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Reply | Refwatch - Forest Green Rovers v Rochdale
at 20:23 4 Oct 2025
We've got a really good team on the pitch, a manager who has already proved this season that he can set us up to win the big games, something he struggled to do last season. A manager who has surrounded himself with good people who he can trust..Lillis, Taylor Done. That's smart recruitment by McNulty and it will make him a better manager. Changing a winning team and resting players has been done to death on here but when you factor in those two losses and our two games in hand on some of the chasing pack we could now be at least ten points clear at the top. If Jim can bring a ruthless streak and a hunger to every single fixture between now and May we will take some stopping. That's what Barnet did last season. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Forest Green Rovers v Rochdale
at 17:20 4 Oct 2025
Excellent performance, defensively rock solid and good with and without the ball. We totally negated FGR, it was a 1-0 massacre. A game that should have finished 1-4 had we taken several easy chances. EEL was my man of the match but Gilmour was his usual self, very good. The manager set us up perfectly, well done Jim. We are good enough to win the league and good enough to win the Play Offs. That's the realisation after beating Carlisle and FGR in their own back yard. [Post edited 4 Oct 17:21]
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Reply | Refwatch - Forest Green Rovers v Rochdale
at 16:08 4 Oct 2025
Excellent first half performance from the Dale. Irrespective of how this game finishes we know that we can compete with the likes of FGR and Carlisle. |
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 14:52 4 Oct 2025
Let's hope he's weakened his team by making the changes and they end up losing the game. The rested players at Boston were two youngsters according to Savage. Resting players isn't unusual but you need to have replacements who are equally as good if possible. As suggested, bring in a quality centre back and hopefully Smith with impress and then he can rotate Rodney and EEL if they cant string a run of games together. |
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 11:54 4 Oct 2025
A factor that also needs to be considered is the strength of squad size and the quality of the players waiting to replace what's deemed to be the strongest starting eleven, in comparison to our rival clubs. I don't think we can replace Rodney and EEL with the same quality. I was hoping Amantchi would provide a real goal threat but he played like a human battering ram on Wednesday, the jury is out on him. Hendo seems to have run his race now. EEL is probably playing his best football since he came to the club and Hogan is advancing in years, he slowed us down against Halifax. I'm glad McNulty brought in another forward this week, i think we need another centre half also if EEL needs resting every five or six games. [Post edited 4 Oct 11:55]
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 11:25 4 Oct 2025
Resting Rodney weakens our scoring prowess, you know what i mean. I think everybody will agree we are more of a threat when Mani and Rodney play together. Neither Barlow or McBride can be compared to Rodney when it comes down to their ability to put the ball in the net. There is no doubt about it though, no other manager in the country has made as many changes to their team from one game to the next as McNulty. I also have my doubts that any other manager would rest one of their main strikers and their central defender and captain for a local derby. If you can find me stats on that i would be grateful and also surprised. Other managers make changes for a variety of reasons but i woukd suggest that fatigue after less than a quarter of the season played isn't one of them. He's done that twice now with EEL and Rodney in the first eleven games. Golden rule in football, don't change a winning team. He's deliberatley ignored that twice and we've lost both games. That's a statistic for you. [Post edited 4 Oct 11:30]
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Reply | Tyler Smith To Return?
at 08:55 4 Oct 2025
Stats are great but the one that stands out is that when McNulty rests players and brings in others we lose the game. He rested the captain and our leader in a rock solid defensive unit and replaced him with a player who hasn't started a league game this season in Wednesdays local derby. He broke up a quality front two in Mani and Rodney and started with one forward. Halifax must have been rubbing their hands when they saw both those players missing. Squad rotation is great but only if you are rotating players of equal ability. [Post edited 4 Oct 8:58]
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Reply | Refwatch - Forest Green Rovers v Rochdale
at 08:42 4 Oct 2025
Savage in his pre-match interview emphasised the need for his team to be at it from the first whistle and play with attacking intent. He wants every one of his players to win their personal battle and play with bravery, score some goals. They play at a high tempo anyway and are a very fit team, then they bring players on in the second half to keep the intensity going until the final whistle, they score late goals. They wont sit back and let us play our game. So it's up to us to also bring the energy and match their desire. I've watched FGR a couple of times this season and think they are the team to beat if we want to win the league. We've got to be up for the battle today and watch Nick Houghton with his long range shooting. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v FC Halifax Town
at 00:47 4 Oct 2025
No problems with that but if both need wrapping in cotton wool then it's created a big problem. Both are influentual players in our squad who the manager has deemed can only start four or five games without being rested. The Ogden family therefore need to recruit two players who are on a par or are superior, we have nobody in our current squad who can match them. EEL.has been very good since his injury and Rodney has the X Factor. Do the players have the problem or the manager, is he too soft? These are grown men, professional footballers, stop treating them like young kids and telling them that they're tired. Footballers can get injured at any time, why is he second guessing what might happen and jeopordising our chances of winning games by resting players? Managers don't do that and his coaches are as bad for condoning it. Injuries are part and parcel of the game, trying to protect the players against injuries is nice but its cost us points already this season when he's deciding not to field his strongest available team...twice! We're only eight weeks into the season.
[Post edited 4 Oct 8:23]
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v FC Halifax Town
at 16:12 3 Oct 2025
Another thing that needs highlighting is the atmosphere around the ground this season. The Pearl Street stand in particular has been better than ever i think and the introduction of the singing section/ ultras in U Block has transformed the matchday experience, i say that as one of the older supporters. The 1907 group who have erected the flags and banners around the stadium also deserve a lot of credit, it looks like our home now. Atmosphere is generated by what happens out on the pitch though and the players have been great. McNulty deserves a lot of credit for some very good recruitment and putting together such a likeable bunch of players who the fans can really connect with. I'd urge any young fans who aren't already season card holders for the Pearl Street to make the swap and boost the numbers for next season. Let's fill the stand and generate some noise. [Post edited 3 Oct 16:14]
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v FC Halifax Town
at 11:31 3 Oct 2025
Yes, it is down to McNulty that we've won 9 out of 11 games and he deserves full credit for that. I think he is culpable for our two defeats though due to his team selection and have criticised him for it. It doesn't make me a bad person for having that opinion. Others see it differently. Life isn't all fluffy white clouds. I think we gave both Brackley and Halifax a leg up by deliberately fielding a weakened team against them. I think McNulty's done great in the other games though. You're perfectly entitled not to critice him and he does have his reasons for doing what he does. [Post edited 3 Oct 11:53]
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v FC Halifax Town
at 14:16 2 Oct 2025
EEL and Rodney could play though. The manager decided to field a weakened team against Halifax who had lost one game in nine and won three on the spin. Both games we have lost have been down to McNulty changing a winning team and lets not forget that most of the players have only started ten league games up to now. Less for Rodney and EEL. If he's citing fatigue already then it makes you wonder why their fitness levels are so low. We've just moved out of September, why do players need a rest, why did they all need resting against Brackley? FGR didn't rest players last night in preperation for Saturdays game. I get it that some wont have a bad word said against the manager but we've handicapped ourselves before a ball has been kicked in our two losses. [Post edited 2 Oct 15:00]
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v FC Halifax Town
at 08:04 2 Oct 2025
Agree with that. We rested three players from the win at Carlisle who will all start at FGR. We changed a rock solid defence and rested our captain for a local derby. Dropping Rodney also impacted Mani and made the defensive task much easier for Halifax. Played with one recognised forward. So that had a double whammy effect. The rested players weren't injured or ill, they wouldn't have been on the bench had that been the case. So a weakened starting eleven and done deliberately by the manager with one eye on Saturdays game. We are now in a situation where we could easily lose two games on the spin. These players have only played 10 games and most are rotated so don't play the full minutes. Last night was a local derby but it wasn't treated like one, the manager gave Halifax a leg up and we self harmed yet again instead of being ruthless and concentrating on the game in front of us. We ended up chasing the game after a first half that again saw us revert to defenders passing the ball amongst themselves and slowing the game to walking pace. Gordon and Hogan being the main culprits. It's a shame because we were great at Carlisle and yet again we have stopped momentum and missed out on a chance of going to the top of the league. McNulty needs to toughen up and find a ruthless streak and stop treating the players like babies who constantly need protecting. He's like a mother hen with his chicks. [Post edited 2 Oct 8:21]
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Reply | Carlisle tickets
at 07:01 25 Sep 2025
Thanks for the info, it's appreciated. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Solihull Moors
at 22:18 24 Sep 2025
One thing that has been very good during McNulty's tenure is his recruitment. The first season when we were close to losing the club and had a very poor budget he still recruited well. Irrespective of how some fans view him, his players absolutely love playing for him, that's massive.
We have some big games coming up now and i think how we approach them and play is just as important as the result. Everybody associated with the club needs to see that we have the skill and mental strength to go toe to toe with all the contenders because the chances are we will be playing some of them again in the Play Offs if we don't win the league. If we lose to the better team then fair enough but let's not die wondering and let's be brave and not be overawed by anybody. We lacked bravery last season in the big games, thats something that needs to change now and it's up to the manager and coaches to lead from the front. Learn from the mistakes of last season. [Post edited 24 Sep 22:24]
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Solihull Moors
at 21:30 24 Sep 2025
Yes, better quality and a continuity in the core of the team from last season and before has helped i think. It's a big ask for anybody to expect us to win this league but with the experience gained from last years Play Off game and the quality of our signings we have as good a chance as anybody this season when it comes to clinching one of the promotion spots. The recruitment of Done and Taylor to assist McNulty could also prove to be a master stroke. [Post edited 24 Sep 21:34]
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