our promotion squad Vs this squad 10:44 - Oct 13 with 4058 views | rochdale1 | Which Full squad do you think is better ? This set of lads or the team that got us promoted ? My opinion is this first 11 is just as good, but we have more depth now and more future potential in this squad ? | ![](/images/avatars/1923.gif) | | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 10:55 - Oct 13 with 4032 views | windowsbug | I think this squad is technically superior. We are just lacking a 20 goal striker. | ![](/images/avatars/1209.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 12:00 - Oct 13 with 3932 views | TomRAFC | If we could steal Wiseman and COG from the squad we would be an absolute force! That being said Rafferty was one of our better players last season and played well yesterday. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 12:02 - Oct 13 with 3915 views | TTNYear |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 10:55 - Oct 13 by windowsbug | I think this squad is technically superior. We are just lacking a 20 goal striker. |
Hogan is 1/4 of the way there tbf. | ![](/images/avatars/1066.gif) |
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 12:28 - Oct 13 with 3863 views | macro | This squad has strength in depth where as the promotion winning side was very lucky with injuries. The big difference so far is we are playing with confidence at home and playing with flair. | ![](/images/avatars/4893.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 12:52 - Oct 13 with 3828 views | TalkingSutty |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 12:28 - Oct 13 by macro | This squad has strength in depth where as the promotion winning side was very lucky with injuries. The big difference so far is we are playing with confidence at home and playing with flair. |
I also think Keith Hill is now a better manager, he no longer seems to embroil himself with off field shananigans and appears focused on one thing only, the team. Gaining promotion was a great achievement but the transformation he has brought to the club and the team he has assembled in such a short time is amazing. That to me is the mark of a very good manager and dispels any suggestions that Hillcroft was the most instrumental figure when trying to compare the Hill/ Flitcroft partnership.
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 12:59 - Oct 13 with 3811 views | DaleFan7 | Might be controversial but I think Hogan is better than Dagnall, and I think he will score 20 goals this season. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 13:22 - Oct 13 with 3771 views | ColDale | man for man, the promotion squad was better. But as a team, I think we are better. There's a togetherness that I've never witnessed in football before. Look at Vincenti celebrating Hery's goal yesterday. He seemed more pleased with that goal than his own. | ![](/images/avatars/1006.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 14:58 - Oct 13 with 3634 views | TVOS1907 |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 12:59 - Oct 13 by DaleFan7 | Might be controversial but I think Hogan is better than Dagnall, and I think he will score 20 goals this season. |
Not sure about that. As good as Hogan has been, I'd like to see him transfer his home performances to away games. However, the season is still relatively young and I know the manager will have some cunning plan to do that very thing. | ![](/images/avatars/1107.gif) |
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 15:35 - Oct 13 with 3577 views | D_Alien | This as it were | ![](/images/avatars/1219.gif) |
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 22:35 - Oct 13 with 3428 views | pioneer | Our away form and performances have been well below what we have done at home. I think we need to see a significant improvement in away form, and I am confident it will improve. But until then the promotion team is better. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 23:03 - Oct 13 with 3392 views | Brierls | The one big difference is COG. Take him out of the promotion squad and the current squad is better by some distance (placing emphasis on the word 'squad'). Go one step further and put him in this current squad and, well, its as close to Dale heavan as you're ever likely to see. If there is another COG out there, and we sign him in January while keeping the current crop, then we're nailed on for automatic promotion. | ![](/images/avatars/1199.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 16:23 - Oct 14 with 3185 views | sweetcorn | Personally feel that the promotion squad is better than the current one. This team is superior in Midfield, admittedly, i'd go as far as saying that the current midfield, is the best midfield unit the club has ever seen, not just the starting line-up, but the depth the midfield has, is mind boggling. However, in all other area's, FOR NOW, the promotion team was better, personally think fielding was better than Lillis is, The defence was absolutley superb, with awesome dawson and stanton flanked by wiseman and kennedy. for me that defence is better than what we currently have. The strikers don't even compare to the promotion season. No disrespect to Dogshit, Cummins and Bunney, but O'Grady for me is the most important player to the team that we've ever had, without him we wouldn't have been half the team we were, the hold-up play was unbelievable and he scored over 20 goals, aswel as Dagnall who bagged 20 himself and formed one of our most potent attacking partnerships ever. So i'd personally take the promotion team at this stage, although the potential this team has is huge, all young hungry players, who will all play at a higher level eventually. This squad with O'Grady in doesn't even bare thinking about, all the teams in league two would have a sore botty hole due to the bummings we would hand out. | ![](/images/avatars/3164.gif) |
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 17:23 - Oct 14 with 3113 views | R17ALE |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 22:35 - Oct 13 by pioneer | Our away form and performances have been well below what we have done at home. I think we need to see a significant improvement in away form, and I am confident it will improve. But until then the promotion team is better. |
I agree. The promotion team had a stronger spine and could pull results like the 4-0 at Bournemouth out of the hat. I don't think this team can do that yet, but I think this team plays better football and has more potential. If this team had O'Grady and Dagnall up front I think we'd be up by Easter! | ![](/images/avatars/1062.gif) |
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 17:43 - Oct 14 with 3077 views | 442Dale | Heaton was better than Lillis, Fielding was erratic. Still is. | ![](/images/avatars/1212.gif) |
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 17:47 - Oct 14 with 3062 views | ColDale |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 17:23 - Oct 14 by R17ALE | I agree. The promotion team had a stronger spine and could pull results like the 4-0 at Bournemouth out of the hat. I don't think this team can do that yet, but I think this team plays better football and has more potential. If this team had O'Grady and Dagnall up front I think we'd be up by Easter! |
I think Saturday was the first time that we showed the potential to do that. 3-0 flattered Newport and they could have had no complaints had it been five or six. My only concern is when the pitches start getting a bit heavy, will we still be able to play the same fluid style of play. | ![](/images/avatars/1006.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 18:13 - Oct 14 with 3017 views | fermin | It has to be the promotion side at the moment for the simple reason that they actually achieved something and finished 9th the season after. As I have said before this side has played some fantastic football at times at home, but Saturday was the first time we have sustained it for 90 minutes: - Hartlepool had several easy chances which they messed up, so the scoreline flattered us a bit; - Chesterfield were better than us overall, and we only got back in the game thanks to a slightly fortunate (first) penalty - nonetheless it was an excellent performance against a good side; - despite their ineptness against 10 men in the second half, Bury were better than us in the first half and were unlucky to be behind; - we let Wycombe off the hook and had to hang on for most of the second half (though we deserved to win); - my memory of the Torquay game is that we were just happy to get the points so the performance cannot have been that magical. There is no comparison with away games. So far this season we have been solid, albeit not helped by some iffy refereeing decisions. The promotion side were far better away from home. The current team is certainly a good one and very enjoyable to watch when they are on form, but they need to prove it over a longer period to be compared to the promotion side. There is a lot of promise so I look forward to seeing how they develop assuming we can keep the nucleus together. Even if we are not good enough or consistent enough to go up this season we should at least see some entertaining games. | ![](/images/avatars/1236.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 19:11 - Oct 14 with 2950 views | sweetcorn |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 18:13 - Oct 14 by fermin | It has to be the promotion side at the moment for the simple reason that they actually achieved something and finished 9th the season after. As I have said before this side has played some fantastic football at times at home, but Saturday was the first time we have sustained it for 90 minutes: - Hartlepool had several easy chances which they messed up, so the scoreline flattered us a bit; - Chesterfield were better than us overall, and we only got back in the game thanks to a slightly fortunate (first) penalty - nonetheless it was an excellent performance against a good side; - despite their ineptness against 10 men in the second half, Bury were better than us in the first half and were unlucky to be behind; - we let Wycombe off the hook and had to hang on for most of the second half (though we deserved to win); - my memory of the Torquay game is that we were just happy to get the points so the performance cannot have been that magical. There is no comparison with away games. So far this season we have been solid, albeit not helped by some iffy refereeing decisions. The promotion side were far better away from home. The current team is certainly a good one and very enjoyable to watch when they are on form, but they need to prove it over a longer period to be compared to the promotion side. There is a lot of promise so I look forward to seeing how they develop assuming we can keep the nucleus together. Even if we are not good enough or consistent enough to go up this season we should at least see some entertaining games. |
I'm sorry but thats a little harsh, you're right hartlepool did miss a couple of chances, but we completley blew them away after that, who's to say we wouldn't have done that even if the score had been 1-0. Chesterfield was an even game, where both teams enjoyed periods of dominance, a draw was very much the right result, against of the best squads to grace this division. Bury looked a little sharper in getting to the loose balls, but didn't even look like scoring, at the end of the day we had a chance and put it away, after that we had 10 men and defended like we still had 11 men on the pitch and never looked in trouble. The wycombe game, admittedly we let them back in it conceding a soft goal, but an absolutle worldie of a goal that we couldn't really do much to stop. we should and could have scored 6 or 7 that game, although the level of performance over the 90 wasn't as good as that first 15, we still played to a very high standard throughout the 90. As for the torquay game, every team has games like that, its the signs of a good team to be able to win on a bad day and thats what we did. We were hardly amazing at home under Hill last time around, he's seen to that this tenure and we look unbeatable at home. Feel as though you're underselling this team. | ![](/images/avatars/3164.gif) |
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 19:14 - Oct 14 with 2940 views | sweetcorn |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 17:43 - Oct 14 by 442Dale | Heaton was better than Lillis, Fielding was erratic. Still is. |
Fielding has only ever played at a higher level since leaving dale, was a regular for the U21's and even has an England call up to his name. Same can't be said for Lillis, he struggled to hold down a place in league 1 and has found himself back in league two. Fielding is the better of the two keepers. | ![](/images/avatars/3164.gif) |
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 19:22 - Oct 14 with 2929 views | YadHoDale | One way the second promotion squad leads the current squad is in having a ten-goals-a-season centre back. Lanky and O'Connell are excellent defenders (and Ashley Eastham is good cover) but none of them have popped up at the other end yet. | ![](/images/avatars/1135.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 19:27 - Oct 14 with 2921 views | ColDale |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 19:22 - Oct 14 by YadHoDale | One way the second promotion squad leads the current squad is in having a ten-goals-a-season centre back. Lanky and O'Connell are excellent defenders (and Ashley Eastham is good cover) but none of them have popped up at the other end yet. |
we are spreading the goals round more. We've had 11 different goalscorers this season so far. | ![](/images/avatars/1006.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 19:39 - Oct 14 with 2899 views | 442Dale |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 19:14 - Oct 14 by sweetcorn | Fielding has only ever played at a higher level since leaving dale, was a regular for the U21's and even has an England call up to his name. Same can't be said for Lillis, he struggled to hold down a place in league 1 and has found himself back in league two. Fielding is the better of the two keepers. |
On Dale form alone, I'd rather have Lillis than Fielding. Fielding still hasn't sorted his decision making either, there was a classic against Bradford earlier in the season. Dropped at Bristol City recently too. Good shot stopper, but never really rated him. | ![](/images/avatars/1212.gif) |
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 19:42 - Oct 14 with 2894 views | Brierls |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 19:14 - Oct 14 by sweetcorn | Fielding has only ever played at a higher level since leaving dale, was a regular for the U21's and even has an England call up to his name. Same can't be said for Lillis, he struggled to hold down a place in league 1 and has found himself back in league two. Fielding is the better of the two keepers. |
I must admit, I don't see why Fielding is/was so highly rated. I agree with 442Dale, he's erratic. He's entertaining cause he's as mad as a box of frogs, but I'm not sure thats a quality I like in a goalkeeper! Heaton is an absolute class apart. I've not been Lillis' biggest fan since he arrived permanently, but his form since Hill's return has been excellent on the whole. I think he's more reliable than Fielding at the moment. [Post edited 14 Oct 2013 19:43]
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 20:36 - Oct 14 with 2820 views | TVOS1907 |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 19:14 - Oct 14 by sweetcorn | Fielding has only ever played at a higher level since leaving dale, was a regular for the U21's and even has an England call up to his name. Same can't be said for Lillis, he struggled to hold down a place in league 1 and has found himself back in league two. Fielding is the better of the two keepers. |
On current form, I'd put Lillis, Heaton, Fielding and Matt Dickins above Joe Hart and he's England's Number One! | ![](/images/avatars/1107.gif) |
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our promotion squad Vs this squad on 21:45 - Oct 14 with 2752 views | Ralphs12 |
our promotion squad Vs this squad on 19:42 - Oct 14 by Brierls | I must admit, I don't see why Fielding is/was so highly rated. I agree with 442Dale, he's erratic. He's entertaining cause he's as mad as a box of frogs, but I'm not sure thats a quality I like in a goalkeeper! Heaton is an absolute class apart. I've not been Lillis' biggest fan since he arrived permanently, but his form since Hill's return has been excellent on the whole. I think he's more reliable than Fielding at the moment. [Post edited 14 Oct 2013 19:43]
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Lillis seems to be a completely different keeper this year, possibly because he's back to doing what he knows best. He's made some match changing/winning saves for us this year and I hope he just keeps it going as I really like having a Number one of our own for a change. He also seems to have stopped apologising to the fans of late. | ![](/images/avatars/2389.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
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