IceStationLatic

Might be some legs to Dowie not having been ruled out, I'm hearing.... Hearing off one source that he's been offered the job...!

Apologies I may have jumped the gun slightly. Holden not set in stone yet. Still murmurings about Dowie not being totally out of the picture.

It's Holden

Agree with that too. Which is why when you look at Yates, he's the most logical fit for us. Experience on relatively low finance, experience of cup runs, experience of non-league and an eye for getting players and developing them. And the above point applies to players too and the connection with staff/tactics - like us with Kelly, Harkins and JCH to a degree, and the other way with 26-goal linked-with-Celtic Adam Rooney

Because Corney told the Chronicle he was going to quit after the Ched debacle... But changed his mind, via the club website, 12 or so hours later.

I'd read into the choice of pics by the Chron too....tell a 1000 words as they say. I thnk Yates might be the popular appointment now...!

Yates, Sellars, Holden, Dowie, Ashworth... Yates and Holden the two frontrunners.

It's not Rosler. It's an English coach who's done a fair bit abroad. Holden still very much a contender, I'm hearing.

Still think Yates is in pole position. Experience of lower leagues, so ability to spot and nurture cheap up and coming players and potentially sell them on (essential for us, let's face it), got a L2 club on a small budget to the play-offs twice (suggesting ability to improve players under his watch, again essential for us) and also got them on a few cup runs - and to Wembley in the FA Trophy I think (cup runs/mentality) essential to us also. Oh, and Brendan Rodgers and Ryan Giggs have reccomended him... Not sure about Rosler and us. Interesting if he is interested but just can't see it -maybe he was just scouting at this level, maybe one eye on Sheff U if Clough gets the boot in the summer....?

I've heard around 1.5m for next season. I imagine the money saved from Holden staying until end of the season will help next season'savailable budget. And it gives Holden good experience and left the door open for him to come very good, as a pleasant surprise, and keep the job himself.

Good management if it's firing up his players and fans. Seige mentality and Mourinho-like psychology. If it gets consistent work-rate and an effective end product (the lack of which has cost us a play-off spot), it could give them the extra few per cent that might get them enough points for a top-six finish. He'll be well aware it's rattled some of us with our play-off chances now all but over - and it's the instant quick fix for Dale fans after the 3-0 defeat at our place.

Peterborough's to lose looking at that. Home games against strugglers and winnable away games to boot. But pressure can do funny things. Ours is a hell of lot tougher, but momentum is powerful and if we have even a sniff of the play-offs I'll think we'll surprise rivals with our away mob and spirit. I know we ain't Dortmund's ultras, but we can be very loud and there's something unique about our motley crew. If we sneak a win on Sat, we can then get three out of Bristol and Crawley and still have a sniff...

Their defenders were clearly really scared of giving away a penalty - to the point they literally barely touched him lol

Very similar pattern to last season. Start well playing pretty football but losing. Then get on a run of form and look the part. Then it all goes wrong and inconsistency creeps in. We get a run of games (Preston, Rotherham, wolves - Preston, MK..) where we get tonked. New signings settle in and we finish the season strongly. ....the first phase was much shorter this season, and the second was longer. If we go unbeaten we could get top 10 - and, with Bradford, Sheff U and Peterborough to play, it would be amazing to if the play-offs remain a growing possibility, even if it's still a very outside chance. It would generate some real decent support and momentum and set us up well for next season and the new stand. Bradford a toughie, but can we do what we did last season - suddenly we are keeping clean sheets with a fresh centre-back partnership that's clicked, and we have a young striker who had found a goal-scoring touch - turner, like JCH last season

He's a hoof merchant. Remember when we lost 1-0 at Donny when he was in charge and home fans were saying they weren't happy. Yes he was getting then solid and high in L1, but it was dire to watch and they said they knew they get murdered - as well as the dire style - in the championship.

There was a London-based Grimsby fan who adopted AFC Wimbledon as his second team when they formed because "we'll never play each other". Grimsby were Championship level at the time.....! Also it was only 2009 I think where Bournemouth had to beat Grimsby to avoid relegation into non-league. Now they're on the verge of getting into the Premier League!

He's 'killing the club' as you put it... is he, though, really? Without him, there'd be no club.

I'm not convinced about the squad thing. We haven't had a big permanent squad, yes. But Corney has seriously splashed the dough to find loads of loan signings. Remember how many players Dickov used, and LJ in his first season. Maybe this time we've gone for quality over quantity, paying big wages for some and longer deals - so there's some continuity to build around next season. But the extent of the injury crisis - something must be happening with the training pitch or techniques for so many calf injuries..?! - has shafted us. We were walking a mini tight rope of sorts because the funds aren't there for loads of loans as cover. We have to act now though. But having said that I still think out squad, and the team that started last night, is better on paper than this. But the Chubs out, Keane in switch has backfired massively. And the team is a bit rudderless - with serious doubts in defence (prob linked with the keeper) that's prompting more and more self-inflicted goals. We are beating ourselves just as much if not more than other teams are beating us. We have no confidence. So we have to stop passing it out from the back and be a bit more direct at times - it's what LJ did last season. It might lead to ugly games, but we have to nab points. And if we win a second ball or get the ball on our feet in the opposition half then our creative players might be able to work something - like Winchester did at Port Vale. At the mo we are asking defenders and rusty midfielders to stroke the ball around in high-pressure situations in our own half - it's making the whole team, and crowd, tense, and then errors fuel that.

We can't afford players with a strong enough mentality, that are consistent. We start the season well, better players linked elsewhere in Jan - the feeling sets in that they've already succeeded, above expectations for little Oldham. So complacent sets in, a summer move always likely for many either under contract or out of contract. An FA Cup run or JPT adds to the mirage of the season already been successful, when it isn't over. When the going starts to get tough, 11 men aren't pulling their weight together and the slide to mid-table/bottom half mediocrity continues. It's just bit going for us like I did earlier in the season...but it'll come good as we're all good as shown earlier in the season. But the assumption that things will just magic right themselves fuels the complacency further...

Lose against Crewe and the panic will really set in. Rochdale are good away, too.... And can you imagine us at Bradford on that pitch, the keeper rolling it out to Dieng...etc And our defenders trying to bully Stead at a set-piece...

Okay sod that, put a football kit on and get out there - can't be any worse...!

Nice work Dean..... Three points to follow...

I think a top 10 finish with the injury situation, bearing in mind he'll probably have to integrate another loan player or too, and a youth lad or two, and mould that into a cohesive team... Would go down as an impressive achievement.

I don't think he seriously meant "we can make the play-offs" He was saying that it was better to have the attitude of not giving up on them rather than a "season over" mediocrity mentality that could seriously land us in trouble. Ironically he is arguing against the 'no ambition' approach that many are hammering the club for...and then taking exactly the reverse stance in seemingly implying Holden should be saying "play-offs gone, season's over, we're just aiming for the two wins that should see us crawl over the line"...

The fear is that if we lose the next two and really look like we're spiralling with panic setting in.., we could do with someone of Mark Yates' experience in the dugout now (not the summer) rather than a rookie...