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Rola Cola Sponsored English League Two

Rochdale AFC 3 - 0 Macclesfield Town FC

Journey

It's 1pm there or there abouts.  I'm sat in the Studds Bar with Mr. Keane and Keane jnr.  The Bradford game is playing on the big screen.  It's been on for about half an hour.  Including our little group there are maybe twenty people watching.  With no audio commentary, the sound down low and just the clink of glasses and muttered conversation to fill the big empty space - you might be forgiven for thinking it was a wake.  

Odd.  

I was there on Tuesday night when nearly 700 voices shook Valley Parade.  The night that Dale went top of the league.  I had thought the Studds would be packed to the rafters with those who weren't lucky enough to get over to 'that Yorkshire' to watch the game. 

I'm not going all Dale-ier than thou on you - people have stuff to do on a Saturday - I know this.  I just thought it would be like Tuesday Night all over again.  I suppose I was a bit disappointed. 

As we watched Dale romp to a highly deserved win, the conversation turned to January.  It is no secret that due to the club's knife edge finances that Dale will proabably be forced into selling at least one player when the transfer window opens.  This current Rochdale team is the best line-up that Mr. Keane and I have ever seen - to see it flogged off to the highest bidder, especially after Tuesday night - would be heartbreaking.

So, what can be done to stop it.  Buy Goldbond tickets?  Maybe.  Buy Christmas raffle tickets? Perhaps.  Buy a replica shirt? Sure, why not.  The real answer is however astonishingly simple - consider this:

Blackburn. Population: 105,085. Average attendance at Ewood Park: 25,000 (est)

Bolton.  Population: 139,403.  Average attendance at the Reebok: 21,888

Burnley.  Population: 73,500.  Average attendance at Turf Moor: 20,313

Oldham.  Population: 103,544.  Average attendance at Boundry Park: 5,258

Rochdale. Population: 95,796.  Average attendance at Spotland: 2,723*

Even the Latics can command 5% of their local population.  Dale manage less than 3%.  Just imagine 5% of the population of Rochdale turning up at Spotland.  Average attendance 4790.  An extra 2000 or so souls for home games.  Based on a guess, assume the average ticket is £16 - thats an extra £32,000 for each home game.  23 home games = £736,000 extra per season .  An extra £736,000 per season = no fire sale every January.

You want goals?  Dale have scored 10 in their last five home league games.  The football is a joy to watch, the pies are awesome and there is plenty of room.  7,000 people turned up for the play-off semi-final vs. Darlington.  17,000 went to Wembley.  We know you are out there...

People of Rochdale - BE HERE NOW!

As if on cue - Mr. Keane's latest convert to the cause, Mr. Calman, arrived.    

* No, I don't know these figures off the cuff.  I used Wikipedia and Soccerbase when I got home - just like everybody else...  

Weather 

Rochdale weather - cold and grey - it poured down later.

Food  

After months of drought - the storm broke - meat and potato pie, times two.  As I said - awesome.

Away Support

The minibus waited through the whole game - at no extra charge - which was nice.

Dale aren't the only ones struggling to get bums on seats.

News

Done a Delia. Rochdale Chairman, Chris Dunphy, was on the Official Rochdale site in the week asking the simple question - well, where are you then?!  It was stirring stuff - but he didn't quote loads of fascinating stats about northern towns or tie in an Oasis album title.  So I expect that no-one paid any attention.

The idiot lantern shineth.  The Rochdale vs. Bury game has been moved to the evening of Monday 1st February 2010 to allow those nice folks at Sky (and more importantly their lovely cash) to show the game, live on the telly box.  Expect more coverage of old men eating pies and patronizing remarks about dark, satanic mills.

You Yellows? If you were wondering why there has been no coverage of the Littleborough Yellows in a while - it's because they haven't played in over a month due to waterlogged pitches.  Good job we've got the gloal warming, isn't it...  

Action

Your team for today:

GK: Heaton

Def: Kennedy(T), Stanton, Dawson, Wiseman

Mid: Atkinson, Taylor, Kennedy(J), Higginbotham

For: Dagnall, O'Grady

Bench: Taberner, McArdle, Flynn, Hogan, Toner, Jones, Glover

Apart from the enforced change of Thompson for Higginbotham, caused by the young winger's injury on Tuesday night, it was pretty much as you were for Dale.

Top of the league Dale face off against a Macclesfield side who haven't won a game in weeks.  It was a similar situation for last season's visit of the Silkmen.  Dale weren't top - but they were coming off the back of a run of good wins - then a gritty performance from a similarly struggling Macc side saw the men of Cheshire come away with an unlikely but deserved point.  Long and short - the visit of Macc Town had 'unfortunate slip up' written all over it.  Still, Dale had been top for a few days - it was good while it lasted.

The secret of Macc's success last time around was the towering presence of Nat Brown.  This time the Silkmen fielded the equally titanic Ricky Sappleton and Hamza Bencherief as well as Brown.  The presence of these three giants certainly seemed to be causing Dale some discomfort in the opening exchanges.  Rochdale had chances including an oh so nearly for Dagnall from about a yard, but Macc were firmly holding their ground.  The opening quarter of an hour was pretty inconclusive.

In the next fifteen minutes both Sappleton and Bencherief left the field.  Sappleton, following a ill-judged challenge from Stanton left him hobbling.  Stanton justly went in the book for his trouble.  Bencherief, afyer what looked like a pretty inoccuous challenge from Jason Kennedy left him writhing in agony.  He was stretchered off after some delay.  Kennedy, probably harshly, would also go in Mr. Cook's book.

The enforced changes clearly upset the Macc game plan.  Within minutes - Dale had taken the lead.  Some muscular forward play from O'Grady disposessed a dithering Tremarco near the touchline.  The resulting cross was perfect, Atkinson's close range finish was clinical.  1-0 Dale!

Three minutes later Dale doubled their lead.  A surging run from Higginbotham produced a slightly wayward pass which Brisley seemed to have well covered - but his clearance cannoned off O'Grady and flew into the area where an oddly positioned Scott Wiseman produced a centre forward's finish from close range.  2-0 Dale!      

With Higginbotham running the defenders ragged and Macc finding no real answer to O'Grady's strength and movement - more goals seemed likely.  But in spite of a flurry of attempts in the closing minutes - 2-0 it remained.

During half time it finally dawned on me that something was a bit wrong.  Precisely what kit were Dale wearing today?  Shorts and socks from the home kit - with the purple away shirt.  A quick ask around the press box revealed that Mr. Cook had felt that Dale's stylish black and blue stripes would clash with Macc's wasp inspired ensemble.  The fact that it took me 45 minutes to spot it is a bit of a worrier though.  Can a tweed hat and an inexhaustible supply or Werther's Originals be far away?

The half sometimes known as second was a more measured affair.  Dale seemed happy enough to hold Macc at bay and counter when the opportunity presented itself.  That said, things were pretty uneventful until around seventy minutes when Shaun Brisley's already unfortunate afternoon get a whole lot worse.  After Dagnall had released O'Grady at the edge of the area - Brisley dragged him to earth and Mr. Cook once again produced his book - after indicating that Mr. Brisley could get a head start on the post match bath situation.

The most recent of Dale's special guest stars, Danny Glover, came on for Dagnall on seventy five and almost scored with his first significant touch.  However, his volley from Tom Kennedy's cross flew straight into the arms of Johnny Brain.

Just when it seemed that we were done - Atkinson lashed a cross into the Macc area where for the third time an unmarked Dale player loitered.  This time it was Taylor - there has clearly been some shooting practice on Bowlee this last week - the finish was immaculate.  3-0 Dale!

There was barely time to restart before Mr. Cook closed procedings.

Speak Your Brains

Your cast for today: Me (Messers Keane & Calman had parties to go to and need to rush off to get their frocks on)

No Slip up this afternoon.  An almost surgical performance.  Good to see Higginbotham in the side and playing well.  O'Grady was pretty well unstopable - his man of the match award was well deserved.

It did seem that Dale might open a gap of four points to second place at one point this afternoon - but Bournemouth picked up a win through a Dunfield own goal against Shrewsbury.  Dale stay top by one point - but are now seven points clear of fourth placed Notts County.

People of Rochdale. If not you - who?  If not now - when?  BE HERE NOW...