HILL IS KEEPING DALE SQUAD ON THEIR TOES
SEASON PREVIEW: We take a look at what the 2015/16 season has in store for Rochdale as Keith Hill’s men
ROCHDALE manager Keith Hill has kept his players guessing this summer as he bids to coax even more from them during the new League One season.
Including his first spell as boss at Spotland, Hill has improved on the previous year’s league finish in seven out of eight seasons.
But if they are to improve again this term he has to top the highest league finish in the club’s 108-year history, with Hill helping Dale come eighth in League One last season.
Dale looked up to that challenge when, after having their annual preseason training camp in Tenerife, they claimed friendly wins over Championship sides Blackburn and Huddersfield.
And Hill fielded a virtually different XI for each of those games, demonstrating the depth in his squad, which kicks off the new season at home to Peterborough tomorrow.
“It’s energising that the players are playing for a shirt against Peterborough,” said Hill.
“I think the performances against Blackburn and Huddersfield were superb. Considering that we’ve put two fresh teams out, I think everyone has given themselves an opportunity to play.
“I thought the lads were magnificent. We’re getting a lot of what we want, and getting better and better.”
However, following defeat at Accrington in their next friendly, Hill appeared to change his mind about some of those players.
“I need to go into the transfer market because I want improvement and on evidence of what I’ve seen there are one or two players that can’t take us further,” he said.
“It’s no good using the same players and expecting them to get better.
“One or two have been left behind and while I’m
Former Oldham forward Lewis Alessandra, who is from Heywood, has returned home with Rochdale good friends with those players, this is a ruthless business.
“I believe that one or two of the players that performed exceptionally well last season are falling a bit short and, in my eyes, that’s not good enough.
“At the start of preseason I told some of the players in no uncertain terms what was required and they haven’t turned up with those developments.”
That damning assessment may well have been a bit of kidology from Hill, but it had the desired effect as Dale put in a much-improved performance last Saturday to win 2-1 against MK Dons in their final friendly.
Yet despite beating a side which was promoted from League One last term, Hill played down the result ahead of tomorrow’s big kick-off.
“It means nothing,” he said. “It’s just preparation work, just training exercises.
“Let’s see what happens when the bright lights, big city happens on Saturday. We’ll see then who fights and who flights.”
Hill has been able to bring in former Oldham forward Lewis Alessandra and defender Jim McNulty following his release by Bury.
He’s also given ex-City trainee Donal McDermott another chance in the professional game having slipped into non-league.