Let's talk about the Rochdale game

[selby]

  The last game of the holiday period,against a team that lost heavily at home yesterday and look to be in a transition period.
   Last season they had two players who I suggested were players I would like us to go after. Well both are looking as though they are on their way, Cannon is reported to have signed for Portsmouth, and McGahey who I would definitely still go for to cover our back line is rumoured to be going to Scunthorpe for £150k, a steel we should be looking at even now.
  They still have players well known to us Lillis who has played well against us in goal in the past is now out of favour, Done and Perkins don't seem to be the players they once were, but can still be dangerous, as can Henderson one of the cleverest players at this level.
   Hopefully we don't have that many injuries from the Gillingham game Wilks being a worry. Getting a win will make it a decent holiday return of points and keep us in the mix after our Fleetwood set back.
    What team would you go with?
    The last game of the Holidays, what sort of crowd do you expect?
     Would you bring players back in if fit?
  Lot's to discuss please have your say, and a happy and prosperous New Year to everyone.
   
     

[Bezza]

The crowd interests me we are deserving of a good gate, but the football league don't help putting a live game on at 2-55 pm ,at one time we would have got a good crowd New year's day not sure we will get more than 7,500 now.

[IDM]

I’m not so sure the attendance would be low, relatively speaking..

Having had long away trips on Boxing Day and yesterday, I reckon there will be lots of us craving our festive football fix..

[steve@dcfd]

Unless Mason is fit then it should be the same back four.
The same centre three because TR in there makes us stronger.
The front three Copps and Wilks  may  have injuries.
Therefore May and Crawford could have to fill in.

Sadlier could be on the bench and the young Championship forward may be available. Otherwise it’s the young lads again.

[Wiltshire Exile]

You have to admire to a Dale fan’s reaction, from their forum, to their thrashing at home to Bradford City yesterday. See the ‘manager’s interview’:

Just to save you all the trouble of listening to Keith’s, post match interview, if you can be bothered!

“We set up to negate Bradford’s power from set pieces, which we all know were likely to be dangerous, however due to an individual error by Jim McNulty, who was not on the pitch, we conceded a goal having been in total control for a lot of the game. We were sticking to our game plan, which we worked on during boxing on Boxing Day, and sadly the fans lack of backing have cost us yet again, unfortunately we were without the services of Andy Cannon, who is off to a better club, as he makes great brews when he is sat on his backside on the bench. Harrisons mind is not in the right place due to speculation that we are skint and have to sell him, however, in Andy cannon we have potentially the best right back in the league, for another 3 days who can step in for now.

I am disappointed in the fans reaction to us being crap at home again, and the boo’s certainly effected my players, who always leave everything on the pitch. We will go back to the drawing board, discuss individual errors, which had nothing to do with poor planning and wrong formation, and discuss in depth how lucky Rochdale Football Club are to have me and how the fans don’t have a clue, which is breeding negatively on the pitch”

Interviewer - “can I ask you why our best central defender was not played?”

Keith - sorry I have to go, flicker has just rung asking for tactical advice on how to get the most from your best striker in midfield!!!

Brilliant!

[adamtherover]

Apparently no buses running so that will effect the gate..

[Wiltshire Exile]

Apparently no buses running so that will effect the gate..

Does that include the service from the railway station to the KM?

[drfchound]

Selby, I am sure that McGahy is a good player but can the club afford around £150,000 to bring in someone as back up for our three central defenders.

[RedJ]

Selby, I am sure that McGahy is a good player but can the club afford around £150,000 to bring in someone as back up for our three central defenders.

But we need 12 different central defenders in case one or two get injured and they all need to be first choice standard.

[selby]

  He has played right across the back four against us including right/wing back and Leftback at Millwall in the FA cup last season is recognised as one of the best defenders already playing in this division, at £150k he is £100 k cheaper than a centre half from Cork who we were touted as interested in and has never played at this level, both Wright and Mason are out of contract at the end of the season, and as far as I know have not yet resigned so there is a possibility of us losing one or both, before or at the end of the season.
 I will try and find out if he is a nice lad if you want any other reasons, but our last manager was very interested in him before he left, and Cannon as well RJ.

[RoversAlias]

You were obsessed with McGahey before fancying Mandeville became the cool thing on here.

Hound is right, why on earth should we look at spending a decent transfer fee on a centre half when we already have three pretty good players in that exact position. Wright in particular can be the man in that role for years to come if he signs a new deal. If we're to spend money in this window (and I don't think we necessarily need to, many clubs don't in January) then I don't think it should be to sign a central defender who may not even get in the team.

[selby]

   A lot of ifs, the big one is if they stay here, obviously IF it is known they are going to stay the club does not need to follow that up, but Butler is also an unknown, are what we have got as good as McGahey? if he goes to Scunthorpe as touted will we regret it in a couple of seasons.
   I have not seen you or anybody else say we should not be signing the Cork City player for more money who would be a complete unknown.
   If the fee of £150 k quoted as the fee to Scunthorpe is correct they will have got a bargain,and clubs like us cannot have too many good players, and some we have are coming to the end of their tenure.
  It is a suggestion from me, obviously you disagree with me again RA, and like to bring other things up, but at least you have reminded me the wife wants me to get a cabbage on the way home.
  I await your and others on here screams of anguish if players out of contract at the end of the season go elsewhere and the club is not prepared for the eventuality. I of course hope that scenario does not arise.
  I would suggest that if you had not jumped to conclusions, and considered him a cover, or even a starter as a right sided defender who can also cover centrally, you would realise we are very short at present of players who are of the required standard.

[NickDRFC]

"Clubs like us cannot have too many good players".

Clubs like Man City, PSG & Real Madrid, clubs with unlimited funds, cannot have too many good players. Clubs like us have to operate within a budget.

[Alan Southstand]

Imho we'd be better off signing the Irish lad, as he is a left sided cb and he is tall (over 6') and could provide us with a very good, young cb pairing for years to come.

[selby]

  Nick, if you go on the rumours site, you will see many of the same posters on this thread commenting in a completely complimentary way about us signing a player for a £250K fee from Cork City, who has never played at this level, or who they know very little about, and in most cases have never seen.
  So some people have a different idea of our budget according to what side of the bed they get up on that day, or who they think they can get onto to disagree with.

[RoversAlias]

   A lot of ifs, the big one is if they stay here, obviously IF it is known they are going to stay the club does not need to follow that up, but Butler is also an unknown, are what we have got as good as McGahey? if he goes to Scunthorpe as touted will we regret it in a couple of seasons.
   I have not seen you or anybody else say we should not be signing the Cork City player for more money who would be a complete unknown.
   If the fee of £150 k quoted as the fee to Scunthorpe is correct they will have got a bargain,and clubs like us cannot have too many good players, and some we have are coming to the end of their tenure.
  It is a suggestion from me, obviously you disagree with me again RA, and like to bring other things up, but at least you have reminded me the wife wants me to get a cabbage on the way home.
  I await your and others on here screams of anguish if players out of contract at the end of the season go elsewhere and the club is not prepared for the eventuality. I of course hope that scenario does not arise.
  I would suggest that if you had not jumped to conclusions, and considered him a cover, or even a starter as a right sided defender who can also cover centrally, you would realise we are very short at present of players who are of the required standard.

The fact is, we can't be getting into the market to compete for a player who will want top-end L1 wages to then come here and sit on the bench as a utility back-up. McGahey is obviously a decent defender but it just isn't the priority for us at the moment. We have defenders better than him at the club already in my opinion.

Butler is an unknown? He's just played his 200th game for us and is a formidable defender, as well as one of our senior players. A proper leader without whom our defence would be far worse off. Wright and Mason are players with age on their side and a high performance ceiling, I am not expecting the club to just let them walk away for nothing at the end of the season. Anderson is also a good age, didn't cost a transfer fee and is growing into his role. So why do we need to go out and spend £150k on a central defender?

I can't comment on the Irish lad, I know nothing other than that newspaper article about him potentially coming here.

I do often disagree with you, but it's not a personal thing I just tend to find myself thinking the complete opposite of you when it comes to matters of the Rovers. It's not always the case, I say so if I think you've said something I agree with but in this instance I don't. I didn't see anyone in the game at Spotland for Rochdale who I thought I'd really like to see in our team, and that includes McGahey.

[selby]

  RA, I don't want to lose and hope we don't lose  any of Mason, Wright, or Butler, But Butler I can see moving into coaching hopefully here and becoming a cover player. But we have no cover of any class other than Mason in the right back area.
   The main aim this season is to get into the playoffs with then a chance of promotion. Mason and Wright have yet to sign another contract with us, and may not, hopefully they will,but think of this scenario, we get into the Championship, and we sign players as cover who cannot step up to the next level. If you sign players who can £150 k is cheap, and if he gets top end div1 wages it is because he is of that standard, personally I doubt it at Rochdale, but he is one of the best defenders in this division, and toyed with May in that game.
  He is a suggestion, a good player at this level, and at a price Scunthorpe are willing to pay, whether he is still on our radar I don't know, he would be on mine, interestingly the Rochdale fans are up in arms about that price, and price him at £500 k for as they describe him their best defender which would be more in line with my valuation, hence the interest at that price.

[silent majority]

To add to Andy Butlers value for us this season, I find this statistic quite encouraging;


D3D4Football
‏ @d3d4football
Dec 28

Most Air Challenges won: Top Four Tiers of Eng Football ⚽️👇

337 - Lukas Jutkiewicz - Birmingham
328 - @tompope11 - Port Vale
291 - Oliver Hawkins - #Pompey
276 - Micheal Smith - Rotherham
266 - Jayden Stockley - Exeter
266 - Andy Butler- Doncaster

[Chris Black come back]

Folk also might need reminding that come start of next season Butler will be almost 36.

[drfchound]

His springs will have gone by then.

[selby]

  By the way, Cannon has signed for Portsmouth from Rochdale for a reported £150 K, described by K Hill as division 1's best right back.
  He played well as a midfielder against us a couple of times last season, and was another who I hoped we would be in for at the time.
  Planning for the next level?

[RedJ]

So you reckon we'd sign the division's supposed best right back only for either him or Mason to be kicking their heels getting splinters in their arse?

[Campsall rover]

  By the way, Cannon has signed for Portsmouth from Rochdale for a reported £150 K, described by K Hill as division 1's best right back.
  He played well as a midfielder against us a couple of times last season, and was another who I hoped we would be in for at the time.
  Planning for the next level?

Now he is a player I do like. What a bargain Pompey have got. Was a midfielder last season.
Obviously he is a very good right back as well.

[Campsall rover]

If we do go up we will need a replacement for Andy Butler.
As good as he is at league 1 level, no way will he be able to cut it at Championship level. Just not quick on the deck.

[Alan Southstand]

Neither is Anderson, for that matter, Campsall.

[selby]

RJ, you are hard work putting your slant on things, the statement of division1's best right back was Kieth Hills description of Cannon, who we have already lost out on to Portsmouth.
   McGahey I saw last season play four games against the Rovers, two as right side centre back, one as left side centre back, and as a right wing back.
  In Televised games against Millwall in the cup, he played part of the game as an emergency left wing back, and against Spurs he played twice as a right centre back.
  Although heavily beaten against Spurs he played very well, and at Millwall as well, and against us in every game played well.
   He was definitely on Fergies radar as Russ Wilcox told me, when Fergie left  and in the interim time we took to get Grant he signed a years extension at Rochdale, Cannon signed a six month extension but was injured and hardly played, McGahey has not played much lately giving rise to the rumour he is leaving in January.

[RoversAlias]

We're not a Championship club at the moment though, and I'd say the chances of us being one by the summer are longer than they are short, if you excuse the obviousness of that phrase.

If we manage to go up this year, then I'm sure strengthening such an area will be done in the summer. But we can't spend money we don't yet have on players good enough for a division we aren't yet in. As an L1 club, we have three (four if you include Mason as an option) good centre halves already.

[knockers]

How do you remember where he played in every game? You must have some memory! I struggle to remember last weeks starting 11

[scawsby steve]

  By the way, Cannon has signed for Portsmouth from Rochdale for a reported £150 K, described by K Hill as division 1's best right back.
  He played well as a midfielder against us a couple of times last season, and was another who I hoped we would be in for at the time.
  Planning for the next level?

Brian, why not just put your trust in GM, GB, and the board?; we're doing OK at the moment aren't we?.

[selby]

  Steve I do, but our right back situation is and has shown up in the last few weeks to be weak, the fact that he covers all the rest of the back line is a bonus, and the contract situation with our present players are an unknown.
  Knockers, I take notes at the end of games on players that impress me in more than one game, very few do, he has.
  I think other people have took my suggestion too seriously, I hope he continues not to be used by Rochdale tomorrow as he will be a good player we don't have to bother about.
  If he does however go to Scunthorpe for anywhere near the £150 k quoted, I think we will have missed out.