League Two Doncaster v Tranmere

[Outoftowner]

Palios must be as clueless as Mellon for still putting up with him !

 

[Ian]

Chalmers looked good and wants to get forward. What worries me is the attack. They don't look like they have any goals in them and Hemmings is still not doing enough IMO. The new players looked good and we were in control during parts of that match but there does not look a goal between them all. Also as RLC says, we need to stop the sillyness at the back, more lackadaisical play cost us another goal.

Maybe we were just unlucky tonight, I can't really decide but something is nagging me about the setup and our failures to put the ball in the net.

 

[Goody Two Shoes]

We’re comfortably in an automatic promotion spot if you cut the table in half (glass half full!)
Not much learnt from Saturday judging by yet another gift of a goal.
Shame really as we looked comfortable for a good chunk of the game; maybe we flatter to deceive.
Really can’t see us challenging for a play-off spot, but stranger things have happened.
Need a bit of the sting taking out v Salford on Saturday; definitely won’t go down well if we have another negative result, particularly with the opposition in question.

 

[Ian]

We’re comfortably in an automatic promotion spot if you cut the table in half (glass half full!)

 

[Sparky]

Their first goal was a bit unlucky with the deflection but Walker was turned too easily (perhaps tiring), and bristow should have done much better to stop the initial cross. For their second davies should have gone back to Hewelt instead of putting Walker under pressure.

However the fact remains that if we had any decent attacking threat we’d have been out of sight by that point. So many corners, possession, chances but it all came to nothing. I’m still not convinced about Saunders as a goalscorer but something just isn’t working in the final third and let’s face it, it hasn’t all season. It was the same for large parts of last season and hasn’t been rectified.

Agree with some that micky won’t be sacked unless we were in danger of relegation. What I find the most frustrating is that we’re still only 4 points of the play offs. 3 wins in 18 matches and only a bit of an improvement on that would have seen us in the top seven. Hendry looked decent but Walker not a great second half. Charmers needs a start but that will mean dropping our second top scorer in hawkes.

On paper, the fixtures only get harder over the coming weeks….

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I agree about the final third, albeit we clearly did create more and better chances than Doncaster tonight.

I still think you have to give time for Hendry, Walker and Chalmers to develop an understanding with the strikers.

I don't think Walker is match fit yet.

 

[Ian]

What I find the most frustrating is that we’re still only 4 points of the play offs. 3 wins in 18 matches

It's quite an awful stat but makes you wonder how poor this division is. Doncaster are a pretty poor side but only two points from the playoffs! Crazy.

 

[drwhoman]

We have a decent defence and now midfield but we still lack a goal scoring predator. I was only able to follow the written commentary here in Oz but I got the real sense that we gave as good as we got other than two errors and a continued failure to put the ball in the net! Sacking MM would not solve anything. Who would replace him and do a better job given our limited resources?
BTW, a good effort from Wrexham even if Mullin missed a pen - more a save really!

 

[frenchrover]

The bottom line is, however dressed up,.....we haven't got a decent striker in the squad...and that's the reality like it or not

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I am not writing Saunders off, because I don't think he has had anything like enough time to be judged yet.

However, if you consider our struggles in front of goal in the last couple of years much of it comes down to the quality of the strikers. Hemmings is a decent goalscorer, but not as ruthless as a Norwood, Vaughan or Cook. The other forwards we have had in the last couple of seasons - Mani, Nevitt, Mumbongo - have not been good enough, with the exception of the injury stricken Glatzel. Saunders is a busy, energetic player, but will he be ruthless in front of goal ? Perhaps not.

The midfield looks decent now, but I don't think we have been good enough up front since Vaughan got injured.

 

[Ian]

Yeah, Vaughan was the last decent striker we had. Hemmings may have been a decent goalscorer but he hasn't been for Rovers. Saunders reminds me of Mangan a bit. Willing to put a shift in, running tirelessly for the ball, not sure about the substance yet, too early to tell.

 

[Boz]

That was a very frustrating evening!

Rovers were much the better team in the first half, yet unable to capitalise on the greater possession and turn that superiority into a lead. The second half started more evenly although Doncaster hadn’t looked that much of a threat. To concede two goals so quickly proved a disaster and one we never looked like recovering from, although it might have been interesting if Walker’s effort had gone in rather than hitting the bar. I can only remember Lewis in added time seriously testing the keeper after that.

We still need to win at least 3 more games to be sure of staying up and I’d like those points to come quickly. However with a series of tough games coming up that may prove challenging.

Of the newer players, I thought Hendry played well. Walker did in patches, but there are obviously fitness issues and purely on this game, I’d have concerns about how well he would function filling in as a central defender. I thought Saunders worked hard and wasn’t getting much service. Chalmers not sure am as much of an enthusiast as some recent posters, as for all the nice footwork, there wasn’t a great deal of end product tonight. Mumbongo looked very out of sorts when he came on tonight too and showed a reluctance to jump for anything.

 

[mellow submarine]

Think it's time for a change of manager though I doubt it happen till the summer, our record is shocking, 3 wins in 18 games is frankly woefull

Palios isn't great at chosing managers, it might not go well.

 

[Sparky]

Fairly honest post match assessment by Micky. The game was there for the taking.

Q+A could be interesting on Friday even if certain questions aren’t asked

 

[bigmart]

Palios isn't great at chosing managers, it might not go well.

It may not go well but equally it may do, nothing will change till the summer but for me change is needed

 

[Sparky]

Some suggestions on other forums that Hemmings was singled out for crisis when he was taken off. Not sure if true

 

[overthewater]

Some suggestions on other forums that Hemmings was singled out for crisis when he was taken off. Not sure if true

This is true. There were chants of 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' as he was subbed. Very disappointing; there's no question that Hemmings is out of form. The last thing he needs is the fans on his back. You could see from his reaction after netting the penalty at Stockport that he is riled by it

 

[Sparky]

This is true. There were chants of 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' as he was subbed. Very disappointing; there's no question that Hemmings is out of form. The last thing he needs is the fans on his back. You could see from his reaction after netting the penalty at Stockport that he is riled by it

That is a shame. He’s going through a barren spell but he tries his best. He would probably argue he doesn’t get enough chances created for him

 

[Sparky]

It won’t help either that many don’t think he should be captain

 

[Ian]

I'm not sure if says much about O'Connor and Merrie if they get replaced with an unfit Walker.