Welcome to Rochdale
Tuesday night, Rochdale. Can there be a more unappetising place to be? Maybe Hartlepool comes close or Fratton railway station on a Friday night at closing time.
We went up to 2nd on Saturday with our win against Leyton Orient and suddenly everybody starts talking like it’s a formality. Some of that came from Darren Ferguson and Lee Clark, no doubt trying some mind games. This is Saints you fools and until it’s the 94th minute and we’re 3-0 up, there is no such thing as a formality. Nigel Adkins’ positivity is unbreakable though as we take on Rochdale in one of our games in hand, postponed from earlier in the season when the fact that they allow rugby league to be played on this pitch, meant it was one of only 2 games postponed in the entire country.
Dale Stephens and Frazer Richardson come in for Chaplow and Butterfield and Adam Lallana is again on the bench. It is noticeable however that he doesn’t take part in the warm up, suggesting that either all is not well with him and he’ll only be called upon in an extreme emergency or it suggests that he’s so good that he doesn’t need to practice or warm up. We have a diamond formation in midfield again, oh dear.
The game starts and we are given immediate notice that this isn’t going to be easy as Thompson gets free from a corner and heads just over. It’s end to end though and Sir Rickie fires in a free kick from somewhere near Manchester which the mildly-amusingly named Owain Fon Williams tips past the post. He’s at it again a while later as a neat move involving Dickson and Barnard ends with the Gulyman taking aim from miles out and hammering in a shot which kicks up off of the ploughed field but unfortunately, not enough to beat the keeper.
Back come Rochdale and following a generously awarded free kick, where Fonte slid in in ugly fashion but took the ball, Gary Jones fires just wide, probably because he’s as ugly as Carlos Tevez but in a very different way. Rochdale definitely have the upper hand at this stage and following a poorish header and subsequent airshot by Jaidi, O’Grady finds himself 1 v 1 but doesn’t look confident as he goes through and Kelvin spread himself well to save with his feet.
I have a deep sense of foreboding that it’s only a matter of time before we let a goal in and it duly arrives as play is switched quickly from right to left and we have no one in the right midfield position (diamond working well again) which allows the left winger a free run at Richardson. His cross is deep but Thompson rises above a complete wet lettuce challenge from Harding and loops the header back over Davis and in at the far post. One player 100% committed, one player not.
Heading towards half time at 1-0 down and at least we have the hope of the half time magician that is Adkins, turning it round and us producing the usual improvement in the 2nd half. Rochdale however, haven’t read that particular script and O’Grady made a reservation at the Kelvin Davis Restaurant – todays menu featuring his speciality near post dish, whereby he serves up a fucking goal on a plate. O’Grady got through on our left hand side and pressured by no defender whatsoever, hit an average kind of shot at the near post which Kelvin butchered into the net. THIS. HAPPENS. TOO. OFTEN.
All that happened between now and half time was Harding being substituted and Johnno Pace coming on. Harding limped away but this may have been a face saving gesture. Johnno was in Fake Dons territory again, coming on at 2-0 down with Davis having just served up some more near post rubbish.
I’m in my usual away game position of listening to the radio whilst trying to shirk as many ‘dad’ duties as I possibly can. Dunno what it is but I never leave a game early even when we’re getting dicked and there is seconds to go but the prospect of listening to Merrington and the other berk is less than appealing at 2-0 down. I finish the shortest bed time story ever and go against my better judgement and decide to listen to the 2nd half.
The second half starts and we look much more up for the fight and we soon have a chance as Johnno Pace intercepts a crossfield ball and he’s away – Run Forrest! He streaks away from one man and is about to go beyond the last defender and bear down on the keeper when for some strange reason, he decides to shoot from 25 yards instead of committing the last defender and Fon Williams flaps it wide
Rochdale produce a little bit going forward but it’s mainly Saints pressure with corner after corner being won and corner after corner being taken badly by Guly. From one that was decent, Jaidi rose and thumped a header goalwards which Fon Williams again tipped over. There was an overriding sense of ‘not going to be our day’ as the half went on. Jaidi went off in a straight swap with Seaborne and Nigel decided that we had to have a go for the last 20 and Lallana come on for the ineffective Stephens.
Lallana immediately showed that he was the best player on the pitch when despite playing well within himself, he managed to spark us into life curling in a shot which was fisted away by the ever alert Fon Williams. Lallana managed to come closest to pulling one back 5 minutes later when he took a pass from Richardson and smashed in a left footed shot which beat the keeper and thudded back off the near post. A bit of ping pong and it ended up with Guly, who probably never envisaged playing on a Tuesday night in Rochdale when he was honing his skills on the beaches of Brazil. His horrible slice off the outside of his right boot ended up closer to the Copacabana than it did to the goal.
Time dribbled away and so it came to pass that Rochdale had done the double over us and deservedly so. As far as we’re concerned it’s a blow but not a huge one. We still have a game in hand and we are still in 2nd place. It of course means that we cannot really afford to lose at Brighton who today beat Dagenham and Redbridge 4-3 to confirm their promotion which can’t be argued with really. They’ve been the most consistent and best side in the division by miles. They of course have a new ground to play in next season so good times for them. So that’s the Seagulls and the Skates in the Championship. Can the Saints join them? Oh yeah and Bournemouth dropped out of the playoff places today and were replaced by Rochdale.... sorry chaps.
Nigel issued an ‘all stick together’ rallying cry at the end of the game which of course, we have to do. He talked of learning lessons and the abysmal failure of a few things today should make the tactics for future games interesting. The diamond formation does not work for us – in simple terms, it makes all our attacks funnel down the middle and restricts the service into Barney and Sir Rickie. Our midfielders aren’t good enough in possession to keep the ball for long periods, even when they have an extra man to pass to. Defensively, it makes our full backs overworked and unprotected and any team with wingers can have a field day. Yet again, we come under a bit of pressure and Harding and Davis are found wanting – hopefully Adam Lallana will be fit for Saturday so Dicko can go to left back. Would you change the keeper with 6 games to go? Personally I would – there are too many goals flying in that he really should be stopping and I don’t see Bart being worse. Also, why wait until the 70th minute to abandon the diamond formation when it really should have gone as soon as we were 1-0 down.
Next up, Bristol Rovers at home who are looking down the barrel of the relegation zone. Get your money on a Sir Rickie hat-trick but before then, have a bet on whether Barney gets banged up on his ABH charge which is back in court this week. No one said it would be easy and today’s defeat just confirms this. I am growing my fingernails so I can chew them all off.
6 games left, 15 point needed.
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