Stickied Confirmed Signings 2024/25

[Stocky]

Are we officially "Not Going for it" now?

Zeki Fryers has signed as well.

 

[Who Needs Mourinho]

Are we officially "Not Going for it" now?

Zeki Fryers has signed as well.

Haha has there been a less “Going for it signing” than this lad from Scunny?

Fryers if he can stay fit should be a good signing and actually what we needed in the summer rather then Barclay or Fish.

 

[Son of Cod]

I wonder if we'll look back in years to come and ask ourselves "where were you during the great striker shortage of 2021?" It's bizarre. Our owners have come out and basically said that they'll give Hurst a decent wedge for the right man but there just doesn't seem to be anyone. I wonder who is gonna crack first and pick up Ajose or Agard?

 

[PaulHaddock]

I wonder if we'll look back in years to come and ask ourselves "where were you during the great striker shortage of 2021?" It's bizarre. Our owners have come out and basically said that they'll give Hurst a decent wedge for the right man but there just doesn't seem to be anyone. I wonder who is gonna crack first and pick up Ajose or Agard?

Plymouth…

 

[Son of Cod]

Plymouth…

Oh I missed that one!

 

[EnglishRed]

I wonder if we'll look back in years to come and ask ourselves "where were you during the great striker shortage of 2021?" It's bizarre. Our owners have come out and basically said that they'll give Hurst a decent wedge for the right man but there just doesn't seem to be anyone. I wonder who is gonna crack first and pick up Ajose or Agard?

I think JJ Hooper is still available?

 

[#Beebot]

I think JJ Hooper is still available?

Great finisher but incredibly low energy, almost like playing with 10 men. Very frustrating to watch.

 

[pontoonlew]

Great finisher but incredibly low energy, almost like playing with 10 men. Very frustrating to watch.

JJ Hooper takes pride and place as the second worse debut ever at Grimsby. Inexcusable how you can be so lazy on your bloody debut.

The first is of course goalkeeper Tommy Forecast who was lobbed in his own box twice and honestly the worst goalkeeper to have ever played professional football, of that I can assure you.

Interestingly he was the reason Southampton didn’t get a sell on fee for Bale, they took him instead, which is fucking hilarious given how shit he was.

 

[Stoney Ground]

I wonder if we'll look back in years to come and ask ourselves "where were you during the great striker shortage of 2021?" It's bizarre. Our owners have come out and basically said that they'll give Hurst a decent wedge for the right man but there just doesn't seem to be anyone. I wonder who is gonna crack first and pick up Ajose or Agard?

I spoke to a well respected Coach who used to head a team at St Georges Park, and he says that there are hardly any proper strikers coming through academies these days.

 

[EnglishRed]

Great finisher but incredibly low energy, almost like playing with 10 men. Very frustrating to watch.

Incredibly frustrating, because behind all that lack of effort is actual talent and he's pissing it up the wall because he's lazy and has a heart the size of a pea.

 

[rudebwoyben]

Incredibly frustrating, because behind all that lack of effort is actual talent and he's pissing it up the wall because he's lazy and has a heart the size of a pea.

That’s about it.

 

[GTFCfish]

The last 5 games of 17/18 season JJ Hooper started playing like Ronaldo.

Then start of next season he was back to playing like Scott Vernon.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

JJ Hooper takes pride and place as the second worse debut ever at Grimsby. Inexcusable how you can be so lazy on your bloody debut.

The first is of course goalkeeper Tommy Forecast who was lobbed in his own box twice and honestly the worst goalkeeper to have ever played professional football, of that I can assure you.

Interestingly he was the reason Southampton didn’t get a sell on fee for Bale, they took him instead, which is fucking hilarious given how shit he was.

Wasn't that Tommy Forecast game against us cos I remember the keeper being very dodgy that day when we won 4-0...

 

[Son of Cod]

Wasn't that Tommy Forecast game against us cos I remember the keeper being very dodgy that day when we won 4-0...

Yep it was. Calvin Zola took the piss that afternoon.

 

[#Beebot]

I spoke to a well respected Coach who used to head a team at St Georges Park, and he says that there are hardly any proper strikers coming through academies these days.

If you look at where top strikers are coming from now, it looks like like non-league is plugging the gap.

 

[The Codfather]

Calvin Zola that's a name from the past... The era from some great teams in L2.
I think Rochdale is the best I've seen down here when they had Le Fondre, Dagnall, O'Grady up top I think we went there one day and got battered 4-0. Only second to Crewe last time they was down here, I've never seen a L2 team pass and move the ball like they did. Charlie Kirk tore us a new one that day.

 

[Soup Ladle]

I spoke to a well respected Coach who used to head a team at St Georges Park, and he says that there are hardly any proper strikers coming through academies these days.

One reason among others is the general shift away from 2 striker setups so a striker is expected to have better all round attributes than before. They end up working on more aspects of the game than traditionally they would.

 

[Luke Imp]

Calvin Zola that's a name from the past... The era from some great teams in L2.
I think Rochdale is the best I've seen down here when they had Le Fondre, Dagnall, O'Grady up top I think we went there one day and got battered 4-0. Only second to Crewe last time they was down here, I've never seen a L2 team pass and move the ball like they did. Charlie Kirk tore us a new one that day.

Agreed. Did they Lambert at the same time?

Chesterfield had a decent front line in L2 in their promotion year - Morgan, Lester, Talbot, Smally(?), Davies.

We were good with Forrester and Stallard.

Posh had Boyd, McLean and CMS.

MK had McLeod, Wilbraham and Platt (with Dyer thrown in there, too).

 

[The_Boss]

Agreed. Did they Lambert at the same time?

Chesterfield had a decent front line in L2 in their promotion year - Morgan, Lester, Talbot, Smally(?), Davies.

We were good with Forrester and Stallard.

Posh had Boyd, McLean and CMS.

MK had McLeod, Wilbraham and Platt (with Dyer thrown in there, too).

All rubbish compared to Franny Green and Martin Gritton.

 

[Son of Cod]

Agreed. Did they Lambert at the same time?

No, you're getting your Rochdales mixed up. Lambert and Grant Holt were together though, which is an obscenely good L2 striker partnership when you look at the careers they've had. Dagnall and ALF essentially replaced them, I think. Pretty sure O'Grady was a few seasons after Lambert had left.

Some good L2 combos here, but none of you have failed to mention the best of these form this kind of era which was undoubtedly Karl Hawley and Michael Bridges for Carlisle in 05/06. Hawley was on fire and Bridges was just so much better than that level even at that point in his career.

Shout out to Wycome when they had Tyson, Mooney, Betsy and Sergio Torres too.

 

[David Curries Mullet]

Glad we managed to get Jake Cassidy before Stockport came a-knocking.

 

[Luke Imp]

No, you're getting your Rochdales mixed up. Lambert and Grant Holt were together though, which is an obscenely good L2 striker partnership when you look at the careers they've had. Dagnall and ALF essentially replaced them, I think. Pretty sure O'Grady was a few seasons after Lambert had left.

Some good L2 combos here, but none of you have failed to mention the best of these form this kind of era which was undoubtedly Karl Hawley and Michael Bridges for Carlisle in 05/06. Hawley was on fire and Bridges was just so much better than that level even at that point in his career.

Shout out to Wycome when they had Tyson, Mooney, Betsy and Sergio Torres too.

Betsy always scored against us, and that seemed to follow when he was at Woking, too.

 

[Son of Cod]

Betsy always scored against us, and that seemed to follow when he was at Woking, too.

He was a total menace and yep, he was good for Woking too against us. Wasn't he like 37 or something when he retired and was still taking the piss on the wing?

Mooney was the one that always bagged against us though out of that Wycombe team.

 

[#Beebot]

He was a total menace and yep, he was good for Woking too against us. Wasn't he like 37 or something when he retired and was still taking the piss on the wing?

Mooney was the one that always bagged against us though out of that Wycombe team.

Yeah, he made the NL team of the season in his final season before retiring.

 

[GTFCfish]

Shout out to Wycome when they had Tyson, Mooney, Betsy and Sergio Torres too.

I remember playing that Wycombe team on a Friday night in the season we lost the play off final to Cheltenham and at half time we were 1-0 down and it should’ve been about 5-0 to Wycombe they tore us to pieces for 45 minutes and I said at half time that if we finished above Wycombe then we would be promoted and probably win the league. Then second half we went route one and murdered them for the whole half, pretty sure we had a couple cleared off the line and hit the woodwork a couple of times as well but just couldn’t put the ball in the net and it finished 1-0.
Yet somehow we only finished 4th and Wycombe 5th and both of us lost in the play offs.
Unbelievable Jeff!!

 

[Magpie Mike]

Is Richard Pacquette still playing?

 

[MatthewArgyle]

Yes for Harefield United

 

[Fedora Dale]

Since earlier today this thread randomly turned into the "Rochdale have had some decent strikers over the years", I thought I'd list the ones who have scored more than 10 goals in the last 20 seasons, for you to reminisce over.

The one who hadn't been mentioned earlier who probably made the best top-level career is probably (IMHO) Glenn Murray. The list:
2001/02 - Kevin Townson 17
2002/03 - Lee McEvilly 16, Paul Connor 15, Paul Simpson 11
2003/04 - Kevin Townson 12, Leo Bertos 10
2004/05 - Grant Holt 24
2005/06 - Rickie Lambert 22, Grant Holt 15
2006/07 Chris Dagnall 18, Glenn Murray 16
2007/08 Adam Le Fondre 17, Glenn Murray 10
2008/09 Adam Le Fondre 21, Chris Dagnall 10, Will Buckley 10
2009/10 Chris O'Grady 22, Chris Dagnall 20
2010/11 Gary Jones 19 (from MF) , Craig Dawson 11 (from CB)
2011/12 Ashley Grimes 11
2012/13 Bobby Grant 16, Ashley Grimes 11
2013/14 Scott Hogan 19, Ian Henderson 12
2014/15 Ian Henderson 22, Peter Vincenti 16, Matt Done 14
2015/16 Ian Henderson 13, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing 10
2016/17 Ian Henderson 19, Matt Lund 10, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing 10
2017/18 Ian Henderson 20
2018/19 Ian Henderson 21
2019/20 Ian Henderson 16
2020/21 Matt Lund 12, Steve Humphreys 11, Jimmy Keohane 11

This season, Jake Beesley, Alex Newby, Danny Cashman, Josh Andrews and (RWB) Conor O'Keeffe have all shown they know where the net is (although the last three are loanees)

 

[The_Boss]

No, you're getting your Rochdales mixed up. Lambert and Grant Holt were together though, which is an obscenely good L2 striker partnership when you look at the careers they've had. Dagnall and ALF essentially replaced them, I think. Pretty sure O'Grady was a few seasons after Lambert had left.

Some good L2 combos here, but none of you have failed to mention the best of these form this kind of era which was undoubtedly Karl Hawley and Michael Bridges for Carlisle in 05/06. Hawley was on fire and Bridges was just so much better than that level even at that point in his career.

Shout out to Wycome when they had Tyson, Mooney, Betsy and Sergio Torres too.

Some cracking forward lines around at that time. We even got in on the act with Parkin/Tipton followed by Parkin/Wijnhard! Until we sold Parkin and Wijnhard left and then we ended up with Matty McNeil (The Pepperami) and Marcus Richardson. Wonderful.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Since earlier today this thread randomly turned into the "Rochdale have had some decent strikers over the years", I thought I'd list the ones who have scored more than 10 goals in the last 20 seasons, for you to reminisce over.

The one who hadn't been mentioned earlier who probably made the best top-level career is probably (IMHO) Glenn Murray. The list:
2001/02 - Kevin Townson 17
2002/03 - Lee McEvilly 16, Paul Connor 15, Paul Simpson 11
2003/04 - Kevin Townson 12, Leo Bertos 10
2004/05 - Grant Holt 24
2005/06 - Rickie Lambert 22, Grant Holt 15
2006/07 Chris Dagnall 18, Glenn Murray 16
2007/08 Adam Le Fondre 17, Glenn Murray 10
2008/09 Adam Le Fondre 21, Chris Dagnall 10, Will Buckley 10
2009/10 Chris O'Grady 22, Chris Dagnall 20
2010/11 Gary Jones 19 (from MF) , Craig Dawson 11 (from CB)
2011/12 Ashley Grimes 11
2012/13 Bobby Grant 16, Ashley Grimes 11
2013/14 Scott Hogan 19, Ian Henderson 12
2014/15 Ian Henderson 22, Peter Vincenti 16, Matt Done 14
2015/16 Ian Henderson 13, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing 10
2016/17 Ian Henderson 19, Matt Lund 10, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing 10
2017/18 Ian Henderson 20
2018/19 Ian Henderson 21
2019/20 Ian Henderson 16
2020/21 Matt Lund 12, Steve Humphreys 11, Jimmy Keohane 11

This season, Jake Beesley, Alex Newby, Danny Cashman, Josh Andrews and (RWB) Conor O'Keeffe have all shown they know where the net is (although the last three are loanees)

How the hell did Ashley Grimes score 10+ two years running? One of the most feeble players we've ever had.