Alty v Rovers

[bring back the cowshed!]

We started the season with probably the toughest four matches for any NL team. Starting with Boreham Wood, the next four promised to be a much easier set of fixtures. However, already things haven't gone to plan. We badly need to bounce back from that defeat in the next three games.

I think this is the first time Rovers have played Altrincham in a competitive match, although our reserves used to play them in the Cheshire League when I was a lad. One look at the league table would make you think we'd be strong favourites, but after three narrow defeats our hosts bounced back to beat Grimsby and lose at Dover to a late goal. They have not conceded more than two goals in any game. I expect them to raise their game and be difficult to break down. For us to win, we'll need to be better all round than we were last time out. The longer the game goes without a goal, the more their confidence will rise. Sadly, I think we'll see a low-scoring draw - 0-0 or maybe 1-1.

 

[Sparky]

This will be similar to many games this season on our travels where the home team sees it as arguably their biggest game of the season.

Expect Alty to raise their game and if they could afford a scout to watch our game last week, will fancy their chances especially having already beaten Grimsby on home soil.

TRFC following may apparently reach 1,500 and the players need to give them something to cheer after last Sat. As for the team, I don't expect any wholesale changes and altho most would like Maynard in the middle, expect GB to play it safe. Will be interesting if blissett starts and whether it's someone like mangan alongside him. Hopefully it won't be 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 leaving the big man too isolated.

Prediction: a narrow defeat - hope I'm wrong.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Like Sparky, I would not expect wholesale changes to the team but I think we have to tweak things tactically to be more creative in the final third. Personally, I hope Blissett does not start. Like Braintree, I would expect Alty to line up in a 4-5-1, get in our faces and play like the away team.

Although The Robins beat Grimsby at home (their only win so far) I saw highlights of that game and they were battered for the majority of the match, and scored two of the scruffiest goals you will ever see. They also have major injury problems, and are not in great shape at the moment. These may be famous last words, but after last Saturday I think we will see a reaction from the Rovers players and I don't think we will lose this one, a draw or a narrow victory being more likely.

According to Nicola Palios we had sold 1,200 tickets by Tuesday night, so Saturday will see the biggest Rovers away following for a league game since the £10 match at Deepdale in 2011.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I think this is the first time Rovers have played Altrincham in a competitive match,

We have actually played one competitive game against them. Bizarrely, it was an FA Cup tie in our first ever season in the Football League, 1921-22.

 

[Sparky]

Yes all the noises coming from PP indicate its been a good weeks training and the players are itching for a chance to put right the wrongs of last Saturday.

Like RLC I don't want blissett starting as inevitably it will lead to the long ball at times. Keep him on the bench if we need to mix it up late on.

After reading RLCs summary above I'm feeling a bit more optimistic.

 

[Boz]

It sounds like there will be a big turnout for the SWA. A positive, slightly surprised given we didn't manage to top 1k in travelling support for our localish games last season and the poorer than expected crowd v Boreham Wood.

Despite the hosts injury woes, including a couple out with broken legs, this will not be an easy game. Bristol Rovers lost here at a similar stage last season and Grimsby have already come unstuck at the J Davidson this season. I presume Hogan is still out, while Kirby has been loaned to Stockport, so there is not much scope for change. I agree with Sparky and RLC that Blissett is best kept on the bench rather than deployed from the off. I'd take and think we'll get a point.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

We have actually played one competitive game against them. Bizarrely, it was an FA Cup tie in our first ever season in the Football League, 1921-22.

Sorry, RLC, but even I can't remember that far back!

Re the formation for Saturday, I am hoping for some changes. By now, every team will have worked out how we play, so a little more variety is needed.

 

[Ian]

I do think the players will give us a reaction but I'm seeing another frustrating game. Lot of possession but struggling to create chances. 1-1.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Over 1,400 tickets now sold apparently.

 

[Ian]

Well that didn't sound great. Look forward to the reports.

 

[Sparky]

Bad result that. Losing to a side with 3 points from 15 before kick off.

Sounds like GB still doesn't know his best 11. No ihikwe or mangan started with mekki, holness and Cole starting.

Wins for forest green, eAstleigh and Wrexham see us down to 8th

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Difficult to know where to start after that shambles. What utter, utter garbage. I feel a bit stupid after my comments last week now: I thought Borehamwood was a one-off but this pathetic display suggests we have more fundamental problems. This was a gutless showing on a par with the worst from last season.

The formation was the start of our problems. I could understand Brabin going for a 3-5-2 to give us more bite in the final third, but by sacrificing our defensive shape we became a shambles at the back. The decision to play Holness as the most central of the back three, after a year out through injury, was bizarre and his display did nothing to convince me he is fit to wear a Rovers shirt. He was shocking, directly at fault for their second goal when giving the ball away in his own half. In general, the gaps between the centre halves and the centre backs and the wing backs were too big, and it appeared we had not even put any work into the system on the training ground. Altrincham played a big lump up front in a 4-5-1 and he still managed to give our defence the run-around.

For the first ten minutes we actually looked reasonably sharp and played some decent football. However, after conceding the first goal, the players went into their shells, which was absurd as there was plenty of time to salvage something from the game. Our play was aimless, predictable and pedestrian, and without the ball we failed to press, win 50-50s and work as a team in any sense. In the second half we were marginally better in possession, but even worse without it: a lot of the players gave the impression they frankly don't give a shit today. I appreciate there is pressure on them because of the size of our support (at this level) but if they can't play in front of 5,000 at home and 1,500 away they should not be here.

This performance was embarrassing and made me ashamed to be a Tranmere fan. Altrincham must wonder what the F*** all the fuss was about.

The only positive I can take from the whole sorry affair was that Jackson looked decent when he came on, and set up Blissett for a sitter with a great cross (I could have scored it but he missed, from five yards).

Some day we will have a manager and a group of players worthy of our supporters.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Wins for forest green, eAstleigh and Wrexham see us down to 8th

All of the top sides won today, and we are now eight points off top, five off Wrexham. Cheltenham and even Chester are above us.

Depressing times and promotion looks a faint hope in all honesty.

 

[Sparky]

Thanks for the report RLC at what sounds like a depressing afternoon.

Similarities with boreham wood in that not only did we lose, the manner of the defeat is alarming.

Early days but GB now has a lot of doubters in terms of his personnel choices and tactics.

Maybe our expectations are too high?But from the report its the lack of fight Etc which is worrying....

Too early to say Monday is a must win??

 

[Mal]

Early days.

 

[Tartantranmere64]

Stand by my comments from last week. I can see a team which doesn't have purpose, which looks leaderless and is really struggling to create the intensity and pressure to win games. Other than Gateshead away, when we went mental for eight minutes and scored three, the season so far has consisted of toil and poor decision making on and off the field.

Yes, it's early days, but Brabin has to find a way to energise his teams to start aggressively and impose themselves. Today left me wondering not how bad Rovers are, but actually how good are Altrincham, because they didn't have to play that well, especially in the first 70 minutes to be better than us.

The main problem today was that although we played two wing-backs in the first-half we never got beyond their back line (same problem as last week). Only when Jackson came on and Mekki switched did we find some joy and looked like we could open up Alty. Ridehalgh was a complete spectator in the first-half. Not required to defend, but never receiving the ball out wide. The main problem is not our defence, it's our midfield. Jennings (who did start to impose himself in the last 20) looks clumsy and slow. Harris flits in and out of the game, plays little triangles in areas which won't hurt the opposition and takes woeful set-pieces and Maynard? Oh boy. Slow, immobile, total lack of spatial awareness. Looks like we signed him from Halifax rugby league club.

It's not quite panic time, but I can't see how our tremendous support can stay with a team which is so passive and half-hearted for much longer. It could get a bit ugly if we cannot see off Kiddy on Monday. Sad times.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

The main problem is not our defence, it's our midfield.

I agree. But by remaining defensively solid, we did at least grind out results in the first four games. There was no chance of that today as we gave such poor goals away.

I agree with the rest of your points.

 

[Ian]

It's ridiculous to even mention must win games at this stage of the season, but GB really needs to find a system and a group of players that are capable and fast.. The decision to play Holness was crazy and I see he didn't disappoint!

I think we have to realise however that we are probably mediocre to good in this league. Most of the players we have signed have come from teams around us and it's starting to show now after a handful of games. The big difference now is the drive and desire. Teams are desperate to beat us and will raise their game. We seem to have a bunch of players that really don't seem that arsed based on the last few games.

And all that hard work on the training ground.. (sure I've heard that somewhere before).

Why can we never get a squad that is capable of driving forward and testing the opposition? It's been like this for years and I do think eventually patience will run out with supporters. Like you say, 1500 there today, they deserve better.

 

[White Squaddie]

It just seems to me that GB does not yet know his strongest side. Why on earth did he start Holness today, he's absolutely dreadful and was at fault, by all accounts, for the goals. I think our best formation is 442 but he's got to play people in their strongest positions. Now that we've signed Jackson we now have 2 players that are genuine wingers, although to be fair to Ridehalgh, I think he's done quite well to date. Jennings is past it for me so I'd give Maynard and Harris the centre of the park and see how they get on. I know Maynard was poor today but I can imagine he's not brimming with confidence having played on the right wing for 5 games prior to today.

The league certainly isn't won or lost in Aug and I'm certainly not crying out for GB to go but we need to find our best team and stick with it batting injury and hope that we can show some passion and desire to get at teams from the off and play with high intensity. There are supposedly 'lesser' clubs than ours in this league with 'weaker squads' but Boreham Wood demonstrated what can happen with a desire to win!

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Some day we will have a manager and a group of players worthy of our supporters.

Despite my comment above, I would say that the behaviour of a sizeable minority of our supporters today was pretty appalling. As poor as the performance was, the constant (and often unjustified) barracking of certain individual players was counter-productive and probably contributed to the feeble display. A case in point was Mangan being given dog's abuse by a group of supporters at the final whistle when he came over to applaud their support, this despite having not even been on the pitch for the majority of the game. Similarly, Hogan and Norwood were subjected to the same treatment in the warm-down.

As frustrating as the last few seasons have been, it is alarming that this kind of behaviour is becoming more common.

As for the majority of decent supporters, unless the quality of performances improves substantially in the coming weeks, I think we can expect to see people voting with their feet. Loyalty is only ever going to extend so far and the positivity of pre-season is already beginning to evaporate.