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Reply | Fan services email
at 18:39 21 Oct 2026
Agree about the standing area and keeping it, but following the York game, how much more "education" do these young lads need? Or are they willing to listen to?
I partly agree with D4L in that the efforts undertaken by the club to accommodate them risk backfiring, and not at all sure that "education" alone is something they're amenable to
Absolutely look at excluding them for a period, and prior to return, have them undertake some community-focused work at the club to emphasise the destructive nature of their activity |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Grimsby Town
at 00:15 21 Oct 2026
He is indeed flying high in L1, and ultimately, perhaps he knew he could cut out having to adapt Dale to the new division by simply skipping to the one higher up with a team that already had potential
We've been through all the arguments about his style in the NL, they ended when we escaped at Wembley, but that should have us appreciating (as said before) our new era and the initial efforts to build from almost scratch, even though the ride might be more bumpy
Looking forward to Saturday against Accy who took a good point at York tonight, providing we can put a team out
[Post edited 21 Oct 0:16]
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Grimsby Town
at 22:18 20 Oct 2026
Rather than "forget", surely these hard-fought points need to be appreciated more, given we're in a higher division and it sounded like end-to-end stuff particularly in the closing stages?
Injuries pile upon injuries, but Hendo moved one nearer to the appearances record and extended his goalscoring total in front of 3600 on a damp Tuesday night
This is life in the former Rochdale division, and tonight would likely have been enjoyed over much of our history even if we were below par
[Post edited 20 Oct 22:21]
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Grimsby Town
at 21:43 20 Oct 2026
Couldn't make it tonight, but sounds like a decent scrap with loads of chances at both ends
A well-fought point in the end? |
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Reply | Refwatch - Tranmere Rovers v Rochdale
at 08:36 14 Oct 2026
You're not wrong D4L
I think quite a few still have a hangover from last season, when even then we took points after being second best. We're 10th, and rebuilding through necessity
The spirit, and yes, the identity is emerging [Post edited 14 Oct 10:57]
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Reply | Watson.....
at 13:26 6 Oct 2026
I don't think we disagree on very much at all (and why should we, seeing pretty much the same product on the field in relation to what's happening in the treatment room)
I take your point about Watson's abilities to manage a full squad who're in contention for selection being an unknown. I'm inclined to think he'll be just fine. He has a lot of options on both attacking flanks, especially with Hayes now nearing match fitness. Silcott-Duberry did little wrong in his appearances but Watson clearly thinks others are more likely to create chances and in selecting Middleton he's right. In addition, bringing Hannant on when Smith went off early doors against Swindon, then taking Hannant off for Hayes, shows he's not afraid to take decisions which players might feel inclined to be upset about
Hayes probably wasn't ready for 75-80 minutes which may have influenced his decision, and Watson probably considered we needed someone with defensive qualities for that length of time whilst we toughed it out before introducing Hayes. All of this suggests managerial competence. I was critical of lack of subs at the right time in earlier games, but in mitigation i think he was possibly lacking in confidence prior to putting a few points on the board, aware of the intensity of fan "feedback", yet has overcome both, at least for now
I began with the "less than ten games" point because that's exactly where we are: in effect, there is so little "earlier in the season" it almost seems trite to speak of it; it's still early in the season
[Post edited 6 Oct 13:28]
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Reply | Watson.....
at 11:55 6 Oct 2026
Less than ten games into our league season back in the EFL
Some good points, but is "blowing teams away" some kind of new standard that Watson has to achieve? i don't recall Dale "blowing teams away" under the previous regime, even after three seasons. I recall having a great deal of possession, with a perennial impression of doing far less with it than we should've been. That's now changing, with fast wingers and greater effort engaged in getting the ball into their feet.
Whilst Shrewsbury had their chances against us, we ended up putting them to the sword, and this in a higher division
No-one - absolutely no-one, is getting carried away with the upturn in form. A long winter awaits us. Just last Spring, we got turned over 2-4 by Morecambe, who were relegated. Yes, in the midst of record-breaking points accumulation... in the NL
I fully agree though, the standard isn't that much higher. I've made this point elsewhere. I think people lost sight of just how ordinary teams can be and still survive at this level. It just takes an extra "something" to get yourself up into the higher positions, and challenging
[Post edited 6 Oct 12:02]
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Reply | Watson.....
at 13:51 5 Oct 2026
I doubt anyone would disagree with that?
What was in question was those who'd already made their minds up "he's not our man" rather than taking a more measured view of how much longer he might need to assert his style, his identity
Can you imagine if the board had panicked and changed horses a month ago? That would've left all of us doubting their credentials to be able to make the right footballing decisions, and leave the club flapping in the wind, with any new manager facing the same issues and with players he hadn't just recruited. It would've been madness
There's little more to be said now, except we can all breathe a lot more easily on our way to the COA |
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Reply | Watson.....
at 18:35 4 Oct 2026
In saying "i had doubts about Watson" i commented (in person) to another contributor to this messageboard "If Watson loses the next two games against Walsall and Oldham, he's in trouble"
It was serious, and the way the club stage-managed the fans forum suggests they knew it was serious too, but in the sense they really didn't need the negativity after everything the owners had input
Their business was built up over decades, and no doubt they've been through many trials and tribulations to get to where they are. In appointing Watson, they were following a process that they had little alternative but to stand by, or else it'd have put their process into doubt and that'd leave them with nowhere to go
Their process, their experience is something that many commentators will have been nowhere near in their lives. The Ogdens appreciate the fans (the U Block being an example) but managing expectations of such a volatile group can't be comfortable for them, even when they appreciate the background levels of relative deprivation that exists within our home environments
Again, i just wish the fanbase itself took greater account of all this context before casting judgment
[Post edited 4 Oct 18:43]
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Reply | Watson.....
at 17:15 4 Oct 2026
This is what i found so annoying about some of the earlier attitudes
It's as if some people have forgotten our history, after one incredible season
My point in reply to tonyroch was how much our history has been based on survival; success has been rare, a "mixed results" season is the norm. I get the whole thing around the "Steve Eyre" fear but it wasn't until further into the season than we are now it became apparent
I had my doubts about Watson, but in the context of the hand he'd been dealt. This isn't a "told you so" post, but i just wish (as you refer to with the instant reactions point) that context was more appreciated
I guess it's the whole rise of social.media, where everything happens in the moment and that's all that matters to some |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Swindon Town
at 11:03 4 Oct 2026
Dale survived all those decades in the fourth tier through being "ordinary"
When we fell into the NL a perception might've arisen that all of a sudden, "the EFL" was some kind of place where only the better than ordinary exists. The standard is higher than the NL of course, but not by much. Can't say i'm surprised; all we needed to do was get organised under a new manager, which we're doing, and in pretty good time all things considered
I think we could prove to be better than ordinary in this division, whilst having no expectations other than consolidation |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Swindon Town
at 09:23 4 Oct 2026
Wilson catching their beakaway and dispossessing him first half was a key moment, plus his ability to carry the ball forward, which breaks up the passing around at the back routine, show he's going to be an assett after a shaky start with Dale
Agree, that would be a strong back four [Post edited 4 Oct 9:26]
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Swindon Town
at 22:16 3 Oct 2026
Also noticed Flint and Ball exchanging a few words, second half
Doubt very much if Watson will mind one of his players able to give it out |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Swindon Town
at 17:34 3 Oct 2026
No words
Except... top half, far from the finished product, we can get better, 3 wins on the trot, we have a style, Watson is our man, players coming back into contention, fans flocking to the COA, delighted for Hayes
Okay, that's quite a few... [Post edited 3 Oct 17:36]
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