• Nigel Adkins has been given the Tranmere job on a permanent basis signing until the end of the 25/26 season. Continue the discussion here.

Can we make the play-offs?

Can TRFC make the play-offs?


  • Total voters
    15
  • Poll closed .

Ian

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shall we close this thread now? lol
the only person who doesn't seem to have given up yet is ronnie moore.

"If we get three wins who knows what will happen. We have to get three wins, simple as that. It's never too late. We know it's going to be difficult but never say never in football. Stranger things have happened. We just have to hope we do our part and then someone upstairs smiles on us.
 
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Ronnie Moore seems to be living in some kind of parallel universe!
 

NeverBeatDaveHiggins

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I live there too!

Seriously he has to make the last three games mean something. I hope our situation does mean that some kids get to play, Paul Henry especially. I also hope that the fans can show we are supporters who will support the lads no matter what.
 
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Exactly, NBDH. We are now playing just for pride. We need to start thinking about next season. Whose contracts are up in June?
 
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Whole load of them with contracts up in June. Can't imagine there will be much money to splash about - Ronnie will have to wheel and deal as usual. Not many saleable assets really - Greenacre is contracted until 2009 so maybe a bit of leverage there but he would be difficult to replace. Wouldn't want to let Taylor go so soon, it'll probably end up with a few fringe players leaving with a few fringe players coming in and more of the same next season......
 
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Contracts expiring are:

Stockdale
McLaren
Mullin
Sherriff
Jennings
Davies
Jones
Holmes
Henry
Myrie Williams (At Bristol City)
Moore (Ronnie)

I would keep Stockdale, McLaren, Jennings, Davies, Jones, Holmes and Henry

Especially McLaren and Jennings
 
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Contracts expiring are:

Stockdale
McLaren
Mullin
Sherriff
Jennings
Davies
Jones
Holmes
Henry
Myrie Williams (At Bristol City)
Moore (Ronnie)

I would keep Stockdale, McLaren, Jennings, Davies, Jones, Holmes and Henry

Especially McLaren and Jennings

Agree 100% with that. Only question.... would you keep Ronnie Moore (you didn't specify)?
 

Ian

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I think leaving him out of the list of names to keep means he'd happily see Moore go. However, there's absolutely no chance of that, he's improved on last season and the season before that, you can't ask for more than that. I wouldn't want to see him go either. As long as he continues to improve the squad, which he has done, there's no reason for it.

Out of the players, I'd keep:
McLaren
Mullin
Jennings
Davies
Jones
Holmes
Henry

I'd definately keep the young lads. They are the future of this club.
Stockdale isn't getting any younger or better and I'm sure we can find someone better than Sherriff who's average in this division.

Still think Mullin has something to give too..
 
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Obviously I am completely biased, but I think Stockdale has been pretty good over the last few months, especially as he has had to cope with JMW in front of him!
 
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The thing about Moore is, for me is that he's been a real disappointment for me as a manager. He seems to be tactically naive and unwilling to make changes. I was expecting much better things considering he past managerial exploits with Rotherham and his obvious allegiance to Tranmere. I was very pleased, if not jubilant when he became manager\\:D/. But so far he's lived up to what Oldham fans say about him - long ball, excuse making and doesn't take responsibilty for anything. One of my major problems with him is that he never gives any of the young players a go such as Jones and Curran. Both have impressed at certain time this and (in Curran's case) last season but neither have been given the oppurtunity to play and start matches in the first team.

He's good at finding the right players - there's no doubt about that, he just doesn't seem to be able to organise them or get them to play consistently well. I think man for man we've got one of the better teams in the division - it's been shown in certain matches - Leeds away for example, but it seems to me that Ronnie Moore doesn't seem to have the abilty to organise them into a promotion challenging team, at the moment were a top half/ mid table team - we don't have the attacking threat, organisation or consistency to be promoted. Wes Morgans second goal against Forest was a classic example - a promotion challenging team would not have switched off like they did then.

The comments he makes are also slightly disturbing considering he's the manager. He say's things like "We don't score enough goals" as if it's nothing to do with him and he doesn't have the power to sort it out. His comments sound like the kind of things you read on forums like this - fans voicing their opinions - he doesn't seem to acknowledge the fact that it's his job to sort things like that out - that's what he's been paid to do. You could say he signed Ian Moore to score goals - but he's never been prolific he scores a goal roughly every 5 games. Moore makes space for other strikers which makes it even more bizzare as to why he's playing him alongside Greenacre considering they both like to come deep leaving us with nobody up front. We need someone who will score a goal every 2/3 games. He also hasn't given any of the strikers an oppurtunity to stake a claim for a first team place except Greenacre - who this season compared with his first two has been very poor and isn't compatible with Moore - there too similar. Curran, Zola and possibly even Gornell have not been given an oppurtunity to shine. Curran has been used as an 89th minute sub in order to waste time and whenever Zola seems to hit any form he gets taken out of the team.

I think Ronnie Moore has assembled on paper a very good if not slightly small (Due to budget limitations of course) squad, im just not completely convinced that he is the man who will take us to the next level. He was a great player, he is a great guy - i'm just not sure about him as manager.

I'm not convinced by keeping Mullin:-k, he's not getting any better and he doesn't look anywhere near as good as he looked when he played for Rotherham. Surely it would make sense to give Henry or Ahmed a chance in his place or use the money from his wages to sign someone else?
 

NeverBeatDaveHiggins

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Well roverstillidie you've explained yourself really well in that post and almost in my eyes made up for some rather iffy posts you've made in the past.

I agree it's time for Mullin to go, I felt he did well for us in his first season, but with the injury he had and the immense steps forward that Jenno has made, Mulls is no longer up to first team standard... and we simply can't afford to pay wages of an experienced player who won't make the first team.

Do disagree about Greenacre and Moore being too similar and that being a problem. Quite the opposite and I think they can form a really effective partnership, their similarities turning to a strength as they come to understanding and playing off each other, hopefully that's what will happen. The problem hasn't been their skill, as we know both are very capable players, or workrate, as they both put themselves about. The problem is the supply from the midfield - most of all the wide men - which has been disappointing.

The sooner we can get Davies to put pen to paper the better, I wouldn't be surprised if there's any season ticket preorder deadlines coming up if it's a few days before one of those. I'm hopeful that Ronnie will give Jones another year, but do worry that he's had his one-more-year this season and he'll just end up being too much on the fringe and just one year too old. Big concern as I do think he has the potential to be a good player. I'm expectant that Paul Henry will get a contract, he's a gem in an otherwise uninspiring reserve team. Maybe next season will see his breakthrough to the first team.
 

Joe_TRFC

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I'd let Mullin and Sherriff go... If we can find an Andy Taylor type for our right back position then I would let Stockdale go too with Danny Holmes coming through and sounding promising. The rest i'd definitely try and keep.
 

Ian

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roverstillidie - great post BTW :-D

I certainly agree with you regarding Ronnie's treatment of younger players. Ronnie's treatment of Curran has been nothing short of a joke in my eyes. The guy clearly has talent, more talent than some of the players I've seen on that pitch this season, but as you say, he hasn't been used at all. Coming on in the last 5/10 minutes of games.

That, I will never understand.
Some people even rate Adnan. Barely used all season.

However, it's a fact that we are improving by the season and the shape of the team looks good for the most part. Few players short of a division winning side, but dont forget where we were heading before he stepped into the hot seat. Our expectations can sometimes be too high and you've got to give the manager some time. One of the major problems in football these days is that nobody is given time.

This season hasn't been too bad. We've been in the top ten all season, which means we are a good team in this division.

This season we could finish in the top ten.
Last season we finished 9th on 67 points.
Season before that, 18th on 54 points.

We have a much better squad and things are getting better. The injuries to two key players really dented our promotion drive and Ronnie was extremely unlucky that his two creative wingers were out for most of the season.
 

Del Shannon

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With Walsall and, more importantly, Leeds, losing last night you just never know....
 
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I can't see us winning all 3 games, and Leeds only winning 1 and losing 2, or worse. So it is game over for us really imo. We had our chance, countless times, and haven't capitalised or been good enough on them occasions.

As for the use of certain players, Curran has shown at the beginning of this season and end of last that he can do it. He was banging goals in, full of confidence, yet Ronnie showed NO faith in the lad. The lad scores goals, is lightning quick (something our team lacks in abundance) and can change games, yet we see him for 2 mins a game if he is lucky.

As for Ahmed, no, I'm sorry. The less we see of him the better. From all I've seen, he's a very worthy candidate for Kevin Gray's role as worst player to put on a Tranmere shirt. I'd rather have Mickey Mellon back in midfield than him!
 
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I seem to have inadvertently started a new subthread about next season, but at least there's more to talk about this than the old topic.

Our chances next season all depend on how much Peter Johnson is willing to continue to bankroll the club. We lost £1m last season through negligible transfer income and no cup runs. This season I expect us to lose even more as gates are down, we've only sold Ellison, we've bought Taylor and our FA Cup income must have gone on the free coaches.

I'd like to thank the owners for their continued commitment this season. Ronnie seems to have had money made available for signings and loans when needed. They really deserved a better return for their money.

Although I find Ronnie frustrating, I think on balance he should stay. If he gets the sack, it would be difficult to find a better replacement as there would be no money for him to bring in his own players. We are not heading for League Two and I'd like to see if the team can improve the small amount needed to challenge for promotion. A few personnel changes plus better luck with injuries and suspensions might make the difference.
 
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Thanks for the comments NBDH and Ian. I think some of my 'iffy' comments in the past were over emotional more than anything else.

A quick word on whats mentioned in the previous post about gates been down etc, apparently (According to another unofficial website) season ticket sales are surprisingly low which is never a good sign - I have continued my suffering anyway though and got one for next season!
 

Ian

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I will also be renewing for next season as per usual, but the gates have been poor and are getting worse. Atmosphere at home games is also pretty poor. It seems we're missing a certain spark to get the atmosphere back and people into the ground. A really good cup run or something similar next season might do the trick!
 
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Got to disagree about atmosphere. At least in the Kop this season, I think it's been far improved. Fans getting behind the side as much as possible, difficult at times with the inept perfromances at times but the fans have been doing their bit.
 
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no! I thought I would awnser the main question of this thread in the first place.

Maybe next year....
 
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