Rochdale: From success with ‘broken toys’ to broken dreams – the story of Dale’s decline

Robbie Stockdale, who replaced Barry-Murphy as manager, steadied the ship in 2021-22, keeping the club in League Two despite their off-field issues.

He was sacked, however, following a run of four defeats from their first four league games of this season, with former Morecambe boss Jim Bentley taking his place.

Under his tenure, Dale won just six out of 32 league games and were 10 points adrift of 22nd-placed Crawley with eight games left when he himself was sacked.

Jim McNulty took over to steer the club through the remainder of the season but the downward spiral had started and, despite wins over AFC Wimbledon and Walsall, the loss to Stockport confirmed they would be playing National League football next season.

“It makes me quite angry to be honest, when I think about it. It so simply could’ve been avoided. We all make wrong moves in our lives but it’s how quickly you readjust yourself to the right path,” Hill added.

“It will get worse before it gets better. There is such an adjustment. Some teams don’t adjust. The finances are different. The supporters will lose a certain amount of belief and a certain amount of interest, and you’re playing against seasoned, hardened National League teams who will eat you alive.”

In the midst of their relegation, Dunphy had been in talks with the club over potential investment but later pulled out of the process.

McNulty, meanwhile, will lead Rochdale into the National League having been given a two-year deal as manager on Friday.

Asked about their current situation and his past at the club by BBC Radio Manchester before he entered talks about a possible return, Dunphy said: “I don’t regret going when I did because I couldn’t work with the board members that were there at the time. In hindsight, I may have gone a bit too soon, I don’t know.

“I have to say, what’s happened since I left is exactly what I expected to happen. I don’t know what’s happened to all the money. The current board is not the board that was there when I left. They’ve had their own problems to deal with.

“I must admit, I didn’t expect them to drop out of the division but I knew they would struggle.”