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Hill: I won’t stand in Flitcroft’s way

Richard Partington
5/ 3/2008

KEITH Hill will not stand in Dave Flitcroft’s way should the Rochdale number two decide on a move into management.

Dale’s assistant boss has been linked with the vacant manager’s role at Chester City following Bobbie Williamson’s dismissal on Monday.

And Hill said bearing in the mind a small minority of fans are currently questioning the Spotland duo’s ability to manage, he would not stand in Flicker’s way.

"I felt Bobbie Williamson was doing well at Chester and on Monday we saw Gary Peters leaving Shrewsbury," said Hill.

"With regards to ourselves, me and Dave are being questioned by a small minority of supporters. We’ve seen how quickly things can turn nasty in this job, so if another club did make an official approach for Dave, I wouldn’t stand in his way.

"This is one of the most difficult football clubs in the league to manage – there are 101 matters and problems we have to contend with and one of those should not be a minority of fans questioning our ability to manage."

Hill’s men lost their fifth successive home game on Saturday when Chesterfield edged a 1-0 win with an 89th-minute strike from Peter Leven.

Though Dale are still in contention for a play-off spot and Hill and Flitcroft have turned the club around in the last 14 months, the manager is aware of small pockets of dissatisfaction among the home support.

"We are learning together right now and if we are given the time to develop, Rochdale will see the best of us," said Hill. "We’ve seen it with other managers here in the past – their best work has been done, and they’ve been appreciated more, after leaving Spotland. We want the full backing of our supporters. A minor fraction have got to realise that we are still learning. The majority have been superb with us, but I must reiterate, this small minority could undermine the development of the football club.

"Out of 56 games we’ve been in charge, we’ve lost just 14, so we must be doing something right. I can understand potential new fans staying away when we are on a run of four or five home defeats, but it’s times like this that the loyal supporters must galvanise and stand behind us.

"Most of our fans can see we are developing a squad for the future.

"People keep asking me if we are bringing players in, but we can’t get the ones we feel would help develop the squad right now.

"I know if I was to put our squad on the transfer list tomorrow, there would be no shortage of takers for the vast majority of the players we have here. We are still in a healthy position and we are nurturing a squad for the future – we are nowhere near our end destination yet."