Welcome to match two of the league season.
Both sides had a disappointing start to the season - Dale losing at Wendies and Town not firing on all cylinders at home against Bury. However both are in the hat for the second round of the Carling Cup after a convincing win for Town at Port Vale and come from behind extra time win for Dale at home against Chesterfield.
Lee Clarks selection headache. After the relative performances of the first two matches LC has some big decisions to make. I am guessing Hunt will retain RB slot - but who will be the central defence. Also decisions to make in midfield and up front. I do hope we settle on a winning selection regarding formation and players sooner rather than later - don't want too much messing around for too long until we hit winning formula.
Trotman will probably be playing for Dale but they will be without striker O'Grady who has been snapped up by Wendies for the ubiquitous "undisclosed" fee.
I don't know much about the local pubs but there is a good chippy near away end and last year we went into the club on the corner of the ground - large enough and home and away fans mingling with food available also.
Set off early if going by car on M62 as last year was apparantly a nightmare. Coming from the north I didn't have that problem going through Ripponden and over the tops that way.
possible team lineup:-
Bennet
Hunt Clarke Cooper Naysmith
Gobern Miller
Mcdermott Ward Roberts
Novak
This is the team I reckon LC will pick - its bound to be wrong as there are so many different permutations. Can't see him playing 442. Whats all your team predictions then- see who comes closest.
Have included on Rochdale board but seeing as though they have no articles to date am not holding out much (any) hope on any Dale input.
Train info - trains leave Hudders 23, 30 and 46mins past the hour changing at Brighouse (23) Manchester Vic (30) and Manchester Pic then Vic (46 - this obviously taking longer).
Rochdale V Huddersfield
posted on 14/8/11
cryer..
if we had two up top, one being novak..if any clubs were watching us yesterday, they will be worried about playing him.. he ran, quickly, for 90 minutes, chased every ball, dropped both centre halves and a full back in challenges and scored one and made the other...I dont care who we were playing, he did that without much assistance and he does not moan, push his bottom lip out or let anything put him off.. 3rd division centre halves hate it, ours most certainly do when they get chased and challenged all the time..
Point is , with 2 strikers up there and novak doing what he does I know we would be more threatening...lots of times yesterday novak ran wide/into the channels, won the ball held it, played it off and it was then crossed to "nobody" in the box!!! it was very annoying..we have to hold the ball up twice to wait then for our "striker" to get in the box...sh-t!!!!
posted on 14/8/11
No, no...LC's plan is the that Novak lobs the ball into the box high enough so he can then run and get under his own cross, not rocket science..
posted on 14/8/11
I actually found it a little boring yesterday. As if they were trying to coast to a win. I'd rather see them hounding the opposition maybe even picking up some bookings on the way. How brilliant to see Jack Hunt running at them, nothing fancy, just direct attacking football.
I can see lots of potential in this team/formation but yet again it's going to take weeks for new players to "gel" and get used to tactics and know their jobs. Let's just hope we are not too far behind by the time we become a team. One of the promotion places had aleady gone last season before we had any idea how we were going to play.
posted on 14/8/11
Same as last season, boring...in my mind...not enough 'up and at them for me, not enough fight or compassion...I'm sure the players are 'up' for it, and dedicated, it's just that the way we play is lightweight and ineffective, too defensive minded. I don't remember Clark being lightweight when he played, he sort of got stuck in didn't he, so why this lame stuff ?
posted on 14/8/11
jacko..
the word you are looking for is sporadic..
our attacks are sporadic and rarely does the opposition get penned in..
once it breaks down our holders are off back towards the halfway line, the wide players drop off and novak is left to chase the other team around.. we always allow an out ball for the opposition, meaning they dont have to just lump it away and we therefore cannot press them..
i havent a football coaching badge to my name, maybe the amount of badges clark has gets in his eyeline????
if we dont score with the first attack, we wont score in that passage of play.. we actually pressed hard once yesterday with enough players to hold them in, naysmith should have scored, novak could have scored with the next chance and arfields effort was cleared off the line, we had 3 chances to score in the same incident because we pressed up and had bodies there.. I dont mind missing chances, i mind when we dont play/press enough to make any..
posted on 14/8/11
jacko... u know all that because u was there yesterday i take it?
posted on 14/8/11
comment by jacko (U4503)
posted 6 hours, 28 minutes ago
Same as last season, boring...in my mind... not enough compassion.
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Jacko why do we need to be more compassionate?
.
posted on 15/8/11
who died?
posted on 15/8/11
Hmmm...freudian slip...maybe the slow demise of HTAFC...or at least LC.
Tez, no I wasn't there, but I know many things without having to be there to see them..
posted on 15/8/11
maybe u do but not town related unless you have a habit of getting things wrong!