Rochdale 4-0 Aldershot Town - Saturday 29th March 2025 (Match Day Thread)

[beechcroft]

Mr deen, I appreciate sportsman do get tired but it’s become a weird obsession, I simply can’t accept playing 2 football matches in a week is too much

You can't accept it but the sports scientist (and I think we have one) will have evidence on which to base their decisions. They can see how fast and far people are running and that'll tell them what they need to know.

Isn’t walking the streets for 5 hours a day 6 days a week not tiring after the work I do indoors first, sorry but playing football twice a week isn’t too much to ask in my opinion despite what the sports scientists tell you

Pete, totally agree with you ,and have done for sometime, I have a very good friend who's son plays football for the Army, he told me they regularly play 2 games aweek ,sometimes more and there is non of this ''Got to rest these the players ,cos they might be feeling it' "They just get on with it

[lowerbourneshot]

You can't accept it but the sports scientist (and I think we have one) will have evidence on which to base their decisions. They can see how fast and far people are running and that'll tell them what they need to know.

Isn’t walking the streets for 5 hours a day 6 days a week not tiring after the work I do indoors first, sorry but playing football twice a week isn’t too much to ask in my opinion despite what the sports scientists tell you

Pete, totally agree with you ,and have done for sometime, I have a very good friend who's son plays football for the Army, he told me they regularly play 2 games aweek ,sometimes more and there is non of this ''Got to rest these the players ,cos they might be feeling it' "They just get on with it

If they can't handle 2 games a week does it mean and I include top level are they not fit enough ? Is it not enough recovery time ? Rugby players only play one game a week ,more physical obviously. Is this why these sides play keep ball chess football ? They can't handle the intensity of fast flowing football twice a week

[shotsboy66]

The writing was on the wall when sports psychologist "sorts" started getting employed by clubs.

You only need a manager & assistant.

[maybury shot]

Interesting point Shotsboy. When I first started supporting the Shots in 1961, Dave Smith was Secretary/Manager and Jimmy Sirrell was the trainer (complete with bucket and sponge) and that was it, basically. Of course things have changed but just how many support staff does a manager at a club like ours really need - we seem to have rather a lot of them!?!?

[redblueuptoyou]

Interesting point Shotsboy. When I first started supporting the Shots in 1961, Dave Smith was Secretary/Manager and Jimmy Sirrell was the trainer (complete with bucket and sponge) and that was it, basically. Of course things have changed but just how many support staff does a manager at a club like ours really need - we seem to have rather a lot of them!?!?

Not sure if we have as many as Searle’s lot?

[Turnkey]

Interesting point Shotsboy. When I first started supporting the Shots in 1961, Dave Smith was Secretary/Manager and Jimmy Sirrell was the trainer (complete with bucket and sponge) and that was it, basically. Of course things have changed but just how many support staff does a manager at a club like ours really need - we seem to have rather a lot of them!?!?

Not sure if we have as many as Searle’s lot?

The bulk of the staff in Searles time were students from Southampton Uni doing sports as part of their degrees.

[shotsboy66]

Interesting point Shotsboy. When I first started supporting the Shots in 1961, Dave Smith was Secretary/Manager and Jimmy Sirrell was the trainer (complete with bucket and sponge) and that was it, basically. Of course things have changed but just how many support staff does a manager at a club like ours really need - we seem to have rather a lot of them!?!?

Not sure if we have as many as Searle’s lot?

The bulk of the staff in Searles time were students from Southampton Uni doing sports as part of their degrees.

A student doing a degree???

[Rba]

the manager has been concentrating on the cup for some time. We are safe. Next Saturday will see the Aldershot from the start of the season. It will be full of fight. Theo will start as he will if we make the final. Should he ? That is a massive question.

[Turnkey]

Not sure if we have as many as Searle’s lot?

The bulk of the staff in Searles time were students from Southampton Uni doing sports as part of their degrees.

A student doing a degree???

All the analysts etc, not the manager, assistant and physio obviously.

[redblueuptoyou]

The bulk of the staff in Searles time were students from Southampton Uni doing sports as part of their degrees.

A student doing a degree???

All the analysts etc, not the manager, assistant and physio obviously.

Not to belittle the students’ abilities, but does that explain a lot? Any other industry wouldn’t leave the really important stuff to the work experience/seconders?

[Old Bob]

Mr deen, I appreciate sportsman do get tired but it’s become a weird obsession, I simply can’t accept playing 2 football matches in a week is too much

You can't accept it but the sports scientist (and I think we have one) will have evidence on which to base their decisions. They can see how fast and far people are running and that'll tell them what they need to know.

Isn’t walking the streets for 5 hours a day 6 days a week not tiring after the work I do indoors first, sorry but playing football twice a week isn’t too much to ask in my opinion despite what the sports scientists tell you

Sorry, Peter, but that is the falsest of false analogies. There is simply no sensible equivalence between delivering letters and playing professional sport. Delivering letters is not a highly competitive occupation in which the consequences of performing below par because of fatigue, carrying an injury, etc. could be relegation of your team, getting dropped and transfer listed, that sort of thing. Playing twice a week is not the whole job either. There's training to factor in, travel to away games, team talks etc.

[Old Bob]

Interesting point Shotsboy. When I first started supporting the Shots in 1961, Dave Smith was Secretary/Manager and Jimmy Sirrell was the trainer (complete with bucket and sponge) and that was it, basically. Of course things have changed but just how many support staff does a manager at a club like ours really need - we seem to have rather a lot of them!?!?

Not sure if we have as many as Searle’s lot?

The bulk of the staff in Searles time were students from Southampton Uni doing sports as part of their degrees.

Errr ... I don't think so. Southampton doesn’t have any students doing sports as part of their degree. I guess you are thinking of Solent University.

[Turnkey]

Not sure if we have as many as Searle’s lot?

The bulk of the staff in Searles time were students from Southampton Uni doing sports as part of their degrees.

Errr ... I don't think so. Southampton doesn’t have any students doing sports as part of their degree. I guess you are thinking of Solent University.

Solent, Southampton, they’re all in the same place. Perhaps I should have just said students from Southampton.

[Peter macdonald]

You can't accept it but the sports scientist (and I think we have one) will have evidence on which to base their decisions. They can see how fast and far people are running and that'll tell them what they need to know.

Isn’t walking the streets for 5 hours a day 6 days a week not tiring after the work I do indoors first, sorry but playing football twice a week isn’t too much to ask in my opinion despite what the sports scientists tell you

Sorry, Peter, but that is the falsest of false analogies. There is simply no sensible equivalence between delivering letters and playing professional sport. Delivering letters is not a highly competitive occupation in which the consequences of performing below par because of fatigue, carrying an injury, etc. could be relegation of your team, getting dropped and transfer listed, that sort of thing. Playing twice a week is not the whole job either. There's training to factor in, travel to away games, team talks etc.

Of course what I do doesn’t compare but they should be fit enough to play twice a week surely

[Silasgoldeen]

Isn’t walking the streets for 5 hours a day 6 days a week not tiring after the work I do indoors first, sorry but playing football twice a week isn’t too much to ask in my opinion despite what the sports scientists tell you

Sorry, Peter, but that is the falsest of false analogies. There is simply no sensible equivalence between delivering letters and playing professional sport. Delivering letters is not a highly competitive occupation in which the consequences of performing below par because of fatigue, carrying an injury, etc. could be relegation of your team, getting dropped and transfer listed, that sort of thing. Playing twice a week is not the whole job either. There's training to factor in, travel to away games, team talks etc.

Of course what I do doesn’t compare but they should be fit enough to play twice a week surely

Of course they are but if they can see that Hargreaves is running 10% slower at the end of the season and covering 10% less ground they decide what that means. He obviously *can* play but if he's not at his best they have a decision to make. If they rest him a few days and he gets nearer to 100% then that's something to think about. These are made up numbers but they'll have a view.

Nobody's saying they can't play but there's a reason the top teams have big squads now and it's not just because the poor lambs are sometimes feeling a bit tired. It's because the margins are so very fine that having knackered players is a real handicap. Again, we don't know how much of a handicap but the coaches will have a view and there'll be a tipping point for everyone.