Rovers 0-0 Colchester

[Sparky]

Well for a 0-0 it wasnt a bad game to watch with a fair bit of entertainment but sadly our lack of cutting edge came back to haunt us.

Positives - another clean sheet against a side with plenty of attacking threat. Whole defence did well plus OFW when called upon. Thought Welsh had a good game breaking up play etc.

Midfield worked hard but Akins/McGurk never looked like scoring. Adam I thought was a bit frustrating at times. Yes the keeper made a great save from him but his overall play wasnt great today.

Chicken also worked hard and his link up play and flick ons are coming on. But he didnt get much service. Robbo worked hard and looked arguably our most dangeous player even though he hasnt played for a while.

So not a bad result just a bit frustrating. Although I have to question the lack of subs. Whilst we were playing well and could have nicked it, he should have tried something different e.g.

Enoch for Chicken / Joss for Weir / or even Zoom for McGurk

Yes Enoch deserved to be dropped but I just thought it was worth at least one change as we werent getting anything from the ref.

 

[bigmart]

We were the better team but didnt really create too many chances but we rarely will at home when the onus is on us to attack

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Agree with most of the above other than the comments re. McGurk and the lack of subs.

I thought Adam had a very good game, and was my man of the match. Certainly he was very unlucky with the two efforts saved in the second half, particularly the fantastic curling shot from 25 yards.

I would not personally have made any changes as I didn't see what Enoch or Labadie would have brought to the game. Robbo, McGurk and Tiryaki all played well in my view, and we did create several good chances in the closing twenty minutes.

Looking at the game as a whole, I thought our best football was played in the first half, and we really should have gone in ahead at half time (as last week). In the first twenty minutes of the second half our play was bitty and scrappy, and we sat far too deep, perhaps because of our wariness of Colchester's pace up front and our lack of mobility at the back. Gradually, however, the momentum built and we laid siege to their goal in the closing stages. My real frustration was that again we did not get enough bodies in the box when Adam and Lucas had the ball in great positions out wide, hence our lack of really good goalscoring chances until the closing changes, despite dominating possession for long periods.

Colchester are a well organised side and have some good individuals, but I have to say I am glad I don't have to pay to watch their brand of football every week. Their main tactic seemed to be to break up our passing moves and hack the ball in behind our back four, a ploy which did cause us problems in the second half given their power and pace up front (and the size of their side - their average height must be 6 foot seven). However, only one team was trying to play football and I thought their approach was typical John Ward up-and-at-em stuff.

Robinson was clearly not fully fit, and his final ball went slightly astray at times, but he did ok and will benefit from the ninety minutes. Looking at the other scores a draw isn't a disaster and we are still handily placed. The real positive has to be yet another clean sheet, and we must surely be on course to set some kind of record this season now ?

Postscript: Forgot to mention, diabolical referee. It would be interesting to know what everyone else thought of our numerous penalty shouts, a couple of which looked cast iron to me. Most bizarre was the incident involving Weir in the second half. Dragged down in the box, no penalty is given, but the ref decides to give the Col U centre back a talking to. What was that about ?

 

[The Bootle Rover]

The cutting edge

Rovers got stronger as the game went on and at times the big physical players of Colchester were starting to show signs of panic - most noticeably when continually holding on to Ash Taylor every time he was in the box. The tactic then should have been to play it to Ash as often as possible and we did to some extent but we left him short of close support at times which may have unerved them even more. Who knows maybe the ref might even have spotted their only way of coping - fouling at each opportunity. What an unimpressive chap he was throughout, poor decision making and so often pointlessly and needlessly blowing his whistle to restart the game just after it had restarted with a throw or a free kick - totally out of synk or what.
Chicken is doing his stuff and deserves an extended run in the team.
Sadly I think our worst performer is Robbo. He dominates too many of his team mates, slows down the moves when we are in possession and really needs to appreciate it is a team game. Best left out. On top of which he appears to be a bit of a nutter. His behaviour does at times seem to warrent psychiactric attention.
Labadie may have been the better option, particularly at getting in their box as the extra man and being more physical against such a big side.
Cant complain too much though , Les is doing a really good job.

Oh yes and I havent forgot just because we are doing ok....Johnson out out out

 

[Boz]

Odd game, though one that on balance we should have won. Indeed, if we've serious play-off aspirations, it's sides like Colchester that we need to beat. They were a strong physical side and Antonio and Ashley Vincent when playing wide gave us something to think about.

Rovers had the better of a fairly even first half, with Ash Taylor failing to direct a header with the goal gaping, following an excellent cross from Robinson our best chance of the half, if not the whole game. However we started the second half poorly, there seemed little urgency about our play, it was hard to understand why Les didn't ring the changes at that point, given some of the players seemed disinterested. After about 70 minutes, the players seemed to get a second wind, and the game ended with us throwing everything at Colchester and coming close to taking the lead on a couple of occasions. The crowd were very vocal at this time, which was good to hear. We seemed to have some good shouts for a penalty, but I was too far away to judge their merits.

While the defence did a good job of defending, which is their main role, we lacked any kind of forward movement from the full-backs. In midfield, while Welsh and Robbo did well, Robbie Weir drifted in and out of the game. Up front Mustafa worked hard, but didn't really look like scoring, being starved of service.

One other concern is the crowd. 4312 was the second lowest in L1 only ahead of Exeter v Carlisle. Despite the cheaper price, there were about 160 fewer in the ground than Walsall, which is roughly the difference in numbers of away fans from Essex as opposed to the West Midlands, with home support down to a hardcore of just over 4k. Worrying.

 

[DIW]

Sadly I think our worst performer is Robbo. He dominates too many of his team mates, slows down the moves when we are in possession and really needs to appreciate it is a team game. Best left out.

I'm sorry but this is a ridiculous statement. Robbo looked dangerous today. If anyone is guilty of slowing down possession it would be Welsh. WE can't afford to leave out players who have a bit of quality and creativity, given that our main problem is scoring goals.

Over than that I thought Sparky got it pretty well spot on and I agree with most of what everyone else has said.

I've kinda mentioned it before but I'm now beginning to suspect there may be some sort of conspiracy to not give Tranmere a penalty this season. Given that we lost out on two points away to Charlton to what was a blatant ref bottler, big team at home penalty it is starting to grate a little.

 

[Boz]

Sadly I think our worst performer is Robbo. He dominates too many of his team mates, slows down the moves when we are in possession and really needs to appreciate it is a team game. Best left out. On top of which he appears to be a bit of a nutter. His behaviour does at times seem to warrent psychiactric attention.

There's a saying which goes something like "it takes one to know one":lol:

I agree with DIW that Robinson was one of our better players today and the best openings came through him.

I'm not convinced by the idea of a referees conspiracy never to award us a penalty. Even if we got one, would probably miss it, as Mark McChrystal did in the JPT against Port Vale.

 

[DIW]

I don't seriously think there is a conspiracy, but we do seem to be getting a fair few decent shouts turned down.

 

[Ian]

It was a fairly entertaining 0-0. OK, Colchester's style of play might not be for the purists but let's not forget they are only three points behind us. Both sides had good enough chances to win the game. Yes we had more possession and shots, but our shooting was wasteful today. Lot's of poor shots from outside the box although their keeper made two great saves in the second half.

Interesting that RLC picked up on the lack of players in the box. It's certainly true. Lot's of times we were completely outnumbered and had no chance of getting to the ball ahead of some good play out wide.

Was really surprised Robinson started never mind last the whole game. He's a tricky player and was one of our best today. Good to see him back in the side. I also think it's interesting to see Turyaki in ahead of Enoch more so because we play the ball on the floor instead of aiming for Enoch's head or getting him to chase ridiculous long balls he's never going to reach. Much better to watch and Turyaki had a good game, shame he wasn't among the chances as I do believe given good service, he can score lots of goals.

Lastly the referee was a joke. How the opposition was allowed to get away with the pushing and shoving of our players was beyond me. We had some really good shouts today for a penalty. One for a trip on Weir and another for handball and the referee bottled it both times. Couldn't make a big decision yet was nit picking at throw-ins and set pieces.

People booing at the end. Idiots. Do they expect us to win every home game? It was an entertaining game and the lads played fairly well, we just need to be able to put away chances.

 

[The Bootle Rover]

Come On BOZ....Takes one to know one - childish and stupid reaction.

Maybe give this some thought...At the match against Scunthorpe when the Rovers subs were on the pitch our hero Robbo volleyed the ball quite deliberately at the away support [ yes the Tranmere fans] for no reason with as much venom as you can imagine. I still cant find out why. Perhaps there was some slight and even if there was so what He is a pro and must rise above it. There was no reason I could see. I know because I was there. Being a cult hero to the deadbeats he drinks with should raise serious questions about his judgement, his attitude and his professionalism. Yes he has talent, why didnt anyone else show interest in signing him? We were not his first choice - we were his only choice. Watch his behaviour deteriorate when decisions dont go his way and the crybaby child tantrums shine out.

 

[SonkORLY?]

Yeah, Robbo is ****.

:lol:

Agree with what RLC said about subs. We had our best XI on the pitch and we were playing well. Why bring Enoch on? Tiryaki was playing well and working hard. One of Enoch's main strengths is his pace and at that stage in the game, for the most part, there was little space to exploit behind their back 4.

Robbo was clearly tired, but was still working away and having an impact. It's always handy to have your set piece taker on in the last 10 minutes of tight games as opportunities from such positions tend to become more frequent (and important) during that period.

Enjoyable game today. Nice football. Thought both Colchester and the officials were better than people are crediting them for. Colchester started the game well and created one or two very good chances on the counter. All of the peno shouts were soft, and the ref, while a touch harsh on the likes of Raven elsewhere, did let Ash get away with one or two things and generally maintained a low profile.

Gradually, however, the momentum built and we laid siege to their goal in the closing stages. My real frustration was that again we did not get enough bodies in the box when Adam and Lucas had the ball in great positions out wide, hence our lack of really good goalscoring chances until the closing changes, despite dominating possession for long periods.

Yeah. Noticed once or twice that Tiryaki was trying to link up with Akins on the right hand side, and as a result, couldn't really get into the area in time to meet the cross he'd helped to make possible. He needs to be in the box really. Some of his headed flick-ons today were world class. He's a huge threat in the air.

Anyway, one consequence of this was McGurk and Akins tending to cut inside and try to shoot with their weaker foot rather than crossing the ball towards nobody. If getting players into the box for crosses is a problem, then playing with inverted wingers might be an interesting 'solution'.

 

[Tartantranmere64]

Agree with those that say we are a better team with Robbo playing. His ability to see and make a pass marks him out from most in this division. I thought he did really well to last 90 minutes - a real plus on what was a bit of a frustrating afternoon.

The penalty shouts were soft, but given some of the decisions against us this season (Charlton, Preston), it was reasonable to think one might have gone our way.

It will be interesting to see how Les approaches the next two games. Many fans don't really care about the cup comps, but I think we'll be in better shape to face Shef Weds if we've won both the upcoming ties.

Final thought: Iain Hume is playing for a team which is below Tranmere in the Football League. Would not have thought that possible a couple of years ago. Discuss.

 

[DIW]

I care about the cups. JPT gives us a realistic opportunity of a day out at a final and a trophy and the FA cup gives us a chance of a game against a bigger side and at the very least some money making opportunities.

 

[Boz]

On the subs question, I can see why Les didn't alter things in the last 20 minutes, when we'd regained momentum, although there is always the fresh legs argument. My thought was that we might have changed things in the sterile period for Rovers which was the first part of the second half.

Valid point re McGurk and Akins feeling compelled to take shots themselves because of the lack of bodies in the box to aim for. Tiryaki did a couple of nice back-heels to Lucas in the 2nd half, along with his flick-ons, but his deep position reduced his chance of scoring.

Agree with TT re Cup games. Winning is better for morale than losing and certainly for the JPT we've enough capable players not getting a game to do a spot of squad rotation and still turn out a side who can win.

On Iain Hume, don't think he featured yesterday, presume out injured. It would be great if he wanted a move to a bigger club and came back to PP :smile: I'm surprised Preston are doing so poorly, of the 3 sides who came down, they seemed best prepared, whereas the Blades had something of a fire-sale over summer. The Preston board don't seem to be that patient, so the perma-tanned Mr Brown may be out of a job soon.

 

[bigmart]

Maybe if we tried 4-4-2 at home we could get more players into the box surely its worth a try?

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Yesterday's game was frustrating at times, but I don't think there is any reason to change the system because we have had a couple of nil-nils at home. Our overall record at PP is pretty good, and if the 4-4-1-1 is dropped we would effectively have to go back to the drawing board as regards our shape and style of play. As has been suggested, Tiryaki playing 20 yards further up the pitch and midfield players busting a gut to get into the box would be moves in the right direction.

As regards the falling attendances this season, our average is currently 14th best out of 24 in League One, which is not bad in a division with so many 'big' clubs. Our gate was one of the lowest yesterday, but there were unusual circumstances with Stevenage at home to Sheff Utd and their large travelling support and Oldham hosting a Lancashire derby with Bury, both sides who have lower averages than ourselves.

My only concern would be if gates dropped below 4,000 on a regular basis, in which case we could be back to the pre-Kingy days of the club becoming genuinely financially unsustainable. Hopefully we are now down to the genuine hardcore and this won't happen

 

[Boz]

As regards the falling attendances this season, our average is currently 14th best out of 24 in League One, which is not bad in a division with so many 'big' clubs. Our gate was one of the lowest yesterday, but there were unusual circumstances with Stevenage at home to Sheff Utd and their large travelling support and Oldham hosting a Lancashire derby with Bury, both sides who have lower averages than ourselves.

My only concern would be if gates dropped below 4,000 on a regular basis, in which case we could be back to the pre-Kingy days of the club becoming genuinely financially unsustainable. Hopefully we are now down to the genuine hardcore and this won't happen

From the opposite standpoint there were even a handful more at Orient v Hartlepool and over a thousand more at Bournemouth v Scunny and Chesterfield v Yeovil, where neither the home side nor visitors could be described as a big team and none were derby games. While we did pull in 20 more fans than the corresponding fixture last season, given we're all agreed the quality of the football has improved, it must be a concern that even with the cheaper tickets the numbers didn't increase.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Falling gates are clearly a concern, I just don't think we are being affected more than a number of other clubs. Bournemouth and Chesterfield both had considerably bigger averages than ourselves last season, and until now, have been enjoying periods of success. Our average will probably be similar to Orient's come the end of the season.

But I agree, there seem to be some specific factors that are keeping our gates down at present, namely the massive impact of the recession and government cuts in Birkenhead, and the apparent stubborness of some of the stay aways who refuse to come back to PP while Les / Johnson are present, regardless of performances on the pitch.

 

[SonkORLY?]

It's very easy to lose a paying fan, and very hard to win one back.

The thing with supporting a club like Tranmere is that you probably won't get value for money in terms of entertainment by paying £18-20 to watch a one off game; a bit like watching one episode of a TV series, you have to stick with it and get into it before you can really get immersed; know your own side in and out, have your own views, develop an emotional attachment etc. Understandably, people won't give it a chance. A season ticket is quite a commitment.

Under PJ the club will never become financially unsustainable IMO - we would just become unsustainable as a League One club. The staff budget would be trimmed as appropriate, and we would naturally slide down the football league and rest in our natural (financial) position. I think that's the reality of recession-era football for any club with a responsible chairman.

 

[TheBunnyBellEnd]

Come On BOZ....Takes one to know one - childish and stupid reaction.

Maybe give this some thought...At the match against Scunthorpe when the Rovers subs were on the pitch our hero Robbo volleyed the ball quite deliberately at the away support [ yes the Tranmere fans] for no reason with as much venom as you can imagine. I still cant find out why. Perhaps there was some slight and even if there was so what He is a pro and must rise above it. There was no reason I could see. I know because I was there. Being a cult hero to the deadbeats he drinks with should raise serious questions about his judgement, his attitude and his professionalism. Yes he has talent, why didnt anyone else show interest in signing him? We were not his first choice - we were his only choice. Watch his behaviour deteriorate when decisions dont go his way and the crybaby child tantrums shine out.

I have to admit I saw this and wondered why he did it? He defo did it delibrately and he smashed it, could have hurt someone.