Tonight’s special guest needs no introduction, having played almost 500 games in his career, including over 150 here at Rochdale to then go on and manage the Club for 570 games earning two promotions, reaching the play-offs twice one of which took us to Wembley for the first time in the Clubs history.
Born in Bolton in 1969, you started your career at Blackburn Rovers where you would go on to make over 100 appearances for the Ewood Park side. How did your journey into football come about? “Just playing park football. It was different back then, no academies as such just youth teams so until you reached that age it was just playing in parks or for a local side. Scouts came to watch a few games and offered me the chance to join the youth team at Blackburn”
You were at Blackburn in the years of Jack Walker and there were some great names in the side when you were at the Club with the likes of Colin Hendrie, Ossy Ardiles, Tim Sherwood, Mike Newall and a certain Alan Shearer? “There were a lot of great players in and around that team. I was only 17 when I started with the first team. It was great to be training with some fantastic players. Obviously, Alan (Shearer) became even more of a player later in his career”
After over 100 games there you moved to the South coast and Plymouth Argyle, where you would spend 4 years and play almost 150 times for them. Would you say that Plymouth really are a sleeping giant that just never seem to be able to wake up enough to reach the top levels of the game and again will be in League One next season? “I loved my time down there, moving away for the first time in my life was a real experience and one that I think helped shape me as a person. Plymouth is a fantastic place and the supporters are passionate but there’s not much else to do down there is there”
In 1996, you would leave Plymouth and begin your journey here at Rochdale. How did the move come about? “I had the chance to move to another Club first but I wanted to be closer to home in Bolton so when Rochdale offered me a chance to come in I was very interested and the rest is history I suppose”
What was Rochdale like as a club in those days to what we see today? “The Club itself hasn’t changed much. Obviously, the ground has changed but the people are still the same, real people. The problems we had then are the same problems we had when I was manager, no training ground”
It was in 1999 that Steve Parkin took over as manager of Rochdale when he replaced Graham Barrow. What was Steve like as a manager? “The best, no nonsense but down to earth. I loved Steve and he helped me as a player and as a person. We didn’t always seem eye to eye but that was a good thing. We could have words but still get on with the job and then forget about it later”
At the end of 2000/1 season, having beaten your former club Plymouth here at Spotland on the Tuesday in a rearranged game to climb into the play-off places, we then needed to travel down to Plymouth on the last day of the season needing to at least match Blackpool’s scoreline. Backed by over 1000 Dale fans, it just wasn’t to be as we drew 0-0 and with Blackpool winning, they went into the top 7. That would be your last game for the club, what do you remember about the feeling afterwards? “It was devastating at the time. The game on the Tuesday had a bit of “argy bargy” about it which spilled over into the game at their place at few days later. They had nothing to play for but they were up for it because of the tension between the players from the home game”
You went onto play for Cheltenham, Wrexham and Morecambe before your playing days were over and your coaching days would start. Was the managerial route something you knew you wanted to do? “Yeah, I’d been doing my FA badges a long time before I retired. It was what I was interested in and thoroughly enjoyed my time preparing for the courses”
Having returned to the Club as Youth team manager, you would get your chance at the top job here at Spotland after Steve Parkin left in December 2006 following a Friday night defeat at Hartlepool, initially as caretaker but despite defeat at MK Dons in your first game and a 2-2 draw here against Wrexham in your second, results and performances then started to go in the right direction with two 4-0 wins against Boston & Grimsby. What was your brief by the powers that be in those initial few games? “Well firstly I spoke to Steve to make sure it was ok for me to take the job. He was somebody I have a lot of respect for and when he said go for it I took the opportunity. Chris Dunphy just said take it for a few games. They’d approached Andy Ritchie but he turned it down so I’m thankful to him really!”
Despite taking over with the side struggling, you managed to steady the ship and guide the Club to a very credible 9th placed finish, just 5 points off the play-offs. You must have been very proud of your own personal achievements that season? “My aim was to get in the play-offs so in that respect I was disappointed. We lost the first game at MK Dons but then won here 4-0 against Boston and then away at Grimsby also 4-0 so they offered it to me”
Your first full season in charge here brought about some of the best days the fans at this Club with the side reaching the play-offs for only the second time in the Clubs history. The semi-final games against Darlington, are memories that no Dale fan will ever forget. We had Ben Muirhead here a couple of weeks ago and he is still talked about today after his penalty? “And so they should. it was a great couple of games that brought the best out of us. The atmosphere was terrific too and that feeling when Ben smashed in the penalty was superb”
How much of an achievement was it that season to reach the final at Wembley with the financial constraints you had to work under? “It was always hard work here, trying to bring in players that had maybe lost their way. I called them broken toys which I tried to fix up to get the best out of them and then usually sell them on”
After losing in the final, the fans were buoyed by the achievements and when the play-offs were once again confirmed the following season, many would have been hoping to go one step better but a semi-final defeat to Gillingham meant there wasn’t to be another Wembley appearance. Was it disappointing not to get to the final once again? “We weren’t good enough that season. We got to the play-offs but we just weren’t good enough and deservedly lost to the better team”
The 2009/10 season saw Rochdale earn only their second ever promotion. That was some team we had that season wasn’t it. Craig Dawson, Tom Kennedy, Chris Dagnall, Gary Jones, Nathan Stanton, Will Buckley, Jason Kennedy, Chris O’Grady, Frankie Fielding, to name just a few? “When you look at that list and see some of the names we had it quite remarkable. The likes of Gary Jones, Chris O’Grady, Craig Dawson wow”
That first season in League One brought more fantastic memories. Beating Southampton both home and away but other results such as beating Barnsley in the Cup and going to Bournemouth and winning too? “Those games against Southampton! We deservedly beat them too there were other games that season that stand out making the whole season a good one”
The success you had here at Rochdale brought with it attention from Clubs higher up the divisions and it was in the Summer of 2011 you left to join Championship side Barnsley. How much of a difficult decision was it to leave at that time? “No! when you look around you sometimes you think, have I done all I can here. I felt a change for myself was needed and a move to the Championship was one I couldn’t turn down”
How much of a step up was managing in the Championship compared to League One? “It a big step up, things didn’t go to plan or as well as they should have done but I don’t regret going there. I was certainly a better manager for that experience”
You returned to Rochdale in January 2013 following a poor start to the season which saw John Coleman leaving, again you managed to steady the ship as we finished mid table, eight points off a top seven spot. Was it an easy decision to come back? “No! my dad always said never go back and I nearly didn’t but when Chris asked me there was just something niggling to return and I’m glad I did”
Once again, your first full season back at the Club saw another promotion back to League One but other memorable days came along with the victory over Leeds in the FA Cup. What was it about Keith Hill that seemed to get the best out of the players here at Rochdale? “Work hard, play hard. We worked really hard for each other but we had bonding sessions where we would go out to Manchester or wherever and have a good night out”
Again, some of the players you attracted to the Club both, permanent and loans and those that came through the youth system all thrived under your leadership? “Jack O’Connell. What a player he was. Three of the best defenders I’ve worked with were Jack, Craig Dawson and John Stones. Jack was unbelievable, I couldn’t believe it when I got the call to say I could take him on loan and of course, a certain Ian Henderson, ultimate professional. On and off the pitch he’s so good. I let him get away with a lot like if he was late for training, I’d turn a blind eye to it as he was so good for us and for the other players. I got told off Michael Rose, Hendo saying he would be open to coming in to us, I was like really? To get him was massive and you can see what he’s done for the Club”
For a few years you made Rochdale a true league one side with top 10 finishes in the next three seasons, finishing only a few points off the play-off places. As well as doing well in the league, we had some wonderful moments like the Spurs game? “Amazing. Some great times that will live long in the memory for myself and should for the fans too. The emotion in that game was unbelievable”
It was in the 2017/18 season when one of the most iconic moments in Rochdale’s history happened on the final day of the season. Needing to better Oldham’s result and with the game at 0-0 you sent on Joe Thompson, and the rest as they say, is history. What can you remember about that day, the emotions, the atmosphere? “Again, it’s one of the great memories. I said I’d never celebrate surviving relegation but that day was great. Charlton didn’t have anything to play for that day but the tension and nervousness was huge”
Other jobs followed at Bolton, Tranmere and Scunthorpe. The Bolton job must have been one of the toughest jobs you could have ever taken on with the turmoil off the field? “I knew at the time I shouldn’t have taken the job but something just drew me in. I’m glad I took it but it was the toughest time of my career”
Jim McNulty and the job he has done here. Last season with players not getting paid and uncertainty surrounding the future of the Club?
“He’s done fantastically well. When there was uncertainty Jim will have held it all together with the players. It’s not easy sometimes when you have players knocking on your door as they aren’t getting paid”
This season with the news owners, things really starting to look up? “The new owners have a big job on their hands but hopefully they are patient. Running a football Club isn’t easy and you need people around you that know what they are doing”
