Manager Keith Hill believes that he has already got the nucleus of a squad which can carry Dale forward.
He was speaking after confirming his retained/ released list on Tuesday.
Hill told Dale Player: “I’ve done a lot of diving into my inner thoughts and have been processing information and statistics since I’ve been back at the football club – where players were when I first took over, where they are now and how we progress this team and this football club forward into next season and beyond.
“I’ve got the nucleus of a squad that I’m really happy with and that I think can carry us forward and can build on this season.
“I aim to recruit players that are not going to sap my energy and that have a little bit of knowledge. We’ve still got a lot of projects with respect to players, but I’m looking at recruiting a bit more know-how and experience because I think if we had that then we might have got ourselves into a play-off position.
“I can’t deny there have been massive successes this season, however, we’ve got to merit the failures and see where we’ve fallen short. I’ve done that and I’ve got focus on what I want from the players that we’ve retained.”
As announced in the list, three players are leaving the club – Febian Brandy, Sean McGinty and Jack Muldoon, while Bastien Hery and Joel Logan have been placed on the transfer list.
“We’ve transfer listed two of the players because I feel as though those two players need to play. They’re not going to get too much of an opportunity to play for me and I wouldn’t want to saturate their opportunities by keeping them in-house. I need to make room and I need to make sacrifices and unfortunately that’s what you have to do as a Manager to try and keep the plan moving forward.
“Febian, Sean and Jack haven’t been part of my plans for quite a substantial amount of time and it’s with my best wishes that I hope they find employment and continue to try and make a successful career for themselves.”
The full interview is available to view on Dale Player.