Things better than last week. Summerbell looked pretty good, I thought he was our best player on the night. Nixon had a good game. Wake probably had his poorest game for us, but he was carrying an injury so I'll excuse him. Strange positions taken up in the second half: Andrews on the right wing; Galloway as centre forward. Wake taken off at half time, apparantly the knee injury got worse and Mike Jack seemed to have done a hamstring judging by where he was holding when he trudged off. Simmo and The Bish were the best players on the park though. They deserved the win, no doubt about it. Goal 1: Free header at the near post Goal 2: Poor ball by Kelly got Summerbell into trouble, midfielder ran through, decent tackle by Mike Jack to stop him but the ball fell to Simpson who scored. Overall, 100% improvement on the Exeter game, but problem tonight was that we played a side 100% better than Exeter. Not too downhearted, roll on 'Ull. PS, that's what happens when you get behind the shirts.
Ian Bruntonpark
Its all about taking chances. We had as many as Rochdale in 1st half - they took theirs, we didn't. Simple as that. There was never going to be any way back from 2-0, did you notice how Rochdale rarely tried to get into our half after half-time. THAT'S how to kill a game off. Unfortunately we didn't have the experience to break them down. Thought Kelly was superb - a natural leader. Burns looked a tidy player - would like to see him with a few more experienced players around him. Nixon did ever so well for a player who has only played 1 game before - definitely one for the future. Summerbell was better - but the jury's still out Worst part of the evening was the baldy bloke behind the tunnel barracking Michael Jack every time he got the ball. Is it just me or do we attract more than our fair share of morons to BP? Do these idiots have such short memories ? It seems like only yesterday that the same derision was being heaped upon Scott Dobie. These youngsters need time................
Bleatarnpark
God, the performance against Exeter must hev been really awful if last night was a 100% improvement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Poor Jack was terrible, things didn't really get better till Andrews came on and strangely enough gave some widthe down the right. Kelly looked rock solid and increasingly frustrated. Summerbell looked as though he's much fitter and battled hard in midfield, one of the few who did fight for the ball...!!! To me no one looked as though they wanted the ball, didn't give any options for distribution. They in contrast worked the ball well, passed and moved and unlike us left very few gaps between midfield and attack, we had more holes than the Bismarck. I have found out why we used so many short corners against BR...because we can only get 1 in three in the box when we use the conventional method, then when it does get in we never win the header anyway. Birch tackled well, Mcgill doesn't look fit yet, Burns huffed and puffed. I will leave the rest to Mr Corry.com. I must state that this is my opinion and not making any kind of fuss whatsoever. Generally must try harder, get fitter, battle stronger, keep the ball longer and score. I thought the support was great and that will obviously help the lads, more so than the slow hand claps, and booing, although I must say that you should be able to vent whichever emotion you feel, as being a fan, paying your money, this is your prerogative. Even if it doesn't go down well with the management, oh, and what about Kellys 40 odd yard shot at the end, could we possibly play him at centre forward?
Keith J
A much improved performance was still not enough as Carlisle slipped to their third successive two-nil defeat at the hands of last seasons beaten play-off semi-finalists Rochdale. The Cumbrians did create chances in the game but the quality of Carlisle born Paul Simpson proved to be the telling difference between the two sides. Manager Roddy Collins was pleased with the improvement his side showed and said after the game: “We had a lot of good possession and we had two great chances but goals change games. We conceded a goal identical to last Saturday, with a near post corner and that’s an absolute sickener. We have no excuses. It was something we struggled with at the start of last season, but we eventually got it right. “Things were a lot more positive tonight for me and if you take the goals out of the game we passed the ball better but when you haven’t got (Richie) Foran and (Trevor) Molloy, you miss players of their calibre in the final third.” Carlisle had a chance as early as the second minute when Brian Wake picked up a Mark Summerbell through ball only to have his shot save by the feet of Dale keeper Neil Edwards. Rochdale took the lead on 11 minutes when Paul Simpson’s near post corner was headed home unchallenged by Clive Platt. The impressive Simpson curled a free kick just wide and then latched onto a Paul Connor layoff to volley narrowly over the bar. But the irrepressible Simpson was not to be denied. With 21 minutes gone, Michael Jack failed to control a ball on the edge of the box, allowing Simpson the time and space to hit a crisp shot across Peter Keen into the bottom corner. The Cumbrians almost got a goal back two minutes later, when Marc Nixon played a sweet one-two with Wake, but Edwards got down well to turn his shot for a corner. As Carlisle had their best spell of the half Edwards again denied them, tipping a Nixon shot from 20 yards out over the bar. Simpson again went close for the visitors on 36 minutes, running through the heart of the Carlisle defence before despatching an exquisite chip just over the bar with Keen stranded. On 55 minutes Simpson was again provider, a precision through ball putting Paul Connor away only for the big striker to pull his shot tamely wide. Nixon, markedly growing in confidence, again went close for the Cumbrians after turning well on the edge of the box only to shoot narrowly wide. Rochdale were now content to soak up late Carlisle pressure, Lee Andrews shooting wildly over the bar from outside the area. Stuart Whitehead should then have hit the target with a free header after John Burns’ corner had flicked off the head of Dale’s Gareth Griffiths. Summerbell saw a delicate lob go narrowly over the bar from Birch’s through ball before a thunderous 40 yard effort from Darren Kelly was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Edwards, but it was too little too late for Carlisle. I thought the gate last night looked spot on. The decision to make the game all ticket appears to have been justified and didn't appear to cause too much hassle. On the playing side I think when Roddy gets Baldacchino back on the the left and Brendan back on the right we will see a better balance to the team and with it some improved results. Kelly is starting to settle in nicely and I think he will be "awesome" as the season develops. Patience is still the key for all of us.
Mike Corry
I actually think that we need to give credit where credit's due, and admit that Rochdale played very effectively. This to me was the main reason for the result. Too often we assume that every team that visits Brunton Park is a Sunday league outfit there for the taking, and that anything other than a 10-0 win for Carlisle is an absolute disaster. This simply isn't true. Rochdale closed down our men and stifled our play far more effectively than any team I've seen for a long while. Every time one of our midfielders got the ball, he had at least two men on him and had no space to play or pass the ball whatsoever.
Mark Jackson
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