| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 17:09 - Dec 26 with 4557 views | 442Dale |
It’s impossible to fathom how we can start games the way we do. That’s all about mentality. Almost every match we’ve lost has been after we’ve spent the first 5-10 minutes defending our own box. | |
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| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 17:09 - Dec 26 with 4554 views | since58 |
Limited is the word VERY. Thought the keeper could have better with second tho. | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 17:13 - Dec 26 with 4475 views | kel |
Was the same with Stockdale. Always a second half team under him by which time the game was out of our reach already even if it was a narrow scoreline. I really do think opposition managers know these lot don’t fancy knuckling down so know that if they just pass it around us there’s no danger to them. | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 17:16 - Dec 26 with 4449 views | Sheffield_dale |
Going to be difficult but the board need to back Bentley to bring in some aggressive professional personalities. Revolving door time with mutually terminated contracts and cancelled loans a necessary price to pay.
It's not only a talent problem its a culture problem.
January root and branch removal to save our league status | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 17:40 - Dec 26 with 4246 views | 442Dale |
Nelson has probably a lot more to offer but we have to see if Leicester want him back. He won’t give us much more than what we have based on today.
Him and Tulloch’s wages could be used to bring in a player. | |
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| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 17:41 - Dec 26 with 4251 views | dawlishdale |
Hard to back a manager who sets us up so negatively at home against one of the only teas below us.
Dropping all outfield players back is almost unforgivable when we needed to let them worry about us rather than us worrying about them.
But far more staggering to me and everyone around me in the main stand was bringing off Lloyd when he had been by far our best player in the second half.
With his replacement, went the chance of winning, as not only was he causing them problems with his play but also, he was leading by example and motivating others.
I think EBJ had a pre ordained plan to give him an hour.
It might have just cost us our place in the EFL. | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 17:45 - Dec 26 with 4179 views | Shun |
Quite impressed with Lloyd. Some rustiness and poor decision making, but there’s definitely something there. Seriki got forward well and Henderson’s movement at times was back to his old self.
I thought the second goal in particular was such a poor one to concede. A soft foul and O’Donell should’ve done better. It was clear to everyone around me where the Poolie player was going for. Very frustrating as we had the beating of them in the second half and, free kick aside, they weren’t threatening at all. It should’ve been an easy job seeing out the point or potentially more. | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 17:46 - Dec 26 with 4155 views | Sheffield_dale |
Lloyd was brought in by Jim, as was Quigley. Surely positive signs that he can bring in good players at this level? | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 17:47 - Dec 26 with 4151 views | D_Alien |
We deserved to lose that on the first half, no excuses whatsoever against fellow-strugglers
Improved and got back into it but we're just carrying too much dead weight to push on
Yes, Hendo scored, but might be better as a sub
Quigley trying but no mobility
Diagouraga not adding anything, part of the problem
Odoh has energy but the worst end product imaginable
Bottom line, we know all this and unless things can be turned around with players who can improve us (like Lloyd) we're favourites for the drop | |
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| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 17:53 - Dec 26 with 4069 views | dawlishdale |
Agree that O'Donnell must be doing better with his positioning for the goal. Very obvious where it was going. He has looked poor recently but produced two good saves to stop another heavy defeat.
Also, EEL will be annoyed with himself for diving in to give away the free kick when there was no need. | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 17:59 - Dec 26 with 3994 views | 442Dale |
He didn’t set us up negatively. It was the same formation first half as second, when we illustrated we can look ok playing with two wide. As Kel said, we start the games the same as we did under Stockdale and more often than not we’ve lost by half time by the tone that’s set.
The Lloyd sub is one of those modern day things where sports and science and the like determine an optimum time to avoid injury etc. In the 80s he’d have stayed on and we might have got something from the game.
The Henderson sub bothered me more as he was as influential as he’s been since returning to the club. It was only small things but he was bothering the Hartlepool back four no end. It might be an unpopular opinion, but Quigley is looking half the player he did before his injury. Mistiming headers all over the place. | |
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| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 18:11 - Dec 26 with 3860 views | Dickydaler |
Have to agree with you about Lloyd, especially the comment about his energy seeming to motivate other players around him. I just couldn't believe it when he was taken off. It wasn't as though he was injured because he almost sprinted to the touchline. I was certainly Impressed with him in the first half and he was getting better and better until he was substituted. And then hendo was taken off when for almost the first time this season was looking in the mood. I was astounded by Bentley's substitutions today. | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 18:20 - Dec 26 with 3775 views | 442Dale |
Really hope Bentley acknowledges those points. He’s been dealt a bad hand but he chose twist when it was time to stick today. | |
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| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 19:43 - Dec 26 with 3417 views | NorthernDale |
Bentley seems to be totally fed up with the overall performance today, which I can understand, has he said in the first half they lacked character, which was clear from the way we let a poor Hartlepool dominate us. Despite this Hartlepool did not create many chances in the first half, but it took us close on thirty minutes to get into the game. Again the second half, we created enough chances, but failed to take them and after Lloyd's departure we dropped back, went negative and allowed them to win the game. Again an issue that frustrated Bentley.
Bentley was let down by some players who are not either interested or lack the ability to fight for the win. I was surprised by the team selection and on reflection Seriki did okay, Nelson was poor (may be due to a lack of game time), John is not a full back, I thought Diagouraga was okay, Hendo was our only option in the first half and Quigley came into the game second half, and worked well with Hendo and Lloyd. Odoh is a mystery, how is he in the team week in, week out, 'he promises so much and delivers so little'.
Away to Doncaster, I would drop Nelson and John, bring in Graham and Keohane, in midfield I would drop Odoh and start with Sinclair, But either way we need to send some of the loan players back (Slicker, Nelson and Tulloch) and if possible overload some of our players, if possible and get some bodies in, if we have any chance of surviving. [Post edited 26 Dec 2022 19:46]
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| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 20:32 - Dec 26 with 3231 views | EllDale |
The most infuriating thing to my mind is that, for 25 minutes in the second half, we looked capable of taking the game by the scruff of the neck and winning, something that seemed impossible in a puerile first period. It seemed to matter to the players which is encouraging.
If that second goal had gone in…At least we weren’t subsiding without having a good dig.
The team looked disjointed in that first 45 minutes but a lot of them haven’t played for weeks and the vast majority haven’t played together as a unit and a formation until recently.
Take a look at the team as per TVOS when Hartlepool last visited on Easter Monday compared to the lineup today and see that the personnel are almost completely different.
They were several passes into touch due a lack of understanding which happens when you’re playing with relative strangers.
Malley isn’t the answer unfortunately and we definitely need midfield recruits even if Brierley stays.
Looking at the table, what looked to be a bottom eight group of struggling teams seems to be shrinking to a core of five teams in the relegation dogfight which is exactly what it is. [Post edited 26 Dec 2022 20:33]
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| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 20:37 - Dec 26 with 3199 views | James1980 |
At the moment it seems like we are a Sopwith Camel with a damaged propeller blade in this dogfight. | |
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| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 20:43 - Dec 26 with 3162 views | EllDale |
Trying to be positive I’m convinced that an awful problem is a lack of confidence throughout the team.
Who knows, a couple of decent results could see things change drastically.
Remember Barrow? | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 21:37 - Dec 26 with 2981 views | Newbury_Dale |
Crying out for someone to manage the game in central midfield and inject a bit of quality. Hard to find a player at this level who can do that admittedly. Diaghoura and Malley aren't upto league standard. For large parts of the game things just pass Diaghoura by as he hasn't got the legs for it anymore. There was a ten minute spell after we equalised where a decent midfielder could have taken the game by the scruff of the neck and pushed us onto victory, but things just meandered into nothing.
I've seen nothing much this season to suggest Ebanks Landell is worth a place in the team. Today reiterated that. A shadow of the player who was here originally. He's a liability at times and was at fault for their winner by diving in when he could have just jockeyed their player away from goal. He dives in too much. Probably because he's not got the pace he once had. His heading of a high ball seems off too.
Quigley offers little and has regressed. Reminds me of Dave Lancaster. Just a lump who can't do anything with the ball at his feet. His headers don't amount to much either.
Odoh flatters to deceive too often. Some nice touches but rarely an end product of note.
Devante Rodney on a two year contract. Frightening.
O'Connell seems rooted to his line too much. He got caught out against Wimbledon for that very reason. Could he have got some sort of punch on their cross for the first goal today ? Agree with other posters in that his position for the free kick seemed odd, but really it was a needless free kick to concede.
Danny Lloyd looks promising. At least some commitment. Let's hope he doesn't go backwards if a longer deal is secured. | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 22:18 - Dec 26 with 2829 views | Cedar_Room |
I assumed Lloyd went off because he didn’t have the match fitness for a full 90. But for me it was the moment where you knew we wouldn’t be getting anything out of the match. Rodney has never produced anything in any game I’ve seen. Hendo I can also understand not being able to play the full 90 any more but he’s far more likely to produce a bit of quality and get a goal than Sinclair ever will. Both those substitutions were very poor and made the team far worse. But really it’s a reflection of how poor our squad is - after the starting XI there really is no one you’re desperate to see come off the bench and change the game. Even several of the players in the starting XI are only there by default because there isn’t anyone better but really they are non league standard. Todays performance and result have convinced me we are getting relegated. It will take an absolute miracle and I just don’t see that we have the resources whatsoever to pull off the total overhaul of the squad that’s realistically needed. | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 23:13 - Dec 26 with 2600 views | RooleyMoorBlue |
Glad you found any part of that acceptable. They are paid money for old rope. | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 07:57 - Dec 27 with 2340 views | AtThePeake |
The formation may not be negative, but the manager has to take some blame too for not pushing that front-foot mentality. It's little things like how slow we are to take a free-kick or throw-in when we win one. We almost start the game as if we're a goal ahead and we're looking to slow the tempo of the game down, which I can understand if we're playing a Stockport or an Orient - but not Hartlepool.
The moment in the first-half when O'Donnell was blocked from kicking the ball upfield after taking a corner - if he'd been looking forward straight away rather than lying on the floor clutching the ball for no reason, he'd have been able to get away from the Pools player and launch it forward to three Dale players who were up against one defender at the opposite end of the pitch.
This is a really poor group of players, but for 20 minutes after half-time we showed we were as good as, if not better than, Hartlepool - who also have a really poor group of players. The problem was we were already a goal down at that point due to a lack of positive intent, which they showed in that first-half to get themselves ahead.
I've said since the summer that this is a bad squad. But I still don't think the manager is blameless when we're losing at home to teams like that.
Nowhere near as impressed by Lloyd as everyone else seems to be by the way. He looked like he wanted to get involved and get on the ball, which is more than can be said for the majority, but that was about it. His final delivery was poor, he ran down blind alleys into traffic on several occasions and the fact he was still taking corners after his first four (maybe more?) failed to beat the first man was very strange. I think we're getting so desperate for anything to cling onto that we're seeing a pretty average performance from an unfit player as a potential positive and of course with more game time he might get sharper and stronger, but to be suggesting that he can be used as proof that Bentley can bring in good players is incredibly premature. | |
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| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 09:09 - Dec 27 with 2213 views | mikehunt |
Which, even half-decent player, is going to want to come to the Dale now? | |
| The worm of time turns not for the cuckoo of circumstance. |
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| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 09:25 - Dec 27 with 2156 views | HullDale |
There is a real chance that our relegation is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy after yesterday. I'd imagine players like Quigley will want to go back, Lloyd could probably get an opportunity elsewhere, and there has already been lots of discussion about the other loanees going back.
It will be a real test of Bentley's recruitment network now as, lets face it, we are skint, we are poor, the atmosphere in the ground is flat at best and RAFC generally just isn't a good place to be right now.
We're 9 points worse off than we were last season, which equates to a 37.5% drop in performance. We're also on one less point than Oldham & Scunthorpe were on after the same number of games.
 [Post edited 27 Dec 2022 9:25]
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| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 09:26 - Dec 27 with 2151 views | somdale |
We have shown in games this season that we can compete, look at the Bristol Rovers performance as a good example, and there has been a few more like that.
I think the trouble is we don't take enough points from the times we do play well, just haven't got enough goals in us. Many a game has been decided by the odd goal, and in games we have had the chances to take something out of games.
The fact we have looked capable at times yet makes you wonder why we can't do it more often.
A lot of it is a confidence thing, not getting results when you deserve it must be very frustrating and draining.
Now we don't win when we should, and can't get results out of games where we are struggling l, that's a bad combination and will only lead to one thing. | | | |
| Match Thread: Dale v Hartlepool on 09:44 - Dec 27 with 2106 views | Dalenet |
Agree. Somebody near me suggested that we were far worse yesterday than Scunthorpe were last year. Sadly they are right and there is a risk of self fulfilling prophecy. Its pretty damn depressing. We are Rochdale. We have never been world beaters. All we want is effort and a bit of entertainment - then we are quite forgiving. Not a lot to ask | | | |
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