"Watson-ball" - how will it look, and will it work?

Of course, he was not doing so thinking he would be the club’s manager in a matter of months but in admiration of how they were going about it.

Dominating the ball, using it progressively and attacking with intent – three things no Dale fan would be against seeing from their side, and they are clearly core principles of “Watson-ball.”

With the core of the promotion-winning side still in place, there would naturally be merits of an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach but with a new manager comes new ideas.