ACCRINGTON Stanley manager John Coleman seemed to know all about the wage bill at Dean Court.

And now Rochdale chief Keith Hill is getting in on the act – maybe there’s something in the Lancashire water.

However, while Coleman kept his thoughts on Eddie Howe’s side fairly brief ahead of the clash at the Crown Ground two weeks ago, Hill has stoked the fires to such an extent, he must have been Guy Fawkes in a previous life.

While Rafa Benitez famously dealt in “facts” when it came to Sir Alex Ferguson, Hill appears to prefer the guessing game when it comes to making rash statements on Cherries’ current crop of players.

Hill, like Coleman, has worked wonders to shake off the shackles of finance at Spotland and build a squad capable of maintaining their stunning start to the season.

But like his colleague up the road at the Crown Ground, he, for reasons known only to himself, still felt the need to throw in a little broadside or two when asked for his thoughts on the opposition.

If Hill thinks he’ll get a cuddle because poor, little old Rochdale are coming up against those careless, bad, big-spending folk from Dean Court, he should sack his researcher.

And if he thinks for one moment that Eddie Howe will be bothered by what could amount to a poor attempt at mind games, he is wrong.

While Dale will certainly want to bring the league leaders back down to earth this afternoon, Hill, unlike Coleman 14 days ago, who saved his Cherries-related ranting for the post-match interviews, could have been sensible in getting his excuses in early.