Jim’s looking to rejig Dale squad

JIM Bentley will look to move players out in a bid to strengthen his Rochdale squad with new arrivals in the January transfer window.

While admitting any business will be ‘easier said than done’ given Rochdale’s limited budget, the boss is keen to reshape the playing personnel and put his own stamp on things.

Dale head into this afternoon’s clash against Stockport County – which kicks off at 2pm – 21st in the League Two table and too close to the relegation zone for comfort. Bentley has been working with a group of players put together by predecessor Robbie Stockdale, with Scott Quigley his only signing to date, ironically on loan from the Hatters.

“I would love to bring in people in January,” he admitted. “I would think most clubs would try to improve, at whatever level, and there are ongoing conversations at the minute.

“I’m in charge of this squad, it’s my squad that I’ve inherited, but you are always looking to try and improve.

“One or two will obviously go, one has already gone in Luke Charman. But you are always trying to get better and we need to get better.

“I should imagine the teams in and around us will try to do it as well.

“What we can do, we’ll see. It’s not as if we have a big rich man right at the top of the tree who’s going to splash the cash.

“One or two have got to go out to get one or two in and we’ll try our ultimate best to try and improve in all areas to get us better and get away from where we don’t want to be.

“I knew coming in what the situation was, I’ve done it before. No one likes to be in the position we’re in but we’ll certainly do what we can in January to try to improve and move forward.

“That’s easier said than done, but we’ll do what we can.

“We’re always out watching games, we’ve got people watching, we’re speaking to people, agents, coaches and managers at other clubs at all levels – under 23s, non league, in the Football League, whatever it might be, just to try and get those players that will make us better.”

Dale entertain one of League Two’s form sides today in Dave Challinor’s County. The Hatters enjoyed a thumping 5-0 win last weekend on Challinor’s return to former club Hartlepool, and followed that up with a 3-1 win against Charlton on Wednesday evening in the FA Cup.

Dale, by contrast, come into the game on the back of a three-match losing streak which culminated in last weekend’s 4-1 home defeat by Harrogate.

Bentley is under no illusions his side must perform better today.

“If that was my side, I’d have been disappointed to get beat in the manner that we did (against Harrogate,” he said.

“It is what it is, we have to pick the bones out of it as we always do, go through stuff and try to be better, try to win the next game as we tried to win against Harrogate – but didn’t, and we were beaten fairly.

“There was no nearly team last weekend or coming the wrong side of the fine dividing line or ‘we were unlucky there.’

“We were beaten, they got the points, we didn’t. We have to lick our wounds now and move on quickly.

“It’s all about the response, it’s got to be. In football, and in life, if you feel sorry for yourselves, Stockport who we have coming here – they won comfortably on Saturday – will be waiting to kick us where it hurts.

“Stockport will be licking their lips so we’ll put the gumshield in, roll our sleeves up and have a right good go.

“But we have to serve up better than what we served up last weekend, certainly.

“It’s a derby match, they will have a big following, it’s a weekend game in December, England play in the evening in the World Cup quarter finals and it’s an earlier kick off (2pm).”

Fans are invited to stick around at the Crown Oil Arena after the game against Stockport to cheer on England.

The Three Lions take on France in the quarter final of the World Cup and the Fanzone is open from 10am, before the Dale game, until late.