He said: "We want to improve the squad and it's essential that we do it because there can be a bit of complacency.
"We're a very good footballing side but we're not a top-three side because we don't have a top-three budget. We probably don't have a top-seven budget and we are over-achieving again and again and it's very difficult to do.
"It's not monotonous, it's enjoyable while we're trying to do it, but it's very difficult trying to compete.
"We do want to improve the squad but it's very difficult because we don't have the king's ransom's other clubs have to bring in that extra bit of quality."
Adam Le Fondre's 80th minute penalty looked enough to earn a point for the battling Dale until Thompson converted in the 91st minute when Dave Brammer's shot rebounded off the woodwork.
Chances
By that stage Vale were down to ten men after Danny Glover had been sent off for a second bookable offence.
The striker earned his first yellow card for taking off his shirt having giving Vale the lead in the 74th minute after Dale had missed a glut of chances in front of goal.
A philosophical Hill said: "We possibly shot ourselves in the foot with missed chances in the first half, but while we weren't winning the game we were not losing it.
"It was just one of those games. We had more than the lion's share of possession and created opportunities.
"We didn't take our opportunities and they scored in the second half against the run of play. The least we should have got out of the game was a point.
"When they went down to 10 men there was no way we should have lost it. We have more than enough in our team to see out a 1-1 scoreline at least.
"It is a concern that we are conceding goals when we are looking to win games. I suppose we could go negative and sit deep and counter-attack but I'm at a loss to explain how we lost this game."
DALE: Russell 6, Ramsden 6, Stanton 6, McArdle 6, Kennedy 6, Higginbotham 6, Toner 6, Keltie 6 (M Jones 77), Rundle 6 (Thompson 65), Dagnall 6 (Le Fondre 64), McEvilly 6
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