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There are two Rochdales. There is the one without
Stanton in the side, and there is the one with Stanton
in the side. And the one in which Stanton plays is
significantly more of a force than the one without him.
Take last season for example. Dale were languishing in
fifteenth place. Stanton returns, we lose just one of
the next twelve matches and shoot ourselves up the
league table.
It feels like Stanton has been at Spotland for years.
Certainly, we'd tried to get him to Spotland for a few
years before we actually did, but it was most definitely
worth the wait and Stanton has since gone on to become
an absolute rock at the back for Dale.
He came to the club having played most of his career
at right back. He's come up through the ranks at
Scunthorpe, and started getting a fair bit of attention
due to his performances. However, he was let go by the
Iron after making over 250 appearances for the Iron.
He'd had a bad run with injuries in his final days at
Glanford Park, and was perhaps a victim of their
promotion to the Championship.
But despite a career at right back, he came to
Spotland with the intention of playing at the centre of
defence. His lack of inches perhaps had stopped him
playing there in the past, as teams traditionally favour
the towering central defender, but it proved to be
absolutely the correct decision.
Almost from day one, he stood out. He marshalled the
back superbly and it was no surprise that he was given
the captaincy when Gary Jones was ruled out for the rest
of the season. Not only that, his leadership has helped
Rory McArdle come on career wise and become far better
player than what he had been previously.
Stanton's strengths come in his pace and his reading
of the game. Understandbly, he might not be at his best
aerially but his reading of the game often gives him a
head start over many a centre forward, and he's chased
down many a lost cause in his time.
A lengthy injury kept him out the side for around six
months in 2007, but he shook it off to become bigger and
better. The only downside since his return was a pair of
red cards, one of which came about after giving the
referee at MK Dons the sort of treatment he usually
reserves for Notts County supporters.
Probably best not to ask him if he's scored at
Wembley tho.
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