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8 October 2013
Some were saying Paul Sanderson might have just saved his job, at least for the time being.
The murmurs of discontent had grown louder, after another home loss--this time a drab 1-2 setback to Bury, a club three places above them in the table. "Of course, I was feeling the pressure," Sanderson admitted. "Accrington Stanley sacked Thomas O'Brien that same day. He's a good manager, and if i could happen to him, it could happen to me, too."
That was three days ago. What nobody outside Spotland Stadium knew was that Paul and his backroom team had been working on something for a week now, something that would hopefully start Rochdale A.F.C. on the road to better days.
Lars Nielsen was from Denmark. A right back, he was playing for Bristol City, in League Two. At age 25, Nielsen was said to have Championship potential...but things weren't going well for him at City.
Lars had clashed with his manager, Kingsley Hill, and had lost his spot in the first team. He asked to be transfer listed, and to his surprise, Hill released him outright on 25 September.
Scout Adam James was the first to realize what had happened to Pedersen. "You won't believe this, Paul," he said as he showed his boss the news.
"Let's see if we can get him to come here," Paul quickly replied. "What do we have to lose?"
Nielsen was surprisingly interested in signing for Rochdale, and his demands were very reasonable: £650/week, for the next two seasons.
Paul and his backroom team weren't done, either. They offered a contract to Steven Jackson, a 27-year-old free agent from Scotland who looked like he might solve the club's need for a powerful striker. Today, Jackson agreed to a two-year deal for £450/week.
"For just over a thousand quid per week, we've strengthened our squad considerably," assistant manager Louis Johnson said. "When we get these lads registered after Christmas, we'll be even more ready to roll."
But would the board give Paul that much time?
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