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Reply | Sack McNulty
at 14:26 25 Feb 2025
As I say, above the head coach, I don’t believe we have that kind of experience at the club and perhaps we should have sought it during the recent restructure.
It might even make the head coach role easier in terms of the conveying of ideas, wants and intentions to the powers that be, while also adding a layer of impartiality on football matters when the board needs that also. |
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Reply | Sack McNulty
at 14:39 24 Feb 2025
While it would've been yet another salary, I think adding a Director of Football during the recent role reallocation would have been a good idea.
As numerous people have rightly pointed out, there isn't anyone above the head coach with that kind of experience currently at the club. |
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Reply | Match Thread, Dale v In form top of the table Barnet
at 11:04 23 Feb 2025
People continue to reference us playing “McNulty's preferred style”, but in reality, that approach would’ve probably been more effective yesterday.
McNulty tends to use a 3-4-2-1 formation. In this system, the team either plays out from the back and works the ball into the box or goes long (like we did yesterday). However, going long in that formation doesn’t work because it’s not designed for it.
What McNulty needed to do was switch up the formation, as Barnet had figured us out after just five minutes. Instead, he simply slotted subs into a system that was already failing, and that’s where the criticism is warranted.
On top of that, the body language of certain players and the lack of energy were also concerning, as it added to the overall feeling of stagnation.
I maintain that the squad still lacks players in two key areas to alter the flow of a game and pressure those who have maybe grown comfortable in starting berths.
The QF against Altrincham is key now, as, if we lose that, all eyes focus dejectedly on our continued drifting from the play-offs - games in hand or not. |
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Reply | Match thread Halifax Town
at 23:14 19 Feb 2025
I disagree, TS. In that second half we were in and around their box time and time again. Balls were flashed across the face of goal (with no one there to get on the end of them), or space opened up but no one elected to shoot. That’s the problem and it’s a big one right now. Our inability to kill the game allowed Halifax to remain interested and, consequently, a threat.
Looking critically at the past two games, we should have had six points and it’s only by the grace of Waller that we have two instead of one. |
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Reply | Match thread Halifax Town
at 22:44 19 Feb 2025
I’m saying our play got us into positions from which we should have scored (the positive) and from there we didn’t capitalise on this (the negative). It’s the latter that we need to fix. Nothing more complex than that, really. |
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Reply | Match thread Halifax Town
at 22:20 19 Feb 2025
I’ve no problem with our approach play, or what others call tippy-happy football - at the end of the day, it led to so many penalty-box entries tonight. My issue is what happens then. No one is there to tuck the chances away, or worse, someone is there but seems afraid to. And instead we go to the side or backwards. It needs sorting or we will go nowhere. |
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Reply | Match thread Halifax Town
at 22:04 19 Feb 2025
We created enough penalty-box entries to win two matches in that second half — but sadly, we didn’t convert any. Mainly because we have grown incredibly shot shy. This is a major problem area now, and it needs fixing. The longer we went without converting, the more Halifax remained in the game. Waller saved our skin with that crucial penalty stop, and Beckwith’s embarrassment along with it.
But, let’s face it, that wasn’t good enough overall. Barnet next and that top seven is looking more distant with each game. It’s going to take a change to propel us there - either to the system or some external help up front. |
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Reply | The race for seventh, midweek 18th/19th Feb
at 10:50 19 Feb 2025
From numerous interviews with him last season, he cited Gateshead as an example of his blueprint. A team that has taken three or four seasons to reach its competitive peak in the NL by fine-tuning and integrating players into the system.
However, Gateshead need to constantly reinvigorate themselves due to their talent being pillaged every January and summer, due to their ownership model. Something we found happened to us in the EFL, but hopefully not as necessary at this level. |
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Reply | The race for seventh, midweek 18th/19th Feb
at 10:16 19 Feb 2025
In the interests of fairness, Saturday’s game was nothing like the pass-pass approach mentioned.It was almost the perfect away performance and would have been but for Rodney and Hogan. I think all reasonably minded fans who saw the game would say that.
However, it’s not to say there aren’t flaws in the system, not least the Rodney element of the above - that being he or someone else sticking the ball consistently in the net. |
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Reply | The race for seventh, midweek 18th/19th Feb
at 09:03 19 Feb 2025
It's at the stage now where what was an extremely advantageous position is slipping away game by game. Even through the period of inactivity caused by our pitch, we somehow seemed magnetically attached to seventh spot, all the while accumulating games in hand on those around us.
That time has now passed and with each game our opponents play, the pressure mounts on the value of points we need to take from each of those games we have up our sleeve.
Questions need to be asked about expectations for this season. What are McNulty's and what are those of the board? Are they aligned? We were told by the board at the start of the season (well, the Ogden element of it) that the playing budget was enough to assemble a squad "capable of reaching the play-offs". Is that the marker put down? Is reaching the play-offs the minimum requirement? Or is competing for the play-offs defined by being in and around them all season, but just missing out at the end? Would that be deemed acceptable in year one of what is a three-year plan? I note that in September, the statement was revised to describe the budget as one allowing McNulty to "build a squad which we hope has the strength and depth needed for a season which is likely to involve more than 50 games". This omitted any mention of a final league placing as a target.
For me personally, I would hold seventh or above as my base expectation for this season. Last season was all about finding our feet at this level and sorting out the serious issues of cash flow off the field. Both of those have been achieved. Another season of finishing mid table, with a much-improved squad, would not really be progress. Therefore, competing in the play-offs, but not necessarily winning them, would be a good season for me - with the added bonus of reaching Wembley in the FA Trophy.
The caveat being that next season we at least make the play-offs again but look a strong side for the entire season (like York or Barnet this time around).
For this to happen, we need to see a lot more resolve on the field. As TS says, there was a grit missing in the derby game against Oldham. I want to see that tonight, as it will be needed. We need to start taking points off those teams above us, especially if we are dropping them against teams below us.
I still maintain that we should have strengthened the midfield and no.9 positions. We let Dennis go back to MK Dons but did nothing to replace him with better - or anything at all. It's inexplicable really. I would like to know the reasoning for this. Yes, Henderson should see more minutes, but he is not the answer week in, week out in terms of cutting Mitchell slack or pressuring him to hold on to his starting berth. We need an unknown quantity there.
Anyway, bit of a ramble, but it's where I am at. It's a key period for the club in the season, and will, no doubt, result in one of two things, McNulty and the players proving their strength of character and acumen; or a massive increase in an already growing swell of pressure. |
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Reply | Hendo
at 15:23 13 Feb 2025
Given his latest project is in Ayr, it would be a hell of a commute to training. |
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Reply | Hendo
at 14:59 13 Feb 2025
He has already launched, and is heavily involved in, a property renovation business. |
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Reply | Tonight’s games
at 09:25 12 Feb 2025
I mentioned in a previous post that I feel like we're on the cusp of something here, but we're at a bit of a crossroads now, and how things go from here could swing either way.
The game against Halifax is a must-win, especially with them playing Boston at home on Saturday and already being 5 points ahead of us.
Then, there's that crucial week in March with Gateshead, Wealdstone and Altrincham all at home — that could end up being a defining week for our season.
Personally, I’d really love to see us go all out in the FA Trophy quarter-final against Altrincham too. We’re just two games away from Wembley and, let’s be honest, as Dale fans, we don’t get many big occasions to look forward to like this!
One thing I’m disappointed about though is that we haven’t really freshened up the squad as much as some of the other teams chasing the top spots. I’m not sure why that is, but it’s clear we need more depth. We desperately need another forward and a midfielder — those positions were so obvious when looking at the bench options on Saturday.
Finally, the pitch really has a big part to play in how this season plays out. It’s hard to ignore how much that could affect our momentum moving forward - and how much it already has. |
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Reply | Ebbsfleet (H) match thread
at 12:18 10 Feb 2025
He wasn’t. He’d left by then.
His preferred method of play is very closely aligned to McNulty’s too. |
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Reply | Why Do Managers See Different?
at 11:10 9 Feb 2025
You’ve made a lot of assumptions towards the end of that post about the mindset of many of our supporters.
I don’t think anyone is accepting of where we are as a club right now. The litany of off-field decisions that may or may not have led us here are all well documented. I don’t think you will find anyone who knows me personally, say anything other than how vociferously I shouted about a lot of this, often to my own detriment.
However, I don’t blow hot and cold. I’m reacting game by game, like everyone else, but my overall assessment is that we are currently eighth (with games in hand) and in a quarter-final of a decent trophy. We are on the cusp of something, so I’m not going to get hysterical just yet. If we go on to fluff this advantageous position we are currently in, then my assessment will change, obviously.
I will also add that I agree that the past two performances have been way short of what is acceptable, in my opinion. Again, if it continues, then we aren’t going to go on to achieve anything this season.
But it’s not fair to use the Yeovil game as an outlier for your argument. Their players wouldn’t have known what the pitch was like until they stepped on it. If anything, our players should’ve felt the apprehension worse.
I think we need to guard against collective arrogance creeping in too. We can’t be too dismissive of the standard of the level we are at. Certainly Division 4 in the 80s wasn’t much better week in, week out. That’s not me saying we had no right to beat Ebbsfleet, because we really should have done, but a lot of teams at this level are a lot more professional in terms of preparation and the like than they are given credit for. I found that out last season when speaking to operatives at these clubs. It cannot simply be dismissed as a “shit league”. We don’t want to start sounding like Oldham fans, do we? 😉 |
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Reply | Ebbsfleet (H) match thread
at 09:40 9 Feb 2025
Three points were a must yesterday, after the tame derby performance of Tuesday and given Ebbsfleet have struggled to keep a clean sheet in any match so far this season.
What we got was nowhere near good enough. The front three didn’t work and neither did their replacements. There were no options to change the midfield either, who were also not working for the second consecutive game.
We have slid out of the top seven, and games in hand count for naught with performances like yesterday.
I think it’s time for a rethink. We praised these players earlier in the season for their heart and desire, and for reuniting the squad with the fan base.
It’s time to set them free. |
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Reply | Why Do Managers See Different?
at 09:33 9 Feb 2025
Easy to say in hindsight. I doubt you’d have posted this had we won yesterday, for example. |
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Reply | Why Do Managers See Different?
at 13:22 8 Feb 2025
After Tuesday, and if the usual format is indeed employed today, it would have to be McBride and Burger in those roles today. |
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Reply | Why Do Managers See Different?
at 13:07 8 Feb 2025
It would be interesting to see a 442 from us, as we have the players. Even if it was an option mid game as a way of keeping the opponents on their toes.
You could have Ferguson and Hogan as centre halves, with Beckwith and Gordon as full backs. East and Gilmour could sit in midfield, with a spoilt-for-choice scenario on the wings with Okeke, Buyabu, Allarakhia and TAR.
Then you could have Mitchell and Rodney up front but, again, with the potential for McBride, Burger or Henderson to step in. |
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