The Squad 2023-24

[dollar'sbloke]

Just on hawkes, top scorer last season and 4 goals in 9 games this season. We’ll do well do keep him this season.

Players are scouted on more than just stats. He still has plenty of shortcomings and remains quite lucky in his outcomes. He took a shot from a ludicrously wide and deep position yesterday which pitched twice before getting to the near post at an awkward height, got turned around for a corner. His open play goal came from another wild strike that took a big deflection. He doesn't appear to target his shots very well at all.
Taylor will be the one getting that attention. Hawkes in my good for now bracket.
PS I did like Jolley's Muir like turn into the box, although he didn't slot it home as the main man would have.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Players like Hawkes do not score goals regularly because they are 'lucky'.

 

[Sparky]

Players are scouted on more than just stats. He still has plenty of shortcomings and remains quite lucky in his outcomes. He took a shot from a ludicrously wide and deep position yesterday which pitched twice before getting to the near post at an awkward height, got turned around for a corner. His open play goal came from another wild strike that took a big deflection. He doesn't appear to target his shots very well at all.
Taylor will be the one getting that attention. Hawkes in my good for now bracket.
PS I did like Jolley's Muir like turn into the box, although he didn't slot it home as the main man would have.

Bizarre. He was top scorer last season. And player of the year. Ten goals from a winger in a side that couldn’t score. This season great finishes like the one at Notts county. All goal scorers have goals that are deflected etc and if you don’t shoot you don’t score.
Lots of teams want goalscoring wingers and whilst Josh isn’t perfect, at nearly 25 he’ll get better so I’d be amazed if he’s with us next season

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Bizarre. He was top scorer last season. And player of the year. Ten goals from a winger in a side that couldn’t score. This season great finishes like the one at Notts county. All goal scorers have goals that are deflected etc and if you don’t shoot you don’t score.
Lots of teams want goalscoring wingers and whilst Josh isn’t perfect, at nearly 25 he’ll get better so I’d be amazed if he’s with us next season

He is still arguably our best player in terms of his output.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

He is still arguably our best player in terms of his output.

If the transfer window reopened tomorrow and we put all our players up for sale, Hawkes would bring in the highest fee. He’s experienced but with further potential. He’s a decent winger with an eye for goal, who takes penalties.

However, in terms of potential, I’d put my money on Sam Taylor. We haven’t produced a striker of his quality and potential in decades.

 

[Boz]

Dan Pike's month long deal must be coming to an end soon. On the little I've seen, coupled with what's been written on here, it sounds like worth trying to extend until the end of the season at least.

Is the current state of play with Lee O'Connor known, back in training yet? If he's not fit and Pike isn't given a longer deal, then we're either looking at Yarney back at right-back or a new signing.

 

[Ian]

I think Yarney is much more comfortable in the centre. Pike has looked good in the games he's played so far.

 

[Am on mobile]

Pikes month runs out on Thursday so let's get him sorted. We also need to get Hawkes a new contract doesn't his current one run out next summer as for sam leave him alone and let us just enjoy one of our own

 

[O4anotherplayoff]

Centre half and right back/midfielder.

 

[bigmart]

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Centre half and right back/midfielder.

We are going to have a large number of defenders on our books

 

[Am on mobile]

Says everything abt some of them if we need more

 

[Sparky]

If and when everyone is fit our squad will be massive

 

[dollar'sbloke]

Bizarre. He was top scorer last season. And player of the year. Ten goals from a winger in a side that couldn’t score. This season great finishes like the one at Notts county. All goal scorers have goals that are deflected etc and if you don’t shoot you don’t score.
Lots of teams want goalscoring wingers and whilst Josh isn’t perfect, at nearly 25 he’ll get better so I’d be amazed if he’s with us next season

On the upside that delightful cross field ball leading to the Pen , was Hawkes as I suspected. He shouldn't get worse by playing unlike about half of his peers in the league who don't get a game.
Fact is and scouts don't miss this, his hit and hopes more often than not don't even target the right post. If scouts relied on raw data they wouldn't go to matches

 

[Sparky]

I was thinking after Saturday we might not see mcalear in a Tranmere shirt again. If we do sign two more players then Reece will be even further from the starting eleven, as of course will the likes of Rhys hughes and Hockenhull.

 

[bigmart]

Confirmed those signings along with Connor Robson a keeper on short term deals

 

[Boz]

How short are short-term deals, I wonder. Still hoping we’ll give Pike a longer deal.
As Sparky says, a few players moving to the fringes of the squad though Nigel seems to adopt a game by game approach, so wouldn’t rule anyone out yet.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

These latest signings bring the median average age of the squad down to just 24. I've excluded youngsters like Mikey Davies. Surely the youngest squad we have had for years, but still with a lot of experience.

Unusually, I think only Hockenhull is out on loan at the moment, but I expect at least half a dozen players to go out shortly and some to leave permanently in January. Once Nigel has done his reset, I think we will have a competitive squad.

 

[bigmart]

These latest signings bring the median average age of the squad down to just 24. I've excluded youngsters like Mikey Davies. Surely the youngest squad we have had for years, but still with a lot of experience.

Unusually, I think only Hockenhull is out on loan at the moment, but I expect at least half a dozen players to go out shortly and some to leave permanently in January. Once Nigel has done his reset, I think we will have a competitive squad.

Hockenhull was only loaned out for 1 month and has been back some time, think he played about 10 minutes, a total waste of a signing

 

[drwhoman]

The three new players seem to have decent pedigrees. See how they go!

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Do these signings suggest that Pike is not staying on ? If so, its a shame as he is the best of the full backs we have brought in this summer.

I am concerned that it seems a bit scatter gun. We already have several full backs on the books, so do we really need this number of additional bodies, and if so have we very quickly decided that the youngsters we brought in a few weeks ago are not good enough ?