest national level we have competed at but, again, I say, I don’t think this standard is any worse than some of the crap sides we played in the 80s.
I get that some games have been frustrating - I share that and take those games as I find them - but the overriding narrative that it’s all bad, doom and gloom is actually now annoying me, because it isn’t.
From nearly not having a team at all this time last year to a team achieving the above milestones the following season, while sat in the play-off positions, is quite something as far as I’m concerned. We could have had nothing, we could have had a team staring down the pit of relegation, we could’ve had dozens of permutations in between. We don’t.
I’m not advocating complacency, by the way. Improvements to the squad are needed over the summer for sure, along the lines of what I mentioned in a previous post about getting our own keeper and signing experienced players to build a squad rather than relying an inexperienced loans.
But irrespective of that, this season has been anything but the disaster some are making out.
I think the biggest problem has been consistency and you have cherry-picked your statistics to support your argument.
We have conceded four goals at home on three occasions and failed to find the net at home 8 times.
When we have been good, it tends to have been very good, but on far too many times its been mind numbing.
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TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 20:12 - Apr 25 with 3018 views
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 19:33 - Apr 25 by EllDale
I think the word experienced is a pertinent one, not just with reference to permanent signings but also loan deals. We have tended to be signing loanees in their late teens, Jay Bird excepted. I noticed that when York came the other week that their second goal was scored by Lewis Richardson (?) on loan from Burnley. He’s 23 though and a bit more streetwise and I think that can make a difference. They have more “clout” though I suppose.
He scored past a goalkeeper on loan from the same club.
If you don't know why your posts keep getting downvoted, there's no hope for you.
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TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 20:21 - Apr 25 with 2967 views
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 20:08 - Apr 25 by pioneer
I think the biggest problem has been consistency and you have cherry-picked your statistics to support your argument.
We have conceded four goals at home on three occasions and failed to find the net at home 8 times.
When we have been good, it tends to have been very good, but on far too many times its been mind numbing.
Okay, here’s a stat. We are 5th in the league and some supporters are still not happy, threatening not to attend, not to renew season tickets. I just don’t get it. If mind numbing brings us success, anaesthetise my brain.
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 20:34 - Apr 25 by fitzochris
Okay, here’s a stat. We are 5th in the league and some supporters are still not happy, threatening not to attend, not to renew season tickets. I just don’t get it. If mind numbing brings us success, anaesthetise my brain.
What "success"?
Okay, i get all the three-year-plan-this-year-playoffs business
The only success would be to either win a trophy (failed when it was at our mercy) or promotion
If we're promoted, your argument would be vindicated, to some extent
If not, my argument - that the ultimate aim of the Ogdens is for the club to become self-sustaining - has moved further away in terms of enthusiasm for attending let alone recruiting new fans
I'm taking the longer term view, and there's nothing - no stat, no vibe, no evidence - that suggests the Ogden's goal has been advanced this season
Promotion would, of course, enhance our finances but it's not just about the cashflow. The Ogdens recognise this when stating that self-sustainability is the object regardless of status. That last part is important
The initiative launched this week regarding Dale Futures is fantastic. It's to be hoped that educational support for young people will have a knock-on effect on attendance at games. If they turn up and spend 90 minutes thinking "wtf am i doing here?" - see TS's comment about Aaron Wilbraham - then it's a shocking waste of potential
Having saved the club, our new owners simply can't afford to waste the main product - onfield entertainment - on a manager too rigid and ultimately unable to change the attraction of what fans expect when watching football
I'm sorry if that sticks in your craw. It sticks in mine too, hence my counterpoint to your points
TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Hartlepool United on 20:34 - Apr 25 by fitzochris
Okay, here’s a stat. We are 5th in the league and some supporters are still not happy, threatening not to attend, not to renew season tickets. I just don’t get it. If mind numbing brings us success, anaesthetise my brain.
Its the very good that will bring us success, not the mind numbing. Lets hope We dont see any more mind numbing before the season ends.
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