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So he’s gone. Regardless if you think it’s the right decision or not, he leaves as without doubt the most successful manager in the club’s history.
I thought I’d start a thread for people to share their top 3’s of his tenure — Players, Games & Goals. For me…
PLAYERS: 1- Craig Dawson — Probably the best player we’ve ever had. 2- Scott Hogan — In my opinion the pick of the strikers that went on to better things. Exciting to watch and by far the most profitable. 3- Ian Henderson — Consistently brilliant for us - and will hopefully finish his career with us as the all-time top scorer. GAMES: 1- Dale 2 Spurs 2 — Fantastic game, brilliant drama, late goal and we actually put in a great performance when the world was watching. 2- Dale 2 Darlo 1 — What’s not to love about winning our first ever playoff match on penalties? 3- Dale 2 Leeds 0 — A well deserved win against former European cup winners in front of a full Spotland. Two great goals to boot! GOALS: 1- Steven Davies v Spurs — Justice, Lateness, Cup Magic, Spotland Erupting into pandemonium. 2- Perkins v Darlington — A great goal (even if it was deflected), incredibly important and saved our playoffs. 3- Thompson v Charlton — The story of Joe, keeping us up on the last day — just wow.
10 years is such a long time, and I’m sure we’ll all be talking for the rest of our lives about the players and moments on this thread.
Thank you for the memories Keith.
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Keith Hill - The Good Times on 23:05 - Mar 4 with 2916 views
Going to Stockport with about twenty of my mates as a fifteen year old and being pissed off three pints, Keith Hill having a chat with us before the game and having his players ping a load of training balls over to us before the game then going on to win 7-2.
Second leg of the playoffs against Dario and muirheads penalty going in. I ended up on the pitch and walked upto flitcroft who was on his own and I thanked him and he gave me a hug and a kiss on the head.
The chelthanham game where we got automatic promotion was special as I bumped into everyone I knew that day and partied in town after the game and the players came and joined us in the regal moon.
Leeds in the cup was a good un as was the spurs game, I’ve got loads more but I would be typing all night. Had a lot of good times with good mates going watching Dale over the years and all of the best ones were when Hill a king a king a king managed our football team. Writing all that has made me sad it’s ended the way it has to be honest.
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Keith Hill - The Good Times on 07:54 - Mar 5 with 2672 views
I'll just remember the cavalier way we played as soon as Keith Hill took over. 4-0 versus Boston and Grimsby away. 5-0 versus MK Dons. And to prove the latter result wasn't a fluke we d1cked them in the closing minutes at the start of the following season. Easter Monday at Bristol Rovers when Bunney and Lund scored after we'd gone behind. Wembley 2008 when we've have won if Perkins had been available. So many fantastic memories. I wonder if Hilly sat at home last night and nursed a bottle of something and saw those same memories and more flash past his eyes? Thanks for giving our club some pride. And for raising the bar. We have a whole generation of fans who think that we are a L1 club and that's all down to you.
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Keith Hill - The Good Times on 09:09 - Mar 5 with 2618 views
Keith Hill - The Good Times on 21:50 - Mar 4 by TVOS1907
Really appreciate you posting that..what a day brings a tear to a glass eye!!
I was stood at the side rather than behind that goal..i seem to remember looking over a breeze block wall to see an amateur game being played in a field behind..altho it resembled a swamp!!
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Keith Hill - The Good Times on 09:27 - Mar 5 with 2582 views
Cheltenham away - 0-0 and one of the worst games that I can remember. However, it was KH's first game back in charge and we sang his name for 90 minutes. He applauded us for what seemed a lifetime both before and after the game and everything felt right again
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Keith Hill - The Good Times on 10:31 - Mar 5 with 2524 views
Id agree with all those choices and also 2 more games in 2009/10, Shrewsbury at home when ours was the only game on in league 2 and we thrashed them 4 0, and Cheltenham away, 1 0 down at half time but won 4 1. So sad its all finished up like this, thanks for the memories Keith and good luck for the future, youre a legend.
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Keith Hill - The Good Times on 10:48 - Mar 5 with 2478 views
Keith Hill - The Good Times on 21:41 - Mar 4 by kel
Best ever away game for me was that, although the 4-0 at Bournemouth ran it very close for numerous and humerous reasons.
Not bad mileage for a “part timer”
The Bournemouth game was also the affirmation to me that we really had something special going on. I wasn’t even their but sky sports covered it as a top of the table clash. After the 3 rd goal the roving reported said Rochdale have given them a football lesson, or something like that.
Realised at that moment we just had to much about us and momentum to be stopped.
Sadly fear those thoughts are going to have to live very long in the memory now.
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Keith Hill - The Good Times on 11:56 - Mar 5 with 2376 views
Keith Hill - The Good Times on 09:27 - Mar 5 by JimmyRustler
Cheltenham away - 0-0 and one of the worst games that I can remember. However, it was KH's first game back in charge and we sang his name for 90 minutes. He applauded us for what seemed a lifetime both before and after the game and everything felt right again
Good shout. Took an absolute age to get back that night because of the snow (although it was funny watching a former contributor of this board nearly getting wiped out by a 4x4 on the snow covered m62 whilst playing football), but was worth every minute stuck in the traffic.
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Keith Hill - The Good Times on 12:47 - Mar 5 with 2315 views
1) Ben Muirhead's penalty. That moment seemed a reward for having watched so much dross in the 70s and 80s. Still get goosebumps thinking about it now.
2) Henderson v Leeds. To this day, a Leeds supporting mate says we were the best team he saw that season. And we were in League 2.
3) Tottenham. Carved a defence full of internationals open with a tackle and two passes. Packed stadium, TV cameras and Hills reaction to our equaliser.
4) Henderson v Cheltenham on our second promotion day. Our second goal that day was sublime. Had the ball with our left back by the Sandy and then just passed our way round them leaving Henderson with a tap in.
For the vast majority of the time Hill has been in charge we have been a very, very good football team !!
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Keith Hill - The Good Times on 17:59 - Mar 5 with 2174 views
So many things to choose from, and great to read about them. For players, the impact that Scott Hogan had in one season was absolutely immense.
Goals, Hendo v Leeds for quality, Thompson v Charlton will probably always be my favourite goal though. He whole fairytale of it all.
The best thing about the majority of the Hill Years can be summed up in a few phrases; No Fear, Footballers them to death and Team Rochdale. Make no mistake we were all those things. I so hope they come back one day.
Was at work and someone put some music on today. After a while Wonderwall came on and I nearly started crying. I made everyone stop what they were doing so I could reminisce.
Thank you Keith for bringing me joy I'd just about given up on having as a Dale fan. I'm looking forward to the third spell already.
TBBT
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Keith Hill - The Good Times on 18:13 - Mar 5 with 2152 views
Keith Hill - The Good Times on 17:59 - Mar 5 by SalwaDale
So many things to choose from, and great to read about them. For players, the impact that Scott Hogan had in one season was absolutely immense.
Goals, Hendo v Leeds for quality, Thompson v Charlton will probably always be my favourite goal though. He whole fairytale of it all.
The best thing about the majority of the Hill Years can be summed up in a few phrases; No Fear, Footballers them to death and Team Rochdale. Make no mistake we were all those things. I so hope they come back one day.
Was at work and someone put some music on today. After a while Wonderwall came on and I nearly started crying. I made everyone stop what they were doing so I could reminisce.
Thank you Keith for bringing me joy I'd just about given up on having as a Dale fan. I'm looking forward to the third spell already.
Your last paragraph is something that keeps popping up for me. It might sound ridiculous right now, but it’s almost inevitable.
Keith Hill - The Good Times on 08:28 - Mar 6 by wimborne_dale
Yes. And when Jonah's shot flew in in front of the Dale Fans. Wow!
I remember watching that on a dodgy stream and was convinced it was a trick of the dodgy camera angle.
Not much to add to this thread which hasn't (asn't) been already mentioned. There was a time when we were the coolest team in the league. It was almost after years of being Ken Barlow we had necked a few beers, gone into the Rovers Return and smashed the place up. We really were the team everyone knew about, mainly down to Hilly. His quotes would appear regularly in quotes of the week columns, friends got tired of me saying " Oh ye- he's ex-Rochdale." after someone had become the next success story in the Championship/Premiership and of course the results we were getting only backed up a general idea of a rock n roll football club, it was pretty much turn the amps up and enjoy it- no fear football like nobody (particuarly us!) had seen before.Few favourites which I don't think have been mentioned yet:
Sam Russell being raved about as an 11th outfield player years before Guardiola meant that every football league team tried to do the same.
Introducing climate training- the closest we had got to before was a tour of Scotland.
Perkins playing the Kante role before Kante had ever kicked a ball.
Sticking two fingers up at the Checkatrade trophy and the Premier League U21 teams by playing virtually a Rochdale U19's team and still getting some bloody good results.
Quoting Lock Stock and 2 smoking barrels, amongst other great Hillisms, after beating Darlington in the Play-Off semi-final.
I know its a cliched comparison but you could almost say he was the Oasis of managers. Said what he wanted, 2 great albums however didn't quite carry on that success- but was still capable of belter of a song on occasion. Will we ever have someone like him again? No chance. Will we ever have the success we had again? I'm not so sure. Time will tell, things will never be quite the same though.
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Keith Hill - The Good Times on 17:40 - Mar 6 with 1843 views
Keith Hill - The Good Times on 17:35 - Mar 6 by SaxonDale
I remember watching that on a dodgy stream and was convinced it was a trick of the dodgy camera angle.
Not much to add to this thread which hasn't (asn't) been already mentioned. There was a time when we were the coolest team in the league. It was almost after years of being Ken Barlow we had necked a few beers, gone into the Rovers Return and smashed the place up. We really were the team everyone knew about, mainly down to Hilly. His quotes would appear regularly in quotes of the week columns, friends got tired of me saying " Oh ye- he's ex-Rochdale." after someone had become the next success story in the Championship/Premiership and of course the results we were getting only backed up a general idea of a rock n roll football club, it was pretty much turn the amps up and enjoy it- no fear football like nobody (particuarly us!) had seen before.Few favourites which I don't think have been mentioned yet:
Sam Russell being raved about as an 11th outfield player years before Guardiola meant that every football league team tried to do the same.
Introducing climate training- the closest we had got to before was a tour of Scotland.
Perkins playing the Kante role before Kante had ever kicked a ball.
Sticking two fingers up at the Checkatrade trophy and the Premier League U21 teams by playing virtually a Rochdale U19's team and still getting some bloody good results.
Quoting Lock Stock and 2 smoking barrels, amongst other great Hillisms, after beating Darlington in the Play-Off semi-final.
I know its a cliched comparison but you could almost say he was the Oasis of managers. Said what he wanted, 2 great albums however didn't quite carry on that success- but was still capable of belter of a song on occasion. Will we ever have someone like him again? No chance. Will we ever have the success we had again? I'm not so sure. Time will tell, things will never be quite the same though.
For me, his best quote came fairly recently when he said, "You can compare us at the moment to a bit of soft porn - there is an awful lot of foreplay and not a lot going on in the box."
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Keith Hill - The Good Times on 17:47 - Mar 6 with 1826 views
We were all swept along by the euphoria of 2007/2010.
I remember one meeting when he and Flicker produced a flipchart with a detailed five year plan culminating in championship football.
And we all believed it.
I remember also the warm-up before the Cheltenham game in April 2014. It was a nice day and Hilly was in front of the main stand chatting away to everyone with a smile on his face.
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