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Reply | Refwatch - Forest Green Rovers v Rochdale
at 17:56 4 Oct 2025
Very quick look, and I’m sure TVOS will be along at some stage with better info, but our starts during the two most successful recent seasons were the same after 12 games:
W7, D2, L3. 23 points.
30 points from 12 games this time around. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Forest Green Rovers v Rochdale
at 17:38 4 Oct 2025
The aforementioned tactics are something one of them may have introduced.
Having a whole coaching staff that understands the club because of their time as players (including Lillis) will help as they collectively sing from the same hymn sheet. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Forest Green Rovers v Rochdale
at 17:31 4 Oct 2025
The ‘game management’ we’ve often been annoyed with in the past when used by Darren Ferguson sides and others is now something that has been a feature this season.
Can there be a sweepstake each game for which minute our keeper needs treatment? |
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 17:29 4 Oct 2025
Salford lose at home. Jay Bird an unused sub. No starts since August and yet to score. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Forest Green Rovers v Rochdale
at 17:20 4 Oct 2025
In our ten victories we’ve only conceded 3 goals.
With five minutes to go on Wednesday when we were missing chances and not looking like getting an equaliser, how many would have taken a point then and again today in a top of the table clash?
Instead we are a point better off and have leapfrogged Forest Green with games in hand. I’ll take that deal! |
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Reply | Refwatch - Forest Green Rovers v Rochdale
at 17:09 4 Oct 2025
Great three points. Another calm, composed victory that impressed the home commentators.
It’ll be interesting to see how Savage reacts after a setback. He’s always going to be box office and enthusiastic when things are going well, but that appears to have been an erratic set of choices before and during the game.
We’ve now won away at the sides in second, third and fourth. [Post edited 4 Oct 17:11]
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Reply | Refwatch - Forest Green Rovers v Rochdale
at 15:52 4 Oct 2025
Sounds a good game. They’ve had a lot of corners and we are causing problems going forward. The commentators seem quite impressed with us.
Moss getting a booking after narrowly avoiding one would be a worry. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Forest Green Rovers v Rochdale
at 14:37 4 Oct 2025
Savage explained his formation and changes on the radio - they’re changing shape and going two up top with Doidge joining Mitchell.
3-5-2 v 3-4-3 unless we change something too. |
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 14:13 4 Oct 2025
Yep, we rest players and win, rest them and lose. It appears other clubs do similar.
Although today’s opponents haven’t lost any and have two top scorers with 4 goals. Mitchell has started 12 and been on the bench once, Knowles starting 8 and sub 5 times.
According to BBC Gloucester they have made four changes today, one enforced. They’ve said Savage rested players at Boston the other night and the “sweeping changes” today are “bold”. [Post edited 4 Oct 14:25]
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 13:25 4 Oct 2025
Think you’re right about the central defensive position. Wasn’t convinced retaining Hogan was the best option in the summer and his appearances this season back that up. It’s not that he’s been really bad, more that he takes games to get up to speed - we saw that last season. He won’t get that opportunity.
The squad construction has been weighted too much towards the upper half of the pitch. Could br proven totally wrong by the end of the season, but I’m not sure what having Humbles/Mancini bring that Burger or Henderson don’t cover. Maybe one of the two, but both?
A central defender who can challenge EEL and cover Beckwith would have been preferred. |
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 11:34 4 Oct 2025
And I wasn’t arguing otherwise. Nor was I saying I doubt other clubs do it without any evidence.
The stats were presented as facts around how many players have played in the relative number of games. If they will include players replaced due to injury or suspension, that could be presented as fact too, rather than an assumption.
For example, Dale would almost certainly have had a seventh player who would have started 10 of the 11 games in Dieseruvwe had he not been suspended against Solihull. |
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 09:18 4 Oct 2025
We’ve also rested players and won. I don’t see anyone disagreeing that leaving out EEL and Rodney from the start on Wednesday ended up being an error.
The stats were an illustration that other clubs do the same in case there was a doubt they may not.
We don’t play with a front two. Rodney and Barlow/McBride play either side of Dieseruvwe. The other night it was Barlow and McBride. We play three forwards, the two wide of the centre forward drop deeper at times. [Post edited 4 Oct 9:22]
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v FC Halifax Town
at 22:46 3 Oct 2025
Joe Pritchard had a great game at Boreham Wood on the opening day, his role in breaking the deadlock was vital. He was left out the following week and Allarakhia came in to score twice against Altrincham.
Sometimes changes work, sometimes they don’t. I was wrong about being disappointed not to see Pritchard start that day, even after Allarakhia struggle a bit defensively before his equaliser. It’s expected that changes will be debated more after a defeat, but they’ve been done with the same intention - to win the games.
The Brackley anomaly can’t, in my opinion, be defended though. Not leaving some of the core players in was a big error and didn’t make much sense. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v FC Halifax Town
at 22:31 3 Oct 2025
Didn’t McNulty also say the plan was for McBride to only play 45 mins as well? Not sure of the reasons for that, but if we were not changing the starting team from Carlisle, wouldn’t that mean both having to come off at half time?
And again, where was the consternation when Barlow was left out after starting four wins in a row?
(Note: again not saying I would have left Rodney out either. This is about having a consistent argument against changes) |
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 19:58 3 Oct 2025
Amantchi returning in January (or before) looks to be more likely that it did a few weeks ago. Can’t be certain of course, but the comments from the Walsall boss allied to his lack of game time lean that way.
He did pretty well only ten days ago against Solihull though, so there’s times for things to change.
If not, the obvious alternative appears unable to make it into the starting XI a few miles away in L2. If that’s not on the radar of player and those at Spotland, it would be a surprise. |
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 19:30 3 Oct 2025
Yep, disagreed with the changes made in those two games and said as much
I didn’t say that I doubted whether other managers would follow the same “tinkering policy”. I found out that other teams in the top three have made the changes listed above. We look to have been pretty consistent with selection, with mistakes made on two occasions.
Yeah, on the corners it was a great tactic. It made the penalty area less chaotic. And we actually seemed to struggle with that as our players usually thrive on having an opposition to block creating space. We may need to come up with different routines.
Someone should try it against Arsenal too. |
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 19:11 3 Oct 2025
I was apologising if they were wrong, are they?
Nor have I looked at how many changes those teams made after winning games, but I do know Hughes copped a lot of flak for messing about with selection and formation recently.
If I have doubts, I’ll try and find out if there’s evidence to back it up. Because just saying it is only an opinion which might be incorrect and misinterpreted as fact.
Edit: we changed a winning formula to bring in Bercoe and McBride. We then won again. [Post edited 3 Oct 19:13]
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 17:37 3 Oct 2025
Looking at the opening games and the top XI appearance makers for the top three teams:
Forest Green
3 players started all 13 games
2 started 12
1 started 11
2 started 10
1 started 9
2 started 8
Dale
6 started 10 of our 11 games
3 started 9
1 started 8
1 started 7
Carlisle
3 started all 13 games
1 started 12
2 started 11
2 started 10
1 started 9
1 started 8
1 started 7
Soccerbase stats, apologies if anything is wrong. |
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