Some fans felt that Josh Thompson's arrival on loan from Celtic in 2010/2011 was partly due as compensation for the Bhoys' undelivered promise of a friendly with the Dale.
Position: Defender
Arrived from: Celtic (loan)
Played : 2010-2011
Appearances : 12
Goals : 1
Left for: Celtic (end of loan)
When youngster Matty Hughes left Spotland for Scotland in 2008, rumours were that Celtic had promised us a pre-season fixture in order to bring in some more funds. The friendly never happened, but the Hoops did eventually re-compensate us with a loan player in the 2010/2011 campaign.
Although born in Bolton, Thompson had made his way up to Scotland after breaking into the Stockport County side at a young age and prior to his arrival at Rochdale, he had made 21 appearances in all competitions in the 2009/2010 campaign at Parkhead, although it was a disappointing and trophy less season for the Glaswegian side.
In order to seek out first team football, Thompson arrived at Spotland with high hopes and as a versatile defensive option being capable of playing either at right-back or centre-back. He also arrived with a very similar name to another first-team player in Joe Thompson, leading to plenty of confusion around me in the Main Stand at times that season.
Having started in perfect fashion with a goal on his debut against Walsall and looking for a while like he had nailed down a starting berth on the right side of the back four, inconsistency and the improving fitness of Scott Wiseman saw Thompson drop out of the XI by mid-October, although he did find some minutes in January.
After a woeful first-half in a draw with Tranmere Rovers at the start of February, a game in which he played out of position in defensive midfield but was withdrawn at half-time, Thompson was effectively frozen out of the starting eleven. He played just two more games, the final two of the campaign against Peterborough and Bournemouth over two months later.
He would join Posh on loan the season after but fail to make a single appearance before 20 games during a spell with Chesterfield convinced Portsmouth to take him on a short-term deal following his departure from Celtic, but he managed just two appearances at Fratton Park.
Successful loan stints convinced both Colchester United and Tranmere Rovers to bring him in permanently, but he was never a first-team regular anywhere until dropping out of the league to join Southport in 2015.
Thompson joined Macclesfield Town in 2017 but failed to make an appearance and last resurfaced in 2019 at Atherton Colleries, the club he had played for as a boy before joining Stockport County.