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Reply | Match Thread, Dale v In form top of the table Barnet
at 11:01 23 Feb 2025
Not sure where you start with that debacle, but for me defeat was a foregone conclusion upon listening to McNultys post match Halifax interview. To bull up Barnet as he did in that interview was just getting the excuses in early for what followed. By all means acknowledge the gap if it is a cup game against a team in a much higher league but for me its very poor managership when you make out a team in your own division are some sort of superteam.
However the really shocking aspect of yesterdays performance, was our workrate. Its been said many times in the past that most reasonable fans will accept a players limitations in skill but never a lack of effort.
The memory that will long live with me from yesterday is that at 0-4 Barnets approach of closing down, driving forward, never a thought to pass back and fighting to win the ball was greater than our workrate at any point in the game. The contrast in the winning mentality approach was even more stark when you observed the respective managers From the off, Barnets manager was directing his team, balling individuals out, directing players positions and then after rollicking his players all game, and as they were substituted, clipping them up and no doubt telling them they were brilliant as he did so. The Barnet players motivation and desire to never release the stranglehold they had on the game was truly impressive.
Contrast that with McNultys flat approach. Very little direction, no animation. Someone observed , near to me that you might as well have had a cardboard cut out placed there for all the passion that Jim displays. He was a languid player, he,s a languid manager and inevitablly we now have a languid team where passion and entertainment are secondary to some immovable cerebral football vision deepseated in Jims head. I fully accept that you don,t have to be a Steve Evans impressionist to achieve success but this team is a reflection of its manager and I percieve signs that he is now losing the dressing room. Player body language was not as it should be (regardless of the reality check they were getting) yesterday and I suspect there are a number who do not believe in the managers soulless brand of one dimensional football. As each game comes along it looks like going through the motions with the added bonus that under McNultys ethos, you do not have to bust a gut to do so.
For me, next Saturday will either prove me right or wrong. If the players are not "up for it" with a home draw against a local team and two games away from a Wembley visit, then McNulty has failed miserably.
All teams go through bad form spells but I feel the problem the club have with Jim goes deeper than just formations and results. I have never met the chap, but I constantly read on here that he is a "nice chap". It might sound harsh but "so what". When I make a 200 mile round trip to watch the Dale, I don,t come for a woke love in , I want to see passion and a ruthless streak and occaisonally even some excitement.. But what does the club do? I have no idea what the decision making process would be at the club regarding Jims future. However I am pretty confident that under Jim, "Project 5000"(whatever that actually means in practice) is dead in the water.
Of course football being football, if two walking football 1-0 wins get us to Wembley, Jim will be walking on water again but I for one won,t be purchasing a season ticket.
It may be that the club do not even perceive they have a problem, with play offs and a Wembley trip still a possibility! Sadly I think they are wrong. [Post edited 23 Feb 11:07]
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Reply | The race for 7th (Saturday 15th Feb)
at 13:32 16 Feb 2025
Just seen the highlights. Plainly McNultys team selection was at fault. If Rodney and Hogan had switched positions, by my reckoning we would have won by 5 or 6! |
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Reply | Forest Green away thread
at 12:41 19 Jan 2025
Have to disagree with you there. Whatever Garys attributes where, the real "Crab Meister" in my eyes was Neville Hamilton. A good player and a likeable lad, sadly departed at a very young age. I remember during the Falklands war, we were due to play Sheffield United away in a midweek night match. Driving along the Esplanade and Neville had one foot on the zebra crossing. I stopped and he returned to the kerb. I waited and he started again on the crossing, only to change his mind again, wherupon I wound my window down and shouted, "I hope you move faster than that tonight Neville". I still remember the grin on his face.
We lost the game 3-1, Neville played and he did have a propensity to pass it square, but still a good player. Can,t remember much of the game but driving home whilst still in Sheffield, it come on the radio that HMS Sheffield had been struck by an Exocet missile with loss of life. It put the result in context. She sank 6 days later. Its always stuck in my mind. |
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Reply | Forest Green away thread
at 09:30 19 Jan 2025
Bring Gary Jones back, he could probably still cope with the pace of this team. |
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Reply | Tickets
at 17:15 29 Dec 2024
Either total misunderstanding of the regular fans perspective or total disregard. Take your pick.
Unless of course they are expecting some light drizzle the day before.
Very hard to feel connected with this club nowadays. |
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Reply | V Gateshead match thread (n/t)
at 17:14 27 Nov 2024
Play offs include the 7th placed team, not down to 6th place.
I have always thought that the National League play off system is preferable to the EFL system. Much fairer, taking into account as it does each teams relative position for home advantage and the extra game 4th to 7th have to play.
Right now I would take 7th place if offered.
Up the Dale |
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Reply | FA Trophy draw
at 09:39 20 Nov 2024
I assume it will depend on Jims assesment of the pitch. It would be a shame if we got to Wembley and it did,nt pass his stringent standards. |
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Reply | Wealdstone match thread
at 09:45 17 Nov 2024
If that is true regarding Cameron Ogdens efforts, I feel for the bloke.
If I was in his position I would be asking myself a simple question that is at the heart of what we have with McNulty. Why did Wealdstone as a team give the impression it mattered more to them than it did to us?
As for the nonsense about the pitch someone needs to point out to him, that it is his job to overcome the vagaries of pitch conditions, injuries and team mindsets. He failed miserably yesterday and in so doing let down those travelling fans and the club.
Some people really do need to smell the coffee. I don,t blame him one iota for looking to improve his lot in life but spare me the absolute baloney that he is totally committed to Dale. If he was, a conversation with Burton woud never have taken place. Unless of course he was encouraged to do so by the club as a means to achieve a profitable exit from the club. |
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Reply | Mcnulty
at 14:03 10 Nov 2024
Thank you richfoad for your trouble.
Indeed probably as an illiquid market as you can get. |
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Reply | Mcnulty
at 11:49 10 Nov 2024
Is this all a wind up or am I missing something? On Oddschecker the only bookie making a book on "next permanent Burton manager" is Betvictor and McNulty is not even in, what is a very long list of possibles.
If anyone can point me to these "favourite odds" I would be grateful, so that I can go short on them. |
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Reply | Online Ticketing Issues
at 10:09 9 Nov 2024
Commiserations Meeee.
I was told by the ticket office it is a known issue and that the issue will persist for the Oldham game.
As 422 pointed out surely therefore the club could indicate that on the Official site and ask people to ring up if they wish to apply their discount. Its not rocket science.
It therefore prompts the question. Are they just incompetent in basic customer service marketing skills or is it just the usual contempt for the paying customer who they see as a captive audience who will just suck it up as "committed fans". I suspect the latter and if my memory serves me correctly I believe SG intimated as much as in some issue about pricing in the recent past.
I honestly thought with the new start, that at least the mindset would improve but I see scant evidence of that to date.
My comments are aimed solely at the decision makers at the club, not the troops in the front line.
Up the Mighty Dale.
[Post edited 11 Nov 2024 10:24]
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Reply | Online Ticketing Issues
at 10:45 8 Nov 2024
Here we go again.
Currently can buy a ticket if I go via the fixture list link which does not take in to account the fact I have a "Your Card" and so the £5 discount is,nt being applied.
If I go by the Your Card link which does apply the £5 discount it comes up with "No Event Found".
Sometimes it is just very hard to have any empathy with this club and even harder to give them your cash.
If I am missing something please feel free to let me know.
Footnote
Rang the club. Its an ongoing issue, they are aware of (Issue also involves the Oldham game). The lady sorted it on the phone for me and was brilliant. Its just a pity she is,nt a software programmer. Just how much revenue is this tinpot system costing the club?
[Post edited 8 Nov 2024 11:10]
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Reply | Barnet match thread
at 18:45 26 Oct 2024
McNulty it seems does,nt grasp the fact that by now every team in the division, will have done their homework on how we play week in week out. In particular teams are capitalising on our slow start, tippy tappy at the back, unwilling to shoot approach.
Most on here can see it, opposing managers comment on it and even opposing team commentatators pick up on it immediately.
We will win lots of games because we have some good players but fritter away many points because of McNultys predictable approach to games. Sadly, this squad should be shoe ins for a play off place but just like last season we will under achieve. Unless McNulty gets smart we will be mid-table by January.
The very first thing that should change is the work rate for the first 15 minutes of every game. Starting at walking pace and playing at the back with what amounts to show boating is ruining our chances. As many point out, all teams are at it but just because someone jumps in the canal, does,nt mean we have to. |
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Thread | Online Ticketing Issues
at 11:31 26 Oct 2024
A friend of mine, an irregular visitor to Dale, mostly from the pay on the gate era, and an internet savvy former business man informed me he would be attending the Bromley game. Champion, so far so good.
On Friday afternoon I received a less than complimentary text about our online ticket site, informing me he had given up on it and woud,nt be wasting anymore time on it, and in addition stating he had tried ringing the club several times and not one had been answered.
A placatory phone call later, I promised to look into it and would sort it. I attempted myself to purchase a ticket on his behalf and failed miserably.
Lo and behold the site now appears to be functioning with the ground schematic available. I informed him of the fact and he said he would take it from there right away.
Half an hour later he rang to say he had purchased a ticket, after having to re -register and chose the digital ticket option after downloading the app and having to re register again. To be then notified that his ticket was ready for collection. He lives 20 miles away.
Observations
The site was presumably down on Friday afternoon, fair enough it happens but the procedure is so counter-intuitive that it was,nt obvious to him, using it for the first time or myself.
Failure to answer phone calls well within business hours. Inexcusable.
If he had been a casual user without prior arrangements to meet up with myself, would the club have lost a sale. Absolutely.
Are the club addressing these issues in pursuit of 5,000 gates. No idea but since everytime I myself purchase a ticket, I have to change my password because I get a banner saying details not recognised, it seems not. Incidentally my friend got the same message.
Do the club actually recognise there are issues with the ease of use and functionality of the procedure. Surely in this day and age when data like number of site hits against actual number of sales are monitored, their own figures should be telling them there are issues.
In this era when discretional spend money is tight and going to get tighter and with so many competing ways to spend that limited money, it is surely paramount that at the point of sale the operation is quick and easy. That or its lost revenue I,m afraid.
We are,nt selling Oasis tickets! |
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Reply | Ebbsfleet away match thread
at 16:39 7 Oct 2024
Well in my world its not you. If that game is,nt the definition of "blowing it" can someone give me the scenario that is.
I have long since ceased to be surprised at football managers perspectives of games and rarely listen to the choreographed interviews post match.
Whilst not surprised at his comment, it is one that prompts me to ponder his thought processes.
As an afterthought are you sure you did,nt miss a huge emphasis on the "we"  |
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Reply | TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN
at 07:42 1 Oct 2024
He is claiming in his defence, that it was a "20 second nod"
I did point out that Brian Clough said "it only takes a second to score a goal" and on that basis he could have missed a rout.
I could,nt give him to much grief though, as I thought it was a fair reaction to the game.
After my pie, if it had been a bit warmer, I might have had a snooze! |
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Reply | TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN
at 19:49 30 Sep 2024
I am more than happy to amend the last line of my post.
"So I ask myself is a play off spot, the excellent company of Dalenet and Truenorth, and a superb steak pie enough to warrant the tedium of Jims ethos?" |
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Reply | TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN
at 10:16 30 Sep 2024
I thought the best team on the day lost on Saturday. But for some woeful finishing they should have had three by half time.
Am in my 59th year of watching the "Mighty Dale" and for the first time in a long while I did,nt renew my season card. Part of my reasoning is that I recently moved away from Rochdale and so a home fixture is now a 200 mile round trip but the main reason was due to JM,s ethos on the game itself. I wanted to see how our new future would manifest itself on the pitch, because quite simply I don,t enjoy games anymore. I don,t blame Jim his walking chess on grass ethos is prevalent throughout the game.Its like a giant fun sponge where I sit waiting for something to happen, punctuated by panic as we adopt yet again the ludicrous tactic of playing out from the back. We were fortunate to get away with it on Saturday again Perversely I think this high risk strategy is at odds with why I think we often (not always)play with such a low tempo. I think it is instilled in the players by Jim that they play no risk football when it comes to passing forward. Hence the back four are slow at releasing the ball as they are reluctant to play any sort of wayward ball. To unlock teams you have to take risks yourselves and yes that does ensure you give the ball away more but it is also what makes a high tempo game, pulling opposition defences out of shape and getting behind them. It has been pointed out many times on here that we play best when we play at a faster pace. We have the ability to open teams up beautifully but we give teams far to much respect when we play this low tempo approach going forward.
Saturday was three points in the bag and judging by the animation at the final whistle at the antics with the players, that is good enough for some. That is fair enough and I understand it. Especially after the last few seasons we have had to endure. However that is enjoyed by the committed. The thick and thins for whom the club is a big part of their lives. Sadly I have to point out that Jims ethos has another consequence, however high we are up the table. I persuaded two friends, who whilst not strangers to Spotland are certainly not bread and butter regulars, to attend on Saturday. Suffice to say that the match post mortem left me in no doubt that it will be awhile before I can entice them to attend again.
As I say I acknowledge that football has changed but that said the walking passionless slow build fare on offer is sucking the excitement out of the stadium. The main stand is like a library nowadays.
On a positive note my two friends where very complimentary to the pies. So I ask myself is a play off spot and a superb steak pie enough to warrant the tedium of Jims ethos? [Post edited 30 Sep 2024 10:20]
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Reply | Avoidable goals stat
at 11:07 22 Sep 2024
Aclassic of the genre. Teams spend millions in pursuit of 20 goals a season strikers but think it logical to invite avoidable goals at the back. Quite bizarre. |
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