• 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.

rovers v Cambridge

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aldo
Let's get strait to the point no messing around no sloppiness. We need to win this to get back on track end of no ifs an buts a win is needed . .
 

Sparky

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Chris Greenacre
This game is massive really. Not just for the league but to try and make sure we go into the cup game in decent form. As well as notts county next Saturday.

It’s ironic we had such a good start to the season playing and beating teams near the top and we’ve since lost to the likes of Crewe and Grimsby and drawn with Oldham.

The injuries are a real concern. Banks is out for weeks after a hernia op. Larnell has torn a hamstring. Gilmour has a badly bruised fit. DMH has gone back to Barnsley with his torn hamstring. We’ve no choice tho but to just get on with it but the squad feels really depleted in midfield
 

Sparky

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Chris Greenacre
Is probably go with a 3-5-2

Davies
Caprice Buxton Steve Manny and Rides/Zoom

Harris and Gilmour
CJ behind Nors and Mullin

Altho would be harsh on smith.

Suspect he’ll stick with 4-4-2 though
 

bigmart

bigmart
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Ian Muir
They sacked their manager last week we have several injuries im going for a 1 1 draw
 
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Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
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John King
Is probably go with a 3-5-2

Davies
Caprice Buxton Steve Manny and Rides/Zoom

Harris and Gilmour
CJ behind Nors and Mullin

Altho would be harsh on smith.

Suspect he’ll stick with 4-4-2 though
What about McCulloch Sparky ? The Donny manager has just announced he will be staying with us until the end of the season, which is massive for us and means he will be probably be available for the Southport game. Smith certainly deserves to start as well, after his performance last week.

I don't think the injury problems are as bad as first feared and we can still put out strong teams in the next couple of weeks. I would go with something like:

Davies
Caprice Steve Monthe Zoum / Ridehalgh
Smith McCullough Gilmour / Harris Jennings
Mullin Norwood

Alternatively we could go to five in midfield, with Mullin on the right and Jennings just behind Norwood. There are a few different permutations Micky could try.

I agree it is a massive game, and we need at least a competent performance and a victory to get back on track. Cambridge's recent form is as poor as ours and they have struggled all season, so a victory is hardly beyond us. The U's have a few decent players, such as Jabo Ibehre and Barry Corr up front.

I think this could be one of our lowest crowds of the season, coming in a run of poor form and so close to Christmas. I would guess at 5,000 - 5,500 with no more than 200 visitors.
 
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Cowshed Kid

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Bobby Hutchinson
It's a difficult time for us, injuries, replays etc.
If the worst case scenario happens in the next two weeks, we'll still be points above the bin. That was what this season was about.
 
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The injuries are a real concern. Banks is out for weeks after a hernia op. Larnell has torn a hamstring. Gilmour has a badly bruised fit. DMH has gone back to Barnsley with his torn hamstring. We’ve no choice tho but to just get on with it but the squad feels really depleted in midfield
I don't actually think it is that terrible. Banks is the only major miss.

DMH was improving but has been poor for the majority of the season; Cole has only played semi-regularly; Gilmour should be available soon, if not for Saturday.

That leaves us with Jennings, McCulloch, Smith, Harris and possibly Gilmour. There is plenty of quality and experience there. We should not use injuries as an excuse for the continuation of poor form.
 

Sparky

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What about McCulloch Sparky ? The Donny manager has just announced he will be staying with us until the end of the season, which is massive for us and means he will be probably be available for the Southport game. Smith certainly deserves to start as well, after his performance last week.

I don't think the injury problems are as bad as first feared and we can still put out strong teams in the next couple of weeks. I would go with something like:

Davies
Caprice Steve Monthe Zoum / Ridehalgh
Smith McCullough Gilmour / Harris Jennings
Mullin Norwood

Alternatively we could go to five in midfield, with Mullin on the right and Jennings just behind Norwood. There are a few different permutations Micky could try.

I agree it is a massive game, and we need at least a competent performance and a victory to get back on track. Cambridge's recent form is as poor as ours and they have struggled all season, so a victory is hardly beyond us. The U's have a few decent players, such as Jano Ibehre and Barry Corr up front.

I think this could be one of our lowest crowds of the season, coming in a run of poor form and so close to Christmas. I would guess at 5,000 - 5,500 with no more than 200 visitors.

Oh yes forgot about McCullough ! Good news if he’s staying all season
 

Boz

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Iain Hume
The last time we played Cambridge was a 1-1 pre-Christmas game in the season we dropped out of the FL. Their current squad includes ex-Rover David Amoo, Reggie Lambe was scored against us for Mansfield in a crucial game during that relegation season and forward Jacob Ibhere, who seemed to perform well against Rovers, along with a selection of less familiar names.

Mullin wasn't name-checked in the injured players list, if he's fit to play, probably a 442 with the line-up RLC suggests. Good news about McCulloch's loan spell getting extended, though as he wasn't available for the first match with Southport, think he's ruled out of the replay.

Prediction: A below par crowd, just over 5k to see a tight game, where I'm expecting a draw.
 
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Their current squad includes ex-Rover David Amoo, Reggie Lambe was scored against us for Mansfield in a crucial game during that relegation season .
That was the goal that effectively relegated us, and his name stuck with me in our years in non-league. That was an awful night.
 
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Mungy's Hairdresser
Still no thought of a Stockton return guys? Due to Larnell’s injury, maybe switch back to him & Nors up front which ground out results early doors? I thought Steve & Manny were immense on Sunday in the absence of any protection or semblance of a midfield! Ridehalgh brought back my old dreaded memories of totally going AWOL at left back. For me, especially in current player absence, I’d have him play in front of Zoum. No issues with Smith, & Tollit still has every trick in the book, he just needs to be his natural confident self & calm down a little. Midfield is a huge issue if Ollie’s length of absence is true!!
 
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If we were going to shake things up, I would rather that we went back to five in midfield than playing Stockton. I am not convinced he adds that much to the team and it would be very harsh to drop Mullin with his goal record and workrate.
 
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Mungy's Hairdresser
I hear ya, & he’s not always as committed to the fight. If we can get back to playing football & avoiding Sunday’s hoof ball Stockton’s involvement would be negated anyway! We have wingers still available so let’s use them, especially in the absence of midfield depth & Larnell’s injury. The injuries seem to be hushed up at present, maybe in an attempt to wrong foot the opposition.
 
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Alan King, Barry Dyson
This is as important a game as any, but certainly not a "must win". We are not in danger of being relegated again and even a defeat would not kill our promotion hopes. We could still recover. However, if we don't start winning again soon, it will be a long December and a cold Christmas. Strategically for the club, getting tens of thousands from a big TV match would transform our finances, so the Haig Avenue game is the important one for now. If we win it, we can afford to strengthen our midfield and maybe other areas too.

The McCullough news is the best I've heard in a long time (apart from the Third Round draw, of course) and I think his return will help us win on Saturday.
 
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Strategically for the club, getting tens of thousands from a big TV match would transform our finances,
If you factor in the prize money from winning the second round tie, the Spurs game would make us roughly 350,000 pounds, excluding income like sponsorship, sales of food and drink etc. If we forced a replay, that sum would increase to three quarters of a million to a million.

I would never normally prioritise a cup match over a league game, but there is a case for playing a stronger side at Southport than at Notts County a couple of days earlier. Any player who has to feature in both matches will have no recovery time whatsoever, and it is actually ludicrous that we are expected to play two games in three days.

We don't want to mess around on Saturday, however: strongest team and three points.
 
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Interesting team. Stockton in for Mullin, presumably to improve the hold up play, Buxton in for Caprice, Harris and McCullough in midfield.
 

ADD

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Norwood
Interesting team. Stockton in for Mullin, presumably to improve the hold up play, Buxton in for Caprice, Harris and McCullough in midfield.
Indeed RLC... and delighted MM has rung the changes today and I am therefore more optimistic - I know so many on here don't rate him and Mullin has scored some great goals but I still think a major part of our problem is having no outlet in attack with balls forward coming straight back at us all the time. So Stockton back in I think is a good move and Buxton preferred to Caprice and Ridelagh keeping his place...
I think that is perhaps a back to basics approach but quite frankly I think we need it!!
 
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Alan King, Barry Dyson
And a little bit of squad rotation, possibly. More next week at Meadow Lane, I hope.

Thinking about it, maybe Mullin still has a slight knock and is being rested as a precaution. He'll probably be needed for the next two games.
 

Boz

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Iain Hume
Thought MM might have stuck with Caprice, as more of an attacking option for this game. Though Jake has been poor recently. Would feel a bit sorry if Mullin dropped on the back of last week’s hoof-ball from his team-mates and happier if BBTCs suggestion was correct
 

Boz

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Iain Hume
Cambridge start Paul Lewis who got a hat trick against us for Macc.
 
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