Tranmere Rovers
Shocking Performance Means Another Stalemate
By Mark Ridgway
March 20 2010
Mark Ridgway reports on Friday night's highly boring and extremely unproductive 0-0 home draw against fellow strugglers Harltepool United in Coca-Cola League One which means that by the end of Saturday, Rovers could be back in the relegation zone,,,,,
Tranmere 0 - 0 Hartlepool U
Attendance: 5,409
Unlike last week where a 0-0 draw was welcomed, this week's result against Hartlepool is exactly what Rovers didn't need. In a game targeted to help us secure League One safety, the team didn't turn up and produced one of the worst displays of the season.
Hartlepool had lost their last nine on the road, and turned up at Prenton Park with little hope but they were the better side and could have nicked the points in the second half.
Les made two enforced changes to the side that drew at Bristol; Ian Thomas-Moore picked up a late injury and was replaced by Terry Gornell. Zoom Bakayogo's red card last week meant a start for Aaron Cresswell as left back in the following line-up......
Daniels
Logan Mccready Goodison Cresswell
McLaren Taylor Welsh
Curran Savage Gornell
The opening to the game was a low tempo affair with nobody taking the initiative and it took until the 20th minute for either side to threaten with McLaren missing the target from close range for Rovers when it seemed impossible to miss the target he put it wide.
A few minutes later John Welsh attempted a Clint Dempseyesque lob that almost snuck in the top corner from long range.
Goodison did well to block an Antony Sweeney effort before Terry Gornell headed well wide from a Cresswell cross.
Savage shot wide at the end of a dire first half where the second half could only get better surely?
Half Time: Tranmere Rovers 0 - 0 Hartlepool United
Hartlepool came out for the second half in the more determined mood and controlled the opening stages of the half in the pouring rain, with Brown heading wide for the visitors.
Curran then did well down the left and drilled a low effort just past the post from the edge of the box.
In an attempt to liven the game's tempo, Parry brought on Chris Shuker for the ineffective Terry Gornell.
On 67 minutes the visitors should have lead, Ian Goodison missed his kick and let Roy O’Donovon clean through, but he was foiled by Luke Daniels who did superbly to keep him out.
Taylor then volleyed horribly wide after good build up play down the right, before he headed wide from a McLaren delivery.
With the game over 80 minutes old the last throw of the Rovers dice was to bring on Gareth Edds and Marvin Sordell for John Welsh and Craig Curran, this left fans wondering why the disappointing Paul McLaren was still on the pitch and the busy John Welsh was replaced.
Sordell's weak left footed effort was fumbled by Scott Flinders in goal, but there was nobody close enough to capitalise for the hosts.
Hartlepool piled on the pressure late on but couldn’t force a winner, when the final whistle went a chorus of boo’s echoed around Prenton Park, with the fans clearly not appreciating the poor performance and apparent lack of desire and effort.
The players are going to need to pull their socks up to stay in the division, and they’re not making it easy for themselves.
Luke Daniels
In such a poor performance, Daniels made one superb save when keeping out O’Donovans effort when he was clean through, earning Rovers a point which could be crucial.
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20/03/2010 08:51
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Every ball is a white ball............TRFC
Les has done brilliantly, but I think that is more down to his deeper personal relationship with some of the players (physio's know everything). I believe he should stay in the coaching set-up but I think if we are to move forward as a football club we need to do the following;
1) Give the Chief the job - Young (for a manager), qualified (we haven't had a UEFA Pro-License holder since Little / Mathias) hard working and understands the club, plus he has been working with the players all season.
2) Get an experienced assistant manager in. None of this young developing rubbish - get an old head next to the chief. Jim Harvey would be perfect. Develop the next generation of managers etc...
3) Appoint a well respected DoF - Steve Coppell for example, someone to pull the players in and sort the sports business side of things out
4) Get them all on 3 year contracts with an option for another two years and implement a 5 year strategy.
5) Players signed should be on 1 year deals with an automatic extension if they play over 75% of the league games. All established players under 28 should be handed 3 year deals with salary reviews based on performance.
6) Expand the scouting network and sign an agreement with Vauxhall / CLaird / Chester(?) and get 4 or 5 of our best youth players playing for them on season long loans - building team network and player compatibility
Finally - give it time! I'm sick of seeing all this constant chop and change the minute something is going wrong. Crisis management simply DOES NOT WORK. We need a long term plan with clear, simple goals and the time to do it!
Any other thoughts? Stadium? Scouting? Trials?
We certainly wouldnt be able to afford a diretor of footbal as well as all the other coaching staff on 3 year contracts.
Again we couldnt afford to give all players under 28 a 3 year contract.
I personally would prefer harvey as manager with allison as his assstant and les goes back to being a physio
I totally agree about a long term strategy for the club. Since Aldo resigned we haven't had a manager for more than 3 years which is not a long term strategy at all. For me, Mr Moore should have been the one because although i disagreed with some of his decisions, his dealings in the transfer market were nothing short of genius.
One interesting point i would like to make here is that before we appointed Dave Watson, we had someone called Steve Cotterill who interviewed for the job. He had a long term strategy for the club but our board decided it was not for us. Dissapointing considering that when the club needed a long term strategy, we opted for the opposite.
I think we need a young manager, someone who works well with the youngsters because we all know the lifeblood of this club are our younger players. It will be interesting to see what happens at the end of the season as to what Peter Johnson does and where he sees the club going. Offering Les Parry the job full time is not the right option and i doubt that he will take it anyway because he wants to be a physio not a manager.
However whether or not we are in better position to move on next year reamins to be seen I guess.
We need to stay up though to have any chance of having enough money to get new players in the summer of a good enough standard for this league. Thankfully, point by point, Les is doing that.
You might get your team promoted, but you won't get that money back.
We are slowly withering away!
If we are to ever get out of this mess, MONEY and Good Investment in the future is the only way forward!!
Unfortunately modern football is a business and like any business we need investment.
If we manage to stay up, Something has to happen at boardroom level, to finance our future. Otherwise, I can only see the Rovers getting relegated next season and then, further into obscurity.
I pray, that, somebody comes in and starts trying to build a future here, rather than letting it slide the way it has over the past ten or so years!
Every ball is a white ball............TRFC
When we had Moore and backed him and had confidence in him, we started doing well, as do all other clubs who give their managers a chance.
The decision to sack him was a disgrace and one that we may well still see the repurcussions of for a couple of years (if not more) to come, because the instability at managerial level has cost us dearly on the pitch
Just look where Swindon are now!
The Board have a lot to answer for!!
Quote:Ingleboro08
The reason we are struggling now and have dropped to the standard is not our managers or players fault. It is the total lack in investment in the club and the infrastructure!
We are slowly withering away!
If we are to ever get out of this mess, MONEY and Good Investment in the future is the only way forward!!
Unfortunately modern football is a business and like any business we need investment.
If we manage to stay up, Something has to happen at boardroom level, to finance our future. Otherwise, I can only see the Rovers getting relegated next season and then, further into obscurity.
I pray, that, somebody comes in and starts trying to build a future here, rather than letting it slide the way it has over the past ten or so years!
A club has to stand on it's own feet said Johnson. THat means if YOU want better you pay more at the gate, then if the club improves, you may get more to come and share the burden.
THat is what the premiership is about isn't it ? Would you pay THEIR prices to see a better standard of football?
It always amused me to hear them wanting others to buy them
success but.....
What is wanted is a rotten with money person who has a sense of devilment to take over Tranmere and create another Wimbledon and infuriate the Premiership.
