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Greyfriars Bobby · 12-21-2014, 07:53 PM

28 January 2015

Transfer Day

Paul Sanderson used the final days of the mid-season transfer window to address two potential problems for his Rochdale squad.

The first was their relatively porous defense. "I realize the formation I use will make it more difficult for us to hold teams scoreless," Paul explained. "Our wing backs, Danny Clements and John Spendlove, are expected to take part in the attack, and they are doing exactly what they're being coached to do. That means the center backs have a lot of responsibility, maybe more than they would if we played a flat back four."

Injuries had forced Sanderson to rotate Andy Carr, Graham Somers, and Jamie Bennett at center back, with Adam White also seeing some playing time. Carr had been very good, but Somers' injuries and Bennett's youth had rendered them less effective. So, when scout Stuart Muir tipped his boss about a Lithuanian center half called Tomas Juozaitis, who was out of contract after his release from Leeds, Sanderson decided to take a closer look.

Juozaitis, 26, was a rugged, muscular presence in the central defense. "He's not afraid to mix it up with anyone," Steven Jackson said after contending with him in training. Juozaitis was a full international, with 23 caps to his credit, and after some negotiations with his agent, he signed a contract that would pay him £2,000/week through June 2016.

The second problem arose on Deadline Day. As Paul explained it, "As we're negotiating contracts for next year, some of the players are asking for more than we can afford to pay them. They've served us well, but there's only so much we can do."

Josh Moore wouldn't even discuss a contract. He was sold to Bristol Rovers for £7,000. Paul Webb's agent demanded more money than the Rochdale board would come close to paying. Before Sanderson could offer him around, he accepted an offer from Carlisle for next season. "We could have sold Webb for £75,000 if we'd been willing to do it last summer," Paul sighed.

Captain Alan Foster was the next to be courted. Linfield made a move to sign him, but the captain accepted a £1,800/week contract that would keep him at Spotfield for two more seasons. Charlie Baird, however, chose Linfield's offer over the £1,100/week deal Rochdale put on the table. And, when utility man Mark Spiers was sold to Fleetwood, it meant the Rochdale midfield corps would be down two men immediately, and down four men by 1 July.

One of those holes was filled by Dean Pirie, age 19, who arrived from Barnsley on loan. Pirie was definitely a work in progress, not ready to unseat either Sam Dawson or Jack McGrath in the Rochdale first eleven, but good enough to give them a break. Sanderson also signed veteran Peter Lindsey, 33, from Dungannon to provide cover at any of 12 different places on the pitch.

"It's going to be very important for our young players to develop over the next year or so," Sanderson pointed out. "That's the only way we'll be able to stay within our wage budget and keep a competitive team on the pitch."

12-21-2014, 07:53 PM	#43
Greyfriars Bobby College Prospect Join Date: Sep 2013	28 January 2015 Transfer Day Paul Sanderson used the final days of the mid-season transfer window to address two potential problems for his Rochdale squad. The first was their relatively porous defense. "I realize the formation I use will make it more difficult for us to hold teams scoreless," Paul explained. "Our wing backs, Danny Clements and John Spendlove, are expected to take part in the attack, and they are doing exactly what they're being coached to do. That means the center backs have a lot of responsibility, maybe more than they would if we played a flat back four." Injuries had forced Sanderson to rotate Andy Carr, Graham Somers, and Jamie Bennett at center back, with Adam White also seeing some playing time. Carr had been very good, but Somers' injuries and Bennett's youth had rendered them less effective. So, when scout Stuart Muir tipped his boss about a Lithuanian center half called Tomas Juozaitis, who was out of contract after his release from Leeds, Sanderson decided to take a closer look. Juozaitis, 26, was a rugged, muscular presence in the central defense. "He's not afraid to mix it up with anyone," Steven Jackson said after contending with him in training. Juozaitis was a full international, with 23 caps to his credit, and after some negotiations with his agent, he signed a contract that would pay him £2,000/week through June 2016. The second problem arose on Deadline Day. As Paul explained it, "As we're negotiating contracts for next year, some of the players are asking for more than we can afford to pay them. They've served us well, but there's only so much we can do." Josh Moore wouldn't even discuss a contract. He was sold to Bristol Rovers for £7,000. Paul Webb's agent demanded more money than the Rochdale board would come close to paying. Before Sanderson could offer him around, he accepted an offer from Carlisle for next season. "We could have sold Webb for £75,000 if we'd been willing to do it last summer," Paul sighed. Captain Alan Foster was the next to be courted. Linfield made a move to sign him, but the captain accepted a £1,800/week contract that would keep him at Spotfield for two more seasons. Charlie Baird, however, chose Linfield's offer over the £1,100/week deal Rochdale put on the table. And, when utility man Mark Spiers was sold to Fleetwood, it meant the Rochdale midfield corps would be down two men immediately, and down four men by 1 July. One of those holes was filled by Dean Pirie, age 19, who arrived from Barnsley on loan. Pirie was definitely a work in progress, not ready to unseat either Sam Dawson or Jack McGrath in the Rochdale first eleven, but good enough to give them a break. Sanderson also signed veteran Peter Lindsey, 33, from Dungannon to provide cover at any of 12 different places on the pitch. "It's going to be very important for our young players to develop over the next year or so," Sanderson pointed out. "That's the only way we'll be able to stay within our wage budget and keep a competitive team on the pitch." Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 12-21-2014 at 08:46 PM.