| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable success 21:00 - Jul 30 with 26379 views | RochdaleAFC.com |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 11:34 - Dec 31 with 1394 views | TalkingSutty |
A good read, covering all bases. Thanks for your efforts and Happy New Year to you and the family. In fact, Happy New year to everybody connected with the club and all the supporters. Let's hope it's a promotion winning year. [Post edited 31 Dec 2025 12:46]
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 12:32 - Dec 31 with 1316 views | Edindale |
Best wishes and Happy New Year! | | | |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 13:09 - Dec 31 with 1266 views | TVOS1907 |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 11:34 - Dec 31 by TalkingSutty |
A good read, covering all bases. Thanks for your efforts and Happy New Year to you and the family. In fact, Happy New year to everybody connected with the club and all the supporters. Let's hope it's a promotion winning year. [Post edited 31 Dec 2025 12:46]
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Happy New Year! |  |
| You mean you STILL haven't worked out why some posts get down-ticked? |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 13:20 - Dec 31 with 1234 views | judd |
Fantastic report from the Wham stadium!
Happy New Year. |  |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 10:41 - Jan 3 with 834 views | 442Dale |
Reflecting on the last few games and points made by plenty of people now, is next week’s game in the Trophy a good chance to try a few things? The blog mentions about ‘imminent changes’for some regulars’ in midfield being unavoidable, next week could lay the groundwork to support that.
I’d go for a change in formation and see how both Pettit and Burger fit in a midfield three. Then when it’s back to the league there’s another option which Gilmour and East can fit into.
————— Broome ————
—- Moss, Hogan, Tutonda —-
Hosannah ——————— Galvin
—- Humbles, Pettit, Burger —-
——— Mancini, Smith ———
Also gives Smith a chance in a front two alongside Mancini who impressed in his brief cameo the other night.
It’s a chance to see players in a slightly different set up, one which can adapt mid-game too. |  |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 10:50 - Jan 3 with 813 views | fitzochris |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 10:41 - Jan 3 by 442Dale |
Reflecting on the last few games and points made by plenty of people now, is next week’s game in the Trophy a good chance to try a few things? The blog mentions about ‘imminent changes’for some regulars’ in midfield being unavoidable, next week could lay the groundwork to support that.
I’d go for a change in formation and see how both Pettit and Burger fit in a midfield three. Then when it’s back to the league there’s another option which Gilmour and East can fit into.
————— Broome ————
—- Moss, Hogan, Tutonda —-
Hosannah ——————— Galvin
—- Humbles, Pettit, Burger —-
——— Mancini, Smith ———
Also gives Smith a chance in a front two alongside Mancini who impressed in his brief cameo the other night.
It’s a chance to see players in a slightly different set up, one which can adapt mid-game too. |
I’d love to see that set-up tested next match. |  |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 11:12 - Jan 3 with 773 views | TalkingSutty |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 10:50 - Jan 3 by fitzochris |
I’d love to see that set-up tested next match. |
Front two is too lightweight and i'd have real concerns that both are fit enough to last longer than 60 minutes, there's no physical presence up front at all with those two. Mancini is obviously a talented player but he can break down at any minite, i thought he was more of a winger. We also can't lose sight of the fact that East and Gilmore have been very instrumental in our fantastic form this season and one defeat against Hartlepool doesn't change that. I'd like to see Petit accomodated in the team if needed but not at the expense of dropping East or Gimore because they don't deserve that. Gilmore is first name on the teamsheet for me. Let's not fall into the trap of changing a winning formula just for the sake of it. If the Tamworth game is being viewed as a time for experimenting then the line up being suggested is fair enough but i'm not sold on Smith from what i've seen and would a plastic pitch not hinder Mancini rather than help him? [Post edited 3 Jan 11:21]
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 11:23 - Jan 3 with 745 views | tony_roch975 |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 11:12 - Jan 3 by TalkingSutty |
Front two is too lightweight and i'd have real concerns that both are fit enough to last longer than 60 minutes, there's no physical presence up front at all with those two. Mancini is obviously a talented player but he can break down at any minite, i thought he was more of a winger. We also can't lose sight of the fact that East and Gilmore have been very instrumental in our fantastic form this season and one defeat against Hartlepool doesn't change that. I'd like to see Petit accomodated in the team if needed but not at the expense of dropping East or Gimore because they don't deserve that. Gilmore is first name on the teamsheet for me. Let's not fall into the trap of changing a winning formula just for the sake of it. If the Tamworth game is being viewed as a time for experimenting then the line up being suggested is fair enough but i'm not sold on Smith from what i've seen and would a plastic pitch not hinder Mancini rather than help him? [Post edited 3 Jan 11:21]
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I tend to agree with TS - we won't know the effectiveness of a midfield 3 and 2 up top until we play the best 5 there which for me are East, Gilmore, Pettit, Rodney, Mani | |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 12:02 - Jan 3 with 694 views | 442Dale |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 11:23 - Jan 3 by tony_roch975 |
I tend to agree with TS - we won't know the effectiveness of a midfield 3 and 2 up top until we play the best 5 there which for me are East, Gilmore, Pettit, Rodney, Mani |
The two chosen was with regards to resting players for the league and with the intention of focusing on the three. Whilst Mancini obviously has fitness issues, his performance on Tuesday illustrated he is a strong player who can contribute in that area. Smith is a poacher who might benefit playing alongside someone else.
Will it work? Who knows. Just worth a try in this game so others can then step in once a different system is established.
Or we could stick to the same formation as usual. | |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 12:10 - Jan 3 with 670 views | TalkingSutty |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 12:02 - Jan 3 by 442Dale |
The two chosen was with regards to resting players for the league and with the intention of focusing on the three. Whilst Mancini obviously has fitness issues, his performance on Tuesday illustrated he is a strong player who can contribute in that area. Smith is a poacher who might benefit playing alongside someone else.
Will it work? Who knows. Just worth a try in this game so others can then step in once a different system is established.
Or we could stick to the same formation as usual. |
I'm not sure Mancini will be risked to start a game on a plastic pitch though, his appearance from the subs a few days ago was his first in a long time. Rodney wasn't risked when we played Tamworth and i'm not sure Mancini will be. I'm hoping we will have a new signing up front next week or maybe even two. Fingers crossed we get some good news in respect of Mani and Rodney's injuries. [Post edited 3 Jan 12:11]
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 12:25 - Jan 3 with 618 views | 442Dale |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 12:10 - Jan 3 by TalkingSutty |
I'm not sure Mancini will be risked to start a game on a plastic pitch though, his appearance from the subs a few days ago was his first in a long time. Rodney wasn't risked when we played Tamworth and i'm not sure Mancini will be. I'm hoping we will have a new signing up front next week or maybe even two. Fingers crossed we get some good news in respect of Mani and Rodney's injuries. [Post edited 3 Jan 12:11]
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That’s a fair point about the pitch at Tamworth. Not sure if it impacts Mancini like Rodney, but if so he shouldn’t be risked.
Would just want to avoid using Henderson next week unless we get someone else in. | |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 12:47 - Jan 3 with 584 views | fitzochris |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 12:25 - Jan 3 by 442Dale |
That’s a fair point about the pitch at Tamworth. Not sure if it impacts Mancini like Rodney, but if so he shouldn’t be risked.
Would just want to avoid using Henderson next week unless we get someone else in. |
I think, in a game not seen to be as important as our league fixtures this season, it would be the ideal chance to try something like you suggested, with the personnel you named too. I take on board the various caveats about the pitch, but if those players are available, I would have no qualms seeing it trialled with the option to change it mid-match, as you highlighted.
There is always the option to try it with first XI personnel in the future, if the experiment proved useful.
Away from formations, I would be hopeful to see Whatmuff, Allarakhia and a new forward in situ for our next league fixture. I’m a little more pessimistic about Mani D, as it seemed Jim put an “at least a month” prognosis on his injury. | |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 14:35 - Jan 3 with 492 views | TalkingSutty |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 12:47 - Jan 3 by fitzochris |
I think, in a game not seen to be as important as our league fixtures this season, it would be the ideal chance to try something like you suggested, with the personnel you named too. I take on board the various caveats about the pitch, but if those players are available, I would have no qualms seeing it trialled with the option to change it mid-match, as you highlighted.
There is always the option to try it with first XI personnel in the future, if the experiment proved useful.
Away from formations, I would be hopeful to see Whatmuff, Allarakhia and a new forward in situ for our next league fixture. I’m a little more pessimistic about Mani D, as it seemed Jim put an “at least a month” prognosis on his injury. |
I'm also starting to lose a bit of faith in Rodney to be honest, it's a shame because on his day he's very good. Unfortunately he is missing too many games and when it comes to reliability we don't seem to have anybody who we can call on week in and week out. It disrupts the whole team and even how we set up for games.Hendo is 41 years old and we are now looking on him as our main forward again, a player who has only started a handful of games over the laat eighteen months and hasn't even been on the subs bench when other options are available.
If we are serious about promotion this season McNulty needs to have a real think about the makeup of the forward players we have in the club because i think even at 41 yrs old and not able to complete a full game Henderson is only second to Mani in the pecking order and that shouldn't really be the case if we want to challenge the likes of York and FGR. It's a predicament that should have been addressed when it became apparent Amantchi wasn't fit for purpose and the fact that we still can't keep Rodney on the pitch for any length of time. [Post edited 3 Jan 14:52]
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 15:23 - Jan 3 with 420 views | fitzochris |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 14:35 - Jan 3 by TalkingSutty |
I'm also starting to lose a bit of faith in Rodney to be honest, it's a shame because on his day he's very good. Unfortunately he is missing too many games and when it comes to reliability we don't seem to have anybody who we can call on week in and week out. It disrupts the whole team and even how we set up for games.Hendo is 41 years old and we are now looking on him as our main forward again, a player who has only started a handful of games over the laat eighteen months and hasn't even been on the subs bench when other options are available.
If we are serious about promotion this season McNulty needs to have a real think about the makeup of the forward players we have in the club because i think even at 41 yrs old and not able to complete a full game Henderson is only second to Mani in the pecking order and that shouldn't really be the case if we want to challenge the likes of York and FGR. It's a predicament that should have been addressed when it became apparent Amantchi wasn't fit for purpose and the fact that we still can't keep Rodney on the pitch for any length of time. [Post edited 3 Jan 14:52]
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I posted all this on another thread re the No.9 spot, so will amalgamate into one here.
It has to be the right player who comes in, and when we’re talking about doing that without paying a transfer fee, the market becomes extremely difficult, especially in January. That’s true for any position, but it’s even more so when you’re looking for a centre forward.
McNulty is clearly more than aware that we need a replacement for Amantchi, and not just that, cover for Mani D while he’s injured also. However, finding the right player isn’t something that can be rushed. We know from McNulty’s interview at the start of the season that recruitment for him isn’t solely about ability; character and fit within the squad matter just as much. That inevitably narrows the pool and makes the process slower.
For those reasons, I’m confident we will see an addition before too long, but it’s understandable why it hasn’t happened instantly.
I also agree with the point about how important the role is (my latest blog post makes much the same argument). Where I think context is important, though, is in acknowledging how McNulty’s system works. He plays with a single No.9. That means anyone who isn’t first choice is likely to spend a lot of time on the bench. When you don’t have significant money to throw at players, it’s a tough sell to convince someone to come in knowing they’ll probably be playing second fiddle.
Yes, you can talk about competition for places, but that’s already a hard enough conversation in positions where there are multiple spots available on the pitch. The situation with Casey Pettit is a good example of how difficult that balance can be.
Ultimately, I’ll reiterate the main point from my original post: it’s not easy to find a player who does all the No.9 things well, fits the system, has the right character, and is willing to accept the role on offer. That’s why patience is probably required here. | |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 15:38 - Jan 3 with 410 views | TalkingSutty |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 15:23 - Jan 3 by fitzochris |
I posted all this on another thread re the No.9 spot, so will amalgamate into one here.
It has to be the right player who comes in, and when we’re talking about doing that without paying a transfer fee, the market becomes extremely difficult, especially in January. That’s true for any position, but it’s even more so when you’re looking for a centre forward.
McNulty is clearly more than aware that we need a replacement for Amantchi, and not just that, cover for Mani D while he’s injured also. However, finding the right player isn’t something that can be rushed. We know from McNulty’s interview at the start of the season that recruitment for him isn’t solely about ability; character and fit within the squad matter just as much. That inevitably narrows the pool and makes the process slower.
For those reasons, I’m confident we will see an addition before too long, but it’s understandable why it hasn’t happened instantly.
I also agree with the point about how important the role is (my latest blog post makes much the same argument). Where I think context is important, though, is in acknowledging how McNulty’s system works. He plays with a single No.9. That means anyone who isn’t first choice is likely to spend a lot of time on the bench. When you don’t have significant money to throw at players, it’s a tough sell to convince someone to come in knowing they’ll probably be playing second fiddle.
Yes, you can talk about competition for places, but that’s already a hard enough conversation in positions where there are multiple spots available on the pitch. The situation with Casey Pettit is a good example of how difficult that balance can be.
Ultimately, I’ll reiterate the main point from my original post: it’s not easy to find a player who does all the No.9 things well, fits the system, has the right character, and is willing to accept the role on offer. That’s why patience is probably required here. |
I'm not just talking about playing the number nine role though when i mention the make up of our forward line. My main point is that most of them aren't fit enough to complete a full ninety minutes, some struggle to string a handful of games together before picking up a injury, one can only play on grass, one hasn't started a game since we signed him and another ( Smith) still doesn't look fit to me going off his performance on Tuesday. I accept picking up a forward who ticks the boxes isn't easy but if McNulty is so selective and likes to wait for the right person then why did he sign Amantchi? A player we were lumbered with for 5 months. When i look at the choices we have up front it reminds me of last seaaon when McNulty collected left sided players, all of them of similar ilk and none of them quite good enough for a variety of reasons. [Post edited 3 Jan 15:46]
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 16:15 - Jan 3 with 362 views | fitzochris |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 15:38 - Jan 3 by TalkingSutty |
I'm not just talking about playing the number nine role though when i mention the make up of our forward line. My main point is that most of them aren't fit enough to complete a full ninety minutes, some struggle to string a handful of games together before picking up a injury, one can only play on grass, one hasn't started a game since we signed him and another ( Smith) still doesn't look fit to me going off his performance on Tuesday. I accept picking up a forward who ticks the boxes isn't easy but if McNulty is so selective and likes to wait for the right person then why did he sign Amantchi? A player we were lumbered with for 5 months. When i look at the choices we have up front it reminds me of last seaaon when McNulty collected left sided players, all of them of similar ilk and none of them quite good enough for a variety of reasons. [Post edited 3 Jan 15:46]
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We do have a lot of players for the No.10 role and some players (not just in that role), really haven’t troubled the starting 11 enough. It probably does need a mid-season review and I expect that is happening.
As to Amantchi, he probably did tick all the boxes but no signing comes with a cast-iron guarantee of success. Amantchi could easily have been another Jay Bird but, for whatever reason, he hasn’t cut it and his minutes have been limited.
All the more reason to make whoever comes in next has as little risk of a repeat as possible. | |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 16:18 - Jan 3 with 362 views | 442Dale |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 15:38 - Jan 3 by TalkingSutty |
I'm not just talking about playing the number nine role though when i mention the make up of our forward line. My main point is that most of them aren't fit enough to complete a full ninety minutes, some struggle to string a handful of games together before picking up a injury, one can only play on grass, one hasn't started a game since we signed him and another ( Smith) still doesn't look fit to me going off his performance on Tuesday. I accept picking up a forward who ticks the boxes isn't easy but if McNulty is so selective and likes to wait for the right person then why did he sign Amantchi? A player we were lumbered with for 5 months. When i look at the choices we have up front it reminds me of last seaaon when McNulty collected left sided players, all of them of similar ilk and none of them quite good enough for a variety of reasons. [Post edited 3 Jan 15:46]
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Although Amantchi hasn’t worked out how we’d hoped, we had him and Henderson as back up for our main striker.
If Amantchi had performed like he did v Solihull Moors in the rest of his limited appearances, we probably wouldn’t be having that conversation. Unfortunately he didn’t.
Short of signing someone different to him who had worked out better, there’s not much more we could have done. Well, apart from not offer Henderson a deal. But would like to think that’s worked out ok with his contributions recently. Now we have to replace Amantchi.
The wider forwards have all been good at various stages. While there’s a valid argument Mancini wasn’t needed, the rest - Barlow, McBride, Rodney and Burger have all made valid contributions. Like you, the jury is out on Smith for me. But would accept others who say he is an option off the bench - as he’s shown with his goals so far.
If anything, where we’ve over-recruited is midfield and wing back/wide defenders with Humbles, Hosannah and Tutonda not required so far. | |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 16:51 - Jan 3 with 307 views | RippDale |
Looks like Andy Cook is now surplus at Bradford and on his way out in January. Would a good short term signing for us given his age but looks to be in demand | | | |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 16:53 - Jan 3 with 303 views | TalkingSutty |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 16:51 - Jan 3 by RippDale |
Looks like Andy Cook is now surplus at Bradford and on his way out in January. Would a good short term signing for us given his age but looks to be in demand |
Oldham are supposed to be interested in Cook. | | | |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 17:03 - Jan 3 with 284 views | 442Dale |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 16:53 - Jan 3 by TalkingSutty |
Oldham are supposed to be interested in Cook. |
He’d fit into a Mellon team well. They’ve a lot of similar strikers though.
Doubt we’d be in for him, wages would be an issue and he’s wanting to start games every week at his age. | |
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| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 17:31 - Jan 3 with 227 views | TalkingSutty |
| The Fitzture List - Rochdale Rising: Inside McNulty’s push for sustainable suc on 17:03 - Jan 3 by 442Dale |
He’d fit into a Mellon team well. They’ve a lot of similar strikers though.
Doubt we’d be in for him, wages would be an issue and he’s wanting to start games every week at his age. |
We can't be sure what's going on behind the scenes at our club and what conversations are taking place between the owners and the manager. At the halfway point we are in a really good position to make a real challenge on the two available promotion spots. To not make the Play Offs would mean us hitting relegation form from now until the end of the season...that's not going to happen. The worse case scenario is a play off place and that gives us a real chance of getting back to the EFL. I would like to see us make a bid for Danny Ormerod from Fylde but that would mean spending money. I think he would be a good investment but obviously none of us know if the budget has been exceeded, or if there is a appetite from the owners to spend more, bearing in mind they've had the pitch to pay for. I'm assuming all our rivals will be looking to strengthen again this month. | | | |
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