Football Season Guide

Rochdale were one of the success stories of League One last season, as they entered the season as a naive looking newly promoted side, but ended it just outside of the Play-Off zone. Unfortunately for the fans of the club, their success in League One didn't go unnoticed, and bigger clubs have come in for their most prized assets - defender Craig Dawson and manager Keith Hill. Dawson was sold to WBA during the previous summer transfer window but was loaned back to the Dale for the remainder of the season - now, he has gone to his new club, and Rochdale will have to learn to live without the fantastic central defender, who was not only the rock of their defence, but also their second best scorer last season. Keith Hill left the club to take over at Barnsley, which is another huge blow, as his superb man management and passing approach are believed to be what allowed an otherwise mediocre Rochdale side to dream about promotion. Full-back Scott Wiseman followed his manager to Barnsley, but Liverpool full-back Stephen Darby was signed on loan as a direct replacement. Andrew Tutte, who spent most of the previous season on loan with Rochdale, has now signed on a permanent transfer, while talented defender Marc Twaddle, Colchester midfielder Simon Hackney and Millwall attacking midfielder/striker Ashley Grimes are the other signings. Grimes was bagging in goals for fun while on loan with Lincoln last season, but he is not a typical central forward, meaning that Rochdale haven't solved the biggest problem they had last season - the lack of a prolific striker that would turn their chances into goals. Moreover, there is unease among the fans regarding the choice of manager, as the board appointed Steve Eyre, the former manager of Manchester City's youth team, who has no experience whatsoever in coaching senior sides. All in all, there are a lot of question marks hanging above Rochdale this season, and expecting them to repeat last season's successes would perhaps be a bit too optimistic.