Current Predicament 16:44 - Dec 30 with 2121 views | DaleyBrent | Not posted on here for a significant amount of time, but this is my best attempt to articulate where I believe we currently are as a football club: My opinion: Our current situation all stems from utterly diabolical recruitment since the day BBM left the door. I know many on here aren’t BBM’s biggest fan but his recruitment was pretty much impeccable. The drop off in quality recruits since his departure is there for everyone to see. It’s been lazy, haphazard and square pegs in round holes much of the time. What we are now is a by-product of that, and is exactly what we’ve been planning towards for the last 18-24 months: a team with no identity, cohesion, way of playing, or spirit; not to add no noticeable saleable assets within the squad (something you always have to have in your arsenal for the inevitable financial difficulties a club like us is facing) We are and always will be a selling club and have to be in a position internally to constantly evolve and capture new talent at the right time for the right price, with some room for error for every recruit not being successful. This leads to my thoughts of the off-the-field matters at the moment. We have a board of directors who to their credit have been fantastic in staving off the hostile takeover and beginning our trajectory to a sustainable football club at the heart of the community. Sadly, the modern day rigours of EFL dictate that on-the-field performances drives your off-the-pitch outlook. To put it brutally, our Board of directors have not begun to work towards establishing a footballing culture, where we recruit managers, players etc to fit the mould of what we are all about. I don’t necessarily blame them for this but we as a matter of urgency need a Director of Football style of expertise to supplement the great community work that the existing BoD display and prioritise. We’re being left behind, and very quickly. To build a strategy, an identity and a clear concise structure takes time and I fear that even if we do stay up this season we’ll be in the exact same position again because we haven’t put the building blocks into place for a thriving elite football environment. Short term, my expectation is more to focus on how many players we can depart with in January and how many quality players we can recruit. As fans, we really need to try to unite as much as we possibly can. We’ll documented financial difficulties suggests we need invest in the club where we can, whether this be swapping your pre match pint for the ratcliffe arms or investing some savings into shares. It’s going to be a bumpy ride but I for one am up for the fight. Up the Dale ðŸ”µâš«ï¸ | ![](/images/avatars/18786.gif) | | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Current Predicament on 17:00 - Dec 30 with 2032 views | D_Alien | "elite football environment" You sound like the other DB! | ![](/images/avatars/1219.gif) |
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Current Predicament on 17:05 - Dec 30 with 1986 views | DaleyBrent |
Current Predicament on 17:00 - Dec 30 by D_Alien | "elite football environment" You sound like the other DB! |
Sorry, are we not a professional football club? | ![](/images/avatars/18786.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Current Predicament on 17:06 - Dec 30 with 1969 views | judd | BBMs recruitment came when we were a L1 club. Easier to attract a better standard of player. | ![](/images/avatars/1067.gif) |
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Current Predicament on 17:06 - Dec 30 with 1960 views | kel | The supporters are always up for the fight, as proved in the last couple of years. Unfortunately the ‘players’ aren’t. | ![](/images/avatars/1007.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Current Predicament on 17:07 - Dec 30 with 1942 views | D_Alien |
Current Predicament on 17:05 - Dec 30 by DaleyBrent | Sorry, are we not a professional football club? |
Posted in jest, DB | ![](/images/avatars/1219.gif) |
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Current Predicament on 17:34 - Dec 30 with 1808 views | surb_dale |
Current Predicament on 17:06 - Dec 30 by judd | BBMs recruitment came when we were a L1 club. Easier to attract a better standard of player. |
Also i wonder how much Dan Altmans SmarterScout system helped identify and sign players at that time under BBM. Its possible players like Beesley were identified using this. Now they've sold up we wont have the access like in those days. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
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