Down or not?

[Rockford's Love Child]

Sure we'll get a manager after Les. But exactly who and where will that leave us/take us I really don't know. We've got a lot further to fall....

As it is, we look likely to fall a fair distance under Les. Our form could not get much worse regardless of who was in charge. If Les stays, I reckon we will get relegated. If we replace him, we might get relegated - but we might not. I am prepared to take that chance.

 

[SonkORLY?]

The club are relentless on this finance propaganda and people lap it up far too readily

We have a good squad of players that shouldn't be relegated. If they aren't performing to the level they should then that is the managers fault. Gates are down but are still average for this level. We could bring in someone with better credentials than Les on the same money to make a better attempt at the same job.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Agreed. Even as a matter of principle, I don't believe people should remain in jobs if they are not performing them to an acceptable level. That is a rule that applies in every other walk of life: do we really believe Johnson would be so tolerant if one his Park executives under-achieved to the same degree ?

Interestingly, a couple of results actually went for us tonight, with Rochdale losing and Chesterfield thrashed 0-4 at home to Charlton. Then again, the same happened to Oldham just before we played them......

 

[bigmart]

well put sonkorly, totally agree with that

 

[The Bootle Rover]

Of course we'll stay up

O ye of little faith and even smaller aspirations.

We shall improve on last seasons finishing position.

Do please get ready to eat humble pie at the seasons end.

Les will stay. Johnson will continue to starve the club. And many will continue to moan relentlessly.

Best wishes chaps......

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Given that we couldn't afford either of Stalybridge Celtic's forwards there's no chance of getting their manager (Harvey). PJ tried hard I believe to get someone in after Barnes got the boot and he got no-one. What's changed since then? The budget is probably smaller. Forget every name on that list.

Just because there's a job going doesn't mean there will be a queue to take it. Look at Wolves, not exactly the same, but people like Curbishley and Walter Smith didn't want it. You think "why?' But there's always behind-the-scenes reasons that we fans no nothing of.

Will we stay up? Dunno. Actually, I don't think it's down to the chairman (he won't sack Les), the manager (he won't alter the system) or the fans (divided) - I think it's down to the players. If they make Les' system work, like they did early season, then yes, we will stay up. If their attitude is "this ain't working, to hell with it" then we're down. Still don't know....

You're not the only one with this view, TT64. Les has certainly made mistakes, although he rarely admits any. If we do go down, I feel the failure to sign a half-decent striker by the end of the transfer window was the turning point. I know Les tried hard, but for some reason (probably money), we didn't get one. So, we are left with the old squad (plus Ryan Brunt and James Wallace) to recapture the early season form and hopefully start scoring some goals. We CAN stay up, although I won't bet on it.

 

[SonkORLY?]

Step 1: Sign 3 right-backs
Step 2: Bring in loanee central midfielders when you have 2 sat on the bench
Step 3: I want to buy a striker but for some reason I can't afford one
Step 4: Talk about lack of funds in every interview

 

[Sparky]

Enough of all this negativity as on a lighter note - we beat Prescot Cables last night on penaties !

Sounds like Robbo did well - not sure about Enoch. Rovers played a decent side with 8 professionals including Robbo, Enoch, Kay, Zoom, Joss.

Bit worrying we conceded 4 but a win is a win !

Bring on the spirities (who got tonked at home last night)

 

[TheBunnyBellEnd]

Cant reall add much to whats already been said. I think we are down. Les will not leave whether he be sacked or of his own accord and while he is here we will be treated to his brand of ineffective 451 football week in week out. He will bemoan missed chances and will bemoan bad luck and bad decisions, he will continue to blame supporters but will fail to take any responsibility himself.
We seem to in recent weeks developed 3 different approaches to games:

1/ Go ahead in the first half then try to defend the goal lead for the remainder of the game allowing the opposition back into the game and ultimately dropping points.

2/ Go behind to 1-2 early goals attempt to play in the second half only to fall short and for Les to claim we won the second half.

3/ Play out a dreadful spectacle of football concede 1 goal and never look like scoring ourselves.

Finances are a major factor but so is tactical awareness and the ability to read a game. Les has neither of these skills and will send us out 451 at Chesterfield and 1 of the above 3 games will play out AGAIN. We will all have the same discussions and bemoan the same points, its actually interesting to go back over recent games and read the comments its like someone has cut and pasted them into each other. If we as fans can see were its going wrong why cant Les and his management team?

Another thing that got me this week is Parry blaming supporters etc. I found it interesting that none of the players have come out to publicly defend the manager, they have not even attempted to raise their performances to help him with players like Weir and Welsh especially poor at Oldham.
The wheels are totally coming off and we are staring straight down the relegation barrel and there is only 2 men who can do anything about it one is not arsed and the other is deluded.

While Tranmere burned PJ sat fiddling.

 

[roverstillidie]

I think the best course of action is to bombard the club with emails so they might actually do something. Tranmere have always struck me as being completely out of touch with the fans - maybe a bit of direct communication will help.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Sorry for more negativity, but..... In today's Echo Nick Hilton has virtually launched a propaganda campaign in support of Les, calling on the support of Gary Williams to back up his argument. While I have utmost respect for Williams's contribution to Rovers, many of the comments made are puerile, condescending tosh, which don't even engage with the debate currently being conducted among supporters.

By all means defend Les, but actually acknowledge the criticisms being made and rebut them, don't simply attribute attitudes to supporters which they don't even hold ('they all think they belong in the Championship') or make entirely unsubstantiated claims ('all the clubs below Tranmere have much bigger budgets').

Such a shame that respected figures should resort to these arguments rather than acknowledging the perfectly justifiable concerns of many supporters. This 'us and them' approach will get us nowhere.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

On a more positive note, as Sparky points out the strong reserve side apparently put in a good attacking display last night, with Robinson scoring a free kick from 25 yards and looking generally dangerous. Encouraging for the weeks ahead.

 

[Mal]

We will do enough to stay up. It is generally in Tranmere DNA to only get going when going gets tough. Main Exception being the wasters in the 2000 2001 team. Besides there are teams worse than us below us. There, that's brought in the bad luck.

 

[DIW]

Besides there are teams worse than us below us.

Not on current form there aren't.

There, that's brought in the bad luck.

About time, we've had far too much good luck this season. How have we been getting away with it? :-D

 

[Tartantranmere64]

Yet another result going our way tonight with Scunny losing. The bottom dwellers are falling over themselves not to overtake us. They will soon...

Bet you Les is glad Mandaric isn't our chairman. he would have got his P45 months ago!

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

About time, we've had far too much good luck this season. How have we been getting away with it? :-D

Just how much "good luck" have we had this season? Long-term injuries to key players, dodgy penalties against us and only one penalty awarded to us (and that too late to make a difference).

 

[amplesou]

oops

Another one for the knife.....

http://www.tranmererovers.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10365~2629125,00.html

got to be a record under LP

If i was a player and did,nt. like hospitals i would be reluctant to join Tranmere R....:-k

 

[Hatrick Hunter]

Agree with Mal that we will stay up.

We've had a bit of a buffer (6-7 points) for a while before last weekend and coupled with some half-decent performances against Hudders and Charlton, I don't think the majority of the fans (and probably players) considered relegation as a possibility. It's now full-on Survival Mode, and despite Les's shortcomings, the players should be good enough to put in the performances to pick up the points that we need.

The fact that it it's had to get so bad before it (hopefully) will get better tells us why these group of players are plying their trade in the third-tier rather than a higher level, which some of them clearly have the ability to do.

 

[Sparky]

On the subject of Enochs return to the team, Les has allowed Chicken to join Cambridge United on loan - quite amusing given Trabsonzpor were supposedly after him early in the season !!

Les must be hoping therefore that Enoch can stay fit although you have to wonder whether he will. Least we have Brunt for another month.

 

[DIW]

Just how much "good luck" have we had this season? Long-term injuries to key players, dodgy penalties against us and only one penalty awarded to us (and that too late to make a difference).

I was being sarcastic. Thought it was obvious. :roll: