Rochdale are the reigning Premier League Champions! Find out how that happened here. We’re about to embark on an epic journey to see if we can mount a credible defence of our title, was it just a one off fluke, and to try and not embarrass ourselves in Europe! Which might prove the hardest thing of all as the draw for the European Cup is the first thing on the agenda – and oh my.
Bayern Munich. At Sandy Lane. In the European Cup. Not a pre season friendly! Lets review the squad after the off season and see where we need to strengthen.
We’ve got a reserve team graduate come through, Shaun James MC, seems decent enough so we’ll keep him and see how he does. Previous seasons graduates are holding their own as squad players, Brian McPherson and Lee Small both improving their values. The usual wage increase demands are met, deservedly, having won the league I guess! Kenny Betts is now worth £3.7m after last seasons goals and ratings! And elicits a cheeky offer from our rivals Blackburn! No chance.
We’re straight off to Wembley for our first appearance there in the Charity Shield against 3 time FA Cup winners Oldham, and we make a statement with a classy 3-0 win. Though it’s the Charity Shield and not much can be derived from that right?
On to league action and first up it’s Barnsley who gave chase to us last season and bagged a UEFA place. A nervy first match in our defense ends 0-0. We get our first 3 points at home to Leeds, then go to White Hart Lane to face spurs, who have been busy in the transfer market in a bid to reclaim the league title. Craig Hignett is now the most valuable player in the league, but it’s new signing Gerry Taggart, on his debut, who makes all the headlines in a disastrous display, chipping the ball past Ian Walker TWICE before getting sent off as we win 2-0. Thanks Gerry!
Mark Limbert joins up with the England squad to become the nations new Left Back as we beat last seasons other chasers Swindon then return to North London and visit Highbury. Arsenal have been resurgent under Bryan Robson following George Graham’s departure after he got the Gunners relegated and stranded in Division 1. They’re 2 points ahead of us, and take a first minute lead through a Paul Dickov penalty. Steve Mulrain pulls one back before half time but Julian Joachim scores a winner late on. So Arsenal are our main rivals so far this season as we’re 3 points behind them after 5 games.
At the other end there’s a shocking run of form on the go, as Liverpool, last seasons runners up, are languishing at the foot of the table with just 1 point. Surely they’re too good to go down!
We see off Blackburn for some revenge for last seasons dominance over us and the cheeky Betts bid, and scrape a late 2-2 draw at Villa to keep up with Arsenal, as Liverpool fall even further behind in last place. We give some of the squad players a run out in the Coca-Cola Cup against Oxford, as Andy Howard continues to impress with goals and performances worthy of his £2.8m tag.
Torquay, who have got themselves up to the Second Division and are pushing for promotion, have a pretty good squad, led by £1m rated Adrian Foster, who we’ve got our eye on, and provide the shock of the round beating Arsenal 2-1. We get them in the next round, and it sets Arsenal off on a run of results to rival Liverpool’s awful start to the season, with said red’s picking up their first three points at Anfield against the now struggling Gunners. Neil Warnock wins the sack race, first to go!
We score 12 goals in victories over Derby, Oldham and West Ham to get our momentum rolling overtaking Arsenal at the top in the run up to the biggest game in the clubs history. The Mighty Bayern Munich, previous winners of the competition and last seasons runners up, come to little Sandy Lane in the European Cup! But we’ll have to do it without star striker Betts, who breaks a rib in training!
It’s a cold, wet Tuesday night in Rochdale (I assume), as Bayern, led by Centre-Att, take the field. There’s not many chances as we hold our own in the opening 20 minutes before Danny Carter gets upended in the area and it’s a penalty. Captain Howard steps up and buries it past their Goalkeeper! We’re 1-0 up against Bayern!
We finish the first half strongly, creating more chances but failing to put them away. We’re giving a good account of ourselves so far. Bayern up the tempo in the second half and put us under a lot of pressure, pinning us back in our half for the rest of the match. And we hold out until the 77th minute as an accidental handball results in a penalty to Bayern. Their No. 9 steps up, but he hits the post! We’re under siege for the remaining 15 minutes but superbly hold on for an amazing win!
No European hangover either as we trounce Newcastle 4-1, Lee Small giving us his best performance so far and bagging a hat-trick, as we move further ahead of Arsenal after their derby defeat to Spurs. Arsenal’s cup vanquishers Torquay are the next to come to Sandy Lane, and show why they’re doing so well and beat Arsenal. We’re 1-0 down at the break, but another graduate McPherson gets us back in it with a great strike, before Small scores again and we edge through 2-1, and get old cup rivals Villa again in the next round.
Lee Small has been filling in nicely in the absence of Betts alongside Henderson up front, earning a call up to the England U21’s with McPherson, but we’ll have to do with him too against Bayern in the second leg as he’s out with a broken rib as well!
We go to Germany without 2 strikers and set up defensively, hoping to hold out and maybe catch them on the break. Not much doing in the first half as we appear to have them frustrated, neither side creating much. In the second half we continue to frustrate them, even creating a few more chances to snatch the win, but we can’t score. Neither can Bayern, and a fantastic, all be it dull match, sees us go through 1-0 on aggregate!
And it doesn’t get any easier! Wow.
We continue on a great run of form, with Betts back from injury (and Spurs insulting us with a poor bid!) as we beat Brighton, Man City, Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday, drawing with Everton, ahead of our cup clash with Aston Villa. We’re now 9 points ahead of Arsenal, a nice 12 point turn around!
At the other end Liverpool are fighting back but still in the relegation zone, and at the very foot of the league tables, Southend look like they’re heading out. No surprise with their ageing squad, and their insistence on playing Steve Bruce, yes THAT Steve Bruce, as their main striker and target man! Previous seasons humourous regen Tommy Tinkler is at Southend too, and their best average rated player, so we do the right thing and save him from oblivion!
We’re got history with Villa and it shows, as the cup match gets off to a fiery start, tackles going in, and young Tinkler on his debut gets a bit over enthusiastic, flying in on Dwight Yorke, injuring him and seeing stright red. 70 minutes to play with 10 men. Nii Lamptey does what he does and gives Villa the lead, we respond quickly, Captain Howard leading us forward and scoring and it’s 1-1 at half time. It’s end to end stuff in the second half, but no goals until Jostein Flo, on for Yorke, heads one home on 82 minutes. Again we respond quickly, Howard again breaking away and scoring, but Flo has other ideas and scores with the last kick of the game making it 3-2 on 90 minutes. With no time to come back, we’re out.
We come back from the defeat to beat Man Utd, so at the halfway point we’re 9 points ahead of Tottenham now who have caught up Arsenal too, having been 15th after 7 games, and are ahead of them by 3 points, Spurs Craig Hignett is just ahead of Betts and Howard in the ratings. Merson is top scorer so far, Howard and Henderson close behind with Betts and Small way behind following their injuries.
In Division 1 Grimsby lead the race for the Premier League, Southampton again trying to get back up, as Chelsea still under George Graham are struggling and facing Division 2! In the Third, former non-league team Telford are top, Exeter City who have rejoined the league after dropping out a few seasons back, are second. Southend the obvious favourites to go down.
So next up, Real Madrid come to Rochdale. Can we continue on an epic European journey or is this a leap too far, and can we maintain our run in the league to retain the title whilst fending off interest in our best players from bigger clubs? Find out next week!
I4NI 
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