Rochdale manager Keith Hill insists that he believes his side can defeat Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.
Rochdale manager Keith Hill has a determined mentality heading into his side’s huge FA Cup replay against Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow night.
Hill has been in charge at Spotland during two separate stints from 2006 to 2011 and from 2013 to the present day. During that time he has overseen two promotions with the Greater Manchester club, but you have to question whether or not a victory over Mauricio Pochettino’s men at Wembley would have to be considered as his greatest accomplishment.
Either way, Hill’s feet are remaining firmly on the ground, speaking eir Sport before the game.
“Is it a dream to play at Wembley? It is a dream to win at Wembley,” Hill told eir Sport.
“You’d rather be playing at Wembley in a cup final. It just happens that it’s Tottenham’s home ground this season. Too much is made of the special occasion – we are playing Tottenham in a replay.
“If it was a play-off final that would be special. It could be special if you win. I don’t draw too much relevance to it, personally. I just see it as a game. Cut out the sideshows and make sure we focus on trying to win a match.”
It is an attitude that probably will not resonate with all Dale fans, as in many ways this can be considered a ‘day out’ for the more casual supporters of the club. It isno secret that they possess a relatively small following in comparison to some of the other teams around them, and if a few extra hundred fans are going to help build the atmosphere, then they should embrace it.
The real issue here is how much of a priority this competition should be for both the League One side and Tottenham themselves. On one hand, you have got Rochdale who are rooted to the bottom of the third tier, where they find themselves 11 points adrift of safety. On the other, Spurs are attempting to comprehensively secure their place in the top four.
Given the inconsistency of the teams around them, Spurs could probably get away with pushing for FA Cup glory, especially considering that we are moving towards the latter stages of the season. Meanwhile, Rochdale actually have four games in hand on Fleetwood in 20th, which should be a huge incentive for pushing for survival.
Rochdale should certainly give everything they have got tomorrow night, but either way, they will get a handsome financial reward, and keeping their place in the league takes precedence over a cup run – and it sounds like Keith Hill knows that.
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