| What’s our worst squad ever? 12:39 - Nov 17 with 2108 views | Shun |
Relative to the league we’re in, I mean.
I can’t comment on any before Parkin’s second spell, but personally that Erye squad that eventually took us down from League One is the only one I can’t get past. A squad whose defence was built on players like Trottman, Balkestein, Jordan and Holden, and a forward line featuring big hitters like Barnes-Homer and David Ball - this is what gives me nightmares. Not to mention the fact that Andrew Tutte was considered one of our best players. Diabolical all around. | | | |  |
| What’s our worst squad ever? on 12:45 - Nov 17 with 2091 views | EllDale |
I always think of the one in 1977/78 in this context.
The club was on it’s uppers and we only had 14 players plus a couple of apprentices. | | | |
| What’s our worst squad ever? on 13:25 - Nov 17 with 2003 views | TalkingSutty |
Was that the year of David Helliwell, Bobby Scaife, Billy Boslom, Bob Scott? | | | |
| What’s our worst squad ever? on 13:35 - Nov 17 with 1979 views | EllDale |
I think Bob Scott arrived in the summer of 1978.
I had the likes of Brian Hart, Billy Boslem and Ted Oliver in mind. | | | |
| What’s our worst squad ever? on 13:44 - Nov 17 with 1942 views | D_Alien |
Include in that list, Phil "The Donkey" Ashworth, possibly the most hopeless "striker" ever to don a Dale shirt - or may have been the year after too; i've been trying to forget for nearly half a century! [Post edited 17 Nov 13:45]
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| What’s our worst squad ever? on 13:45 - Nov 17 with 1934 views | TVOS1907 |
Before my Dale time, but surely the 1973/74 squad had to be statistically the worst ever? | |
| When I was your age, I used to enjoy the odd game of tennis. Or was it golf? |
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| What’s our worst squad ever? on 14:06 - Nov 17 with 1889 views | TalkingSutty |
Statistically but they were playing at a higher level than those players who followed. The squads i remember as the poorest are the ones towards the late 1970s. I didn't see the 73/74 team. Things only seemed to buck up when Danny Bergara became manager. No disrespect but the likes of Helliwell and Boslem didn't even look like footballers, we had local pub players on the fringes of the first team late 70s, early 80s. Mind you Bill Williams and Geoff Thomas went on to great things. Speaking of which i was in the Cemetery pub with Geoff last week. [Post edited 17 Nov 14:11]
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| What’s our worst squad ever? on 14:18 - Nov 17 with 1845 views | TVOS1907 |
Cem Clique?
True, they were at a higher level, but shun mentioned relative to the level they were playing at. | |
| When I was your age, I used to enjoy the odd game of tennis. Or was it golf? |
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| What’s our worst squad ever? on 14:35 - Nov 17 with 1792 views | TalkingSutty |
Statistically you are right then. | | | |
| What’s our worst squad ever? on 14:47 - Nov 17 with 1760 views | EllDale |
Statistically yes. When I look at the players in that squad they don’t seem to bad though!
The 1973/74 team was in a higher division as well. | | | |
| What’s our worst squad ever? on 14:48 - Nov 17 with 1759 views | EllDale |
Sorry just realised TS had already said that. | | | |
| What’s our worst squad ever? on 17:17 - Nov 17 with 1605 views | pioneer |
Not only statistically...a non league squad playing in the third tier. A youth team coach trying to compete with youth team players and some old vets.
Painful to watch, cruel to the kids playingOnly one survived...Alan Taylor....though he already had some non league first team experience at Morecambe.
76-77 was a very close second...and Dalians comments on Phil Ashworth are too kind...he was far worse than that. The difference between the two teams was that in 76-7 you occasionally felt you were in the game. 73-4 we were beaten before we left the changing room.
Of course I dont go back as far as 1931-32. That must have been out of its depths by a long way too | | | |
| What’s our worst squad ever? on 22:44 - Nov 17 with 1431 views | Sandyman |
When we drew at home V Ipswich in April 2021, under the "hugely talented" (quote: David Bottomley) BBM, we completed a run of 17 consecutive home league games without a win - the worst such run in the club's existence. That season, until the victory V Swindon* , we'd had one win out of 23 home games in all competitions. Hardly our worst squad in terms of individuals, but performance-wise, awful.
*We now know about some of the characters Roger invited in from the visiting team's entourage that night, despite COVID restrictions. | | | |
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