• 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 2021-22

ADD

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Norwood
On reflection, today hasn’t been too bad - but only time will tell. Actually, I’m more upbeat than recent posts about our promotion prospects. This is not a strong league. Even pacesetters FGR lost at home on Saturday and we are remarkably only two points shy of the playoffs.

We have a solid defence and a creative midfield, in my view slightly better than last season. If Maynard can finish the moves and stay fit, and one of the youngsters can find their shooting boots, we will soon rise up the table. Vaughan apart, we have better attacking options than last season. Then they were too old or too raw, but this season we have at least three young strikers with some immediate promise.

I’m amazed to see so much pessimism on the site. If this lot with Micky in charge can’t win the bulk of the games, we really are in trouble.
BBC I think for many the pessimism comes from a very old squad which runs the risk of injuries/ tiredness causing problems later in the season, the poor start to the season suggesting to some of us that it isn't just the lack of a striker that was the issue and that we don't have enough pace in midfield either (we still don't after today).
I mean let's be honest Maynard was not our first or likely second or third choice and he may do well once fit (he isn't right now) but then equally we may simply represent one more year's pay check to him. Duffy not even being signed for the season suggests we still have fitness concerns with him or simply we can't afford it... I just don't know.
Walker who many of us won't have had much of a clue about may in fact be the most important addition today as it sounds like he has pace....
 
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I am pretty sure Maynard will have been our second or third choice. He is better than the majority of strikers in League Two.
 
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The issue for me is not just lack of goals in the squad but also the fact that we really don't create that many chances hopefully that will improve going forward
I think there is plenty of creativity in the squad with MacManaman, Duffy, Morris, and Cogley, whose crosses the new strikers should make more of. Did we lack creativity last season when Vaughan got injured, or did the midfielders and wide players have nothing to feed ?
 

Ian

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I think we are creating chances. Not so much clear cut because there has been no-one on the end of the ball but there have been plenty of balls getting delivered that a 'fox in the box' would love to feed off.
 
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I hope I'm proved wrong but the fact that Maynard was released by Mansfield, and that nobody else 'appeared' to want him makes me think that he is no longer one of the best strikers in the league! Can't wait to be proven wrong though......
 

bigmart

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I think there is plenty of creativity in the squad with MacManaman, Duffy, Morris, and Cogley, whose crosses the new strikers should make more of. Did we lack creativity last season when Vaughan got injured, or did the midfielders and wide players have nothing to feed ?
We look functional and that's about it really
 

drwhoman

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Like others I am a bit underwhelmed but needs must I suppose. The fact that Duffy and O’connor, who have been on the radar for a while, but have only been signed on the last day, confirms a tight budget. I see that Diamond has gone to Harrogate. Closer to home and maybe more money. Maynard will be key. Looking back you do wonder why they signed Mani.
 

Sparky

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Hopefully with Duffy we won’t be so reliant on Feeney as he’s seemed undroppable by the management last season and this when he’s been well under par
 

Ian

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When Feeney first came into the squad, he was used as a winger simply to get crosses into the box, which he did well and was getting assists. Since then he’s been used in all sorts of positions, needless to say pretty ineffective to try and fill in for the striker void.

Leave him to what he is good at and he can be an important player for us. He seems to be taking a lot of flack for recent results pretty harshly in my view.
 
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While I agree that with the signings today, we will be better than last season. ( It wasn't that good or entertaining), however the most glaring omission of the squad is pace and legs.
MM's usual tactic of closing down as far up the pitch as possible and he demands fitness to maintain pressure on the opposition. I just don't see that we don't have the personnel as a team to do this.

Overall the squad looks old, with too many youngsters that will sit on the bench.
My deep concern is , and I do hope I'm wrong, that the last ten minutes of every game, will be crucial to our chances of winning games. Tiredness and fitness will effect the tactics and shape of the older players.

Today's signings are last minute deals, the reason why I raise this is because of, if the only offer was from us, than its better than struggling for another wage somewhere else.
An analogy is going shopping just before the shop closes so that you can pick up the bargains on offer as the sell by date comes to an end.

I wouldn't mind seeing what the budget for players compared to other league two clubs.
I am concerned about the turn around of so many players every season. And because of this, we could be paying more because of the need for bodies. Short term loan deals, one year contracts and more importantly no continuity or team building.

What is the plan for future seasons, why are we so reliant on an agent and his stable of players?. I can't see a plan, and I can't imagine MM is not only thinking about the present and Saturday, but what will he be able to work with for next season and another different squad?

This is the throwaway society, that is not good enough for a football club that has to compete to get bums on seats. We have always been a selling club, but even that has dried up. This was supposed to be another great era for the club. I agree that this will be a season of consolidation, maybe even as bad as last season.
I actually do think that we have had a bad start and we have played the team's that if you were after promotion we should have picked up the points. How we bounce back from the start will be interesting and I hope that some of the players have found their shooting boots.
I'm still underwhelmed and am convinced that something is going on behind the scenes. Why could we only do last minute shopping?

Why couldn't we attract quality players for this season, that will give us a chance at promotion?

Watch this space...............
 

Boz

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I'd agree with drwhoman's description of underwhelming for the final day business.

Maynard, knows where the goal is and is the best forward we have on the books. However, past his best and injury-prone, he was training with and hoping for a deal at Crewe, who didn't want him.

Stephen Walker, has he got any pace? Reviews from his previous loan spells seem mixed, will have to see him to form an opinion. Though he shares a name with my best friend from primary school days so must be good ;)

Duffy, didn't look that good at set-pieces pre-season, certainly hope it's not a monopoly of him and Feeney taking set pieces. However, he's been working with the squad for about 6 weeks now so capable of fitting in fairly quickly and while it may be for convenience, he's the player who came across best in the post signing interview.

O'Connor, we all know what he can do and his limitations. Never featured in central defence for us and lacks the height for that role, though good to have right-back cover.

Whatever happened to Kieran Agard?

At the start of the season, I felt we'd got a squad good enough to make the play-offs, but with additions in particular to the strike-force, that we could become automatic contenders. I don't think the additions offer enough to push us to that level.
 
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Duffy's set plays were very good in pre- season, not comparable with Feeney's. It was interesting that on one of the recent You Tube videos, Davies described him as the most skilful player at the club.

I you think Maynard is injury prone, it is a good job we did not go for Agard.... I think Agard's injury record is the probably the reason we did not pursue that signing.

Out of interest, Matt Jones has confirmed that McNulty, Tyler Smith and Vassell were our first choice targets. I think Maynard and Agard would be in the second rank category, and there probably is not much between them.
 
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Boz

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Duffy's set plays were very good in pre- season, not comparable with Feeney's. It was interesting that on one of the recent You Tube videos, Davies described him as the mist skilful player at the club.

I you think Maynard is injury prone, it is a good job we did not go for Agard.... I think Agard's injury record is the probably the reason we did not pursue that signing.
I saw Duffy live at Warrington where he put an early free-kick in a good position wide and not much else of note in either a positive or negative way. "Very good" is a bit generous.

According to Wiki, Maynard who's aged 34 to Agard's 31 has played about 90 more games, so not much in it. Agard was frozen out after he recovered from a bad injury at MKD, as has previously been alluded to on here, his general injury record doesn't look that bad.
 
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I saw Duffy live at Warrington where he put an early free-kick in a good position wide and not much else of note in either a positive or negative way. "Very good" is a bit generous.

According to Wiki, Maynard who's aged 34 to Agard's 31 has played about 90 more games, so not much in it. Agard was frozen out after he recovered from a bad injury at MKD, as has previously been alluded to on here, his general injury record doesn't look that bad.
I did not think Maynard's injury record was bad, so I was surprised you brought it up. He had a poor season last year, and there is a danger that he is now on a terminal downward slope, but I think Agard would have been just as risky a signing.

I saw all of the pre season games bar Stalybridge and Duffy's set piece delivery was very good. The Warrington performance was his poorest, with that game coming at a stage where he was still very unfit.
 

Sparky

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The squad is what it is and we’ll just have to get on with supporting them and hoping for the best. I share some of KHs concerns about the lack of legs and pace in the squad. I thought the squad was old before today and two of the 4 signings we’ve made are 35 or almost. Maynard had a poor spell at Newport last season and I can understand why people think he may be past it but let’s give him a chance and hope he can be given decent service as if not, he won’t do much.
I thought Duffys delivery was okay at Warrington albeit only one half. As a squad player I’m happy with him but as someone made the point earlier, we may not be too strong overall but this season may be one that an above average squad can make the top 7
 
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In response to Sparky's comments about Maynard, I watched some highlights of his goals at Mansfield and a number came from crosses when he found the spaces between the centre halves. You would think he will thrive on Cogley's delivery.
 
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