 | Forum
Reply | Dagenham match thread
at 15:42 15 Dec 2024
James, I am now in my 7th decade of watching RAFC, 3 promotions, 4 relegations, and the only silverware I recall us ever winning was the Lancashire senior cup -- Twice! Once against Oldham and once against Bury with about 500 people in the ground!
How long do I have to wait before I see an attack minded team with a proper Centre Forward who can both shoot and head a ball and generally terrify defences?
Football is supposed to be a game of scoring goals, not scratching about playing in safe areas and hoping to win 1-0 thanks to a ricochet off someone's backside....This is supposed to be entertainment for Gods sake, not some sort of chess match played on grass... Lets just focus on scoring goals, as many as possible and if we lose 5-4 well done the other team, next time we will score 6!
20 games gone and 30% have been 1-0 wins or defeats.
Of 7 defeats 5 have been by a single goal and the other two were by 2 or more.
Oldham have scored Just 8 more goals and are 7 points above us, if we had scored 8 more goals in the games we have drawn or lost by a single goal we would be comfortably in the Play off positions with 11 more points...
I have 2 questions for JMc... 1) What is your best 11? 2) Do you believe its possible to score more goals or do you prefer to stop the opposition from scoring? |
| Forum
Reply | Dagenham match thread
at 23:05 14 Dec 2024
Don't worry, I am an owl..but, is it wrong?
Either its true and results are getting worse or its not true and we are still in a playoff position and we are now ..9th... goals "for" are falling goals "against" are rising there is really only one conclusion the current selections or tactics are not working as well as they were earlier in the season, despite bringing in more players.. Things need to change quickly or we will be mid-table and stuck there. Maybe things will improve as the weather hopefully improves in spring and surfaces get faster, but we dont play with real pace anyway so who knows?
Oldham have scored 8 more goals than we have and are 7 points above us...small
margins over 20 games, but it proves that you have to score goals in this division
you cannot defend your way out of it. |
| Forum
Reply | Dagenham match thread
at 20:57 14 Dec 2024
We do not score enough goals and we are getting worse defensively simple as..
Results with Ferguson at CH were better than with Hogan, goals are becoming fewer, its the perfect storm, conceding more scoring fewer and now we are 9th, albeit with games in hand
All Last 8 Diff.
Points per Game 1.65 1.25 -24.2%
Average goals scored 1.40 1.00 -28.6%
Average goals conceded 0.95 1.25 +31.6%
We are conceding more, scoring less as time goes on.. We are now at the point where we need to score 2 goals or more to win a game
Last 4 form, we are 13th
Last 6 form, we are 11th
Last 8 form, we are 16th
Last 10 form we are 10th
Last 12 form we are 13th
Last 4 home games 7th
Last 8 home games 8th
Last 4 Away games 15th
Last 8 away games 10th
Our relative form over the last 8 games Vs all games to date is the 5th worst in the division ,only ahead of Woking Maidenhead Aldershot and Eastleigh |
| Forum
Reply | Dagenham match thread
at 18:45 14 Dec 2024
"It was that exciting I actually turned it off after half time and instead chose to write a pile of Christmas cards, something I actually despise doing"
I wish I had thought of that....
Sorry to say, this is a mid-table side with a mid-table manager .. why wait until the last 10-15 minutes to change anything and then to fall for the old sucker punch?... Poor. A point would have been OK with home games to come but going all that way and losing is just sloppy playing and management. And I am not sure the home advantage will prove to be what it could/ought to be be if we cant score more goals bearing in mind the goals against has gone from 0.95 to 1.25 over the last 8 games |
| Forum
Reply | From memory 25th anniversary
at 19:40 1 Dec 2024
"The school isnt on the same site".. yes it is, there was once even a plan for the new Academy School to share the pitches with RAFC.. That was because the school build was deemed to be the better solution for the land at Bowlee, some councillors ( you can guess who), were pissed off at the football club anyway because they once gave them a pitch to train on at Bowlee which was totally unsuitable and looked like what it was...a mown field and very wet.. a similar standard to the other pitches that were once there, and was hardly used, I don't think Dale ever trained on it....a complete white elephant. The rest of the Bowlee site down to the gym complex has been handed over to a car boot site and some sort of community garden...
Given the obdurate attitude of RMBC to sport and leisure generally in the town, I have grave doubts that an RAFC training complex will ever be built on RMBC property, certainly nothing to equal or better Platt Lane. In 2007, RMBC has washed its hands of sport and leisure and handed the problem to Link 4 Life, now an independent Trust( Rochdale Boroughwide Community Trust), after the 10 year deal with RMBC funding it to the tune of £15m a year expired a number of years ago.. 2018 I think.
I also predict that the plan to extend the main stand will run into problems because of the reduced parking spaces it might cause and the pressure that will be put on local streets... I sincerely hope I am wrong, but I have seen how elements of this Council operate at close quarters and its not a pretty sight. Ask the folks at Hopwood Hall ( the real Hall, not the College) what they think of RMBC and its attitude to supporting community projects.... (they held a public meeting last week which is on Youtube), the anger is palpable. |
| Forum
Reply | Shareholders AGM 2024
at 17:09 26 Nov 2024
Much ado about nothing. That there is so little to discuss compared to recent AGMs simply means the ship is out of choppy waters and the board are concentrating on other, bigger "stuff" . The day to day irritations are for discussion at a fans forum at an appropriate time, not the legally required AGM . . No news is good news.. the club is in safe hands. |
| Forum
Reply | Potential threat from the weather to Saturday's match
at 11:38 23 Nov 2024
Our six-fingered friends are out in force on their forum, apparently we didnt want the game on because we took the covers off yesterday as our 1st choice goalkeeper and striker are both injured.... this of course means we are tinpot and a range of other descriptions and unfit to be a football club...The Biffos are certainly living up to their nickname today.... |
| Forum
Reply | Hopwood Hall
at 17:04 20 Nov 2024
No, one is an FE college on the site of a former Catholic Teacher Training College, the other is a money pit... |
| Forum
Reply | The Bigger Picture
at 14:54 17 Nov 2024
Well spotted, my copy checking isn't what it used to be....but yes, Ernie would have been a wonder at this level.... |
| Forum
Reply | The Bigger Picture
at 13:53 17 Nov 2024
Interesting observations but genuine discussion is hampered by a lack of real information. 3 years to get back to the EFL and 5 years to become self- sustaining off the pitch are ambitions that may prove to be beyond our capabilitiesand take longer than planned. However, at least it is aspirational and signals intent, something we haven't had for donkeys years, if ever.
Achieving these ambitions may take longer than many seem to think they will, but there is no devine right to promotion and the cash required will be affected by economic headwinds particularly bearing in mind this is one of the poorest towns in the country and " benefits" from a council that has neither the vision nor political will to see an opportunity when it kicks the door in.
Much of this will be outwith the previous experience of the Ogdens despite their deep roots in Rochdales soil. They will learn quickly, I have no doubt, but their initial enthusiasm will undoubtedly be slapped in the face by the reality of dragging a club and town with a "can't do" attitude into higher realms.
As long suffering fans, our fortnightly traipse to the COA is a sort of medieval pilgramage, generally miserable with occasional excitement and the sustinance of beer and pies enjoyed in the company of friends and acquaintances. How we long for a new Jenkins, Taylor, Lambert , Holt or a Henderson in his pomp. Someone the kids of today will talk about to their kids, somehow I dont think Mitchell and Rodney will quite fit the bill. Essentially the fayre on offer is mediocre stodge, designed to subsist but not thrive.
The imagination being applied behind the scenes is not being replicated on the pitch , but what did we expect? Turning a supertanker around is a huge task, hopefully the promised changes will soon be put infront of us and the renewal will begin in earnest, the longer it takes the more the sense of unrest will grow.
Montgomery explained leadership with a piece of string laid on a table, if you push from the back end it goes where it likes, if you pull it from the front, it goes where you want it to... simple, we need more, clear, unambiguous leadership with a clear destination, route map, sufficient petrol in the tank and the manpower to do the job, I fear we have a way to go yet....but like good pilgrims, we keep the faith and we keep on keeping on, what else can we do? [Post edited 17 Nov 14:51]
|
| Forum
Reply | Mcnulty
at 12:53 11 Nov 2024
It would be disappointing if McNulty has given the Burton job any serious consideration, he knows that there is more investment pending at Rochdale, he has the best training facility currently available and potentially the opportunity to put his stamp on a new one at some point in the future. He has a squad that is now almost entirely of his own making and a supportive BoD that have given him a 3 year contract. His stock will rise if he completes the journey back the the EFL and in time he will be targeted by bigger clubs than Burton at which point he could leave with our best wishes and a considerable amount of novel experience under his belt.
Currently he is making a reasonable fist of his job and hopefully learning as he goes along. Burton seems like trying to catch a falling knife which is never a sensible
idea.
Being linked to Burton is undoubtedly flattering but flattery and reality are often different beasts, you would hope that Simon and Cameron have had a quiet chat with him and revisited their vision for the club with him. |
| Forum
Reply | Sutton match thread
at 00:58 10 Nov 2024
Strange game today, pleased to see McNicholas and TAR back in the side, surprised no Mitchell, interested to see how Dennis might lead the line. And for 20 minutes we were OK and then scored a decent goal but instead of taking them to the cleaners, poor defending gave them an equaliser and the team seemed to lose belief in themselves. Changes at half time were needed and made, but the system didnt alter significantly and the charge was more sideways than forwards... one day Rodney, we will absolutely muller someone but we have to figure out how to put an early ball into the box along the 6 yard line and give the forwards a fighting chance. The dink from the by line is all very well but firing crosses into the POMO ( position of maximum opportunity) is what the best teams do. And they do it at speed and without hesitation so that forwards can gamble with expectation.
The goal at the death was deserved if only for the efforts made in the previous 92 minutes but when you consider what might have been, the win was a celebration of relief rather than of a job well done, but sometimes its better to be lucky than competent. Maybe this is the best tune McNulty can get out of this team but you end up thinking that with a few tweaks they could achieve much much more..... |
| Forum
Reply | Mcnulty
at 12:30 8 Nov 2024
Its the consistency of finishing at the top end of the table that will drive an improvement in crowds. Being in the playoffs offers the opportunity to get back to the EFL but to succeed at that level requires bigger budgets and bigger crowds to help provide those budgets.
This club needs an extended period of relative success, better to be at the top end of this division than the bottom end of the one above. As I see it, if promotion to the EFL takes 5 years, it matters little, going up with a good team, competent management and a thriving club infrastucture are the building blocks.
5000 crowds, a rebuilt or highly renovated main stand, training facilities, a strong squad, and cash at the bank to supplement EFL payments is the ideal scenario. It takes time and constancy of purpose. Rome wasn't built in a day but when it was finished it was magnificent....and still is. |
| Forum
Reply | Tonight’s Match…
at 13:21 6 Nov 2024
Given the ticketing faffs of recent weeks, I think these sorts of games and probably pre-season friendlies should be included in the Season Ticket and charge an extra £10. The extra £20k or so raised would be worth more than the cash that will be taken from all these games and would add value to the ST and probably increase gates too. It would also reduce some of the ticket office pressures. |
| Forum
Reply | Dale v Bromley (FA Cup 1st Round) Match thread:
at 12:17 4 Nov 2024
TVOS, have I got this right...?
From 0 to 15 mins we have scored 5 and conceded 4
From 15 to 30 minutes we have scored 3 and conceded 2
From 30 to 45 minutes (plus any time added on) we have scored 6 and conceded 3
Would it be possible to see how this pattern pans out for home and away games?
Looking at soccerstats it seems that we are doing better on most measures away from home but that the teams we have played at home so far are stronger in terms of goals scored than those we have played away. And comparing the last 8 games with the first 8, goals scored per game are falling slightly at -3.6% whilst goals conceded are up +59.6% and points per game are down -25%. Which suggests the early flush of success has begun to fade, as it so often seems to do at Rochdale.
Saturday was disappointing but I would suggest the manager will see the positive of being out of the FA Cup in that it gives a bit of space in the calendar for a bit more rest and recuperation. Better not waste it Jim....I would hope that tomorrow night will see the least number of players from Saturday as possible starting the game and as many subs as possible being used as early as possible to get those player off the pitch.
Overall it seems the old football saying that forwards win matches but defences win championships is still valid... |
| Forum
Reply | Dale v Bromley (FA Cup 1st Round) Match thread:
at 17:53 2 Nov 2024
I thought taking Hogan off with only a few minutes to go was an awful decision, he had been my MOM up to that point.....3-2 up and coping reasonably well , OK bring Ferguson on and a forward off, but not the bloke that had marshalled the defence so well for 90 minutes... poor and probably cost us £25k and who knows, maybe more.... |
| | 49thseason
|
Site Scores| Forum Votes: | 2564 | | Comment Votes: | 1 | | Prediction League: | 0 | | TOTAL: | 2565 |
|
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.