Rovers 0-4 Charlton

[Ian]

Well, that was good wasn't it?! [-(

So that's four defeats on the bounce, nine goals conceded and zero scored. Ohh, and we are 3rd from bottom.

The team were just as bad as last Saturday.
They looked half asleep, were slow on the ball, no creativity, no movement and overall pretty sad.

They haven't got a clue what to do with the ball and Barnes has to stop this passing system ASAP. It's just not going to work, the sooner he accepts this, the sooner we might stop embarassing ourselves.

Daniels pulled off some fine saves in the first half and he's wasted at Tranmere. The only good player to come out of these games. The rest are a waste of time.

The defence is clueless. Absolutely no comparison to last seasons. McLaren isn't good enough, Welsh just as bad, Shuker again piss poor (is he really a footballer?), Mahon again rubbish, and the front two of Gornell and Thomas-Moore, pretty pointless..

Charlton are a good side. They passed is round well, scored as handful of goals and they will do well this season.

Our season has to change soon. Into the bottom three we go and can you see any light at the end of the tunnel? The last week, I've seen three games, and three clueless performances. In total, we may have tested the keeper maybe 4/5 times.

It makes me laugh. I look through the programme and see PJ saying:

"On Tuesday night, we ran a Premier League team very close in the Carling Cup. It was a very close game that either team could have won."

Then I read Charlie Barnett's column:

"It was a good, close match that could probably have gone either way. I think we're unlucky to be out of the cup."

What planet are these people on? Bolton didnt break sweat to beat us, the scoreline was much kinder of course. We had no chance in the game.

The sooner people wake up, the better.
This kind of football certainly aint going to bring people through the gates, only mugs like me will continue to support them! People were leaving with 25 mins to go today! Is that really what we want?

Come on Tranmere, we want better than this. We want to see passion, desire, hunger to win and some kind of tactic so that when you take to the field, the eleven players in white know what they are doing. What I saw today was a joke.

 

[DIW]

That's an excellent summing up Ian - we could be in for a long hard season.
Does anyone else think it odd by the way that the manager and his assistant stand at oppopsite ends of the dugout during the game and don't appear to communicate at all?

 

[Tartantranmere64]

Ding ding ding ding ding... there's the alarm bells going.

We're in it up to our necks.

As piss poor as Ronnie's football was at times, at least we usually competed.

 

[Ian]

Yeah, it is odd. By the way, Barnes keeps asking his players if they have belief in what they do, in the system they play. He asks them every week after defeat. I think the answer is glaringly obvious. It's a resounding no!!!

 

[roverstillidie]

We're stuck in limbo now, we don't have the players who can play passing football and we don't have the players who can play hoof ball! Staying out of the bottom four come May will be an achievement at the moment.

Does anyone think Barnes will last beyond Christmas?

 

[TRFCJason]

It seems to me he’s not willing to change the midfield and I would like to see more of Charlie Barnett otherwise why did we resign him? is he not fit?

One saving grace is Luke Daniels he seems to be a star in the making, I’m glad he is playing for us

 

[Boz]

I can't recall a more gutless performance from Rovers. No leadership on or off the park. Charlton were good, despite the theatrics, but hard to say exactly how good, we didn't test them at all. Read that McAteer looks after defence & Barnes the midfield/attack, so they sit at opposite ends of the dugout. One could be sat in the Clipper and the other in the Prenton for all the good it's doing.

 

[Davidchallinor]

I can't see Barnes last beyond November on this sort of form. How many points do we need to stay up...?:cry::cry:

 

[bigmart]

I have been watching rovers for the last 30 years and this was one of the worst performances (if you can call it that) i can recall.
We were totally shambolic the tactics are hopeless (pass it slowly between defence & midfield and get the full backs to do the wingers job and cross the ball if we are lucky) the defence is very dodgy the midfield is pathetic (3 year deal for Mahon & Shuker???) and the attack light weight.

Im really struggling to look on any brightside (I know the keeper is good).

Charlton will probably be in the top two but its really hard to judge after such a spineless shambolic effort.

Carlisle next saturday we have to somehow try to make ourselves hard to score against and battle for all we are worth.

t

 

[Lamby]

I must say that was sodding easy.

Got on the coach at 8 and didnt get to the ground til 2:25 for some reason. Driver got lost, so went down some little side road, to which when turning in to, left a nice giant mark on the road, then proceeded down a tiny narrow road in which the coach had to go on the pavement, causing some poor sod to jump into a bush to get out the way of it.

I have to say you were awlful today, both team and support.

 

[SCooperSomersaults]

As much as I have little or no faith whatsoever in John Barnes, it's the players who cross the white line and put in the performances and they have been awful.

All the talk of the system, that's got nothing to do with all this. We simply cannot do the basics right, and that was blatantly obvious yesterday.

Marking in the box... non-existant. That's how they scored three of thir goals. Defenders have to pick their men up in the box else we're gonna concede shedloads of goals!

Tracking back... McLaren and Mahon are really guilty of this in my eyes. Both were good players here first time around but have done nothing since they returned. Alan when he does track back puts a half hearted foot out and the opponents skips past him with ease, while McLaren continues to waste the ball and can't be arsed trying to get it back and track runners from midfield. Gets my goat that does.

Passing... again we gave the ball away so cheaply it was untrue. Against a good side like Charlton undoubtedly are, you don't want to give them the ball too much cos they'll kill you, but we made it so easy for them. Passes going astray, not putting pressure on them when they had the ball, it was simple. Gave them far too much time to pick out their men, and they punished us big time.

We just look unorganised, unmotivated, not hard working, all traits that Barnes promised to bring in when he was appointed. It was a complete shambles.

If Peter Johnson sacked Ronnie for falling attendances, well... let me tell him that gates are going to fall like the Titanic if we continue to play like that. The die-hards like myself will go no matter what, but we don't have all that many of those. We rely on "outsiders" to boost the gates, and unless we reform as a comedy club, they aren't going to pay for that football.

 

[Boz]

SCoops, I agree with much of your assessment, but don't accept that management can do nothing once the white line is crossed. My first quibble was with the side selected. Ash Taylor had a good game v Bolton, praised in PJ's column, why replace with Gunning? My second with the subs. McLaren and Welsh seem to be treated like sacred cows, however poorly they play Barnes won't touch them. He even played Welsh wide-right for a spell and he was no better there. While Fraughan did ok, when he came on there, why not introduce Barnett, with more experience and physical presence? Finally Barnes seemed to be hiding in the dug out for most of the 2nd half, while McAteer was squabling with their players/bench and the ref. What kind of leadership is that?

 

[DIW]

Read that McAteer looks after defence & Barnes the midfield/attack, so they sit at opposite ends of the dugout.

Interesting that they don't switch ends of the dugout at half time. If that's the kind of tactical genius we have got then we are in more trouble than I thought.
Got this from the bbc website this morning.


Tranmere manager John Barnes and his number two Jason McAteer have been nicknamed "Dumb and Dumber" by their own players. (The Sun)

 

[Tartantranmere64]

Gunning has gone back to Blackburn. We're signing Broomes.

Ding, ding, ding, ding.....

 

[SCooperSomersaults]

Gunning has gone back to Blackburn. We're signing Broomes.

Ding, ding, ding, ding.....

Is that true tartan? Don't rate Gunning at all, but have always liked Broomes even though not seen him play for us yet. Would be an improvement imo.

If you're losing and conceding goals like we have, you need to sort the defence out. I wouldn't mind seeing a couple of 0-0 draws in the next couple of games if we see improved defending and marking. It's needed and would provide a base to build on.

 

[Ian]

They need to do something fast! We need to stop leaking goals and hopefully when Bain arrived on Tues, might bring something different up front.