Torquay United v Rochdale - 25/8/12

[AustrianAndyGull]

United play their second home game of the new league season off the back off an entertaining 2-2 draw with Cheltenham Town last tuesday night, a game which we could so easily have won but were happy to emerge with a point in the end. Downes and Howe scored our first goals of the new campaign and more will be expected of Rene from an attacking sense against Rochdale on saturday. Rochdale under ex-Accy boss John Coleman will be a tough physical test and as always with his sides you know what you'll be in for. The Dale were relegated from league 1 last season and in my opinion with the squad they have they will be fortunate not to make it two relegations in succession as i think a lot of their squad on paper is really poor.

Coleman has been a busy man in the summer bringing in a raft of new faces to Spotland and it will take some managerial feat to get them all to gel quickly for a tilt at promotion, if that is indeed their aim. Perhaps the most high profile signing is that of journeyman DELE ADEBOLA on a one-year deal from Hull City. He is obviously dangerous especially at this level and must be kept quiet. Defender PHIL EDWARDS finished last season on loan at Spotland from Stevenage and he too is a new addition, as are both IAN CRANEY and RAY PUTTERILL both ex-Accy players. Craney, who scored against us at the Crown Ground in Accy's 1-0 win over us season before last is now 30 years of age and is on a non-contract basis. Putterill likewise.

CRAIG CURRAN, the former Carlisle player has joined on a one year deal and he spent the last few months of last season on loan at Morecambe where he found the net once in seven appearances. Goalkeeper BEN SMITH has been recruited on a non-contract basis from Shrewsbury and MATTY PEARSON, an England U18 international defender has been signed from Blackburn Rovers on a year deal after a successful trial.

PETER CAVANAGH also joined the Spotland side on a one year deal from our opponents last weekend, Fleetwood Town. The 30 year old has also been recently appointed club captain, an honour i'm sure his team-mates respect not least as he served an 8 month ban from football for betting against his own club when he was an Accrington Stanley player!

They do have a few players who i rate, ASHLEY GRIMES the former Millwall striker has always impressed me, especially in his successful loan spell at Lincoln City and he is a danger. ANDREW TUTTE is a capable midfielder at this level and he scored a cracker from 25 yards in Dale's 1-1 draw away at Chesterfield on tuesday night. They also have former Scunny 'keeper JOSH LILLIS, son of Mark Lillis who is pretty decent too.

Rochdale started their season with a 4-3 extra time defeat to Barnsley at Spotland in the Capital One Cup before a 0-0 stalemate against Northampton Town, again at Spotland saw them notch their first league point in their opening league game. They were unlucky to draw 1-1 at Chesterfield on tuesday as a last gasp Jack Lester leveller for the hosts saw them leave the B2Net with just the one point instead of the three Coleman thought they deserved. They have 2 points as do we. Their line up v Chesterfield was as follows:

1. LILLIS (GK)
2. CAVANAGH
3. P.EDWARDS
4. The other EDWARDS!
5. McINTYRE
6. PEARSON
7. KENNEDY
8 TUTTE
9. GRIMES
10. DONNELLY
11. ADEBOLA

SUBS: SMITH (GK), RAFFERTY, BENNETT, BYRNE, BARRY-MURPHY, PUTTERILL ( on for ADEBOLA on 65 ), CRANEY.

I feel this is a game we should be winning and if we can shackle Grimes and Adebola ( assuming they will be playing ) then we can get the 3 points. They also have striker GEORGE DONNELLY who is ex Macc and Stockport and he is abysmal so we CAN do this!! I'm not sure of the starting 11 that Lingy will play and i'm not sure as to what extent our injuries are so i'll leave that for you guys to fill us in on this thread when you know.

I hope you guys who are meeting up for the TorquayFans.com dinner thingy have a good time, just gutted i can't be there to say hello to some of you freaks but one day soon, one day soon! Have a few pints for me and knock out a few songs too and i might see some of you at the Burton home game next month. Seriously though, have a cracking time and cheer on the lads.

I'm going to stick my neck out with this game and go for a 3-0 win for us, despite my scorecast saying something different in the prediction league! Morris HAS to score soon so him, Howe and Mansell to do the damage. COYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Plymouth Gull]

Good start, Andy. Did you watch them at Chesterfield the other night?

Personally I think it'll be a very tough game again. One goal in it either way.

[AustrianAndyGull]

No, i was gonna go but just couldn't be arsed and Torquay were playing too so i stayed in and got updates for our game on here and on bet365 live in play updates. Will go to a few spireites night games before the season is out though.

[Yellow4life]

My team:
poke
nico
downes
saah
oastler
easton
mansell
thompson
howe
jarvis
Bodin

Prediction: 2-1 (Howe, Mansell)

[bengull]

Billy Bodin not impressed you then?

[Yellow4life]

Billy Bodin not impressed you then?

I admit, I forgot about him! corrected now!

[GazTheGull]

Thinking about going to this one, not too sure about hanging round at Exeter train station for an hour though :/ especially in a Torquay shirt
Shame that they can't get the train timetables perfect for Torquay matches, or even run a service from Torquay to Barnstaple SORT IT OUT GREAT WEST TRAINS

But meh, looking forward to it nonetheless. Got tickets for Torquay vs Plymouth already... (only 2 weeks in advance )

Should be a good game, hope Thompson gets a goal on his debut, or at least impresses us to the extent that we aren't missing Macklin/Stevens

[ferrarilover]

Oh dear Andy, your (rather excellent, well, by your standards) OP appears to have displeased Rochdale to some extent (no one likes to hear their club predicted to do badly), and it seems they rate Donnelly.

http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/r ... &t=61821#9" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm never sure about relegated teams. The filth look utter turn, managing somehow to beat the Shots 2-1 in a performance by the home side univerally acknowledged by all in attendance as the worst Aldershot performance in living memory. Having also been thoroughly humped by Morecambe, it doesn't look good for them, especially once the 1000 year old Cureton inevitably falls on his arse and pulls something, or worse, breaks a hip.

Rochdale somehow managed to get fewer points than Exeter last time round, so perhaps they are shit. They surely can't be as bad as Stockport were a couple of years ago, can they?

Matt.

[Jeff]

I actually thought that the Rochdale squad looks like quite strong and fancied them for promotion.

Coleman has attempted to recreate the nucleus of his most successful Accrington side by bringing in P. Edwards, Cavanagh, McIntyre so you know that in those 3 players you'll get uncompromising no frills performances. Tutte has a good pedigree, and if I'm right in assuming that's Jason Kennedy in midfield he's always worth a goal, although their midfield has been weakened by the loss of Gary Jones.

I've always rated Donnelly as half decent at this level, not the most prolific but a definite handful. Grimes is a little injury prone but strikes me as a bit of a fox in the box - the perfect foil for a targe like Dele Adebola. I think Rochdale have the ingredients to be a force this season. Saturday will be another good test of our credentials.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Jesus Jeff! ( was gonna say Jesus Jones then! ) disagree with me why don't you?! I'll be the one with egg on my face when Rochdale storm the league!

[AustrianAndyGull]

Matt, i'm not bothered in the slightest about upsetting Dale fans. In my opinion, and that is all it is, they will struggle this season. They will probably end up doing very well and if they do good luck to them, i've only been Spotland once and they are a very friendly bunch of lads so i'd like to see them do well. I just don't that's all and if they can't accept someone elses opinion who may disagree with their own then that's their lookout. George Donnelly though, look at the clubs he has played for and look at his record. Quaking in my size 10's not.

[Jeff]

Jesus Jeff! ( was gonna say Jesus Jones then! ) disagree with me why don't you?! I'll be the one with egg on my face when Rochdale storm the league!

Well, after disagreeing about Taiwo Atieno almost every game last season, I felt we needed something for this year to not see eye to eye on!

[Neal]

Talking about Taiwo, where did he end up?

[Jeff]

Talking about Taiwo, where did he end up?

Had a trial at Southend but nothing came of it.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Well, after disagreeing about Taiwo Atieno almost every game last season, I felt we needed something for this year to not see eye to eye on!

Exactly Jeff, we need to keep things interesting to get the debate going!

Oh and just for the record....................i was right, Tai was a bag of shite.