Rovers 0 Mk Dons 2

[Sparky]

Well predictably we lost. Not a shock

1st half we had good possession, some half chances, nice and bright etc but as usual no cutting edge.

Down they go the other end and score with their first real chance. That's why they are where they are I suppose.

2nd half was poor. They never had to get out of 2nd gear sadly.

More winnable games to come so forget about this one. Les not happy with the boos at half time and rightly so, undeserved in my opinion although probably a culmination of the last few weeks

 

[DIW]

Sparky,we obviously posted over the same couple of minutes so I've copied my thought into here and deleted the other thread.

Hmm, quiet a depressing afternoon really. Overall, I couldn't say that Rovers were that bad on the day, they kinda huffed and puffed without any sign of creativity apart from the odd bit of skill from Robbo. Then again you could hardly say they were that good either.

The despicable Franchise were a very tidy footballing side and kept the ball well, their passing was good, but didn't really create that many chances apart from the two they took. At half time, the boos were a bit harsh (and hardly productive) but there was no response evident in a very poor second half.

For me the main disappointment was the lack of bite and aggression from the rovers side. At home, especially you really need to get stuck into these sides and put them under pressure but all too often the closing down was just a bit slow, and they seemed to be first to all the second balls.

I've bemoaned out lack of luck a bit this season and how things just don't seem to drop for us in the box. At 2-0 down though, we had that bit of fortune when a great free kick from Baxter (I think) came back off the bar straight to Enoch, six yards out in acres of space. Despite having hours of time to control the ball and finish he managed to blaze it into the cowshed. This was the nadir in a particularly inept performance from Enoch who is looking worse than useless at the moment. Others were very quiet, including Baxter Welsh, Weir and Akins and McGurk all of whom had no impact on the match at all. The defense were not too bad but, as it has been said before, they are constantly under huge pressure in every game due to out inability to score. 9 Goals at home. That says it all.

Depressing though, because all the early season confidence and optimism is well and truly gone and we need a win soon or we will be sucked into another relegation battles. trouble is I can't see where the next goal is coming from, let alone a win.

 

[amplesou]

could,nt make it today ,had too much work on

not that i want to watch these jokers any way

Life after goodi does not look so bright does it ....

all those fans of i am a seleb get me out of here , you know those eat in challengers they do...

have they tried tesco,s dim sum lately ?

 

[Tartantranmere64]

Defence did fine, especially as it was re-jigged with a new keeper in too. hHe made one outstanding save to keep us in it at 0-1. To no avail.

OK so Enoch is way off the pace compared to last season and his miss was laughable, embarrassing, comical - in fact it's in my top three of all time and that goes back 35 years. But, but, but, you have to feel sorry for any lone forward in that Rovers team. More isolated than the Lonesome Pine. Nearest teammate 25 yards away most of the time.

My main criticism is for the midfield five. They just didn't work today. Welsh is off the boil, Weir.'s touch and passing has deserted him, Baxter likes to do the easy stuff (free-kicks, flicks, etc) but won't put the hard yards in, Robinson is wasted way out left and doesn't have the pace to play there and Akins has lost it again.

Disappointed that Les didn't change it a bit at half time, rather than a like-for-like change, but I am sure he thought we were still in it at 0-1 (in reality MkDonald's looked as if they were cruising in second gear).

So much for the week off benefiting us. I thought we looked disjointed and sluggish for most of the 90. Ho hum, on to the next game....

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

The game today panned out how I, and probably most other people, expected. I knew we would create chances given MK's style of play, but I was almost equally certain that we would miss them. While the 4 or 5 chances we created in the first half were not gilt edged, MK would have scored from them had they been in the same position, and that tells you all you need to know about the difference in form and confidence between the two teams. In the final third we are pretty hopeless, to be frank.

The first half was actually a decent display, but the management's comments at half time clearly did not have the desired effect given another poor second half showing, mirroring the game at Exeter. We had to score first today if we were to take anything from the game but didn't, and Showunmi's miss summed up his season and our last six weeks. I thought Enoch did ok in the first half, but why Les continually selects him ahead of Tiryaki given his inability to hit a barn door, baffles me.

Defensively we did ok given the complete reshaping of the back five, apart from the second goal which I thought Buchanan could have hacked into row Z. McChrystal would have been my man of the match, and Rachubka has done nothing wrong in his two games, and produced a couple of fantastic saves today. I did find it unusual that Les chose to keep Goodison's injury secret all week: surely this just had the effect of giving the MK strikers a massive boost an hour before the game, and massively deflating our fans(well me anyway) ?

I think a lot of the frustration of the crowd resulted from our reversion to a long ball game. I can understand Les favouring this approach in an attempt to limit MK's possession in midfield, but the balance was wrong at times, and Baxter spent much of the game watching the ball sail over his head.

The season is really in the balance now, and the Christmas period will probably determine whether we are heading for mid table security or another relegation battle.

 

[Sparky]

It will be interesting whether Les thinks about changing the formation, albeit it was just a few muppets at the back of the kop singing 442! It's served us well early in the season but surely something drastic needs to happen to stop the rot?

 

[SonkORLY?]

It will be interesting whether Les thinks about changing the formation, albeit it was just a few muppets at the back of the kop singing 442! It's served us well early in the season but surely something drastic needs to happen to stop the rot?

With Baxter in the team we're closer to 4-4-2 than we ever have been under Les. His general unwillingness to get goal-side of the deepish-lying Potter when MK were in possession was quite annoying given that he should be adapting his style of play to fit our system and not vice-versa. This combined with Robbo's inability to cover the same ground as Akins on the right leaves us looking quite lopsided, categorically less able to press the ball in key areas and with Buchanan relatively exposed at left-back. Point being that, given the personnel at our disposal, the closer we move to 4-4-2, the weaker we look.

Les claimed we would be moving back to basics but for me his team selection remained over-ambitious and I think his deployment of Baxter was quite naive given the quality of the opposition.

Our transitions from defence to attack remain terrible, and I think this is more a question of shape and bad habits more than it is a reflection of Taylor or McChrystal as footballers. Welsh will make the occasional conceited effort to receive the ball from the defence, but has a tendency to give it straight back because nobody is interested in receiving the second pass, nor do we seem to have any sort of system in place to facilitate it.

Karl Robinson's post-match interview was quite interesting, the most notable line from our point of view being: "I have been [to Prenton Park] a number of times because I have a house two minutes away and I have never heard a Tranmere side that quiet before."

 

[tea for two]

well it wasent a surprise was it due to recent results.the best thing is to do is try to stay positive.if results keep going as they i think Les is going to walk before he gets the shove.if les does go anyone with a idea who we could get. i have a couple names off hand.

Gary Johnson is one i could mention hes managed a few clubs.he has a decent cv.and this may be a wild shot but does anyone think rafa benitez could come in as he lives on the wirral.i know it doesent sound the name Tranmere could bring in though we brought john barnes in i know that was a mistake but Benitez is a big name and i know he would want money to spend which is the problem but has anyone else got any bright ideas.

 

[Tartantranmere64]

Anyone else think it's just a little premature to start talking of Les' replacement? Overall, he's still doing a good job, in my opinion. I know he will kept some money back to recruit in January. We know this team can do better than of late - we've seen what they are capable of.

 

[SonkORLY?]

well it wasent a surprise was it due to recent results.the best thing is to do is try to stay positive.if results keep going as they i think Les is going to walk before he gets the shove.if les does go anyone with a idea who we could get. i have a couple names off hand.

Gary Johnson is one i could mention hes managed a few clubs.he has a decent cv.and this may be a wild shot but does anyone think rafa benitez could come in as he lives on the wirral.i know it doesent sound the name Tranmere could bring in though we brought john barnes in i know that was a mistake but Benitez is a big name and i know he would want money to spend which is the problem but has anyone else got any bright ideas.

Yeah, Rafa is a good shout. Dixie Dean might be worth a call as well.

 

[DIW]

Gary Johnson is one i could mention hes managed a few clubs.he has a decent cv.and this may be a wild shot but does anyone think rafa benitez could come in as he lives on the wirral.i know it doesent sound the name Tranmere could bring in though we brought john barnes in i know that was a mistake but Benitez is a big name and i know he would want money to spend which is the problem but has anyone else got any bright ideas.

Are you seriously saying that your suggestion of Benitez is a 'bright idea'? :lol: Are you insane?

 

[Ian]

It's worrying that we had that many chances in the first half and couldn't score. We are really hopeless at scoring goals. Enoch's miss was uncredible.

In terms of chances we had a good first half but the style of play is awful. Lobbing balls forward at any oppotunity to Enoch. What's the guy meant to do when he has no-one around him. Flicking it on to nobody is comical.

Against a team that likes to pass it around, it makes us look lazy and incapable of stringing 2 passes together. Although we have always played 451 we certainly played it on the floor more earlier on in the season. Now it's just a case of whacking it up front and hoping for the best.

The goals were poor. Absolutely no marking for the first goal and Buchanan handed it to them for the second.

Subs made no difference to the game but then simply replacing one lone striker for another, what else do you expect.

Also think this will be Goodison's last season so there's another major headache for Les. Really not looking good at the moment.

 

[DIW]

Also think this will be Goodison's last season so there's another major headache for Les. Really not looking good at the moment.

Yes, but I think Ash and McChrystal can make a good partnership.

 

[TheBunnyBellEnd]

We have not come from behind in the league to win a game under Les. We are in a steady decline with the players looking sluggish and demotivated. The crowd had every right to boo today as they knew at 1-0 down we would go on to lose. Les does not know how to change things to make an impact and is reactive rather than proactive. Black November could be followed swiftly by Dark December. Where are the next points going to come from? We have started conceding goals for fun while not scoring any. Things look bleak.

 

[drwhoman]

FRANCHISE

We talk about Les's inability to change things but does he have the personnel? He just about has enough players to produce a squad for a game. Now he has Goodi out (agree that this might be his last season at 38 - great club servant), the solid Raven injured and Welsh was playing under an injury cloud it appears. On top of that Devaney, his one genuine winger, is never fit. I had high expectations when he joined - did he have previous injury problems which is why he ended up with us?

The more games they lose the harder it gets. As several contributors have said, they cannot score goals. Poor old Enoch may have been a one season wonder (as he has been at several clubs) while the chicken is probably not quite up to it. He was a trialist as we all recall. Not a player to rush after immediately.

Confidence is lacking. Even Baxter is being dragged down. We know when the opposition score then it is all over. I am not a big fan of loanees but maybe Les has to go looking. A striker in particular although they are not exactly in huge supply. Seems to be the case in UK football generally - not sure why.

 

[Boz]

I expected us to lose this, even predicted the right score, but it was the manner of losing, which concerns me. RLC was critical of the preparation for Exeter, given Les and his backroom staff had a fortnight to get ready for the Franchise game, this was worse. It was baffling that he'd opted for the long-ball game against them. The match stats tell their own story; 42% Rovers possession, as we kept hoofing the ball back to the Frannys. Some sides struggle against aerial bombardment, these guys certainly don't. If we'd have mirrored their style of play more; they were very impressive when not in possession, closing down quickly and shorter passing movements, we might have stood a chance of getting something out of the game. As it was, there was very little passion or fight from Rovers and this on-pitch apathy made the booing at the end understandable.

A few random thoughts on points raised above;

I'm not sure that it would make much difference either way announcing Goodi's injury, save that if we had, our opponents would have known for sure which central defensive pair they'd face.

Agree that Enoch was far too isolated. Baxter was really poor yesterday and should have shown the nouse to position himself as SonkORLY? suggests.

Given that Welsh hadn't trained all week, why was he starting when central midfield is one area we're not short of a few players for?

I don't know how much credence you can give to what's reported on other boards, but Devaney had done some training and apparently felt he was fit enough for selection. Having him on the bench, would have given us another option. Drwhoman, think he was out for a while when at Barnsley, but I get the impression a half-fit Devaney would still be fitter than Andy Robinson.

Les chose the squad make-up, even if finances dictated the actual players we could recruit, so must shoulder some of the blame. His dislike for utility players & wide-players (preferring to field out of position strikers on the flanks) may come back to haunt us. Managers can reach a point where they can develop the side no further, if that's how he feels, he should walk. If he wants to stay in charge, under PJ that's what will happen.

 

[SonkORLY?]

Nobody expected Les to be leaving for a bigger club after an impressive start to the season, so the prospect of him packing his bags after one month of poor results seems equally fickle. We have a squad which represents good value for money and we're not badly placed in the league.

Les has demonstrated himself to be capable because this squad and this style of play - which we have found success with this season - is very much his own. These players have played well for him in this system, so we are clearly capable of better than recent showings. Good and bad form have two things in common; firstly that they are temporary, and secondly that they are inevitable. The problem is that football fans tend to over-react when their club is performing at either end of the spectrum; when chairmen do the same, the results can be damaging.

Much is being made of the amount of shots we had in the first half, but very few were clear-cut chances. Aside from Baxter, nobody looks particularly likely to score at the moment, so we will require more chances than most in order to score a goal.

I think many of our recent problems lie in team selections. Those blaming Les's approach to tactics are stood on fragile ground because we have seen them work very well earlier in the season. I would start with dropping Enoch and playing only one of Robinson or Baxter, and go from there.

 

[Ian]

The players really need to step up their game. Finishing really is woeful and is highlighted by Enoch's shocking miss.

However the style of football being played at the moment isn't going to be winning Les any fans. It was clear at half time that the objective was to hoof the ball to Enoch at almost every opportunity. If we are to get back to winning ways, I certainly don't believe this is the right way to do it.

Also disagree about Ash and McChrystal partnership after Goodison. Ash simply isn't good enough and his distribution is woeful. He is the perfect footballer for playing a long ball game. Aimless hoof up field every time.

Quite frankly, it gets on my t*ts.

 

[SonkORLY?]

The players really need to step up their game. Finishing really is woeful and is highlighted by Enoch's shocking miss.

However the style of football being played at the moment isn't going to be winning Les any fans. It was clear at half time that the objective was to hoof the ball to Enoch at almost every opportunity. If we are to get back to winning ways, I certainly don't believe this is the right way to do it.

Also disagree about Ash and McChrystal partnership after Goodison. Ash simply isn't good enough and his distribution is woeful. He is the perfect footballer for playing a long ball game. Aimless hoof up field every time.

Quite frankly, it gets on my t*ts.

Can you often see a short pass for Ash and co to make from the back?

Les will not have set us out to "hoof" the ball up to Enoch at any opportunity. There are a number of contributing factors which explain why that may have happened, though.

 

[Ian]

Can you often see a short pass for Ash and co to make from the back?

Plenty of opportunity to pass the ball out. However it does require the player to look up before passing. :roll:

Les will not have set us out to "hoof" the ball up to Enoch at any opportunity. There are a number of contributing factors which explain why that may have happened, though.

It doesn't matter whether it's the players or the manager that decides to play the hoof, the fact is, it happened and it always falls on the managers head. However, his job is to stop the rot and get them playing football again (admittedly, a hard task with some of the players he has at his disposal).