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Thread | First time fan experience
at 17:40 26 Dec 2023
So I'm a dale fan of 20+ years and decided to take my girlfriend to Spotland for the first time.
I decided to book a decent view mid Wilbutts lane so she could at least see.
Here is her feedback.
Firstly, Baum is the best pub she's been to.
Not the club's fault but I'd bigged up Wilbutts Lane chippy that was unfortunately closed.
Huge queue for pies before game meant we decided to get one at half time.
Zero tannoy match build up and she didn't even know players had entered.
She thought the players looked tired in first half and atmosphere was poor (it was).
Hendo scored, fantastic. Zero sound on tannoy to celebrate the goal.
Half time we decided to get a pie. There was no pies left and apparently they sold out around 20mins into the game. She was very disappointed as I bigged up the pies beforehand. This was after a 20 min queue so missed first bit of second half. Not that we would know as there was no tannoy announcement.
Was it just me or was there no substitute board as I tried to explain to her who went off and on. As there was no tannoy sound I was struggling myself.
She enjoyed the goal and the win second half but thought the atmosphere would have been better.
I asked her if she wanted to go again and if she would think others would go and she said no.
Purely because there was no food and no tannoy announcements that may have helped the build up and understand what was happening in the game. There was no leaflets or incentives for a half season ticket or info on season tickets next year that may have persuaded new fans to take up.
Overall I thought the players didn't necessarily put on a show to keep new fans coming back and the club did not prepare the logistics to satisfy all new fans, especially in the Wilbutts where you would see majority new fans..
A great win but for me, huge opportunities missed to keep new fans hooked in.
Great scheme. Must do better [Post edited 26 Dec 2023 17:42]
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Thread | Realistic signings
at 12:30 4 Jul 2023
Was keeping an eye on players from L2 and NL who are now out of contract and thought it would be great to start a thread of any recommendations.
Reice Charles-Cook is a keeper released from Bromley. Fans are absolutely gutted he's leaving and may be a shout to fill out number 1 spot.
I think Callum Ainley is now out of contract from Crewe as well. Although he's an attacking midfielder which is a position we have pretty much covered.
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Thread | Cameron John
at 17:31 24 May 2023
Weirdly saw him in a pub in Sheffield on Sat. Hoping he's finalising a move back to Donny or even Chesterfield.
Saying that, he probably has a house around here knowing how much he hates Rochdale 😠|
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Thread | False Dawns
at 07:47 3 May 2023
Scott Quigley. He was our saviour in the first few weeks. A perfect focal point that could play off. After that he was one of the most useless strikers I've ever seen at Dale, more concerned with arguing with oppo players, fans and officials. He's obviously been sent back all hush hush and scored an own goal for Stockport B.
Got me thinking, has there been any other players that started off really well and fell massively off the cliff?
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Thread | Finding the positives
at 14:28 1 May 2023
In a sea of negativity I always try and find some positives. Plus I'm putting off decluttering the house. So for what it's worth here's my two penneth.
1. We all get to to visit some new grounds. Admittedly not the best start but I'll admit I'm excited to visit the likes of Halifax and even Dorking. Plus we get a proper derby back in Oldham.
2. Is the squad actually decent for that league? The likes of O'Donnell, EEL, Keohane, Rodney and Henderson are pretty experienced league players. Sinclair, Mullarkey, Campbell and dare I say it Ball have all performed well at this level. I actually think Taylor and Graham are also decent prospects. Add in some midfield steel and maybe we can have a crack at a decent season.
3. Following on from the #2, maybe we will win a few games. It's been seemingly ages since we really grabbed a season by the balls and gave it a good go. And for the first time in a long while we are actually one of the bigger teams in the league.
4. BT sport coverage. Would be decent to see us on TV I suppose 🤷â€â™‚ï¸
Appreciate the deep negatives do override the positives but does anyone else think we may actually be Ok. If not, what/who needs to happen for you to feel positive? |
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Thread | Who next then?
at 20:59 1 Apr 2023
When was the last time we had 3 managers in a season?
Anyway, I have seen the stock list of lower league managers on the betting sites. They surely just wheel out the same list each time and it's almost always someone out of the blue.
So aside from the obvious, who is your slightly left field choice and why?
Mine is Lee Bullen.
Former Sheffield Wednesday coach and caretaker manager that has been at Ayr United a few seasons and done well.
I played in a charity game at Hillsborough where he took on the role of manager and captain. I've obviously never played at league level but I would have run through brick walls for him that day. He had something about him that was pretty unique and was well respected by the other former pros that day.
I knew he still has ties in Sheffield which is obviously not too far away either.
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Thread | "Well it isn't my team, I inherited it"
at 10:26 20 Feb 2023
Been thinking about Jim's post match interview all weekend and that quote stood out for me.
Whilst it's true that he did inherit a poor team, he applied for and got the job knowing this. He is paid to coach, manage and motivate and so far he is failing.
It also feels like he is now covering his ar*e and making excuses in order to seek future employment when the inevitable happens.
Dig in, motivate, inspire, coach, lead. That's what you are paid for.
You are not paid to dredge excuses elsewhere so you can blame others when you apply for future jobs. I thought that interview was extremely unprofessional regardless of emotions. |
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Thread | Ill-equipped. Doomed from the start
at 17:34 18 Feb 2023
Anyone remember Stockdale announcing a promotion run when he was appointed?😂
Also, anyone remember how bad we were in pre-season. I could see it in Stockdale's face that he recruited absolute pups with no football brain.
With no training pitch we needed players with desire and speed to make up the skill deficiency (see Lloyd, Mullarkey)
I actually don't blame Bentley. It needed a re-build with no pre-season. Almost impossible
The following have relegated us by being nowhere near:
John
Toums
EEL
Keohane
Seriki
Eastwood
Quigley
Rodney
Odoh
Ball
Graham
Slicker!!
The bloke from WBA who I can't even remember
Stockdale
Shan
Gauge (Stockdale decisions only)
When the majority of the squad are this poor in skill, desire, passion and brains then it's no surprise. Pep wouldn't get us out of this. |
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Thread | Start of the Bentley era?
at 23:10 11 Feb 2023
Trying to snowball some positivity but is it fair to say today is the start of the Bentley era? Perhaps the end of the Stockdale drain?
The team is now pretty much majority his signings. He's had a full week with the team training. Today was a massive improvement and hopefully sign of things to come.
Going to be a tough ask but I feel we are more equipped than a few weeks ago |
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Thread | Jan 23 Squad, where would they have finished
at 08:56 1 Feb 2023
Attempt at some positivity.
I think we had a good deadline day/transfer window.
Got me thinking, where would this (new) squad and manager be predicted to finish if this was the start of the season? |
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Thread | Dale Deadline D Day
at 10:16 31 Jan 2023
Waking up, refreshing twitter every 10 minutes for updates. One of the most important days in the clubs history. I hope we manage to refresh and rotate.
[Post edited 31 Jan 2023 14:19]
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Thread | Craig Dawson potential transfer
at 13:38 16 Jan 2023
Just wondered if anyone knows whether Dale will receive anything from the potential £6m Dawson transfer from West Ham to Wolves?
Did we have a "% of all future transfer clause" inserted?
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Thread | Next manager and reasons why...
at 17:17 18 Aug 2022
Shame it didn't work for Robbie. IMO he didn't get the team prepared for the season and unfortunately deserves to go. I can understand what he wanted to achieve with the formation but didn't coach them well enough/quick enough to put it into action. We would be too far adrift before things clicked into place.
So, who do we want next.
I'll throw in a suggestion.
Dave Artell.
Steadily built up a Crewe team on a low budget and got promoted.
Not perfect by any means but he would be within our budget and has decent L2 experience and success.
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Thread | Frustrated rant
at 11:08 8 May 2021
Don't think I have ever been this deflated waking up before a Dale game.
The prospect of facing teams like Harrogate and Sutton United as opposed to Sheffield Wednesday/Sunderland/Ipswich...😔 The financial allure of staying in league 1 to face these teams needed relentless positivity, support and fight. Instead we accepted our shortcomings and rolled over. Can't wait for 19 Torquay away fans to create a crackling atmosphere at Spotland.
I'm sorry but our squad belongs in league one and I am genuinely gutted we never gave it a proper go (ALL SEASON)
The board, BBM etc always talked like we never belonged here. Especially around Jan. That we are lucky we aren't down before Xmas. This is poor poor leadership and this negativity has crawled through the whole club.
Where were the positive "we are good enough, we belong here, let's fight to the death" statements that galvanise us all consistently.
Now it's poor little Rochdale with the vultures ready to offer £100k for genuinely talented players. Or as recent news has suggested, letting all our talent leave on a free.
I know all this has been said before but just needed to get it off my chest.
Up the Dale and all that but wow, what could have been eh?
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Thread | Conor Grant moving on?
at 09:50 4 May 2021
Got a few reliable sources telling me clubs are circling and are close to signing Conor Grant. For me will be such a shame to lose him and surely only a decent fee would twist our arm. |
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Thread | If not BBM then who
at 18:03 6 Mar 2021
After watching that I've cracked open a second bottle of wine 😋
I've been supportive of BBM, knowing/understanding the players and budget he is working with.
For the record I expected us to be where we are. What I didn't expect is the lack of fight, lack of goals and lack of shape. It does seem like the end, regrettably.
Some people have suggested Cowley/Holloway/Bowyer et al. Realistically there is no chance we can afford them.
More likely it will be an internal appointment (McNulty/McShane) or a non league manager.
Would Wilbraham return to North West for a crack?
Realistically, who do you reckon could:
1. Save our season
2. Get us promoted should relegation happen |
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Thread | Jimmy Ryan
at 19:35 28 Feb 2021
I'm surprising myself writing this but never knew how important Jimmy Ryan was to this team.
I've noticed the complete lack of intensity in midfield for a number of weeks and had a look at some highlights from earlier in the season...with Ryan in the team we are so much better.
I feel we need 2 "ratters" in the middle (Rathbone/Ryan ideally) and we are playing with too many so called "cultured" midfielders. We lose intensity/tempo in defence and attack and generally look unfit. It's why we keep going backwards in my opinion.
In previous games Ryan has demanded the ball in tight spaces and continued momentum...nobody has replicated that.
I noticed Burton's CM Clare was all over the pitch on Sat and never looked rushed.
I'm a fan of Morley but he needs a rest for me and feel he plays his best football on excellent pitches, a luxury we don't have. Shaunessy looks way off the pace so far.
In the absence of Ryan (and now Rathbone X3 games) who could fill that essential "ratter" role?
Keohane? Brierley? O'Connell? Roberts?
Fairly sure BBM is here to stay for the foreseeable so just trying to throw some immediate solutions out there 🙂 |
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Thread | Sensationalism vs realism
at 12:43 20 Feb 2021
"I've been a season ticket holder for 40 years and this is the last straw"
Ok, that may not be a direct quote but I have been seeing this kind of rhetoric on here and on social media recently. I'm left scratching my head as to why. There seems to be a trend in society/politics etc to sensationalise a viewpoint for increased attention/column inches (see Brexit) and feel this has seaped into football fandom.
For the record I accept there are issues with the board who are rightly scrutinised. I accept we didn't sign a left back. I accept the team are in poor form.
But I'm not throwing my scarf away in disgust.
I happen to work for a club in South Yorkshire and trust me, their boardroom issues FAR outweigh ours. Dale also seem to be in a ok financial position in the circumstances.
When we started the season (with all the releases) I feared we would really struggle. In fact we are just above the relegation zone, which is surely where most of us expected we would be.
The club are also recruiting roles behind the scenes which I see as a massive positive. Many others seem disgusted at this. Some of these advertised roles I actually work in...20k wage bringing in 150k income for my particular football employers. Isn't this good for our club?
We are in league 1 and have been for a while now. I love this club and will support them as best I can to stay in this excellent league and play Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday 🙃 each week. The last few years have been incredible for Dale and I just don't understand the chronic negativity from many fans. Maybe I'm missing something.
I've paid my £10 and bought my beers for the game this afternoon to support the lads. Let's all get behind them and criticise proportionately.
Up the dale
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