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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v Aldershot Town
at 15:41 29 Mar 2025
Playing okay at the moment, Aldershot look slick but without much threat.
re Gordon, there was a rumour circulating that he wasn’t actually injured… |
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Reply | Would you take out of the cup & play offs if it meant McNulty being sacked?
at 13:39 28 Mar 2025
Results aside, our approach in those games you mentioned was totally different.
And now, for some reason that only JM will be aware of, we have reverted back to the same, shite, pedestrianesque play that we have seen far too often this season.
If we are to still be successful this season, we need to signify our attacking intent early on and take the game to teams.
Not holding my breath though… |
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Reply | Would you take out of the cup & play offs if it meant McNulty being sacked?
at 19:13 26 Mar 2025
I can’t remember a situation as bizarre as this one in that even if we get into the playoffs and potentially win a trophy, a decent chunk of fans (from my own experience at least) would still want rid of the manager.
I can’t quite work out if I agree or not but I think I understand it |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v York City
at 11:41 26 Mar 2025
The most telling difference between us and the decent teams in this division is how much more frequently they take their opportunities.
How many times have we said this season that we’ve played OK up until a team’s first goal, only for us to concede at the first sign of any sort of attack?
The reality is that we aren’t direct enough and are very easy to play against. This is why the possession stats and way we “control” the game is largely irrelevant. Teams work us out due to our slow, pedestrian style and then hit us on the break after we inevitably misplace a pass or make some sort of individual error.
And teams also shoot when they get the opportunity. Something else Jim seems to have coached out of the players.
I would normally say that Jim is unlikely to change the style of play that he currently employs. However, we did have that mini upturn of form where we actually started on the front foot and attacked teams from the off. The fact that this yielded better results makes it all the more baffling that we have reverted back to type. I feel that the only way we can be successful this season is to bring back that style of football.
It begs the question as to why we changed our approach in the first place. Was it due to pressure from the fans? Was it the signing of Bird that facilitated this change? And why have we reverted back to a style of play that quite clearly wasn’t working? |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v York City
at 00:16 26 Mar 2025
I must confess that quite early into the season, I stopped listening to his diatribe.
He had a couple of not so subtle dig at the fans in that interview, is that commonplace or a new thing?
That clip certainly reminded me why I stopped and why I’ll be giving them a miss moving forward |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v York City
at 23:29 25 Mar 2025
Success is certainly relative and as I say, objectively, you would have a hard time arguing that wouldn’t be a successful season.
But I think we need to look at the bigger picture in terms of the long term aim which is ultimately, to get us back to the FL.
I asked the same question of 442 the other day but I will also put it to you, do you think McNulty is the man to lead us out of the National League?
To me, there are at least a couple of parts to that:
1) Is he capable of putting a squad together which is good enough to get us out of the division?
On balance, I would say that he probably is. He has brought some decent players in and I honestly don’t think the squad is half bad at all.
2) Does he have the nous and tactical ability to employ a successful system which will utilise said players to the best of their potential?
I don’t believe this to be true. Over the last decade or so, we have been famed for finding diamonds in the rough or at least improving players who then may or may not move onto better things. I don’t think that Jim improves players and I’m tempted to say that he does the opposite.
I think our midfield is a good example of this. When Gilmour and East came in, it made me realise how much we had missed a midfield who were not only ready to receive the ball but who were also willing to drive forwards. I feel that he has coached this out of them to the point where they receive the ball and immediately look backwards or in the best case scenario, sideways.
Ultimately, I just can’t see Jim ever taking us up. And a cup run to the final of a “tinpot” trophy which in the grand scheme of things means very little wouldn’t be enough to change my mind. If we are to make it to the playoffs, I have absolutely no faith in Jim’s ability as a manager to take us all the way. |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v York City
at 22:47 25 Mar 2025
But if we sneak into the playoffs and make Wembley, it can be judged as an objectively good season based on results. The truth however is much more nuanced than that which is why I mentioned about entertainment and on the pitch product as even if we do achieve the aforementioned objectives, I can see us losing ST holders as opposed to gaining them (which is exactly the opposite of project 5000) |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v York City
at 21:45 25 Mar 2025
The problem is they want him in.
They offered him the most generous contract extension ever as they bought into the ex player and cares about the club spiel.
This is his first managerial job and it’s quite obvious from his tenure.
The off the field project is absolutely fking moot if we don’t offer up a product on the pitch that enthrals and persuaded people to buy season tickets,
If the owners are genuine about their vision, they need to have a long, hard think. I do however think the timing of sacking him now would do more harm than good. They could do a lot worse than keep him on and just keep feeding him the rope so he can continue to hang himself |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v York City
at 21:24 25 Mar 2025
The truth is that aside from individual errors, this is no worse than we have played for large parts of the season. We are simply playing a decent side who are punishing our turgid play. The abysmal standard of the league has masked a lot of our sub standard performances on account of teams who are as shite as us |
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Reply | TVOS Preview - Rochdale v York City
at 20:45 25 Mar 2025
The trepidation is palpable amongst the back 4 when they have the ball.
It’s up to the manager to instil confidence in the players and at present, they look devoid of it.
Even Waller looks like an U-12 keeper.
Big half needed. Can Jim make the required changes? |
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Reply | Refwatch - Maidenhead United v Rochdale
at 19:11 22 Mar 2025
I feel like other managers were afforded more time and less criticism because they were just that, managers.
If McNulty wasn’t universally liked as a person and wasn’t a former player, there’s no way he would have been afforded the good graces that he has received (or the contract that he was given).
I agree with the comment about the reactive nature of the fanbase and perhaps that’s because we were spoiled under KH’s tenure. But I also think it’s important to note that we are now in non league which is probably the first time in the club’s history where we can make the argument that we are “too good” (and I hate that phrase) for this division. It’s also probably one of the first times in the history of the club where we it’s almost universally acknowledged that we are deserving of more |
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Reply | Refwatch - Maidenhead United v Rochdale
at 19:06 22 Mar 2025
I would guess that people were congratulating Jim as they were of the opinion that we had turned the corner in our approach (which evidently hasn’t happened) as opposed to congratulations regarding the recent form.
And if you’re talking about people congratulating him on here, don’t forget that this forum is a very small cross section of the fanbase. |
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Reply | Refwatch - Maidenhead United v Rochdale
at 18:56 22 Mar 2025
It’s never going to be well done Jim if we scrape into the playoffs as that is the absolute bare minimum we should be expecting with this squad, this budget and in a division this turgid. Aside from a few games here and there, the football has been horrifically uninspiring since he took over. And you could put up with that if it’s yielding exceptional results. But it isn’t. No goals vs Ebbsfleet (who concede around 3 a game), a loss at home to Boston where we once again gifted them the first goal through fancying about and a draw at a dismal looking Maidenhead side tells you all you need to know about our attacking set up and prowess. And the lack of adventure, lack of shooting when in perfect ranger, crab like midfield approach, passing back to the keeper, not leaving a man up at a corner when we need a goal etc etc has to be down to managerial instruction |
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Reply | Refwatch - Maidenhead United v Rochdale
at 18:20 22 Mar 2025
If you were to describe our play under Jim, I think I’ve summed it up pretty well. There are of course exceptions where for one reason or another, he appears to let the players off the leash. The baffling this is that this is when we play our best football and yet he hasn’t cottoned onto this. And tbh, that in itself showcases his limitations more than anything else.
I think playoffs should be the bare minimum for this squad of players but it should be a comfortable ask as opposed to how we appear to be limping into the top 7 at the moment.
My question to you would be if we don’t get in the playoffs this year (or get promoted), do you trust Jim as the manager who will get us there the following season? |
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