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Reply | Time to go Jim. The turning point
at 07:41 12 Mar 2025
Jim, the players and directors got some brutal fan feedback at the final whistle at the Barnet game. The thoughts of some of those providing the verbal feedback, prompted by Jim applauding the sandy after the game, led to this thread and the views articulated by many. Maybe the response led to a change of plan from Jim, maybe the improved form was going to happen anyway, maybe the fan reaction gave rise to a discussion between Jim and the board, leading to the signing of Bird. Our upturn in form is remarkable and I hope it continues. Seems in adversity the team and squad has gelled and we now seem to be a team that can defend and score goals. I hope it continues. But for me, it will need to continue for some time for me to regain belief in McNulty - such has been the boring dross that I’ve often witnessed under his tenure.
I know the club does read this messageboard because I hear staff referring to it and responding to points made on here; the club issue statements reactively following criticism of poor communication. It’s right the club, and any business monitors social media, filtering is required, but it’s a valuable source of customer feedback. Things get better because people call things out. In my view and the view of others expressed on this messageboard the Trust is a busted flush and in the absence of a formal club customer feedback process, this messageboard, twitter etc are used for people to express their views, freely. Fans have different perspectives, I'm an exiled fan, only able to attend games monthly. My perspective is influenced by what I experience as a customer of the club, and having traveled 460 mile round trips - twice, for games that were late postponed, not everyone will feel like I do. When the other time is the Barnet game, you get an idea of the source of some of my personal frustration. What I see as a problem, someone else might see as fine - that’s life. My starting position though is that I’m frustrated that that we lost our league status, our little old Rochdale punching above our weight, but we balance the books - has gone. Partly yes, because the economics of the game have changed, but in our case also because of mismanagement, in the first instance malevolent; and in my view in the second instance incompetence. I still believe that as a club with a ground a capable of holding 10,000 people, 70% empty - in a town our size - that putting ANY obstacle in the way of filling a seat is a missed opportunity. I’ve lost count of the number times I’ve wanted a pie, a programme, a ticket, a shirt, a hat - been turned away - cash back in my pocket.
It’s taken time, but the new ownership seem to be turning the supertanker and a lot of what has been called out on here has started to be addressed, and I’ve welcomed those changes. Hopefully the existential issues are behind us, but that doesn’t mean views on smaller things aren’t required. In my view as a club, and as a fan base - we should never shy away from wanting to be better. [Post edited 12 Mar 7:58]
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Reply | TAMWORTH
at 21:45 25 Feb 2025
Deserved it? Whether we did or didn’t, we need to respect it. |
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Reply | Match Thread, Dale v In form top of the table Barnet
at 18:35 22 Feb 2025
Indeed, putting Hendo on when we’re 3-0 down. A response to fans, why not give him more game time. Not when we’re three down Jim. But we know Jim thinks we’re stupid. ‘There you go - you want Hendo - you get Hendo’. So Jim was right - it didn’t alter the outcome.
Taking Allarakia off was hubris on Jim part. Rodney or Mitchell yes, but Allarakia - no Jim wrong turn.
No the game was lost before it started - Barnet motivated, confident, driven. Dale told by their manager that they are overperforming, tired doing well. Do your best lads. - keep the score down.
‘Don’t worry I’ll clap the fans, like we’re on track - like this is some master plan being delivered by a genius’
Then we woke up and realised Jim is a rookie manager who has spent 90 games learning nothing.
Up the Dale and McNulty out. Now. |
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Reply | Match Thread, Dale v In form top of the table Barnet
at 12:37 22 Feb 2025
Well the Barnet entourage overnighted in the NG - looking lean mean and confident. They’ve added a bit of brawn in Jan up front with Lee Ndlovu, bought to replace Kabamba. Be a tough game for Dale today. |
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Reply | The race for 7th (Saturday 15th Feb)
at 11:24 17 Feb 2025
It remains an issue because the club has put an obstacle to be negotiated if you want to have your usual seat. For those that are digitally challenged that means a trip to the ground which will deter some people. That is all. There are 8,000 non season ticket seats why make things difficult. As you are fond of saying - attitude. |
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Reply | The race for 7th (Saturday 15th Feb)
at 07:09 17 Feb 2025
I was responding to TSs post - there is a lot of inertia to overcome at our club if we are to progress. I have seen a lot of false dawns, opportunities missed - the Boxing Day promotion a year or so back, more bums on seats not capitalised on. Kiosks ran out etc. I will continue to be critical until I see real change. You’ll probably be saying but wait, we’ve got new resources in, this Willoughby chap, give him a chance. I will give him a chance, but it’s always so slow, like Jim’s team, pass pass pass, very little end product. Has the Altrincham game been carpet marketed? Big game on Saturday v Barnet - is there a promotion on offer, tickets on sale for the Alty game - in the club bars? Free pint for each ticket? I don’t know? Why don’t I know? Because it’s not being marketed. Given the bloody dross Jim serves up for entertainment your going to have to go out of your way to make it attractive.
I am provoking debate, the club is up till now is what is negative. Stickers on seats, away travel etc. If we are to get to 5,000 home fans, we are going to need to overcome the inertia that has existed for many years. We need a can do attitude, not ah well there’s this rule and that rule and it’s all too difficult- what we’ve been fed by Gauge for years. It needs to go that attitude. So no, it’s not for the sake of it, it’s because there’s reason to. |
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Reply | The race for 7th (Saturday 15th Feb)
at 22:01 16 Feb 2025
We need a step change in mentality here. Surely with this bonus match the objective should be to fill the ground, build the fan base. REWARD season ticket holders for their support by giving free entry and encourage them to bring a friend for a fiver. It’s an opportunity- think outside the box, not how many tenners can we grab from our most loyal fans.
Instead the club turns it into a bureaucratic runaround.
How many empty seats there going to be at this game? [Post edited 16 Feb 22:31]
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Reply | The race for 7th (Saturday 15th Feb)
at 20:33 16 Feb 2025
Apparently season ticket holders have till Wednesday to buy their seat or the club sells it.
Long way to go to change the attitude of the club towards the 2000 - let alone the 5000. |
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Reply | The race for 7th (Saturday 15th Feb)
at 18:26 15 Feb 2025
He actually said respect the point. He said Southend were a strong side. No Jim.
There needs to be one key departure. [Post edited 15 Feb 18:50]
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Reply | The race for 7th (Saturday 15th Feb)
at 17:26 15 Feb 2025
Very much a case of two points dropped. Rodney missed a couple of great chances, yet again we are so risk averse in the final third it’s just bizarre. Subs were negative and then too late. Jim just looks like he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Southend get fantastic support we can only dream of, but my oh my their ground is getting so bad now and their team is the worst Southend team I’ve ever seen. |
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Reply | Club Advisory Board
at 09:25 15 Feb 2025
I think this is a positive step by the club. It is reassuring that this new Willoughby chap is leading on this. But it’s success will depend on the way it’s run and whether the main Board are prepared to hear what they don’t want to hear. There’s something about the wording that’s quite disconcerting- ‘positive attitudes’, yes well that’s fine, but the selection process and interview……will people with strong views, prepared to tell it as it is, be welcomed and selected? The club have The club have opted for the focus group approach - by definition top down and as it is comprised of the club Directors and fans which the club has selected, there’s a risk it becomes quite inward looking. opted for this focus group approach - by definition top down and as it is comprised of the club Directors and fans which the club has selected, there’s a risk it becomes quite inward looking. It’s the clubs call, so time will tell. The trust member on the board has gone native and there’s a real risk that this goes the same way.
It would be useful to know who will chair the CAB - will the club be bold and empower a fan to chair the meetings? Will members have the opportunity to set the agenda? Confident businesses value and encourage customer involvement, interviews and selection criteria….
It would also be interesting to know how does the CAB sit with the Trust member on the main board? The current board - Gauge and Pockney - we know have blind spots on fan matters, will the CAB have actual clout with elements of the ‘we know best’ old guard remaining on the board?
This leaves the Trust at a crossroads. In my view I would have preferred the club to have revamped the Trust, funding it properly as an independent fan voice, with two members on the main board. In other sectors this happens; the business builds capacity in its independent customer group, building capacity to enable it to function, running surveys, properly consulting with the local community and reaching a wide spectrum of customers and critically enabling reaching out to potential customers through having a broad membership. I’d have thought that was important to delivering Project 5000. |
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Reply | The race for 7th (Saturday 15th Feb)
at 12:40 14 Feb 2025
But more positively the last (and under McNulty only) time we have won back to back in the league (without a home game in between) was when we beat Southend on the last day of last season. Our next away game was at Boston which we won 3-0, the first game of this season.
Note the Liverpool St to Prittlewell line is rail replacement buses, so if your planning to go by train, it’s the Fenchurch St line to Southend Central. [Post edited 14 Feb 12:41]
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Reply | Hendo
at 13:30 13 Feb 2025
Rename The Dale bar to Henderson Bar. Our The Hendo. |
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Reply | How’s Jim actually performing?
at 18:42 12 Feb 2025
You can cut it how you like, but McNultys Rochdale is very inconsistent, inconsistent teams do not win promotion. The result most likely to follow a win, is a defeat. Longest unbeaten run five games, on bowling green pitches in the early season. I will be absolutely delighted for you to be right, but that would mean Jim massively improving the teams performance, on heavy winter pitches with lightweight players. The averages do not lie, and he’s bang average. Nice bloke though, apparently. |
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Thread | How’s Jim actually performing?
at 17:18 12 Feb 2025
I’ve done a bit of number crunching to inform the debate on our Jim and the performance of his teams. I’ve looked at all league matches and done some analysis.
Here’s what I’ve found:
In Jim’s first season, 22/23 - when he was interim coach - he achieved 1.5 points per game. Looking cumulatively by the end of the 23/24 season, the PPG was 1.32. Including the games so far this season, his average PPG is 1.34. So his teams are not yielding appreciably more as Jim gains experience in the job, and Jim’s Rochdale would achieve 62 points by the end of the season, the same as last season. The highest average he’s achieved is 1.43, which was after Braintree were beaten on 28th September. Had that form been maintained we would achieve 66 points, Barnet currently have 64.
Jim’s achieves a win percentage to date of 37%.
Consistency, Jim’s Rochdale have lost a game following a win on 15 occasions, won following a win on 9 occasions and drawn following a win on 5 occasions. So the most likely result following a win, is a defeat.
Jim’s Dale have won three games in a row, twice and four once; drawn four in a row once and lost four in a row once. The longest unbeaten run in the same season (this season) is five games.
Draw your own conclusions but I believe the statistics based on his performance over 80 games support my and many other fans on this messageboards view, that nice guy as Jim might be, he’s not going to get us out of this division.
[Post edited 12 Feb 22:09]
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Reply | The voice of the fan in the boardroom
at 08:56 11 Feb 2025
The latest Trust update confirms that we do not have an independent fan voice in the boardroom.
It would be good to have the Trusts view on what’s happening- not if you want to know watch the forum! |
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Reply | Reg Jenkins
at 07:15 10 Feb 2025
Indeed, Plymouth beating Liverpool with 25% possession. The Argyle manager changing tactics throughout the game to nullify Slots attempts to break through. One for Jim to watch back and learn from. |
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Reply | Pitch covers
at 06:33 10 Feb 2025
And it ended up in a skip… |
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