Tranmere 0-0 Coventry

[Joe_TRFC]

Team: Ward, Stockdale, McCready, Goodison, Sheriff, Ellison, McLaren, Mullin, Shuker, Zola, Taylor.

A very good 1st half performance i've heard with us coming close to scoring a few times. The person who updated me throughout the match told me it was the best football he'd seen at PP since the days of Morrisey and Nevin. Shuker came close a few times including hitting the bar and Zola nearly scored too. Ellison was fairly quite apparently.

2nd half was not as good apparently but still a good solid defensive performance with their only real chance when they hit the bar. We brought on McAteer and Greenacre for the last 10 mins too.

Would be good to hear from anyone who actually went...

 

[NeverBeatDaveHiggins]

Yeah we 'won' 0-0. A great game of football.

Negatives first to get them out of the way... Ellison had an off-day for sure, nothing came off for him but sometimes that's how it is for a winger. Stockdale still looked like he was carrying too much weight, certainly wasn't able to overlap, and was done a couple of times by their winger using nothing but pace. That's all there was really, all the rest was good.

Mullin and McLaren bossed the midfield with some superb positional play, broke up anything and everything that Coventry tried to build up the middle and as we played with two wingers we kept them quite pinned back. Zola and Taylor started up front and although they both struggled to get into the game, they both kept at it as long as they were on and there is no doubt in my mind that in our division they'll both score a bagful. Greenacre and Davies replaced them late on and both looked keen to get involved.

Player of the match was, and long-time readers of my posts will find this hard to believe- Ian Goodison. But then again it's because it's hard to believe that he is the same player that "played" for us last season.... seriously today was the best I have ever seen him play, and I sat through a lot of painful games these last two years. Screams out cronic mis-management by Brian Little really doesn't it.

And I'm saying Goodison was player of the match ahead (by a whisker) of an absolutely scintillating performance from Shuker... the little fella was on fire, some of his touches to control the ball from odd angles were awesome, and the way he kept turning their players inside out was just fantastic. So that's my eating of humble pie on the Goodison issue complete, I can say:

Shuker I think I love you

 

[white life]

ellison was completely rubbish. i cant remember one thing that he did right. two men were behind me talkin bout how he had potential but at 27 you souldnt have potential you should be good at what you do.
disagree with N.B.D.H as i thought shuker was better than goodison but as he did say only by a whisker

 

[The Golden Aldo Era]

I'm sorry right but you must have been watching the wrong game, Ellison was class in the first half he ran at their left back and delivered some awsome balls into the box plus he was a key man in the link play with Sherrif (who also was outstanding) and Mullins who i thought was fairly slow although played some neat touches with a class Mclaren who played a holding role really well.
Also if you watched Goodison towards he end of last season that was how good he was when he was at centre back, i had no doubt in Moore signing him as a centre back because that was why we originally got but then some half whit of a grey haired baboon decided he could play left back with one foot and a tendancy to throw himself at everythng.
I would agree with you all in that Shuker was absolutly outstanding his presence really threatens teams and i have to say his style is unbelievebly similar to the once great Iain Hume, all be it he's small and sharp but his style is identical, he will cause a bag full of problems and when Ellison links up on the right and delivers those wicked crosses, we've got ourselves 2 awsome wingers who will tear teams to shreds.
Zola was outstanding i don't know where you got the idea that he struggled to get into the game, he wreaked havoc with their defence and i seem to remember he made 2 or 3 50yard runs only for Shuker or Taylor (who was definately lacking match fitness and sharpness) to get charged down before shooting?! if my memory serves me right?!?!!
I agree about Stockdale, he did get turned inside out particularly in the 2nd half when we let them play and they shut us down quikly in midfield, but he still looked like given a little more time he could sharpen up.
I'd just like to re-iterate my previous point,Ellison is class and he will be ine of the best players of the season along with Shuker and Sherrif, FACT!!

 

[nomur]

Well from what I've read we did absolutely everything but score which is good enough for me.

And isn't it quite refreshing to have all you guys on here debating who was the best player of the game? What a complete change from last year when all we could do was try and agree who was the biggest 'DONKEY' on the grass other than the old grey headed 'ASS' who should have been put out to pasture long ago.

Again I haven't looked forward to a season this much in a long time!!

Final question.... How many times did we look at a scoreless draw last season and say it was boring, safe, unimaginative play???

This is indeed very promising =D>=D>

 

[NeverBeatDaveHiggins]

TGAE - I do think Ellison is a good player, in fact I think all Ronnie's signings have good on-the-ball ability. The thing is at the Lairds game Ellison was the best player on the pitch but in the Coventry game he was the weakest. But I'm quite sure that's a combination of an off-day and them having good players on the right side of defence.

Shuker's a more natural winger than Hume, with better touch and close control skills, and a better ball into the box. Hume was a goalscorer first and foremost who made up comfortably for lack of precision with bags of enthusiam and pace. Hume was the one ray of light, the one touch of class in a team otherwise bereft of class. The situation is very different now. Shuker reminds me much more of Moggsy than Humey, a wide man who will get chalk on his boots, try to beat the man in front of him and put in a cross.

I said after the game (chuckling) "We're going to beat some teams 4 or 5 nil this year" - I still think we will, and wouldn't it be nice if we started that by absolutely stuffing Oldham.

 

[white life]

based on the performances ive seen id say we have a great chance of at least the play offs and the odds of 16-1 at the moment are looking a bargain

 

[Ian]

Yes, I'm sharing exactly the same enthausiasm as everyone else on here. Another decent game of football. Sad to say, but that game last night was better than some of the ***** I watched last season! At least it shows we are moving in the right direction.

It's fair to say Shuker and Goodison were the two best players for us last night. Goodison topped it ever so slightly because he was excellent for 90 minutes. Shuker faded slightly in the second half.

Shukers first half perforance was awesome. He skinned Marcus Hall a few times, and I've always thought of him as a decent full-back. His touch was great, just a shame he couldnt put his chances away, although to be fair, the experienced Marshall made some great saves.

Goodison as mentioned was excellent. Didn't put a foot wrong. That defence certainly looks a lot tighter. Stockdale hasn't made the greatest of starts, nothing that makes us take note, but he'll be a decent full back, I'm sure. Sherriff is looking good in the centre or playing on the left.

Midfield is looking solid, and I'm actually excited about the strikers. Taylor will be a handful. He almost has that lazy Hawarth look about him, but with Greenacre/Zola playing alongside him, we'll get goals.

The positivity in the side also makes a refreshing change. How many shots do we have last night? It seems they lads aren't afraid to try things, which is great.

I can't see a particularly weak area in the side at the moment. Can't wait for the Oldham game.

 

[Birkenhead Born and Bred]

I totally agree Ian, I felt we controlled the game keeping the ball and creating the better chances. Ian Goodison looks very good at centre back and the few times he played centre back last season I thought he done well but when hes playing left back thats when he scares me. Lots of positives came out of the game,the only negagtive I can pick out from the game was that we never scored.

 

[SCooperSomersaults]

Didn't go to the game but very disappointing to hear about the Coventry coach that was bricked afterwards. If anyone saw this incident I hope it was reported and people pay the price for these stupid actions.

As for the game, it does sound exciting, going to see the new team at Stockport and am very much looking forward to that and the new season. Seems we can all look forward to an attacking style Kingy style whch will be great after the dross we've been served up in recent years.

Ronnie Moore's Super White Army =D>

 

[Joe_TRFC]

Can't believe some stupid idiots did that! It's inexcusable anytime but I mean that was only a friendly game! Anyway i'm glad to see Goodison proving me right. I knew he could do well for us at Centre back. Everything sounds so promising at the moment! Hope it stays like that.