Barnet are the visitors to Spotland this Saturday, so in keeping with our usual form, we present to you an indepth analysis of the opposition which rivals the OPTA index thingy. Well not really.
We can talk about formations, the form of Murray, whether we think that Barnet will be anything like the side they were when they came to Spotland last season, but it’s all pretty much pointless when all minds will simply be on the weather.
Following on from last Saturday’s postponement, there will be a clutch of garden tests, sausage tests and 3am naked walks to give our own personal indication as to whether the pitch will be playable.
The noises from both Dale and Notts County initially seemed to suggest that both teams were happy to play on the pitch last week, and that the referee didn’t fancy the much clichéd old frosty December afternoon at Spotland, and that a trip to the Trafford centre was somehow a better option.
But throughout all the ref baiting that was taking place, there was word from out of Spotland that there was an area near the centre circle which hadn’t defrosted and word from Notts County which suggested that an area near one of the penalty areas had a touch of frost about it.
So all in all “We’d have played but we can see why the ref called it off”.
The actions of the groundsman in preparation for last week’s game have been called into question. The consensus seems to suggest that the frost covers were doubled up near the Main Stand side, leaving other areas exposed.
It was a gamble which nearly paid off. To get the Main Stand side playable takes some doing, and had we got the expected Sunshine to thaw out of the bits that it usually does, then we’d have been hailing the groundsman as a genius.
This week has seen more areas covered, but no doubt leaving less protection to that Main Stand side. If that side ensures the game is off this weekend, then you’ll know that you just can’t win.
But we’ve tried something new this week. We’ve tried straw. Now I know nowt about whether straw will be effective or not. In fact, all I know about pitches is that when it rains, they’re wet and when it’s cold, they freeze.
But it’s there for more than just a thousand match report puns which will no doubt follow (you can probably predict them all already).
Anyways, assuming it’s on, we’ll go with the same team that would have started last week. We’ve no Perkins through suspension and no Doolan because of a hamstring injury. Other than that, the team picks itself.
So you’ve got a choice of Xmas shopping, watching Poirot or something equally banal on TV or coming down to Spotland to watch Dale. Please, please, please, please, please let it be on.