Skint for as long as most fans can remember, it has been a strange old season for Bournemouth. Deducted 17 points; Kevin Bond sacked after a few games; Jimmy Quinn lasting only a bit longer; financial worries (although this is nothing out of the ordinary). Yes, it has been a strange old season. Things had picked up recently as Eddie Howe made the transition from player to manager to become the youngest in the Football League. Under Howe, the south-coast side had managed to surpass the truly dire Chester and Grimsby, giving themselves a great chance of retaining their League status and, possibly ultimate survival with their ropy finances. Things were looking up with some formidable home form and Dale, the next visitors, would feel the full force of that!
A 4-0 rout was the result. A Brett Pitman hat-trick and a Liam Feeney strike did for Dale as they were easily dispatched at Deans’ Court. I can’t say I didn’t expect a defeat as it is difficult to beat Bournemouth at home, but the manner of the defeat is worrying. Hill called it “an all-time low” for his tenure and it is hard to disagree as the implications could be massive. It isn’t exactly going to cause morale to ascend and shows a lack of resilience that may be of concern. I just have to hope it occurs as a one-off and doesn’t affect form drastically. While it is clear that the Rochdale’s players performed poorly, news of a rift between Mark Jones and Hill lead to him being withdrawn at half-time. This can be added to the long list of concerns as it is essentially another member of the squad that cannot be used because Hill will surely not use him while their relationship is under a cloud.
A bad, bad day at the office for Rochdale. As I mentioned earlier, the important thing is that it remains consigned just to that and doesn’t escalate to a poor run of form. Port Vale are next for Dale. A must-win then, as is every game from now on. Hopefully, Dale can cause Port Vale’s poor season to continue and make up for the mystifying defeat at Vale Park.
Tags: League 2, League Two, Rochdale, Rochdale AFC
