Front Office Football Central - View Single Post

Greyfriars Bobby · 12-13-2014, 01:21 PM

1 June 2014

Rochdale were secure in the middle of the Royal First Division table, with no chance at relegation or promotion. Paul Sanderson's status as the club's manager was secure for another season. For those reasons, the last weeks of the season were relatively uneventful at Spotland.

The side continued to play well, despite a rash of injuries and several international call-ups that caused Sanderson to make some changes to his lineup. Rochdale lost away to in-form Southend on 26 April (1-2) and away to Stirling Albion on 31 May (2-4), but swept the four matches in between--gaining results against York (4-2), Montrose (4-1), Institute (3-1), and Connah's Quay (1-0).

Steven Jackson, who scored six goals in May, was named the Royal First Division's Player of the Month. He finished the season with 14 goals in 21 league matches, and with a £450/week contract that would keep him at Spotland for another season, he was one of the league's biggest bargains.

Sanderson extended the loan agreement with Reading for 19-year-old defender Ger Dykes, who played well in an injury-plagued season. Astute observers wondered if the decision to keep Dykes meant the club might part ways with expensive veteran left back Mike Staley. On this point, Sanderson remained silent, for now.

Another veteran backliner, Ronique Linton, brought honor to the side when he was picked for Jamaica's World Cup squad. Linton, who had played 51 times for his country, was deeply honored by his selection. "I'm 41 years old," he admitted. "I've always dreamed of playing in the World Cup, and now I've made that dream come true." He would be playing another season of club football, too, as his 15 appearances for Rochdale triggered a contract extension for 2014-15. "Ronique is a mentor for young players," his manager said. "He's currently tutoring Steven France, one of our young center backs."

Paul was also excited about the strong finish Everton enjoyed in the Premiership. The Toffees qualified for Europe with a sixth-place finish, good enough for a spot in the Europa League. Five Evertonians would be playing for their nations in the World Cup. Goalkeeper Ryan Brooks was the United States' number one. Defenders Thomas Tate and Sam Courtney would represent England. Striker Souleymane Kouame would play for Ivory Coast, while midfielder Nikos Gerakaris was set to earn his 60th cap for Greece.

Before Paul and his family headed for Brazil, he had a lot of football matters to handle. Highest on his priority list were a series of personnel decisions, which would affect the future of several of the team's biggest stars.

Striker Craig Thompson's outstanding season--24 goals in all competitions--attracted the attention of several bigger clubs. Five of them made transfer bids for the 22-year-old star, offering up to £300,000 for him. And he wasn't the only Rochdale player for whom other teams had come calling. Bradford City and Dundee offered £275,000 and £250,000, respectively, for Alan Foster. Joe Webb attracted interest from Bradford, too, but their £50,000 offer was rejected out of hand. "No way we're selling Joe for that," Sanderson said with a shake of his head.

The offers for Thompson and Foster were another matter. The manager was seriously considering them. "Craig's an ambitious lad," Paul said. "He's flattered by the attention being shown to him. We have a couple good young players who could play on top, guys like Charlie Baird or Craig Ennis. Even Robert Shillito might be ready for the first team.

"Alan is a Manchester lad, a Rochdale supporter for years. He's very happy playing here. If I had to make a decision right this minute, I'd probably sell Craig on and keep Alan around," Sanderson confided.

The club banked £95,000 for finishing seventh in the league, and another £400,000 for a selling-on fee when Nigeria international defender Abdul Azeez went from West Bromwich Albion to Newcastle. Rochdale pocketed 15% of Azeez' £2.4 million fee.

"That's more than enough to pay for the new pitch," Sanderson pointed out. "Maybe the board will invest more of it in facilities, or something else to bring the club forward."

12-13-2014, 01:21 PM	#29
Greyfriars Bobby College Prospect Join Date: Sep 2013	1 June 2014 Rochdale were secure in the middle of the Royal First Division table, with no chance at relegation or promotion. Paul Sanderson's status as the club's manager was secure for another season. For those reasons, the last weeks of the season were relatively uneventful at Spotland. The side continued to play well, despite a rash of injuries and several international call-ups that caused Sanderson to make some changes to his lineup. Rochdale lost away to in-form Southend on 26 April (1-2) and away to Stirling Albion on 31 May (2-4), but swept the four matches in between--gaining results against York (4-2), Montrose (4-1), Institute (3-1), and Connah's Quay (1-0). Steven Jackson, who scored six goals in May, was named the Royal First Division's Player of the Month. He finished the season with 14 goals in 21 league matches, and with a £450/week contract that would keep him at Spotland for another season, he was one of the league's biggest bargains. Sanderson extended the loan agreement with Reading for 19-year-old defender Ger Dykes, who played well in an injury-plagued season. Astute observers wondered if the decision to keep Dykes meant the club might part ways with expensive veteran left back Mike Staley. On this point, Sanderson remained silent, for now. Another veteran backliner, Ronique Linton, brought honor to the side when he was picked for Jamaica's World Cup squad. Linton, who had played 51 times for his country, was deeply honored by his selection. "I'm 41 years old," he admitted. "I've always dreamed of playing in the World Cup, and now I've made that dream come true." He would be playing another season of club football, too, as his 15 appearances for Rochdale triggered a contract extension for 2014-15. "Ronique is a mentor for young players," his manager said. "He's currently tutoring Steven France, one of our young center backs." Paul was also excited about the strong finish Everton enjoyed in the Premiership. The Toffees qualified for Europe with a sixth-place finish, good enough for a spot in the Europa League. Five Evertonians would be playing for their nations in the World Cup. Goalkeeper Ryan Brooks was the United States' number one. Defenders Thomas Tate and Sam Courtney would represent England. Striker Souleymane Kouame would play for Ivory Coast, while midfielder Nikos Gerakaris was set to earn his 60th cap for Greece. Before Paul and his family headed for Brazil, he had a lot of football matters to handle. Highest on his priority list were a series of personnel decisions, which would affect the future of several of the team's biggest stars. Striker Craig Thompson's outstanding season--24 goals in all competitions--attracted the attention of several bigger clubs. Five of them made transfer bids for the 22-year-old star, offering up to £300,000 for him. And he wasn't the only Rochdale player for whom other teams had come calling. Bradford City and Dundee offered £275,000 and £250,000, respectively, for Alan Foster. Joe Webb attracted interest from Bradford, too, but their £50,000 offer was rejected out of hand. "No way we're selling Joe for that," Sanderson said with a shake of his head. The offers for Thompson and Foster were another matter. The manager was seriously considering them. "Craig's an ambitious lad," Paul said. "He's flattered by the attention being shown to him. We have a couple good young players who could play on top, guys like Charlie Baird or Craig Ennis. Even Robert Shillito might be ready for the first team. "Alan is a Manchester lad, a Rochdale supporter for years. He's very happy playing here. If I had to make a decision right this minute, I'd probably sell Craig on and keep Alan around," Sanderson confided. The club banked £95,000 for finishing seventh in the league, and another £400,000 for a selling-on fee when Nigeria international defender Abdul Azeez went from West Bromwich Albion to Newcastle. Rochdale pocketed 15% of Azeez' £2.4 million fee. "That's more than enough to pay for the new pitch," Sanderson pointed out. "Maybe the board will invest more of it in facilities, or something else to bring the club forward."