Keith Hill celebrates three years back in charge at Rochdale this weekend and has thanked the board for their faith in him ahead of this Saturday’s trip to his former club Barnsley.
Dale will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat to Chesterfield, which left them 13th in the League One ladder, against a side they beat 3-0 at home in August.
Hill reminded fans of the situation the club were in three years ago when he returned to the club after a spell with the Tykes.
“When I first came to the football club I thought wow I wish I’d gone to Dubai for a holiday,” Hill admitted.
“We had to fight through that initial pain and it was ridiculously hard at the start but it’s been brilliant what’s happened since and now we’re trying to build a League One football club.
“You need fighters and we’ve had enough football fighters and enough football intelligence to be successful and I think that’s one of the reasons why I’m still in the job.
“To have success you need stability and continuity and that can only be built with patience and time and that’s what I get this at this football club.”
Hill’s side are still trying to find consistency in their league form this season and the Dale chief hopes new signing Dave Syers will help them achieve that in the remainder of the campaign.
“Sometimes when you bring a player in you get an adverse effect and you will get a few victims,” Hill continued.
“It’s never their fault, it’s never their responsibility – ‘why me? It’s not my fault, where’s my mummy and daddy’ sort of attitude.
“But we’ve had a good response because they believe he’s a good player and I want competition for places.
“Players will only leave this football club on my terms; I’m not some sort of management virgin of all things related to transfer window. I know what’s going on and I know the games that get played.”
This weekend’s opponents Barnsley have found form after a tricky start to the season, winning their last three league games and Hill is pleased to see Lee Johnson still in charge at Oakwell.
“They’re a good squad, sometimes they’ve been a bit green but they’ve stuck together and we’ve seen an unbelievable turn in form,” he said.
“That’s come out of strength and solidarity and good leadership from top to bottom; they’ve given him a continued chance to turn things round.”
Image courtesy of Rochdale AFC, via Youtube, with thanks
