MARVIN Bartley believes Rochdale manager Keith Hill was “jealous” of Eddie Howe’s success.

Hill publicly slammed Cherries’ spending ahead of Dale’s 4-0 victory over Howe’s men at Spotland in November 2009.

Despite entering administration early in 2008, Howe was able to recruit Liam Feeney and Anton Robinson less than a year later – additions that riled Hill with Howe’s side sitting at the top of League Two ahead of an ill-tempered clash in Greater Manchester.

Speaking at the time, Hill said: “I have a massive objection to any team that goes into administration and in the process builds a team capable of promotion.

“Bournemouth’s squad has been built on money the club never had.

“They overspend and it is to the detriment of clubs like ours.”

Bartley, though, speaking in former Daily Echo sports editor Neil Meldrum’s new book ‘AFC Bournemouth: The Fall & Rise’, said: “We got a real pumping at Rochdale that day.

“Chris Dagnall and Chris O’Grady tore us to pieces.

“I remember watching O’Grady and thinking, ‘What is he doing in this division’? He was a world-beater.

“I remember the ball going down the channel and he just put his head down and he was gone. We had no idea how to stop him.”

Bartley was fortunate to escape serious injury that day after being scythed down by Dale hard man Nathan Stanton eight minutes from time.

The midfielder, now with Scottish Premiership giants Hibernian, said: “Nathan Stanton got sent off that day for cutting me clean in half late in the game but we were well beaten by that point.

“There was a lot said by their manager Keith Hill that season and that was why Stanton had smashed me.

“Our paths crossed late on and he said he was going to teach me a lesson and he went right through me, high up.

“How he didn’t break my leg, I really don’t know.

“I think they were jealous of us.

“We were clubs of a similar size but they saw us bring players in that January and February when the club had not long come out of administration and they were trying to be sensible with their budget.

“But I also think Hill was probably jealous of Eddie because he was so young and getting so much attention for what he was doing.

“Managers like Hill have been plying their trade in the lower leagues forever and some of them didn’t like that Eddie was young and having success.

“There was an element of jealousy, I’m sure of that, because a lot of things were said that season by people like Keith Hill and Keith Alexander at Macclesfield.”

Bartley joined Cherries in the summer of 2007, giving up his job as a window fitter to pursue his dream of being a professional footballer.

He then reunited with Howe following his move to Burnley.

AFC Bournemouth: The Fall & Rise, published by Pitch Publishing, is available from Amazon and all good bookshops from October 4. It can be pre-ordered from Amazon by visiting http://amzn.eu/d/8cINNIf