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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:01:04:17:52:45 by Deadly Submarine.

2 1 down at half time and down to ten men this has the makings again of a very bad day indeed. If we loose again as looks likely it puts massive pressure on us to get points fro the 2 home games.

broomes sent off, and ash off after 26m doesn't look good

another very poor result indeed to get level twice then concede again so quickly is very disappointing.

For me time is quickly running out for les and unless we get 4 or 6 points from the next two home games i think he needs to go.

I know the problmes with our budget but its not just down to that why we are struggling to stay up again. The steadfast sticking with 4-3-3 is not helping us and nor is the over reliance to hoof the ball too much.

Im sure people will defend les quoting our small budget but Hartlepool are nearly in the play off positions and im sure they havent got a big budget.

if les goes,who do we get?any suggestions

Stupid desicion from Broomes to bring him down, being down to 10 obviously didn't help us at all. However conceiding so quickly after scoring twice is an absolute disgrace. The marking for the winner was laughable.

Les again has to come into question. Wooton is NOT a right back, end of. I feel sorry for him as in the two games he has played there he has looked dodgy. Play him in his position or send him back. The formation is a joke but he won't change it.

Don't know how many defeats that is in a row but we have lost to Hartlepool, Orient and now Rochdale in our last 3 league games which is awful. Worrying times.

There were some plus points, namely that Moore got the penalty and Labadie got his long awaited first of the season, which he must be happy about, as he got 3 in 5 last season.

However there are little positives, but hopefully Les can find a player or two in the next few weeks. A goalkeeper certainly. 2 choices for me would be Gulacsi or Amos.

I think Tranmere need another midfielder as well.

The team is able to kick on from this, but it is a blow for them, because it could have been better.

Today we may have lost but I strongly disagree with the comments about les our formation and how we played.

Broomes looked a stupid foul probably not a red but a big blow. After that the spirit fight and work rate was all that could be asked, ITM was leaving his foot in a bit but the passion he showed throughout the game and when scoring shows that any doubts about him is a long way off the mark. The 2nd goal was a good move but poor defending as was the 3rd.

I still think the 433 isnt a problem at all when you have a front 3 of ITM Enoch and Jenno when fit it works well, our problem is we haven't had these 3 available often enough.

Today I thought we got the tactics spot on the 2nd half we kept the shape dropped off and broke when we could, we created enough chances to score another 2-3 and but for schoolboy defending from a set piece got a well earned draw against the odds.

Collister (2 good saves kicking a little iffy good prospect but at 18 a big ask and best to find a experience keeper)
Wooton (getting a lot of flack but up against a very good winger in akpo akpro, certainly not his best game but nowhere near as bad as made out)
Cresswell (decent game some good defensive work)
Goodision (good game and a got stuck in during a physical game)
Broomes (some good defending before a wild tackle that nearly gave away a penalty then a push for the penalty after getting the wrong side, probably harsh red though)
Grandison (good physical game and did well)
Welsh (captains performance getting stuck in and work rate top class)
Labadie (getting forward more, good finish for the goal solid game)
Taylor (short time on pitch looked long way off match fitness and often out muscled)
Lateef (some nice touched and decent enough)
ITM (some rash tackles but top class work rate and effort, clutch penalty again and reaction after out goals proved what club he wants to be at)
Enoch (first touch often poor but some good runs and worked hard as ever, struggled to hold the ball up as well as usual today)
Jenno (few little runs and looked dangerous, back injury why he didn't start or something else???)

Les/Summerfield (No fault of theirs for the sending off but 2nd half organsised display behind the ball but getting men forward when attacking, basic defending from corner cost us, for all our fancy set pieces are we ever going to score from a corner/free kick??? where has our sneaky free kick gone where curran used to run down the side?)

good post Cad ! tough game for the lads after a long break ! coming from behind with 10 men twice excellent spirit the lads playing well for Les who must stay

Nobody suitable would come along I feel, if Les was canned and frankly it wouldn't be Ferguson or Laws, not for the money, assuming they were even considerable choices. I wouldn't necessarily think Dowie would be a decent choice either and Jewell wouldn't take the slightly more than laughable money and I wouldn't put any faith in Paul Hart and Blackwell would baulk the salary I think.

Steve Staunton or Chris Sutton might take the money, but their past in mangement and experience, makes them suspect choices, so the only name I think of off hand that might do it and want they money would be Simon Davey. His Barnsley exploits weren't too shabby, unless Summerfield or Shaun G got promoted.

Right now Les is better than Barnes and is a long serving Tranmere man, so he deserves more time.

I agree Mat but the real issue that your post implies is that PJ has set an unrealistically low budget for all aspects of the club. The salary of the manager defined as only being at a level that would attract those with a record of failure.The same holds true for players for our level can only attract failures or those who because of an injury record would not appeal to others.
Les is limited but as good as we will get at the salary level

it could be worth a try going for someonelike jim harvey, as for 4-3-3 not being a problem then why have we only won 6 games out of 20?

Les keeps playing players out of position which is not helping our cause, wooton is not a right back and this has been shown up.

Agony why was it a tough game after a break? rochdale were in the same position as well so thats just not an excuse.

if we played 433 442 802 at the end of the day we don't have the players to win 15/20 games. Our best performances in recent times have all been 433 walsall away, mk dons home, we won at notts away 433, we beat norwich/millwall/southampton last season 433.

With regards to right back who would you put there?? right backs tim cat and darville are injured blanchard is a centre back/midfield????

blanchard would be better than wooton at right back.

as for not winning 15 games or so well hartlepool look like they will so why cant we?

maybe we will when we haven't got half the team injured like we had for the first half of this season.

When we have our 1st XI out which has been rare we have looked a decent league 1 team.

we had virtually out first choice team out today and lost in recnt games weve had a few players out but have lost as well.

we will do well to avoid relegation playing as we are.

Our problem is when we play 4-5-1, which is what we usually play. (It is NEVER 4-3-3) but when we do play 4-3-3 we tend to win. Les needs to stop being scared of attacking and taking gamble. With 4-3-3 we have a squad capable of a midtable finish.

The formation debate will go on and on as long as Les is on charge. I totally agree that when we play that formation with the right players, we are a much better side as we saw at times this season. Problem for me is that Les has bought a team to play that formation meaning there is no plan B as players will have to be played out of position.

Your right about Les being scared though. I don't understand it because you only have to look at Blackpool to see how you can play a 433 effectively. They just attack teams and the opposition just look scared half the time as they don't know what to do or how to handle it. For me we don't give the ball to Dale enough because he scares the life out of defences and that's what you need. In regards to the right back debate, has everyone forgotten how good Broomes was there at the end of last season.

What the hell has a long serving physio got to do with being a competant manager ?
A few weeks ago i saw a non-league game on telly and the better side had the ball on the ground and passed it around
in a manner which would have you purring. I think the club was Staveley, not sure but began with an 'S'.
To pass it around like that shows confidence on the ball.To hoof it either shows no confidence or it's hoofed on instructions.
A long ball is a lost ball whatever the level of play and I've seen it at Liverpool on telly.
Control, pass and move, the essence of the game and if there are players at Tranmere who can't control the ball it's time they moved on for one thing, and it should be asked why the manager and staff are not putting that right between matches, though god knows how some players have found a niche in the game at all.
Who's that manager ?

a few thoughts if les goes.mickey mellon,jim harvey,wayne allison,nev powell,ken mckenna,all ex rovers and in our price range

Cad for yesterdays game broomes could have played at right back as he did a number of times last season with grandison or wooton centre half.

If what has been floating about in the media and on here in the past is anything to go by, Fleetwood might have a better bidget than Tranmere and given they could possibly be paying Mellon more than Les and coupled with their ability to progress, I'm not convinced he would come if asked, knowing in 2-3 years he could be league 1 with Fleetwood.

He might be a nice choice, but I don't think it's an Owen Coyle type scenario, where he'd only leave Fleetwood if Tranmere offered.

I agree about the way 4-3-3 can work, when the bulk of the first team is available, but having Wooton at right back was a bit of a error for me and Blanchard is a more capable exponent of the right back area I feel, as adequately showcased against Charlton.

I am think it was Ronnie Moore or Brian Little once quoted that good teams do not lose more than two back to back games trouble is we are not a good team we have now lost four games in a run(including the JPT game) having a team of loan players and players on our books that nobody else would sign (Morrow McLaren(I know he`s gone now)McGurk Akins) let`s face it it`s a miss match of players that we have now at least sicknote is going back to Man City after tomorrow. Things do not look good unless Les changes some of the squad and his tactics and try to make it a team that`s hard to beat we might not win many but perhaps we can muster fifty three points to hold on in the league for another season. Going back to yesterday`s game to pull back level twice was good but to conceed twice within 3/4 minutes of being back on terms is bad come on Les start kicking @#$%&`s
to liven the defenceup throw the odd tea cup we need something to alter now not six games down the line if we can not get six points from the next two games we will be up the river with out a paddle.

Quote:

bigmart
it could be worth a try going for someonelike jim harvey, as for 4-3-3 not being a problem then why have we only won 6 games out of 20?
Les keeps playing players out of position which is not helping our cause, wooton is not a right back and this has been shown up.

Agony why was it a tough game after a break? rochdale were in the same position as well so thats just not an excuse.

it was a statement ! not an excuse ! fact we lost and played with 10 men I think kind a proves my point ! that it was a tough game after the break !

Belmont,

You make a point that has driven me crazy all season, look at the loan players or substandard players we have on the books, Manton, Darville, Wood,Brown,Cathalina.Atkins, McGurk, the latest one Alliyu I have nt seen live yet but so far missed a pen and looking at the football league show failed to track his man back for the second goal against at Rochdale. Ronnie Moore fell out over budget, Les is attempting to do the best he can on a very low spend, perhaps the option to reduce the quantity and increase the quality could be a better option but with the injuries this season that too would be a challenge.

Wooton at Right back, I dont think on paper there was a lot of options although I would hope the back room staff would have dome their job and recognised that the winger hjad a bit of pace and Marlon would never catch him,

Sqaud like a patchwork quilt!

Oh I missed Morrow !

Wonder why !