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Reply | Watson.....
at 13:26 6 Oct 2026
I don't think we disagree on very much at all (and why should we, seeing pretty much the same product on the field in relation to what's happening in the treatment room)
I take your point about Watson's abilities to manage a full squad who're in contention for selection being an unknown. I'm inclined to think he'll be just fine. He has a lot of options on both attacking flanks, especially with Hayes now nearing match fitness. Silcott-Duberry did little wrong in his appearances but Watson clearly thinks others are more likely to create chances and in selecting Middleton he's right. In addition, bringing Hannant on when Smith went off early doors against Swindon, then taking Hannant off for Hayes, shows he's not afraid to take decisions which players might feel inclined to be upset about
Hayes probably wasn't ready for 75-80 minutes which may have influenced his decision, and Watson probably considered we needed someone with defensive qualities for that length of time whilst we toughed it out before introducing Hayes. All of this suggests managerial competence. I was critical of lack of subs at the right time in earlier games, but in mitigation i think he was possibly lacking in confidence prior to putting a few points on the board, aware of the intensity of fan "feedback", yet has overcome both, at least for now
I began with the "less than ten games" point because that's exactly where we are: in effect, there is so little "earlier in the season" it almost seems trite to speak of it; it's still early in the season
[Post edited 6 Oct 13:28]
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Reply | Watson.....
at 11:55 6 Oct 2026
Less than ten games into our league season back in the EFL
Some good points, but is "blowing teams away" some kind of new standard that Watson has to achieve? i don't recall Dale "blowing teams away" under the previous regime, even after three seasons. I recall having a great deal of possession, with a perennial impression of doing far less with it than we should've been. That's now changing, with fast wingers and greater effort engaged in getting the ball into their feet.
Whilst Shrewsbury had their chances against us, we ended up putting them to the sword, and this in a higher division
No-one - absolutely no-one, is getting carried away with the upturn in form. A long winter awaits us. Just last Spring, we got turned over 2-4 by Morecambe, who were relegated. Yes, in the midst of record-breaking points accumulation... in the NL
I fully agree though, the standard isn't that much higher. I've made this point elsewhere. I think people lost sight of just how ordinary teams can be and still survive at this level. It just takes an extra "something" to get yourself up into the higher positions, and challenging
[Post edited 6 Oct 12:02]
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Reply | Watson.....
at 13:51 5 Oct 2026
I doubt anyone would disagree with that?
What was in question was those who'd already made their minds up "he's not our man" rather than taking a more measured view of how much longer he might need to assert his style, his identity
Can you imagine if the board had panicked and changed horses a month ago? That would've left all of us doubting their credentials to be able to make the right footballing decisions, and leave the club flapping in the wind, with any new manager facing the same issues and with players he hadn't just recruited. It would've been madness
There's little more to be said now, except we can all breathe a lot more easily on our way to the COA |
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Reply | Watson.....
at 18:35 4 Oct 2026
In saying "i had doubts about Watson" i commented (in person) to another contributor to this messageboard "If Watson loses the next two games against Walsall and Oldham, he's in trouble"
It was serious, and the way the club stage-managed the fans forum suggests they knew it was serious too, but in the sense they really didn't need the negativity after everything the owners had input
Their business was built up over decades, and no doubt they've been through many trials and tribulations to get to where they are. In appointing Watson, they were following a process that they had little alternative but to stand by, or else it'd have put their process into doubt and that'd leave them with nowhere to go
Their process, their experience is something that many commentators will have been nowhere near in their lives. The Ogdens appreciate the fans (the U Block being an example) but managing expectations of such a volatile group can't be comfortable for them, even when they appreciate the background levels of relative deprivation that exists within our home environments
Again, i just wish the fanbase itself took greater account of all this context before casting judgment
[Post edited 4 Oct 18:43]
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Reply | Watson.....
at 17:15 4 Oct 2026
This is what i found so annoying about some of the earlier attitudes
It's as if some people have forgotten our history, after one incredible season
My point in reply to tonyroch was how much our history has been based on survival; success has been rare, a "mixed results" season is the norm. I get the whole thing around the "Steve Eyre" fear but it wasn't until further into the season than we are now it became apparent
I had my doubts about Watson, but in the context of the hand he'd been dealt. This isn't a "told you so" post, but i just wish (as you refer to with the instant reactions point) that context was more appreciated
I guess it's the whole rise of social.media, where everything happens in the moment and that's all that matters to some |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Swindon Town
at 11:03 4 Oct 2026
Dale survived all those decades in the fourth tier through being "ordinary"
When we fell into the NL a perception might've arisen that all of a sudden, "the EFL" was some kind of place where only the better than ordinary exists. The standard is higher than the NL of course, but not by much. Can't say i'm surprised; all we needed to do was get organised under a new manager, which we're doing, and in pretty good time all things considered
I think we could prove to be better than ordinary in this division, whilst having no expectations other than consolidation |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Swindon Town
at 09:23 4 Oct 2026
Wilson catching their beakaway and dispossessing him first half was a key moment, plus his ability to carry the ball forward, which breaks up the passing around at the back routine, show he's going to be an assett after a shaky start with Dale
Agree, that would be a strong back four [Post edited 4 Oct 9:26]
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Swindon Town
at 22:16 3 Oct 2026
Also noticed Flint and Ball exchanging a few words, second half
Doubt very much if Watson will mind one of his players able to give it out |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Swindon Town
at 17:34 3 Oct 2026
No words
Except... top half, far from the finished product, we can get better, 3 wins on the trot, we have a style, Watson is our man, players coming back into contention, fans flocking to the COA, delighted for Hayes
Okay, that's quite a few... [Post edited 3 Oct 17:36]
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Swindon Town
at 18:59 2 Oct 2026
I'm glad you disagree... but you're missing the point
McNulty's system was based upon his own unique personality, which ultimately proved successful
Watson... anyone else... just wouldn't be able to "continue" that. Having a system comes with something far more subtle than mere tactics - it's about people, probably first and foremost
SAF is featured in today's news, with insights into his entire career. He achieved what he did because of his personality. There's also a documentary been shown recently called The Three Kings, about Busby, Stein and Shankly and how they all knew each other and achieved what they did. They also needed to break the mould
Watson is gaining my respect, for being his own man. The Ogdens have stood by him and that just adds to the respect i have for them
Watson's own way of doing things is slowly but surely - against great adversities - starting to come together
I'll go further. The system that got us out of the NL needed breaking, we really just about made it at the end - through the players having bought into Jim McNulty - but he'd gone
Watson had that to deal with first, so trying to continue with that system just would not have worked. The board brought Watson in based upon him having the same kind of footballing - and human - values, but he needed to make it his own [Post edited 2 Oct 19:03]
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Swindon Town
at 11:16 2 Oct 2026
This is all perfectly true, and it would appear there's the green shoots of comprehension by the fanbase at large at the task Watson inherited
Asking him to "continue with Jim's style to begin with" would be like trying to impersonate your new girlfriend's ex whilst she got over him
[Post edited 2 Oct 12:30]
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Reply | NFR Burnham mentioned The Cooperative movement
at 18:24 1 Oct 2026
We're all justifiably proud of the independence of thought and action which the Rochdale Pioneers embodied, James
You're right, in that it shouldn't be forgotten and the same spirit still exists to this day, now embodied by the Ogdens, and indeed, many of our own fans, evidenced in recent times.Our MP, a Dale fan (not a pretend one) has been promoted to a junior ministerial role by Burnham - the first time this has ever happened
I'm just not sure we need to be "endorsed" by anyone [Post edited 1 Oct 19:07]
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Reply | NFR Burnham mentioned The Cooperative movement
at 17:48 1 Oct 2026
He should be more informed about how a majority of fans might view his comments which appear to support the corruption which allowed Man City to dominate the game for the past 15 years
There were threads on here about the "funding" when the current owners took over |
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