and so it begins..

[bigmart]

sad to see him go wish him well at Newport always got stuck in and totally committed.

 

[Boz]

I'm sorry to see Danny go too. A more than capable right-back, who held his own in L1 and any technical deficiencies were more than compensated for by effort.It's always good to see a Tranmere fan playing for the side and he kept battling, when picked, standing out in last season's dismal crop of players. I hope that Brabin and the Palioi 'get' the attraction of having 'one of your own' in the side, not impressed with the perfunctory piece on the official site.

I'd also wish him all the best at Newport, who look like they may have a difficult season ahead.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Agree with the comments above. One of the most committed players I have seen in a Rovers shirt and our player of the season by some distance last year. Although we have had other players who claimed to support us in their youth, there was never any doubt Danny was 100% Rovers.

All that said, I am surprised he has chosen Newport ahead of us. They are skint and will probably do well to avoid relegation next season, and we look the better bet longer term. Perhaps there was some bitterness in the parting, which may explain the perfunctory website message.

 

[drwhoman]

Yes disappointing - maybe the financial terms were unacceptable. As a senior player he probably hoped for some recognition. I recall he played non-league in Wales when Rovers released him the first time. He clearly likes the country! On an unrelated point I see that McGurk has now signed for Portsmouth.

 

[Sparky]

....and jake Cassidy has joined george green at oldham

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Cassidy was ruined by Dean Saunders recalling him for Wolves and sticking him up front on his own in a disinterested, relegation-bound team. He was not ready for that kind of pressure and I don't think his confidence has ever really recovered.

He was a superb natural goalscorer in his first nine months with us and I hope he can recapture that form.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

https://audioboom.com/boos/3314773-an-emotional-danny-holmes-talks-about-leaving-tranmere

Interesting interview with Danny here.

 

[Boz]

Heart-breaking stuff from Danny Holmes. You get a glimpse of the strains of playing (or not) for the team you support as they go into free-fall. Exactly why he fell out of favour with Adams and why Brabin didn't try harder to keep him may become clearer one day. He comes across in that interview as a slightly vulnerable young man, not one who'd be leading dressing-room revolts. In the end, Danny will be playing a level above Rovers next season, so an experienced manager in Terry Butcher rates him and given he clearly would have liked to stay, you have to wonder...

Who will feature at right-back next season for Rovers? Think Sutton is going to play in the centre with Riley, so does that mean Hogan or a new recruit? Ihiekwe couldn't play there on last season's evidence and Gumbs is likely to be thought too young.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I would guess that Hogan will be the right back. From reports elsewhere, it seems Danny was not prepared to accept a substantial pay cut, which may or may not have been inevitable given our relegation, but from the interview it sounds like it was the lack of enthusiasm shown by the club that was the main reason for his departure.

You have to feel sorry for Holmes. Despite his commitment and consistency, he was badly treated by both Moore and Adams and you can understand him not wanting to risk being sidelined again next season.

 

[Boz]

Agree with what you say about Danny, RLC.

Hogan seems to have mainly played in central defence and Sutton's spent some time at right-back, so might work better deploying them like that.

 

[Sparky]

Blimey I feel drained after listening to that interview with Danny. Although it just goes to show how much he loves the club - you can hear it in his voice.

I get the impression as RLC states he wanted to stay and Brabin wanted him, but from a financial point of view he was obviously offered something way below what he could accept. Given his love for the club it must have been a big drop in salary to make him leave - but then we have to cut our cloth given our position I guess.

I don't think playing in the football league is the main factor - it sounds like its purely down to money and he has to look after himself and his family. Good luck to him. A true member of the SWA.

I think though he will definately look to come back to the club at some point, hopefully next season if we go up.

I'm going for a lie down after that....feeling emotional!

 

[Ian]

Wow, that was quite difficult to listen to. You wont find many as committed as Danny Holmes. Wish him all the best for the future.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Going off-topic, Rory Donnelly has signed for Gillingham. A good move for him and he certainly has the ability to play at that level - provided he is played as a striker.

 

[drwhoman]

While GB was quick off the mark initially I am sure that we all hope that we will see a few more decent incomings as everyone returns from holiday. A goalkeeper would be a priority I would think. I imagine Jason Koumas will decide soon if he wants to go round again particularly, as is suggested above with Danny, that Rovers are not exactly putting the boat out which, I suppose, is appropriate for the club given our position. It would be nice to see one or two local lads coming through. With Danny and Power going there will not be many next season. They often have the desire missing in many imported players for whom it is just another season's payday.

 

[Boz]

Things have gone quiet on the arrivals front, as you say. With pre-season only a couple of weeks off, I'm surprised the recruiting has stalled. Keeper, wide player with pace and another striker would be the main priority for me.
Can only assume Brabin isn't that keen on having Koumas around. He wasn't on much of a wage apparently, so can't see finance being an issue.
Strongly agree with drwhoman on local lads. Danny as a Rovers supporter and Max from a Rovers-supporting background will be missed from that aspect. The only Wirral lad now in the squad is Sam Ramsbottom and I don't know how much of an opportunity he'll get. It's to be hoped some of the other youngsters, even if not local, will have spent enough time at the club to have some passion.

 

[Mal]

Personally, I don't think having local lads actually helped given we have had back to back relegations. Based on the past, I think we will be better off with Scottish and Irish players!!

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I doubt having young, inexperienced, local players is a particular advantage in the Conference, no matter how passionate they are. I think the bigger issue for us is ensuring the experienced players we bring in from outside are hardworking and professional, unlike the motley rabble we had last season.

 

[Ian]

I think the club are still hunting around for players, but I think they are being extremely careful who they choose. Don't want another repeat of last season when the majority we signed were rubbish. Still plenty of time left.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

I've just got back from a fortnight's holiday, where I've been able to keep track but not post. I was disappointed to see Laird and Holmes leave, but I believe that in both cases it was probably basically down to the money offered. Although the club's stated wage policy is the high end of the National League, this seems to be significantly lower than what even average League Two sides like Newport and Yeovil can offer. If you are a pro with a family to feed and realise that your career could be ended with a bad injury at any time, you are likely to go where the money and the longer-term contract are to be found. Mark Palios is a shrewd businessman who doesn't want to risk bankrupting the club or himself. He has to strike a fine balance between attracting suitable players and balancing the books. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised to see virtually everyone who can leave is leaving for league clubs. No matter what transfer policy the club had, it would be a risk. But for the last few years under Peter Johnson, we had a low end budget. At least this season we know that we SHOULD be capable of competing at the upper end of the table.

 

[Boz]

A few thoughts on recent posts;

While agreeing with BBTC that money is a factor in Laird and Holmes leaving, it's not the whole story. Jennings signed up, but maybe he was made a better offer than the others? Newport's financial position looks a little uncertain with their lottery-winning chairman pulling out and it's quite a distance to uproot for. Danny will certainly be getting a better deal by moving on, but my impression was if other things had been more positive, he might have accepted some fall in his wages. Marc Laird had worked with Sturrock at Yeovil before. We'll never know the full picture.

While historically, we have had a fair number of Scots and Irish players, the current calibre of Scots football is illustrated by ex-Rovers holding their own in Scotland's top flight.

I would agree the playing staff, whatever their origins, should be capable of rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in, rather than strolling around, noses in the air, like it's all beneath them. Would also agree that home-grown doesn't always mean a stronger or more passionate side. However, for me, there's still a certain magic of a local lad, coming through the ranks and turning out for the side. If that link between the team and the fan-base is lost, it feels like we might as well turn out as Metropolitan Mercenaries and set aside the club history.