• 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.

Boreham Wood v Rovers

Sparky

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We’ll never get a better opportunity to close the gap on the teams above us.

No need to panic but down to 4th and not a massive gap between us and 8th
 

Boz

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Boreham Wood go above us and I also think it’s probably the end of our slim chance of the automatic spot.

The Tranmere radio commentary is less analytical than the old Wirral radio was, so harder to gauge why things were going wrong. It sounded like the home side were getting more of the ball in the attacking third than usual. Were the central midfield pair not offering enough protection or were we sitting too deep? Defensively sounded brittle and not as well-organised as usual, while up front Cook didn’t like the conditions and Norwood an unusually quiet first half but got brought into it more after the break. Wallace was never going to come on in those conditions, so should someone else have been on the bench? Could the management have done more to change things, given the introduction of Tollitt seemed to buck us up to an extent?
 
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More when I get home but midfield was poor and back four shaky. Cook worked hard and did OK but it was a no-show from norwood. The bright spot was the performance of tollitt who was excellent and changed the game when he came on.
 
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The main problem was that we gave the ball away in the middle of the pitch far too often, particularly in the first half, and wood punished us.
 
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Mal

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I agree that Tollit was a breath of frosty air. Could do better at corners but his ability to run at defenders helped to improve things.
 

Sparky

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As much as I like Harris it sounds like we weren’t great in midfield. Jay is decent but isn’t a top level centre mid at this level. Although it sounded like he did ok today

Although Norburn has been off the boil recently him and Traore May well be our best midfield pairing. Wallace won’t be fit enough and Hughes is past it IMO.
 

Boz

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It sounded like Harris had a better game than Traore today though someone at the game might be better equipped to assess that. However, it would be a mistake to put Norburn straight back into the side after his ban ends, following a sequence of indifferent performances prior to his suspension.
 
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Jonny Morrisey
BW were first to every first and second ball in the first half and should have been 3-0 having hit the wood work twice, Tranmere just never showed up. They looked fitter, faster and stronger than us in the first half and adapted to the weather conditions far better than us.

In the second half we started a lot brighter and when Tollit came on and ran at their defenders it changed the balance of the match! Once we got level, it looked like we would go on to win it. 2 poor goals conceded from relatively easy balls to deal with. Monthe doesn't inspire me with confidence I must admit and Rides didn't have the best of games. Is Eddie Clarke injured because I would start him all day? Traore looked like he had slip on shoes on as opposed to boots and didn't look comfortable at all. Cookie tried all afternoon and put in a shift but there was little service for him against their huge number 6. Nors didn't have his best game either but did well for his goal.

Disappointing afternoon and not helped that my feet have only just thawed out
 
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Just as an aside, I thought Bruno Andrade and their Right Back, Kane Smith, we're excellent today. Only a young kid aswell Kane, who had trials at Coventry and BW signed in the Summer. Very promising!
 

Cowshed Kid

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Bitterly (pun again!) that we've been beaten by a team that, three seasons ago, we probably didn't know existed.
That win has put them right in the mix, virtually from nowhere.
It's so close in the top ten or so that even a play off spot isn't a gimme.
It sounded like we've conceded sloppy goals again. Have we disturbed a reasonably performing back four by dropping Sutton? I thought Monthe was brought in as 'cover' - not to directly replace Ritchie. I'm sure Ritchie is getting no consolation that he's been dropped cos he's not left footed.
It's a pity we had such a poor first third of the season, otherwise we could take the odd hit like today.
 

Boz

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Thanks for the report, White Squaddie. Clarke isn't injured. Boreham Wood looked decent in the game at PP, when Andrade was one of their stars, but unsure if Kane Smith played in that game.

Listened to MMs post-match remarks and he was tetchy and fairly downbeat. Seemed to suggest that given the importance of the game, players weren't sufficiently motivated in the first half, the hosts adapted to the conditions better and there was poor defending for their goals. He also asserted that it looked like there was only one winner in the second half. While Rovers certainly upped their game after the break, the impression from the commentary was that it was end to end, though with us having more of the play.

CK, Micky has this obsession with having a left-footed central defender, which is why we had to endure McEveley at the start of the season, until the Peterborough game made the management accept just how bad he was.

It will be interesting to see what line-up we put out against Eastleigh, the first home game since the Macclesfield debacle.
 
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It sounded like Harris had a better game than Traore today though someone at the game might be better equipped to assess that.
He did. Traore was poor and looked off the pace, although neither of them were great.
 
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I agree with most of White Squaddie's comments above. We lost the game in the first half today, where seven or eight players did not turn up. The major problem was that the turnover of possession was far too quick: we either hit nothing long balls or misplaced passes in midfield, which was always going to cause problems against a team that pass and move as well as Boreham Wood. Our midfield quartet were all poor today, particularly in the first half.

Say what you like about BW as a club, but I was really impressed with them today. Their front three of Ferrier, Andrade, and Balanta are as good as anything in the division and caused us all sorts of problems, particularly Andrade. What is worrying for me is that we have again really struggled against a team that tries to play football and has decent movement: think of Aldershot, Fylde and Macclesfield. That does not bode well for the play-offs and our poor form against the top teams continues.

Defensively we were also poor today. Wood's movement up front dragged McNulty out of his comfort zone into the wide areas where he does not want to go, and Ridehalgh was awful, both defensively and in terms of his delivery. I have no idea why Clarke has disappeared altogether. Monthe was again a mixture of good and bad, showing good pace and strength on occasions, but also getting too tight to Ferrier and being easily turned at times. I still think Sutton is a safer pair of hands.

My man of the match was Ben Tollitt, who put in his best display since returning in the second half and looks ready to start now. He also brought the best out of Adam Buxton.

The saving grace is that we are still in with a good chance of finishing in the top three with the way other results went, and we only have two really difficult (on paper) fixtures remaining, against Dover and Aldershot.

As for the title, forget about it. We just have not been good enough when it has really mattered this season.
 
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I'd agree with virtually everything written so far. The first half was an embarrassment and we could have been three down but for the woodwork. The first goal was not unexpected.

Tollitt's introduction changed the game. At last, we had some width and some pace. He linked up well with Buxton and Jennings, causing havoc on the right wing. This led to our equaliser from a Buxton cross, back heeled by Cook and finished by Norwood. Although we continued to play better in the second half, we allowed Wood to steal a winner. Norwood nearly headed a second equaliser, which hit the post.

Wood's passing was better, especially in the first half. The conditions meant that the ball slowed down more quickly and many of our passes never reached their target. I expect the home team had practised for a while on the pitch in the morning. They looked far more comfortable throughout. It was very difficult to string passes together in midfield and I expect that was why Harris and Traore struggled to make an impact, although Jay perked up in the second half.

It was a game that cried out for pace and width, as you could make little progress down the middle because of a lack of space. All three goals came from byline crosses or free-kicks into the box. Tollitt made a difference but we also needed Clarke on the other side.
 

Ian

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It's a worry for me that the team only seem capable of playing 45 minutes at the moment. There is a mental problem somewhere in the camp. Right now, with 8/9 games to go, they should be fired up doing all they can to walk away with the points. Just like BW did today. We need more fight and real effort from them all.

As for the title, forget about it. We just have not been good enough when it has really mattered this season.
That pretty much sums up another disappointing season.
 

drwhoman

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Having just seen MMs post game interview it must have been a quiet bus back to Birkenhead! Understandably, he was angry and frustrated, particularly with the second goal. Need to win next week. Tollet will definitely start.
 

Boz

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The match commentary gave the impression that Liam Ridehalgh has a reasonable game, covering for team-mates and making some decent challenges, but that perception doesn’t seem to be shared by those posting who were at the game. The strange disappearance of Eddie Clarke is a different issue, it is hard to understand why he’s so out of consideration now.

Have now seen their goals and the defending is shocking, with players not holding position at all.
 

Sparky

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As has been said and whilst I’m not blaming him for yesterday, dropping Sutton was unfair when him and Big Mac were doing so well.

Why disrupt such an important part of the team just to bring a left footer in?
 

bigmart

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Yet another game against a team at the top of the table in which we fail to turn up, it doesn't bode well for the play offs if we get there. This squad is not mentally tough enough for me and big changes are needed, the problem being recruitment under MM has been awful
 
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