21 December 2013
The halfway point of the season found Rochdale among the hottest teams in the Royal First Division. Here's how the table looked with 23 of 46 league matches completed:
Today's 3-0 victory at home to Stirling Albion gave The Dale 10 points from their last four league matches. Forfar, who were also climbing up from the middle of the table, had done as well, but no club in the division had done better. Paul Sanderson had every reason to feel optimistic, as he settled in for a relaxing Christmas with his family.
The Sandersons traditionally gathered at Paul's parents' home in Kendal. A Lake District Christmas was quiet and reflective, with the sounds of happy children replacing the noise of greater Manchester.
It wasn't such a happy Christmas for Duncan Laird. On the 18th, he was sacked by Manchester United, whose position in the middle of the Premiership table was unacceptable for their directors or their supporters. Rumor had it that Benjamin Lindner, manager of Bayern Munich, was interested in coming to Old Trafford. At any rate, Laird, who had been on the job less than half a year, was out.
"It says a lot about the nature of this business, doesn't it?" asked Paul as he sipped his tea in front of his father's hearth. "Getting a job with a big club like Man U might be a dream job. I know it was for Dunc. But there's never a moment's rest, unless you're winning a bunch of trophies every year. I feel sorry for Duncan, but I suspect there will still be presents under his tree. He was on thirty thousand a week, or more. I bet he has a little bit saved up."
The Rochdale manager laughed softly. "Two months ago, it was me who was on the hot seat. Fortunately our recent form has taken some of the pressure off."