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Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 22:35 - Apr 8 with 2980 views
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 22:32 - Apr 8 by 49thseason
On the bright side, it has brought the run of away draws to a juddering halt...another game ticked off where the inability to complete the basic action of the game .. score a goal , preferably 2, has cost more points... this season is dying on its knees, once again the overwhelming sense is of waste....wasted effort, wasted opportunity, wasted money... the old story of the ages doing another lap around the block. Nothing changes because nothing changes, cheap options, inexplicable decisions..
Turning this club around is a mammoth undertaking... surely we have now reached peak ridiculousness... its time to break all the moulds, shatter the belief structures and build a new club in every sense. History is bunk, and in our case amounts to a century or more of missed chances and opportunities, a winning mentality seems like an unwelcome attitude, this is little Rochdale and everyone thinks they can beat us....including the manager and his players....
You mean apart from that decade when we were, in the main, pretty good on the winning mentality front?
We need to build a club that is reflective of who we are and respects our history but improves in all the areas where we’ve fallen short.
I mean it just shows you how bad this league is that we could have gone 5th tonight with a win. To think 10 years ago, season 14/15 we were finishing 8th in league 1 with one of our best attacking teams ever.
Its a BRILLIANT goal to cap a BRILLIANT start by Rochdale - Don Goodman 26/08/10
Tremendous Effort, Terrible Result – But We’re Building Something YUGE!
Right off the bat — let me tell you — I thought we played very, very well. People are saying, “Sir, you don’t usually play that well and lose.” And they’re right! We were unlucky. Total freak goal. You won’t see another like it for weeks, maybe months — some say ever.
We go again at the weekend. That’s all I’ve got to say about the game.
Now let’s talk about the manager. I’ve said it before — not good enough. Never have thought he was. I believe I once described him as a “small parish choirmaster” — and look, folks, on reflection, I might have been generous. He’s more like a small parish choirmaster being played by Mr. Bean. Sad!
The owners, the CEO, the whole so-called management team — they’re not interested in your opinions. Don’t take it personally. They don’t care. What they do have is a plan — a medium-term plan. Not this year, never was. They’re putting in some kind of “DNA” — people keep saying that — into the way we play.
Now look, even I, with my very fair, very objective prejudice, can see the manager is improving the squad. Better players coming in each season. I expect more — much more — in the close season. Next year, folks, big push. HUGE.
I said we’d just miss the playoffs. Hope I’m wrong. Honestly, I’d love to be wrong — I’m not often, but it would be beautiful. Still, it’s not a devastating result. This is a foundation — big word — that’s going to last another 100 years. That’s what we’re building here.
Decided to post this with a little AI help, in the style of our glorious leader of the free world— just for a bit of light relief.
Keep the faith. Up the Dale!
1
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 23:22 - Apr 8 with 2570 views
Thought the players worked hard tonight. No lack of commitment. But nothing up front again. Kairo had one great chance in the first half, saved by the keepers legs. He has to score. Never looked likely to score again. Edwards looks a tidy player.
1
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 23:32 - Apr 8 with 2499 views
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 22:55 - Apr 8 by dingdangblue
I mean it just shows you how bad this league is that we could have gone 5th tonight with a win. To think 10 years ago, season 14/15 we were finishing 8th in league 1 with one of our best attacking teams ever.
All water under the bridge mate, whatever we were doing well then has been pished into the wind by a combination of covid, conmen and comedy managers. McNulty has dealt himself a bad hand, his signings have been too defensive and too brittle. Weak hamstrings weak attitudes and weak leadership. The talent is there but needs someone to lead it and make it play by any means at his disposal but I see no sign of it...His post match interview face on Saturday was a picture of a man in trouble, mentally drained, unsure of what had gone wrong, incapable of explaining what had just happened. I expected tonight's result. No doubt there has been an inquest, but I very much doubt the team came out of it wanting to tear Sutton apart.. 18 points to play for now, 6 goals would have won us 6 drawn away games.. 12 points more and we would be well in the playoffs that we are hanging on to coat tails is because he didnt have the belief to go out and win....and we are not going to Wembly for the same reason,
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Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 23:37 - Apr 8 with 2490 views
What a disastrous April and we are only 8 days in. The new owners have been given a free pass so far given the investments they have made….but the club is in disarray….cant host a crowd of 6000, thrown away the great opportunity of a big finish, wembley dates etc. and two more years of the manager.
Its OK the new CEO saying what plans are for improvements next year….none of this should have happened this year.And I think we know we wont be starting with a clean sheet next season. Another year of the McNulty and Greg show.
Dale exile here, been to mostly away games all season, seen us lose two leads (Ebbsfleet and Woking) and was there tonight, and Dagenham, both 0-1 late on.
It's been a torrid few games, but it's so obvious that Jim has completely over intellectualised us. Football is a very simple game at this level, especially when you hit a bad patch of form.
If we had a big physical striker (ie a fit Jay Bird, but he's injured so at least a loan backup) available for these past 3 games, we win them all. We have been crying out for an outlet to relieve pressure when teams have got the measure of us on around the 60 min mark onwards. Even a Calvin or an Alby, not necessarily a goalscorer but a physical presence so that the ball sticks a bit up top, then we win those games. Why we didn't get one in the loan market, goodness knows, but Kairo isn't that player.
If we have that physical striker, we can help hem with direct wingers who CROSS the BALL. Even Kairo's goals are mostly scored from low driven cutbacks. We have Tarryn who will occasionally do that, and we have TAR who will sometimes do that, nobody else seems to want to cross it. This is a poor league, defenders make silly errors, take the chance and fizz the ball in low, you never know what might happen. So many times tonight we could've hit first time crosses low and hard across the 6 yard box, we turned back and lost the ball 25-30 yards from goal, and then Sutton countered on us.
We are methodical and over-coached, and whilst I admire trying to play 'the proper way,' to develop technical players, it's painfully obvious that we are missing some very obvious basics in what is a very poor league.
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Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 05:53 - Apr 9 with 2066 views
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 01:25 - Apr 9 by jfmolyneux
Dale exile here, been to mostly away games all season, seen us lose two leads (Ebbsfleet and Woking) and was there tonight, and Dagenham, both 0-1 late on.
It's been a torrid few games, but it's so obvious that Jim has completely over intellectualised us. Football is a very simple game at this level, especially when you hit a bad patch of form.
If we had a big physical striker (ie a fit Jay Bird, but he's injured so at least a loan backup) available for these past 3 games, we win them all. We have been crying out for an outlet to relieve pressure when teams have got the measure of us on around the 60 min mark onwards. Even a Calvin or an Alby, not necessarily a goalscorer but a physical presence so that the ball sticks a bit up top, then we win those games. Why we didn't get one in the loan market, goodness knows, but Kairo isn't that player.
If we have that physical striker, we can help hem with direct wingers who CROSS the BALL. Even Kairo's goals are mostly scored from low driven cutbacks. We have Tarryn who will occasionally do that, and we have TAR who will sometimes do that, nobody else seems to want to cross it. This is a poor league, defenders make silly errors, take the chance and fizz the ball in low, you never know what might happen. So many times tonight we could've hit first time crosses low and hard across the 6 yard box, we turned back and lost the ball 25-30 yards from goal, and then Sutton countered on us.
We are methodical and over-coached, and whilst I admire trying to play 'the proper way,' to develop technical players, it's painfully obvious that we are missing some very obvious basics in what is a very poor league.
You're absolutely right jfm
What's happening is nothing more than what might be expected
Cast your minds back to the dying days of our EFL fixtures, when JM was appointed caretaker (an apt term). We needed a spirited performance away at Stockport to try to salvage our status, even if we went down fighting
No fight, barely a shot, loss of status
Two years on, nothing has changed. Sure, we've had a couple of good wins here and there, but when push came to shove we've got nothing but an empty tank. These past two games, no goals from open play, both against teams with less resources
Do we have to wait another two years before the bleeding obvious is recognised?
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 05:53 - Apr 9 by D_Alien
You're absolutely right jfm
What's happening is nothing more than what might be expected
Cast your minds back to the dying days of our EFL fixtures, when JM was appointed caretaker (an apt term). We needed a spirited performance away at Stockport to try to salvage our status, even if we went down fighting
No fight, barely a shot, loss of status
Two years on, nothing has changed. Sure, we've had a couple of good wins here and there, but when push came to shove we've got nothing but an empty tank. These past two games, no goals from open play, both against teams with less resources
Do we have to wait another two years before the bleeding obvious is recognised?
[Post edited 9 Apr 6:09]
Correct. Nearly every time we win a free kick the first instinct of every player is to look to pass it back, or short to a player standing next to them, eventually they funnel it back to the keeper. It's safe, posession is retained. It never crosses their mind to load the opposition penalty box and put the ball in, its a option they very rarely consider. It's what you see on the training ground, keep the ball moving, little triangles in areas of the pitch that offer no threat. Passing for passing sake, no threat whatsoever and then we lose the ball or hit a long aimless ball while under pressure..rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. Boring, negative football.
McNulty was given a contract to instill his footballing philosophy on the club, he sold those in the Boardroom a vision and it involved rough diamonds, polishing and selling them on for a profit. Look at us now, the football in general is awful, nobody likes watching it and season ticket sales will now drop rather than increase. Gordon has improved, nobody else. I'd suggest Beckwith and Allarakhia have gone backwards. We have been in relegation form since the New Year and have a manager that constantly looks for excuses, he mentioned the budget again last night.
The Chairman and Directors see all the games, surely they can see that this isn't good enough and it can't carry on? We have six games to save the season, they need to act i think. Mc Nultys gone, we've seen all he's got to offer, last night was a normal display from his team. In his interview he's clutching at straws, trying to pick out 30 seconds and one minute passages of play to justify the displays and results. It's desperate just to listen to him. The money saved by paying him out of his contract will be recouped in season ticket sales, it might cost the club 30k/60k/90k. If he stays as manager he will blow the increased budget, we know his style of football isn't going to change and we know that very few fans like watching it.
This is the National League and we can't let our club be used as a canvas for young coaches to try to implement a footballing philosophy on the club that is now being questioned even at the top level. Ask the Man City fans, they are bored of watching Peps football, nobody likes it.
So six games left, Steve Evans is unemployed, what's the harm in inviting him up to the club to see what he can do with a view to giving him the job? Not everybody's cup of tea i know but he's a serial winner at this level and produces teams that nobody wants to play. He won't have a long term vision, he just wants to win football matches. We need to get out of this league by hook or by crook and if we're going to do it in the next two seasons then we need a manager who knows what's needed to do it. We haven't got time for philosophy's,we need to play fast attacking football, get some physicality in the team and see winning football matches as the be all and end all. It's arse roads around anyway with all this footballing philosophy talk, the priority is to get out of this league as quickly as possible, they don't give you extra points for style. Talk about philosophy's once you've got your Academy up and running again. Give Evans the right backing and there's nobody better qualified to get us promotion, it might not be cheap but it could prove very cost effective. He will also galvanise the Rochdale public and drum up plenty of interest in the club. We'll sell extra season tickets for a start and attract sponsorship.
To conclude,It's not going to work with Jim, i think we all know that now don't we? We can't increase attendances with his football never mind win enough football matches. Bring another manager in and give him the remaining games to analyse the squad in preparation for next season.
[Post edited 9 Apr 7:32]
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Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 07:28 - Apr 9 with 1772 views
Sadly, last night’s performance is yet another stark reminder that failing to adequately strengthen the squad is going to cost us this season. The cracks are now too obvious to ignore, and our lack of depth and quality has been laid bare in the worst way possible.
The most glaring mistake was not bringing in a No. 9 to properly challenge Mitchell. Whatever has gone on behind the scenes, whether it's the pressure of criticism following his barren spell or perhaps something else entirely, the fact is that Mitchell no longer looks capable of leading the line week in, week out. Henderson, despite still showing flashes of class, isn't the solution either – he's not the consistent presence we need up front to get us the goals and wins.
Edwards, while he did alright last night, is another player who's being asked to do too much too soon. As much as he’s shown promise, he shouldn't be a first-team midfielder when we're chasing the play-offs in the business end of the season. The environment is far too unforgiving for someone still developing the experience needed to brush off the pressure and potential toxicity that comes with it.
Our poor goal return is now starting to cost us points on a regular basis, and last night was probably the most brutal example of this. Sutton, a side that looked uninterested in scoring, still managed to take the win thanks to a fluke. The reality is that we offered even less at the other end, which is unforgivable.
In the first half, we had golden opportunities to put the game to bed. Mitchell had two clear chances to make it 2-0 and effectively seal the game. He fluffed both, leaving Sutton in it and giving them hope. We’ve been here before, and the same pattern repeats: we fail to take our chances, and the opposition takes advantage.
As I’ve said from the start, I would remain supportive of McNulty, as he had us on the verge of Wembley and a play-off spot, and I can’t fault him for the work he had done up to this point. But now, as one opportunity has slipped away in ignominious fashion and the other looks worryingly likely to follow suit, we have to acknowledge that something needs to change and I don’t necessarily mean the head coach.
I didn’t expect us to win the play-offs this year, but I did expect us to make them and to at least compete. Now, it feels like we're fighting a losing battle. The three-year plan might involve heavier investment this summer, but I’ll tell you this: it’ll need to. We absolutely cannot enter the latter stages of next season with a squad this imbalanced and depleted. If we do, we’ll be facing the same issues all over again.
Let’s hope the club takes a hard look at the situation, because if things don’t change, we’re in for a long, difficult road ahead.
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 06:54 - Apr 9 by TalkingSutty
Correct. Nearly every time we win a free kick the first instinct of every player is to look to pass it back, or short to a player standing next to them, eventually they funnel it back to the keeper. It's safe, posession is retained. It never crosses their mind to load the opposition penalty box and put the ball in, its a option they very rarely consider. It's what you see on the training ground, keep the ball moving, little triangles in areas of the pitch that offer no threat. Passing for passing sake, no threat whatsoever and then we lose the ball or hit a long aimless ball while under pressure..rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. Boring, negative football.
McNulty was given a contract to instill his footballing philosophy on the club, he sold those in the Boardroom a vision and it involved rough diamonds, polishing and selling them on for a profit. Look at us now, the football in general is awful, nobody likes watching it and season ticket sales will now drop rather than increase. Gordon has improved, nobody else. I'd suggest Beckwith and Allarakhia have gone backwards. We have been in relegation form since the New Year and have a manager that constantly looks for excuses, he mentioned the budget again last night.
The Chairman and Directors see all the games, surely they can see that this isn't good enough and it can't carry on? We have six games to save the season, they need to act i think. Mc Nultys gone, we've seen all he's got to offer, last night was a normal display from his team. In his interview he's clutching at straws, trying to pick out 30 seconds and one minute passages of play to justify the displays and results. It's desperate just to listen to him. The money saved by paying him out of his contract will be recouped in season ticket sales, it might cost the club 30k/60k/90k. If he stays as manager he will blow the increased budget, we know his style of football isn't going to change and we know that very few fans like watching it.
This is the National League and we can't let our club be used as a canvas for young coaches to try to implement a footballing philosophy on the club that is now being questioned even at the top level. Ask the Man City fans, they are bored of watching Peps football, nobody likes it.
So six games left, Steve Evans is unemployed, what's the harm in inviting him up to the club to see what he can do with a view to giving him the job? Not everybody's cup of tea i know but he's a serial winner at this level and produces teams that nobody wants to play. He won't have a long term vision, he just wants to win football matches. We need to get out of this league by hook or by crook and if we're going to do it in the next two seasons then we need a manager who knows what's needed to do it. We haven't got time for philosophy's,we need to play fast attacking football, get some physicality in the team and see winning football matches as the be all and end all. It's arse roads around anyway with all this footballing philosophy talk, the priority is to get out of this league as quickly as possible, they don't give you extra points for style. Talk about philosophy's once you've got your Academy up and running again. Give Evans the right backing and there's nobody better qualified to get us promotion, it might not be cheap but it could prove very cost effective. He will also galvanise the Rochdale public and drum up plenty of interest in the club. We'll sell extra season tickets for a start and attract sponsorship.
To conclude,It's not going to work with Jim, i think we all know that now don't we? We can't increase attendances with his football never mind win enough football matches. Bring another manager in and give him the remaining games to analyse the squad in preparation for next season.
[Post edited 9 Apr 7:32]
Not sure how many lame performances, a distinct lack of bite and shite results its takes for some folk to realise the handbrakes firmly applied as we coast around the division gifting teams some of their easiest points of the season.
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Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 07:43 - Apr 9 with 1684 views
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 06:54 - Apr 9 by TalkingSutty
Correct. Nearly every time we win a free kick the first instinct of every player is to look to pass it back, or short to a player standing next to them, eventually they funnel it back to the keeper. It's safe, posession is retained. It never crosses their mind to load the opposition penalty box and put the ball in, its a option they very rarely consider. It's what you see on the training ground, keep the ball moving, little triangles in areas of the pitch that offer no threat. Passing for passing sake, no threat whatsoever and then we lose the ball or hit a long aimless ball while under pressure..rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. Boring, negative football.
McNulty was given a contract to instill his footballing philosophy on the club, he sold those in the Boardroom a vision and it involved rough diamonds, polishing and selling them on for a profit. Look at us now, the football in general is awful, nobody likes watching it and season ticket sales will now drop rather than increase. Gordon has improved, nobody else. I'd suggest Beckwith and Allarakhia have gone backwards. We have been in relegation form since the New Year and have a manager that constantly looks for excuses, he mentioned the budget again last night.
The Chairman and Directors see all the games, surely they can see that this isn't good enough and it can't carry on? We have six games to save the season, they need to act i think. Mc Nultys gone, we've seen all he's got to offer, last night was a normal display from his team. In his interview he's clutching at straws, trying to pick out 30 seconds and one minute passages of play to justify the displays and results. It's desperate just to listen to him. The money saved by paying him out of his contract will be recouped in season ticket sales, it might cost the club 30k/60k/90k. If he stays as manager he will blow the increased budget, we know his style of football isn't going to change and we know that very few fans like watching it.
This is the National League and we can't let our club be used as a canvas for young coaches to try to implement a footballing philosophy on the club that is now being questioned even at the top level. Ask the Man City fans, they are bored of watching Peps football, nobody likes it.
So six games left, Steve Evans is unemployed, what's the harm in inviting him up to the club to see what he can do with a view to giving him the job? Not everybody's cup of tea i know but he's a serial winner at this level and produces teams that nobody wants to play. He won't have a long term vision, he just wants to win football matches. We need to get out of this league by hook or by crook and if we're going to do it in the next two seasons then we need a manager who knows what's needed to do it. We haven't got time for philosophy's,we need to play fast attacking football, get some physicality in the team and see winning football matches as the be all and end all. It's arse roads around anyway with all this footballing philosophy talk, the priority is to get out of this league as quickly as possible, they don't give you extra points for style. Talk about philosophy's once you've got your Academy up and running again. Give Evans the right backing and there's nobody better qualified to get us promotion, it might not be cheap but it could prove very cost effective. He will also galvanise the Rochdale public and drum up plenty of interest in the club. We'll sell extra season tickets for a start and attract sponsorship.
To conclude,It's not going to work with Jim, i think we all know that now don't we? We can't increase attendances with his football never mind win enough football matches. Bring another manager in and give him the remaining games to analyse the squad in preparation for next season.
[Post edited 9 Apr 7:32]
Whilst acknowledging the issues with McNulty and how we play, and that you’re right about some City fans questioning Guardiola, Steve Evans is not and never woild be the answer.
Divisive from the start and if we want the views of fans of other clubs, those at Rotherham where he was a legend previously would be the first to admit his time has come and gone.
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 07:28 - Apr 9 by fitzochris
Sadly, last night’s performance is yet another stark reminder that failing to adequately strengthen the squad is going to cost us this season. The cracks are now too obvious to ignore, and our lack of depth and quality has been laid bare in the worst way possible.
The most glaring mistake was not bringing in a No. 9 to properly challenge Mitchell. Whatever has gone on behind the scenes, whether it's the pressure of criticism following his barren spell or perhaps something else entirely, the fact is that Mitchell no longer looks capable of leading the line week in, week out. Henderson, despite still showing flashes of class, isn't the solution either – he's not the consistent presence we need up front to get us the goals and wins.
Edwards, while he did alright last night, is another player who's being asked to do too much too soon. As much as he’s shown promise, he shouldn't be a first-team midfielder when we're chasing the play-offs in the business end of the season. The environment is far too unforgiving for someone still developing the experience needed to brush off the pressure and potential toxicity that comes with it.
Our poor goal return is now starting to cost us points on a regular basis, and last night was probably the most brutal example of this. Sutton, a side that looked uninterested in scoring, still managed to take the win thanks to a fluke. The reality is that we offered even less at the other end, which is unforgivable.
In the first half, we had golden opportunities to put the game to bed. Mitchell had two clear chances to make it 2-0 and effectively seal the game. He fluffed both, leaving Sutton in it and giving them hope. We’ve been here before, and the same pattern repeats: we fail to take our chances, and the opposition takes advantage.
As I’ve said from the start, I would remain supportive of McNulty, as he had us on the verge of Wembley and a play-off spot, and I can’t fault him for the work he had done up to this point. But now, as one opportunity has slipped away in ignominious fashion and the other looks worryingly likely to follow suit, we have to acknowledge that something needs to change and I don’t necessarily mean the head coach.
I didn’t expect us to win the play-offs this year, but I did expect us to make them and to at least compete. Now, it feels like we're fighting a losing battle. The three-year plan might involve heavier investment this summer, but I’ll tell you this: it’ll need to. We absolutely cannot enter the latter stages of next season with a squad this imbalanced and depleted. If we do, we’ll be facing the same issues all over again.
Let’s hope the club takes a hard look at the situation, because if things don’t change, we’re in for a long, difficult road ahead.
[Post edited 9 Apr 7:32]
You say you can't fault him Fitz for the work he has done up to this point, i'm a bit gobsmacked at that to be honest...What do you think of his recruitment during the summer also throughout this season? You are right to mention the forward line, what about the midfield recruitment also, bearing in mind the amount of wide players he has recruited? You point out recruitment and budgets as being the problem but fail to mention the tactical naivety of McNulty.The way we set up and approach games, the game on Saturday being a typical example? The way we regress in the second half of away games, the negative substitutions which invariably lead to us conceding late goals? Are you happy watching McNulty's football, invariably its joyless and a bore fest? Yes we're in a play off place but there's nothing enjoyable or entertaining about it. Something does have to change, McNulty won't, so what do you suggest? Sorry, a lot of questions i know.
[Post edited 9 Apr 7:53]
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Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 08:07 - Apr 9 with 1525 views
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 07:47 - Apr 9 by TalkingSutty
You say you can't fault him Fitz for the work he has done up to this point, i'm a bit gobsmacked at that to be honest...What do you think of his recruitment during the summer also throughout this season? You are right to mention the forward line, what about the midfield recruitment also, bearing in mind the amount of wide players he has recruited? You point out recruitment and budgets as being the problem but fail to mention the tactical naivety of McNulty.The way we set up and approach games, the game on Saturday being a typical example? The way we regress in the second half of away games, the negative substitutions which invariably lead to us conceding late goals? Are you happy watching McNulty's football, invariably its joyless and a bore fest? Yes we're in a play off place but there's nothing enjoyable or entertaining about it. Something does have to change, McNulty won't, so what do you suggest? Sorry, a lot of questions i know.
[Post edited 9 Apr 7:53]
Firstly, in response to the question about McNulty's recruitment – I actually did mention this in my original post, particularly with the lack of a proper No. 9 to challenge Mitchell. I’ve also highlighted that Edwards, while performing well in last night, shouldn’t be in the first-team midfield for a side chasing the play-offs, given his lack of experience. So, my concerns about recruitment are clear – particularly with the forward line and midfield. I agree that the number of wide players recruited doesn’t solve our central issues. That’s a fair point, and it’s something I’ve said previously when discussing the imbalance in the squad.
As for your point on McNulty’s tactical approach, I’m not overlooking that either and never have. The regression we’ve seen in the second half of away games, especially a lack of threat that leads to us conceding late goals, has been frustrating, to say the least. In my original post, I acknowledged the challenges in the squad but maintained my support for McNulty because of the good work he has done this season, bringing us to the verge of Wembley and a play-off spot. That’s what I meant by that. You can say it’s a poor league, and it is, but there are teams like Solihull, Wembley finalists twice last season, having a mare this time around, so I always think things could be worse.
However, I also recognise that things haven’t been ideal for us this season, particularly in the latter half of games. So, yes, there is definitely room for improvement on that front, both tactically and in terms of how we manage the game as it progresses.
For me, quoting the appointment of managers such as Steve Evans is not the answer. How long before everyone gets fed up with his approach?
Personally, I would see how McNulty does with the improved budget this summer. I’d want to see proven players come in to build a squad, rather than loans and projects. You want to be looking at players who have stood out in underperforming teams such as Alex Reid, Nick Haughton and Josh Rees to complement the younger decent player we already have. For me, that would be a good start.
If then, with that backing, nothing improves, there is only one place the finger can be pointed and I’m sure that person themselves would accept that. So, not a three-year plan for me but two.
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 08:07 - Apr 9 by fitzochris
Firstly, in response to the question about McNulty's recruitment – I actually did mention this in my original post, particularly with the lack of a proper No. 9 to challenge Mitchell. I’ve also highlighted that Edwards, while performing well in last night, shouldn’t be in the first-team midfield for a side chasing the play-offs, given his lack of experience. So, my concerns about recruitment are clear – particularly with the forward line and midfield. I agree that the number of wide players recruited doesn’t solve our central issues. That’s a fair point, and it’s something I’ve said previously when discussing the imbalance in the squad.
As for your point on McNulty’s tactical approach, I’m not overlooking that either and never have. The regression we’ve seen in the second half of away games, especially a lack of threat that leads to us conceding late goals, has been frustrating, to say the least. In my original post, I acknowledged the challenges in the squad but maintained my support for McNulty because of the good work he has done this season, bringing us to the verge of Wembley and a play-off spot. That’s what I meant by that. You can say it’s a poor league, and it is, but there are teams like Solihull, Wembley finalists twice last season, having a mare this time around, so I always think things could be worse.
However, I also recognise that things haven’t been ideal for us this season, particularly in the latter half of games. So, yes, there is definitely room for improvement on that front, both tactically and in terms of how we manage the game as it progresses.
For me, quoting the appointment of managers such as Steve Evans is not the answer. How long before everyone gets fed up with his approach?
Personally, I would see how McNulty does with the improved budget this summer. I’d want to see proven players come in to build a squad, rather than loans and projects. You want to be looking at players who have stood out in underperforming teams such as Alex Reid, Nick Haughton and Josh Rees to complement the younger decent player we already have. For me, that would be a good start.
If then, with that backing, nothing improves, there is only one place the finger can be pointed and I’m sure that person themselves would accept that. So, not a three-year plan for me but two.
[Post edited 9 Apr 8:14]
Well we're on a different page when it comes to McNulty, footballs about opinions so there's nothing wrong with that. When i mentioned midfield recruitment Edwards was already at the club. It was in relation to relying on East and Gilmour and not replacing Henry. Instead there was a insistence on keep recruiting wide players of a similar ilk. Its not down to bad luck or budgets that we are now short in midfield and up front. Poor recruitment or lack of it is the reason and that's on McNulty.
[Post edited 9 Apr 8:16]
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Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 08:16 - Apr 9 with 1482 views
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 08:13 - Apr 9 by TalkingSutty
Well we're on a different page when it comes to McNulty, footballs about opinions so there's nothing wrong with that. When i mentioned midfield recruitment Edwards was already at the club. It was in relation to relying on East and Gilmour and not replacing Henry. Instead there was a insistence on keep recruiting wide players of a similar ilk. Its not down to bad luck or budgets that we are now short in midfield and up front. Poor recruitment or lack of it is the reason and that's on McNulty.
[Post edited 9 Apr 8:16]
Yes but Edwards is now playing because there are no other options - our point is the same. Midfield is an area that absolutely should have been strengthened and not just on the deadline, well before.
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 08:16 - Apr 9 by fitzochris
Yes but Edwards is now playing because there are no other options - our point is the same. Midfield is an area that absolutely should have been strengthened and not just on the deadline, well before.
Agree.
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Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 08:38 - Apr 9 with 1349 views
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 01:25 - Apr 9 by jfmolyneux
Dale exile here, been to mostly away games all season, seen us lose two leads (Ebbsfleet and Woking) and was there tonight, and Dagenham, both 0-1 late on.
It's been a torrid few games, but it's so obvious that Jim has completely over intellectualised us. Football is a very simple game at this level, especially when you hit a bad patch of form.
If we had a big physical striker (ie a fit Jay Bird, but he's injured so at least a loan backup) available for these past 3 games, we win them all. We have been crying out for an outlet to relieve pressure when teams have got the measure of us on around the 60 min mark onwards. Even a Calvin or an Alby, not necessarily a goalscorer but a physical presence so that the ball sticks a bit up top, then we win those games. Why we didn't get one in the loan market, goodness knows, but Kairo isn't that player.
If we have that physical striker, we can help hem with direct wingers who CROSS the BALL. Even Kairo's goals are mostly scored from low driven cutbacks. We have Tarryn who will occasionally do that, and we have TAR who will sometimes do that, nobody else seems to want to cross it. This is a poor league, defenders make silly errors, take the chance and fizz the ball in low, you never know what might happen. So many times tonight we could've hit first time crosses low and hard across the 6 yard box, we turned back and lost the ball 25-30 yards from goal, and then Sutton countered on us.
We are methodical and over-coached, and whilst I admire trying to play 'the proper way,' to develop technical players, it's painfully obvious that we are missing some very obvious basics in what is a very poor league.
The problem is, if we did have a big centre forward to hold the ball up and give us an outlet, he would be back defending corners and free kicks like the other 10 players. You will never see McNulty leaving a man on the halfway line.
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Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 08:39 - Apr 9 with 1342 views
I don’t think this is at all about recruitment. The problem is McNulty himself. From when he first took over as caretaker you could hear him making excuses for the players in the post match interviews. There was no anger at the position the club were in and no suggestion that they were prepared to fight like hell to give themselves the chance to survive. He, McNulty, lacks the grit, character and determination required to fight our way out of this league. It is passed on to his players. You see it every time they are too scared to take a player on or try something different but instead make the easy boring predictable SAFE decision to pass the ball sideways/backwards five yards. You see it in every game we fail to go for the kill and concede late on. How many points dropped because of the lack of grit? How many opportunities wasted because we don’t have it in us to fight? He constantly wilts under pressure and has a million excuses at the ready after another pitiful display rather than taking some accountability. Maybe he is best suited, like BBM, to youth team coaching where the players are only every encouraged and they can be complimented and reassured after every game on their lovely passing and keeping of possession. But it’s not suited to getting us back into the football league regardless of which players get recruited. After two years of watching him in this job the verdict is in. He needs to go.
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Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 08:49 - Apr 9 with 1286 views
Refwatch - Sutton United v Rochdale on 08:39 - Apr 9 by Cedar_Room
I don’t think this is at all about recruitment. The problem is McNulty himself. From when he first took over as caretaker you could hear him making excuses for the players in the post match interviews. There was no anger at the position the club were in and no suggestion that they were prepared to fight like hell to give themselves the chance to survive. He, McNulty, lacks the grit, character and determination required to fight our way out of this league. It is passed on to his players. You see it every time they are too scared to take a player on or try something different but instead make the easy boring predictable SAFE decision to pass the ball sideways/backwards five yards. You see it in every game we fail to go for the kill and concede late on. How many points dropped because of the lack of grit? How many opportunities wasted because we don’t have it in us to fight? He constantly wilts under pressure and has a million excuses at the ready after another pitiful display rather than taking some accountability. Maybe he is best suited, like BBM, to youth team coaching where the players are only every encouraged and they can be complimented and reassured after every game on their lovely passing and keeping of possession. But it’s not suited to getting us back into the football league regardless of which players get recruited. After two years of watching him in this job the verdict is in. He needs to go.
Splendid post. I just don't think Jim knows what he's doing wrong, and therefore he doesn't have the ability to fix it. The other real elephant in the room is that there is a lack of anyone at the club who sees what is wrong. The boardroom has very little football experience both on and off the pitch.
Jim and the board won't know what's hit them when we lose a large number of season ticket holders in summer .
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