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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Liverpool U21 (EFL Trophy)
at 20:02 22 Sep 2026
The amount of chances we give up is still a real concern. Obviously Saturday was a great win but we should be under no illusions how clear cut the chances Oldham had.
There were some of those xG stats on twitter, and whilst not a fan of all that usually, it paints a picture that we are significantly worse than anyone else for how many clear cut chances we create against those we give to the opposition.
Points wise, we are actually overachieving at the moment which does at least point to some resilience to keep going. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Liverpool U21 (EFL Trophy)
at 19:40 22 Sep 2026
Great strike by Rodney.
Lots of playing out from the back and recycling the ball until someone is free. ZSD and Henderson finding space in that attacking midfield area, moreso now Liverpool are down to ten men. |
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Reply | Fans’ Forum
at 17:07 20 Sep 2026
Have you heard anything back regarding your questions? |
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Oldham Athletic
at 17:06 20 Sep 2026
Would hope there’s a clear instruction that he’s not to do it unless there’s an obvious pass on. If not, get rid.
Of course, it would also require the whole approach at the back to be looked at too with defenders aware when/when not to give it to him.
What I would say is that yesterday saw him claim some crosses well. That’ll build some confidence. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Oldham Athletic
at 13:23 20 Sep 2026
There was plenty of criticism and questioning of EEL’s suitability for the role on his return from a long injury during the season when we started using that formation. When it came to performances, results and achievements in a leadership role, that reactionary stance was proven to be wrong.
Watson came in and looked to build from the back in a similar way, just with less players in the back line and greater distances. It was causing us untold problems, at that stage we’d probably have been better going more direct.
There were still examples of that initial approach yesterday, except it now seems the defenders have been give licence to clear their lines when they see fit. Having an extra man to join the midfield in Taylor helps too, if he’s playing as the ‘10’, his natural instincts mean he can be an option for a pass deeper, unlike Brown who plays as a secondary striker when in that role.
Of course these are only assumptions based on watching one game, what goes on in training and how they want to play longer term is something only Watson and the players will know for sure. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Oldham Athletic
at 11:08 20 Sep 2026
EEL will be fine with the change (if that’s something Watson wants to make) as seen during that period under BBM. That he was able to adapt and prove people wrong to become someone who could help construct attacks as the central player in a back three is another illustration of managers finding the best way to utilise the players they have.
There’s an obvious change, but we still need to reduce the amount of chances we give up in general though. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Oldham Athletic
at 10:44 20 Sep 2026
It was such a crucial signing on the back of EEL’s injury where we lost such an experienced player. The pressure would have been to rush Maguire back but instead he’s been able to be introduced gradually which will hopefully mean he won’t suffer further injuries.
There was a post earlier in the thread where Flint’s start to the game was a bit hit and miss, where players like himself/Maguire/EEL have an advantage over younger players is that they quickly put mistakes behind them to still concentrate on defending solidly for the rest of the game.
Watson may have stumbled across a different way of getting results with this, one which BBM utilised well when we stayed up in 18/19. Let defenders defend, try and play the football when they can but not where it clouds the thinking. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Oldham Athletic
at 21:30 19 Sep 2026
My point was last season, the best in our history for winning so often, was against sides and with a side that was far better than some other seasons we’ve played in the league.
Just don’t think there’s any need to caveat or play down last season’s achievement or that you don’t win so many games by being “nice” or “soft”, which is totally different to being physical. To do so would be, in my opinion, disrespectful to the level we were deservedly playing at. Same as phrases like “part time league”, “pub team” etc.
Did we need to change for playing a division higher? Undoubtedly. Adding pace and physicality was always going to be needed. That’s why Hayes and Maguire were already on our radar before the change in manager.
As an aside, do I think Boreham Wood are better than every side we’ve played so far this season? Walsall excepted, as I didn’t see them, yes. |
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Reply | Oldham
at 20:22 19 Sep 2026
Honestly? They looked like every Mellon team we’ve played over the last few years. Their squad is made up of journeymen and anyone with any flair doesn’t get chance to stand out.
They weren’t any better or worse than previously. Just the same.
Win a few and they’ll all love him again though.
Edit: agree entirely on the standard across the division so far too. [Post edited 19 Sep 20:23]
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Reply | Oldham
at 19:55 19 Sep 2026
They were. The worst Oldham team ever.
Except that one that got relegated from the League.
Or the one we faced at Boundary Park in 2016. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Oldham Athletic
at 19:51 19 Sep 2026
Don’t often associate a team so focused on winning, whatever the level, and achieving that with numbers rarely seen in the game as being soft or nice.
Don’t recall any games where we looked to have a soft belly, of course there were times we didn’t win when we should have (Halifax and Scunthorpe) - that’s football, but the counter point would be amount of games we won with steely determination until the end. Wembley being the obvious example.
The only factual part about rhe National League being “lower” is that it is in the pyramid. The standard of football is all about opinion. We played teams with teams that were of a lower standard than last year’s NL, again, an opinion. But one which can be illustrated by looking at the teams at the bottom end of Div. 4 in, say 86/87. Altrincham last season had much more about them than Burnley back then…
If 33 wins can be caveated by some reference to the division we were in, it’s a struggle to see how we’ll ever be able to view last season as a once in a lifetime achievement. Accept that the football wasn’t to everyone’s liking, always have. Wasn’t to mine a lot of the time either, but supported what was visibly working. [Post edited 19 Sep 19:55]
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Oldham Athletic
at 19:09 19 Sep 2026
It’s evolving into a different type of football, both from what we’ve seen over the last few seasons and from what we saw under Watson preseason.
Be interesting if the next step is to totally stop playing out from goal kicks. Flint doesn’t look comfortable with it and we look better with our defenders winning anything coming back that them being involved building play near their own goal. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Oldham Athletic
at 18:45 19 Sep 2026
I missed the post earlier, that’s all.
Yes, lowest level in terms of divisions. Not in standards of football having seen the Fourth Division in the 80s/90s.
But then again, I never had a superiority complex about non league or looked down on the clubs there. In my opinion, that would be disrespectful. Others may disagree.
We weren’t “nice” or “soft” last season either, again an opinion. The 33 wins indicates we were a team of focused winners. Is there other evidence that points to us being “nice” or “soft”? |
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Reply | Refwatch - Rochdale v Oldham Athletic
at 17:50 19 Sep 2026
That’s a good point about the reaction towards Watson. You’d think some would have learnt after similar reactions towards the last manager after disappointing defeats.
Supporters/fans again.
Is everything perfect after the last couple of games? Far from it. But we have the beginnings of a new team playing a different way that’s starting to get results.
Results business. |
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