• 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 FGR

Sparky

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Chris Greenacre
Putting the excitement of an FA Trophy semi final to one side, tomorrow is our biggest game of the season yet when 3rd placed FGR visit PP. FGR sit one place above rovers on goal difference but having played a game more. On Saturday they had a 7 goal thriller against Woking and just about came out on top.

FGR do have goals in them. Debutant Omar Bugiel scored twice on Saturday and other goal threats include Marsh-Brown and Doidge. Their last away league fixture saw a 3-1 defeat at Gateshead and no doubt MM would take the same for us. Whilst they do score plenty, they concede quite a few and rovers will surely be buoyed by the 5 star showing on Saturday.

What remains to be seen however is whether the scorers of 4 of those goals will keep their place (Mangan & Cole). Perhaps harshly, I expect Cook to return to the side in place of Cole. I don't think playing the 2 of them up top will work, especially if MM sticks with 5-3-2 and our only width is our full backs. With Mangan its more marginal as Nors hasn't been doing the business overall and Andy got one and was involved in 2 others. That said, I'm sure Nors would love to get one over his old team. Will be interesting if Mekki starts in place of poor Jake but can't see Adam lasting the full 90. Hard to predict the team but I think it'll be something like

Davies
Vaughan Sutton Big Mac Ihikwe Ridehalgh
Maynard Hughes
Mekki
Cook Mangan

Prediction: 2-2 draw for me. Could do with a win though as others around us have easy games (on paper)
 
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Alan King, Barry Dyson
I think Micky will revert to his original first choice attack and play Cook and Norwood. The rest of the team I expect to be the nine who finished on Saturday.

It would be tough luck on Cole, but it reminded me of the time David Fairclough got a hat-trick for Liverpool and was promptly dropped for the next game when Ian Rush returned. Maybe drwhoman will remember that, even if most of the rest of you don't!
 

drwhoman

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Indeed. David was always best as a'Super Sub' whereas Ian was the ultimate predator one of which Pool could do with now. Even scored in Pool Legends game against Aus Legends last year and he must be well over 50!
 

drwhoman

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I see Alex Young has died. The Golden Vision. I saw him a few times as a boy as many of my family were Everton fans. What a silky player he was alongside Roy Vernon, the Welsn international, who reportedly would be smoking a fag even when in the shower!
 
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Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
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Back to Tranmere, and I agree with BBTC that it will be the same team as Saturday save for Cook and Norwood returning up front.

The reverse fixture in November was a fantastic game of football and the FGR side that day were the best team I have seen since we have been at this level. They have had personnel changes since then, but their passing philosophy remains. Add their porous defence and Rovers' recent form in front of goal, and this has the makings of a cracking game. A draw is no use to either side, and I am sure both teams will be going for it from the off.

After a couple of poor home attendances, hopefully we can attract around 5,000 for this one, even on a Tuesday night.

Prediction: score draw or narrow Tranmere victory.
 

Ian

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Huge game this one. Agree with RLC, I think both teams will go at it although I do hope we start better than we did against Barrow.

I guess this is where MM earns his money to make these decisions but I guess Cook and Norwood will start.

Looking forward to it but if we are serious about the title we have to win these games.
 

Boz

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Iain Hume
A few big decisions for Micky to make;

Same formation? McNulty didn't look wholly convincing in a back 3 and there was a lot of space on the right behind Vaughan, which FGR may be better equiped to exploit.

Same side? Almost certainly not. I think Cook will replace hat-trick hero Stockton and most likely Norwood will return. There is an argument for a Cook-Mangan partnership, given AM created two of the goals and scored a great free-kick.

Adam Buxton? Back from suspension, but given Vaughan had a sound game at the weekend including a great cross for the second goal, probably will have to settle for a place on the bench.

I think this has got the potential to be a great game, but it is capable of going either way. Don't think Forest Green will bring that many, so unsure that the crowd will top 5k.
 
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I thought McNulty was shaky in he first fifteen minutes on Saturday, but that was largely due to a lack of protection from midfield with Barrow winning all the 50:50 balls. Once we settled down as a team, he was fine.

I am sure Mellon will stick with the 5-3-2 as it is the most appropriate formation with the players we have available at the moment.

Regarding Vaughan, he played very well on Saturday and deserves to keep his place. However, I think Buxton will offer more than him in the longer term.
 
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Alan King, Barry Dyson
I see Alex Young has died. The Golden Vision. I saw him a few times as a boy as many of my family were Everton fans. What a silky player he was alongside Roy Vernon, the Welsn international, who reportedly would be smoking a fag even when in the shower!
I saw both of them play. Although not a Blue, I had mates who were and they were a top side in those days. Most Evertonians my age would put Young in their best-ever side.
 

drwhoman

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I would agree with them BBTC. I have a copy of Ken Loach's 1968 BBC doco-drama about the relationship between AY and Everton fans. Some footage of him in action. Let us hope that Rovers put a better effort in than Liverpool tonight!
 

Ian

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Nooooooooooo
 

Ian

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Our schedules going to be getting pretty tight.
 

Boz

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Bad news. Macclesfield v Dulwich also postponed, which means we won't know our semi-final opponents until a few days before the event. Fun allocating tickets if the unexpected happens and it's Dulwich.
 
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Not the end of the world. We have got a lot of intense matches coming up, so some players could probably do with a bit of a breather. Plus, we have a great fixture to look forward to on Friday night.

I think the snow that fell overnight and then quickly thawed might have been the final straw.
 

Boz

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Encouraging scores in games which looked like home bankers.
 
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Aldershot one up at Eastleigh. They come within three points of us if they win, but we will have three games in hand.
 
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