• 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.

The Squad for 2017/18

Ian

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Aldo
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McDonagh really impressed me against Halifax so it's great t have secured the two for a further couple of months.
 

Ian

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Agreed BBTC. I can't see much of a future for Cook if our loan singings are getting games ahead of him.
 

Cowshed Kid

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Bobby Hutchinson
Can see Cookie going in January unfortunately.
Will be really disappointed when it happens - you have to go back to the likes of Jim Steel for a comparable Rovers no 9.
Unless McD loan extended further we might have to look for miracles from returning Alabi or Waring.
 

Ian

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Alabi or Waring are not good enough to carry us on into the new year.
 

drwhoman

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MM clearly feels that particularly given his physique Cook is not mobile enough and struggles with the intensity of the NL fixture list. That said - he scores goals! See how they go without him for a few weeks ! I would like to see a surprise at Posh but in honesty they would have to play poorly.
 
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Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
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John King
There is a personality clash between Mellon and Cook and getting rid of him makes no sense in footballing terms. Deep down Micky knows this.

McDonough did well against Halifax but whatever attributes he has we don't know if he is capable of scoring goals regularly. If Cook leaves we will be almost totally reliant on Norwood for goalscoring, and James himself has dry periods in front of goal, sometimes long ones.
 

Sparky

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Chris Greenacre
Agree with RLC about Gerry. He did well last week but whilst his link up play etc is probably better than cookies, Andy will score more goals and goals win games.

Plus Gerry is only on loan and whilst Norwood has scored a few of late, we all know he can miss chances in big games like the play off final.

Even if cookie is desperate to leave, we should do our best to keep him at least until the end of the season. Altho if a league club came in for him e.g Carlisle then I could see him leaving. If he went to some one like Wrexham I'd be furious.
 

Boz

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Iain Hume
I don't understand Mellon's problem with Cook, who is as good a striker as you will get at this level. When players get frozen out, they can either do their utmost to prove the manager wrong or take their bat and ball home and Cook's mentality puts him in the latter camp. I think if he's not in MMs plans, in our current financial position, we're probably better getting a bit of money for him in January. Though as Sparky says, not to a rival.

Agree with RLC that we can't just rely on Norwood for the goals, even though he's in good form at present. His disciplinary history suggests he'll pick up another suspension in the course of this season.

The rest?

Not expecting Alabi back, the wide players we've brought in don't play to his strengths. Waring is too early to write off, but won't score anywhere near Cook's goals. McDonagh hasn't scored for us yet and needs to improve as an aerial presence. Mangan seems totally out of favour.
 

Sparky

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I think Mellon perhaps just prefers a front 2 like Nors and Stockton last season or Nors and Gerry this time round.

Basically a front 2, but without a traditional target man but as Boz says, we probably have the best one in the division in cookie. That's all fine if like last season Cole was scoring but whilst early days, Gerry doesn't seem as threatening in the box.

Although some would say if your going to play wingers and 4-4-2, then surely you play a target man if crosses are coming into the box. Wrexham fans said Gerry was poor in the air and early signs would support that.
 
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Alan King, Barry Dyson
If Cook was going to a rival, he'd have gone by now. I think they are waiting till the transfer window opens so he can go to a league club - more money for both player and club, less flack from supporters. If they wait till the end of the season, he goes on a free, which won't be allowed to happen.
 
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I think Mellon perhaps just prefers a front 2 like Nors and Stockton last season or Nors and Gerry this time round.

I agree with this. However, when it became obvious that Stockton was leaving in the summer, MM should have been developing a squad that played to Cook's strengths. He is the best natural goalscorer at the club and it was always highly unlikely we would bring somebody in with similar ability. Alabi is probably better than his displays for us have suggested, but he is never going to be on a par with Cook.

If things were so bad in the dressing room that Micky could not work with Cook, he should have been sold last summer and the money used to fund a decent replacement, not that I would have trusted MM to spend the money wisely. Exactly what went on behind the scenes last summer, the potential moves that fell through and Palios' involvement, we will probably never know.

I agree with Boz that whatever Micky has got wrong, Cook has not covered himself in glory with his half-hearted displays this season. Whatever his differences with Mellon, he is paid by the club to perform.
 

Boz

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Evan Gumbs loan spell at Warrington extended to January. Disappointed with this. Now that the inconsistent McEveley is fit again, Mellon obviously has decided Evan will get nowhere near the first team, despite his decent performance in his only outing. Gumbs apparently being played in midfield there. I’d hoped that the FA Trophy might see some younger players getting a game, but it doesn’t look as though Drysdale will be ready from the account of the Youth Cup game.
 
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I don't think you can assume gumbs will get nowhere near the first team. In the short term Mellon needs the money to keep dmh and McDonough here.
 

Boz

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I don't think you can assume gumbs will get nowhere near the first team. In the short term Mellon needs the money to keep dmh and McDonough here.
When McEveley was injured/banned rather than bring Gumbs into a back three, Micky switched to 442. In one of his recent interviews the manager name-checked Gumbs, not sure if it was the same interview, but there was also a hint of more more available for players, rather than we’re spent up. In that context, I was expecting him to come back. Not sure that being played out of position in a league well below ours is doing Gumbs any good. Short of two central defenders being out, there doesn’t look like an opportunity will become available and even then, past actions suggest MM would go for a loan rather than giving Evan a game.

Would love to be proved wrong though.
 

Cowshed Kid

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Bobby Hutchinson
I agree Boz, with other experienced centre backs in the squad we perhaps should have kept Gumbs to slot in on the likely rare occasions.
But MM having decided he should go out then he's in a decent place with a decent manager.
I'm sure Gumbs would happily play right wing so long as he's getting game time. You can't beat minutes on the pitch and if he's learning midfield skills it can only benefit him.
Young, keen and clearly talented youngsters v seasoned pros. A dilemma for every manager. More so in this forsaken league where the refs are generally of park standard and provide little protection.
 
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aldo
Apparently we have signed a 19 yearold midfielder an irish lad called james doona. Thats all i know . He is out of contract. And been training we the club
 
M

Mal

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Weird, all I saw was an article in an Irish newspaper stating Tranmere were monitoring him.... A number of people have seemingly got 5 from 2 and 2 as a result and the chinese whispers have happened.
 
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aldo
On the irish twitter page,. Says the club have agreed to sign him . But if right cant do it till jan . I think . He is out of contract . Has been on trial 2 . As i said that's all I know
 
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