Keith Hill reacted to fan criticism after his Rochdale side won 2-0 at Doncaster to end their run of seven league games without a win.
Dale looked to be heading for a fifth draw in six league games before Ian Henderson struck with six minutes remaining and then fired in a second in stoppage time.
Hill saw the victory as an opportunity to address those who had criticised his side’s recent patchy form.
“In the last six games we’ve lost one – what’s all the panic about?” he said.
“Do people really want change? Do they want me to leave? I don’t get football sometimes.
“I want that continuity – I have continuity in my home life. I’m 25-years married next June and we’ve shared 24 Christmases together. I want that similar continuity with the players and this football club.
“I think myself and the players have been put under too much scrutiny recently and too many questions have been asked.
“Even friends of mine, and I don’t want to insult anyone, but family are also questioning why Rochdale aren’t doing as well as they did last season.
“If I’m being honest with you, I went back and I looked at the history of the club over the last 15 years and it reassured me that I do know what I’m doing.
Hill also explained why he chose to watch the first-half from the gantry.
“I needed to take the emotion out of the game so I went up in the gantry.
“Sometimes you’re assessing and evaluating at half time through emotion, so I tried to take myself away from that and I think I used that to good effect at half time.
“I’m an emotional assessor and if I play out my emotions to the players at half-time then I think it’s over kill – the players keep getting the same messages on a different match day.
“I think I delivered better precision at half-time than I had done in recent weeks.”
As for his view of the game itself, Hill was pleased with his side’s application.
“I think the wrestle was the first half and I was really pleased with the competitive nature of the first half, but I think we showed our football intelligence in the second half.
“I just thought it was a well-planned execution. The opposition are a good side and they’ll carry on winning games, there’s no question in my mind.”
The Rochdale chief will be hoping to carry that form into tomorrow night’s long trip to Priestfield Stadium as they take on second-placed Gillingham.
Dale have only beaten the Gills once in their last eight meetings, however Justin Edinburgh’s side come into the game on the back of a 4-1 hiding at Coventry.
Image courtesy of Official Rochdale AFC via YouTube, with thanks.
