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I feel pleased for Watson and the Board after today. Its clear things are coming together faster now as players return to fitness. Flint is a Master stroke signing and exactly what a young defence needs, a Sergeant Major to give the orders and set the example...There were glimpses of Watsons "system" too, with pace on the wings and Maguire's late arrival to cement the win...standards being set. A good day at the office...
This was recorded before the Newport game, but I haven't seen it before.. interesting in view of the recents events.. Simon and Laura talking about what they are trying to put in place ... interesting from Newport too
Fans forums are mandatory for EFL clubs, I guess enthusiasm for them is different from club to club... Under EFL Regulation 112.1, all member clubs across the Championship, League One, and League Two must hold at least two meetings or fans' forums per season. These forums must invite supporters or their representatives to discuss significant club matters and must feature senior club leadership—such as the majority owner, a board director, or a senior executive
If he is only 80% of full fitness he will have to play, we need his height and leadership. His vocal contribution will be as important as his fitness given the inexperience around him. His presence will give confidence to the kids ..
Sport England is assuming that the current pitches on Bowlee are actually useable when, in fact the area is often waterlogged and unusable, a problem which the proposal will overcome with a soak-away (pond) so in fact, there should be more community use at Bowlee simply because the grass pitches will not be waterlogged for months of every year. That Sport England has been previously disinterested in the quality of the existing pitches speaks volumes ... they were totally disinterested when the pitches in Springfield park were closed...you begin to wonder if Sport England actually has any real interest in grass- roots sport at all, despite boasting that it gets up to £350m a year from the Lottery and Government...They do however seem keen on walking and cycling, and a host of mulicultural ventures .. indeed Sport England's idea of "Sport" seems to encompass a very wide range of a "activities" which do not actually need pitches or specialist equipment which are fit for purpose, or involve any notion of competition. Another expensive quango that noone actually needs......
Detailed Breakdown of the Numbers The total spend is split between Exchequer funding (government tax revenue) and National Lottery Distribution funding. When we extract only the money that goes out the door as direct grants, it breaks down into two distinct financial categories: [1] ( https://sportengland-productio Grants Awarded: £323,200,000 ├── Revenue Grants (People & Programs): £281,300,000 (87%) └── Capital Grants (Physical Facilities): £41,900,000 (13%)
So less than a sixth of Sport England revenue of which the organisation has none of its own and is completely reliant on Government ( income tax) and Lottery ( money that has already been taxed) is actually spent on facilities and yet they are objecting to a scheme that RAFC is funding with RMBC.. a scheme that improves the current pitches and provides a community resource that will help to increase participation in SPORT... make it make sense......
True James, but managers also have to be leaders, they have to have the capacity to inspire their players, which is why many football managers have a decent playing record. Obviously there are exceptions but having been there and done it must be a big advantage..
Its good comms to get a pre-emptive strike in regarding their views on the current situation ahead of tomorrow. I would have expected little else, but well done them for making their position clear. They have a long term plan and like any route on a map, sometimes whats underfoot does not always align with what you thought it would be and you just have to concentrate on getting one foot in front of the other until you arrive at a downhill section... It looks like we will have to battle on until Watson is able to pick his best team.
As an aside, the Ogden Family's Computacenter investments produced stellar 1st half results yesterday, so their mood should be very positive....( and the share price is up 119.55% in the last 12 months
There may be a clause in his contract if he is incapacitated long term because of a reccurence of a previous injury that allows the club to end the contract. The club may even have insurance to cover these circumstance or failing any of this there could be a negotiated settlement with him. An agreed payout may be more attractive to him than traipsing into Manchester every day.. Given his previous injury record, he should have some sort of injury clause in his contract or someone hasn't done enough due diligence.... Google.. .... Laurence Maguire is generally considered significantly more injury-prone than his peers. Over recent seasons, repetitive muscular setbacks—particularly recurring hamstring issues—have severely disrupted his playing time compared to typical lower-league English centre-backs. A breakdown of how his injury record stacks up reveals why he is viewed this way:
Recurring Hamstring and Muscle Issues Maguire’s primary vulnerability is a recurring hamstring problem that has repeatedly halted his momentum. The 2024–25 Season: He suffered a severe hamstring tear on Boxing Day that sidelined him for ten weeks.
The 2025–26 Pre-Season: Just as he recovered, his hamstring "went" again during the summer pre-season, forcing him to miss another ten weeks and the start of the campaign.
December 2025: Shortly after returning, he limped off just 28 minutes into a match against Cambridge United with another muscular injury. This forced his club at the time, MK Dons, to leave him unregistered for the second half of the season because they could not rely on his fitness.
Current Status After transferring to Rochdale in the summer of 2026, his luck has unfortunately not changed. In late August 2026, Rochdale management confirmed that Maguire had already suffered a further injury setback, continuing the trend that has plagued his career.
Still a bit early for me, we need to see his prefered team in action first ( who ever is in that, assuming he knows), what does need sorting out is the injury list, We would be better paying off people like Maguire if they are nowhere near fit (and not reliably likely to stay fit) and rolling the dice on an injury- free, out- of- contract player or two.. there are 1000s of players looking for some sort of contract with decent previous experience....
6 players aged 21 or under in todays starting line-up, the lack of experience is palpable.. . Ramming, Tasker, Taylor and Wilson all under 21 and Moss at 25 were the defence..KSD and Brown making up the 6 most with only their appearances this season as experience of EFL football, these kids need help. You can get away with a couple of novice professionals but 6 in one team is never going to end well. We need to get some older, more experienced players back in the team urgently. I get that we are down to the bare bones but this situation is ridiculous....There is no point in blaming Ramming or Wilson, they are here to get experience around older players who can help them, not to be fed to the wolves every week because the older heads are all injured ... and some havent been fit since they arrived here. And making Mani Captain is fairly pointless since he spends his time half a pitch away from where the encouragement is needed... we need a vocal leader on the pitch badly....
Today has been a huge backwards step, Dieseruvwe, is hopeless at this level, he is meat and drink for any half-decent centre half, everyone assumes that given his height he should win headers, he doesn't win enough by a long way, and as a consequence Brown has no knock-downs to chase, and the wingers throwing high crosses into the box for him is essentially pointless... L2 is about pace, size and power Gillingham had it, we didnt. The substitutions were irrelevant, we don't have anyone capable of changing the game in 10 or 15 minutes. The squad is a mess...signing Maguire was a huge mistake given his injury, the injury list is a scandal. We have no leadership on the pitch , no strong L2 playing experience, and a manager with an unfathomable system. Ramming is being exposed by his makeshift defence, someone needs to tell him to start shouting at them and organising at the back.....he sees the whole game, the others don't and they need his help. We need Beckwith and a proper centre half back asap. And today we needed Gilmour in front of the defence as cover, not Francis... I thought Tasker did OK, Adeeko battled as did Moss, but a spear with no point is just a stick. We should have signed a proper centre forward, we have what, 4, 5, wingers? And no effective target for them to aim at. Tuesday seemed like a turning point, but today was a punch in the face. 3 points today would have put us in a more comfortable16th place. The big question for me now is, " will we ever get to see our best starting 11"? Followed by, "does the manager even know what that 11 might be"? I think there might be some difficult conversations over the next few days......
Has anyone confirmed the Corey Edwards to Everton story? I can't see a confirmation by either club anywhere on the interweb....or did O'Rourke just make it all up?
10 players now queuing up to get in the physio's room...something isnt right...IW needs to sit down with his staff and figure out why we have so many injuries..it only needs one of the goalkeepers to join the list and we will have a crocks 11. However, out of adversity, something interesting has emerged...a team that played their hearts out, scored 3 excellent goals and got the crowd excited...somehow it seemed to prove the point that what doesn't break you makes you stronger. Last nights team may never have been assembled without the injury list and as the injured return to the fold, they will not be able to take their places without a fight....
The players have woken up to the commitment needed at this level... you have to earn the right to play football by doing the hard yards for 90 minuted and the 11 lads on the pitch and the substitutes became a team in front of our eyes....Shrews weren't great but you can only play whats in front of you, and we did. I bet IW sleeps better tonight. And Moss was outstanding.......
Mmmmm.. I wonder which I would choose ... Chelsea or Como, playing right on the shores of Lake Como... not really a difficult decision....good luck Roberto
Mostly AI generated ..I wanted to take the emotion out of the arguments and concentrate on the facts..
"In EFL League Two, roughly 45% to 55% of managers fail to last a single year, reflecting some of the lowest job security in professional football.
Key Breakdown of League Two Sacking Trends Average Tenure is Under a Year: According to historical data published by the League Managers Association (LMA), the average tenure of dismissed League Two managers has repeatedly dipped below the one-year mark. In the 2024/25 season, the average reign of a sacked League Two boss was just 0.90 years (roughly 10.8 months). In previous turbulent years like 2022/23, it dropped as low as 0.75 years (9 months). High Casualty Volumes: A standard 24-club League Two season routinely sees an average of 11 to 14 managerial changes per year. Because the threat of relegation out of the EFL and into non-league football is financially catastrophic, club boards are notoriously impatient. The "First-Time Manager" Trap: A high proportion of League Two appointments are young, first-time managers or coaches stepping up to their first senior role. LMA historical data consistently highlights that nearly 50% of first-time managers across the EFL are sacked within their first 12 months and never get a second managerial job in professional football.
The Core Squad Dictates Success: Multiple sports economics studies show that a team's wage bill and overall player talent account for up to 80% to 90% of league table variance. A manager's experience rarely overcomes a structurally weak squad.
The Illusion of the "New Manager Bounce" Regression to the Mean: Clubs usually fire managers when team form hits rock bottom due to a combination of tough fixtures, a cluster of player injuries, or plain bad luck. Statistically, a team's luck and results will naturally bounce back toward their historical average eventually, regardless of who is standing in the technical area. The "Control Group" Evidence: Prominent studies by sports economists—such as Dr. Bas ter Weel and Professor Jan van Ours—tracked teams that suffered identical, deep slumps in form. They compared the clubs that sacked their manager against a "control group" of clubs that stood by their manager. Both groups recovered at virtually the same rate. In fact, some data shows that clubs sticking with their incumbent manager recovered to an even higher level of long-term form. Short-Term vs. Long-Term: A new manager might trigger a brief, psychological jolt in player motivation for the first 5 to 6 matches. However, data compiled by Sky Sports confirms that after this initial "purple patch," points-per-game metrics quickly taper off and return right back to where they were before the sacking took place.
Matchweek 10 Threshold. Historical data compiled by football analysts shows that Matchweek 10 serves as the ultimate statistical checkpoint The 77% Variance Factor: Since the Premier League moved to a 20-team format, the league table position at Matchweek 10 explains over three-quarters (77%) of the variance in final standings. The 5-Place Rule: Roughly 90% of teams finish the 38-game season within five places of where they were sitting after the first 10 games The Exact Match: A quarter (25%) of all teams finish the season in the exact same spot they occupied after Matchweek 10.
Why Is It Hard to Break the Cycle? The Compounding Psychological Toll: A bad start physically alters player brain mechanics, making them focus excessively on mistakes. Anxiety dulls on-pitch spatial awareness and decision-making, turning a short-term slump into a long term decline The Panic Metric: Because boards react to early point shortages by panicking and firing managers, the disruption of changing tactical systems mid-stream often worsens the long-term trajectory of the season.
Where Rochdale Currently Feature: Yesterday's possession 61% (Top tier in League Two)They completely dominate the ball under Ian Watson. Passes Per Game~430 passes emphasises their patient, short-passing build-up. However, an Xg of 0.2 is the worst in the EFL2 The Verdict: Are They Doomed? The Reality of 0.2 xG: Averaging a near-non-existent 0.07 xG per match means Rochdale are essentially passing the ball in harmless areas. Their 61% possession is entirely passive—circulating the ball across the backline and midfield without ever penetrating the penalty box or generating genuine shots. The "Doomed" Outlook: Applying the Matchweek 10 threshold to this reality gives a poor prediction. Because Rochdale are combining poor results (0 points) with abysmal underlying metrics (0.2 xG), they fit the exact profile of a team heading toward a guaranteed season-long relegation battle rather than a fluke slump." - End of AI - Put simply, the chances of any managerial appointment working well is a 50/ 50 bet, as is sacking a manager mid- season. Watson's squad currently lacks battle- hardened professionals, we pass the ball well, but there is no end product. 10 games is an reasonable measure of likely performance over the rest of the season.
Conclusion.. there is currently little to be optimistic about, we are defending poorly and not looking as if we can score a goal.. changing the manager probably will not improve much .. The main problem is an injury hit squad that probably lacks the means to win games even if it is ever fully fit. Other than a huge, for us, expenditure on more players, its hard to see a way out.. Watson has to at least simplify his "system", whatever it is, pick his best players in their best positions and hope he gets some players back to fitness quickly..its early days and the next 2 home games are critical, we need some momentum and confidence.
Grim ... for 1 against 6 points 0.. Rock bottom . No evidence of a prefered side or a system that works. Something needs to change or the position will be virtually irrecoverable. Generously, I would say he has half a dozen more games , but at 9 or 10, possibly fewer games in , if we are still rock bottom and nothing has changed , the Board will have to act, there is no sympathy in this business The major problem is that the Manager hasn't managed a win in 90 minutes since he arrived. Whatever he is trying to inculcate is either a nonsense or the players simply don't understand it or are incapable of actioning it. Its the definition of stupidity, doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. Has anyone yet seen even a glimmer that this is going to work out? The next certainty is that the dressing room spirit will start too implode and then its curtains.... This season should be about establishing a base, being tough to beat and able to score a goal or two. I'm not sure we have the right mix in the squad to permit that.
"Over the last five seasons, relegated teams typically finish between 34–43 points, with Scunthorpe (26) and Macclesfield (22) being the extreme low outliers. The average points total for relegated sides across these seasons is roughly 35–37 points." A new manager would have to do better than a point per game over 36 games if we are nowhere in sight by game 10
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