Forum
Reply

Should he stay or should he go?
at 09:49 19 May 2025

Having kicked this off, this thread should hopefully provide a useful barometer of the fans' feelings of the state of the Dale world.

What I think is obvious is that every fan wants a Jim v2.0 come the start of the season if he is to stay (which seems by far the most likely outcome). One that is more tactically flexible, one that is prepared to play faster more direct football at times. The option for the defence or the keeper to hit wingers who take on their man, and then deliver crosses, rather than reaching the 18 yard box and automatically passing backwards or inside. The recruitment requirements should be obvious to all - we need at least one Bird type up front, and Mitchell should be allowed to develop elsewhere. A stable, dominant keeper is another must, along with more power in the centre of midfield. The zonal marking also looked a car crash in some of the recent games, particularly the Southend one - and can we have a striker on the half way line at corners please. We don't know what's said inside the changing room, but the public Jim needs to be more confident, less reliant on repeating the same old rubbish about clout, and actually BELIEVE we can get promotion. If he doesn't believe it, what chance does anyone else at the Club?

The measure of success for next season isn't as binary as promotion or nothing. Raised crowd numbers and an improved atmosphere would be a major step in the right direction. For this to happen though the brand of football needs to be more exciting - there have been so many missed opportunities this season to engage the "floating fans" who have turned up on the big games, only to deliver the football equivalent of watching paint dry. It is an entertainment business after all, even if the long-standing Dale fans might have been forced to forget this on many occasions over our history.

If the leopard can't change its spots, I firmly agree with the view that any new appointment would need to be an experienced head, who knows this league and the pool of players well. Preferably with experience of getting promotion, or at least going deep into the playoffs. We have definitely tried the new kid on the block approach many, many times recently and seen the results. Ultimately only the Ogdens will know what's out there, and whether Jim can learn from past mistakes, and lets hope they make the right call.

Forum
Thread

Should he stay or should he go?
at 13:07 16 May 2025

Surely this is the question on every fans' mind after last night, and hopefully on the Ogdens.

In the credit column, BJ is a decent guy and has steered the Dale ship through very choppy waters. The players seem to like him, and you would probably argue that a semi final place in the FA Trophy, and a quarter final exit in the Playoffs is above par based on expectations at the start of the season. He knows the squad, and should know its strengths better than anyone, and SHOULD know where it needs improving. Are we just a few pieces away from a winning jigsaw?

The counter arguments are plentiful - if one definition of insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting different results, we all have collectively experienced deja vous too many times to count. Game management has been woeful at the crunch points - Spennymore, and the 70 minute mark yesterday being the most damning. The style of football is boring to watch, and his tactical inflexibility seems to be known to every opposition manager, particularly the ones with lesser resources whose cunning plan of the "low block" seem to have us totally stumped. Does anyone remember having a winger like Mendez-Laing galloping down the wing, taking men on, and delivering juicy crosses? Combative strikers in the mould of Grant Holt and CoG actually jumping for headers and taking shots whenever the opportunity arises? Keepers who can command their box, and save shots rather than aiming to be a Pirlo. Those are the things which will deliver bums on seats, and gives us a chance of Project 5000.

Should we go again with a few tweaks in the right places, or do we roll the dice and get an experienced, progressive manager for the National League who understands when to mix it, when to go for it, and when to circle the wagons? If the latter, surely now's the time to do it with a full Summer ahead of us rather than loading the bullet in November after the squad is full of another man's players and behind the chasing pack.

Please log in to use all the site's facilities

ProudDale

Site Scores

Forum Votes:	0
Comment Votes:	0
Prediction League:	0
TOTAL:	0