Rochdale (A) 29th December

The away end was definitely not 90 % full today, there were seats everywhere.

I was slightly to the right of the halfway line as we looked at it. 80 % full maybe?

 

A joy to watch, I can not remember dominating a team like that in years. The high press, the constant threat, the effort from front to back... Even in recent seasons where we’ve finished top 6 we haven’t hammered teams as we have these last few weeks.

 

Fantastic performance today, in complete control from start to finish. Rochdale were awful but I think that was more down to how good we were, they didn't have a sniff and we had three or four players up their arse every time they had the ball.

Going forward we were excellent and never gave their donkey central defenders a minutes peace. As usual Payne and Ball outstanding. Jim O'Brien was excellent too.

3 central defenders outstanding too, didn't miss a header and what a player Caddis is, totally transformed our defence.

 

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/competitions/league-one/11594533/rochdale-0-4-bradford-city

 

I'd suggest most fair minded people at the game today though it was a straight red, possibly only the referee didn't.

 

What was O’Conor’s goal celebration about?

 

How come we only get a minute and a half of highlights and Peterborough who also won 4-0 get 3 and a half?

 

Rochdale were no different to Walsall or Scunthorpe in that they just weren't equipped to deal with us today.

Our high-pressure, non-stop hard work approach combined with slick interplay between the front three was devastating. There really was no place to hide on the pitch, we covered every blade of grass and the opposition did not enjoy a single second of it.

Doyle led the line well in the absence of the harder working Miller, and his quality made up for his lack of yardage. When he was allowed to win headers, he used them well - if he were slightly more physical, he'd be a top player. But against two big centre backs, he was able to find time and space to do his own thing, and that's where his class showed.

Ball and Payne were exceptional - they must be a joy for any centre forward to play in front of, and how neither scored is beyond me. Ball could have pulled the trigger multiple times, but his ruthlessness isn't as apparent as his sheer determination, work-rate and teamwork. That's fine! I can deal with that. We should sign him up ASAP. Same goes for Payne, of course, I'm just not sure we'd bag him...

The defence was solid, and McGowan is proving a revelation after time out - something seems to have changed, and long may it continue - if he's got an on-switch, Hopkin might just have found it...

The importance of the role of Lewis O'Brien should not be underestimated. Just when you think Ball, Payne and Doyle (or Miller) are the key three, O'Brien is there buzzing around like an utter nuisance. You cannot take your eyes off any of them, and Jim came in and did a superb job.

This was a remarkably well balanced 5-3-2, and you literally wouldn't have known we'd just switched up formations in the absence of Miller and Akpan.

BUT, special mention to Hopkin again, this guy doesn't let the team take the foot off the accelerator for a second. Just because you're winning doesn't mean you have to consolidate or defend your lead - if you're the better team, keep being better for 90 minutes. Not a Parkinson trait, and not a Stuart trait - that's a Hopkin trait.

If we've got you on the rack early, you could be in for a long, long game........... we are relentless at our best.

 

What an absolute pleasue to be at the game today. Totally dominated Dale, out fought and out played them all over the park. Cheers lads. Got a feeling the New Year is going to be much better than 2018. CTID

 

Jim O’Brien again proving he’s better than Akpan.

 

KEITH HILL A TRUE GENT

 

Hmm...

Both have played in recent 4-0 wins...

I'd say they are interchangeable, and it's pointless belittling either.

 

My favourite player in years. Just a class above and the type of player you need to unlock defences. Brilliant and a good age. Hope we can sell it to him and keep him here this year and then in the summer tempt him

Dreamland

 

Didn’t go but were we more dominant than Walsall at home?

Or was it a full 90 minute domination?

 

Dunno about 80% full -this pic taken by Simon Parker seems to show very few empty seats.

 

A positive as usually when we take a decent away following we crumble and lose.

 

Totally agree with the logic. However he’s out of contract in the summer. See if they’ll let us take him in Jan for a nominal fee. 30% sell on, and back us to make him a 7 figure player over the next couple of years.

 

The highlights don’t do us justice. Or anything close.

 

Genuinely can’t think of another game (going back years) where from first to last we controlled the game as we did today. Last couple of weeks we’ve hammered sides but at the same time they had spells of pressure themselves.
Going forward we honestly could’ve scored 7, at the back and in midfield we were the first to everything, won every 50 50, harassed in packs, passed the ball with skill and accuracy with the front three running rings round Rochdale. O’Donnell was a spectator for almost the entire game. They were petrified of us with and without the ball.
I’ve said elsewhere that in other seasons with better squads and finishing higher in the league, we haven’t dominated teams the way we have done recently and today was next level, I’m so impressed.