League Two Crewe (2) v Rovers (0)

[Rockford's Love Child]

If it was not for McGee we would have been three or four down at half time. I felt sorry for him in the red card incident. Yes, it was a rash decision, but once again he had been left completely exposed with a straight forward punt down the pitch bissecting the defence.

The game on Friday feels huge. The next two games are away, one of which at Stockport we are almost certain to lose, so anything less than a victory leaves us in a precarious position.

 

[Sparky]

If it was not for McGee we would have been three or four down at half time. I felt sorry for him in the red card incident. Yes, it was a rash decision, but once again he had been left completely exposed with a straight forward punt down the pitch bissecting the defence.

The game on Friday feels huge. The next two games are away, one of which at Stockport we are almost certain to lose, so anything less than a victory leaves us in a precarious position.

Yes and that was only three minutes into the half and their lad was one on one. Even after 30 seconds of the half they’d already had a great chance to make it 2-0.

Perhaps our only hope this season is that there may be a couple of teams worse than us….although FGR won 5-0 today

 

[Sparky]

️ 12 months ago today

Tranmere 3-0 Crewe
D. Simeu 22'
E. Nevitt 56', 89'
#TRFC #SWA

9th in Table
Played 13. Won 7. Draw 1. Lost 5
16 goals for
9 goals against

 

[drwhoman]

Either Nigel is sticking his head in the sand or has his mind on other things, possibly personal. If he is managing as a favour to Mark then maybe he should stop being so generous and tell him how it is is. Appoint a L2 equivalent of Alladyce and tell him to do whatever it takes to keep us up. Forget entertainment. We need points driven off an organised plan aimed at avoiding conceding and scoring when we can. They are just drifting, blown by the wind. No strategy, no plan, just useless.

 

[ADD]

Shambolic is the only description worthy of that. I haven't posted for several weeks on the games as frankly the toxicity around Dawes bored me. Adkins talks much better yes ( although far too much guff) and has more of a CV but today we were as bad as anything under Dawes in my opinion.
Davies I disagree has been shocking recently. Nothing about lack of cover. Just ineptitude when a header from midway in their half left him floundering and only Nevitts lack of ability stopped a horrible goal. As to his sending off naive is too polite. Moronic.
Surely LOC needs to play in midfield as we are powder puff and why is Taylor suddenly not even getting 15 minutes. Jolley and Saunders are both far inferior. Yes he will have the odd average game but so much more skill than either of them.
Walker managed finally 90 minutes on Tuesday so why not played today. Apter also should be playing as he has pace but unlike Saunders some actual footballing brain.
Serious times...

 

[Sparky]

Only a small issue but the Walker situation is ridiculous. On Tuesday he played his first full 90 minutes of the season for us. Nigel says pre match we have a few players who we need to be careful with their ‘load’.
Away at the leagues top scorers the defence would obviously be under pressure and we needed a proper defensive midfielder. Walker on the bench and never gets on.
This time last week they knew of the fixtures so why on earth did he not play just a half on Tuesday or not even at all knowing we had a league game much more important than the Pizza trophy

 

[Keith Hill (Bolton)]

I am not going to repeat the match reports as I don't have an alternative opinion on the majority of posts.
What I want to input is........
When you set up for a game that you should be aware that they are liable to be attacking from the kick off. Good at possession end in form scoring goals. Your team isnt, and leaking goals, lack of confidence, blah, blah, b!ah!

You DON'T play your attack and midfield with all attacking players. Those six players were not defensively minded players.
And with your full backs under pressure cos of previous outings. What is the manager thinking?

Even at youth level, when similar circumstances are discussed beforehand, you go in with a defensive approach to stop the other team playing as much as possible away from your own box. I have seen it in pro games, where a team will set up with nine outright defenders with one striker. And a very good team is prevented from creating opportunities and that changes so much.

What is the point in putting a really weak shape and formation out, when the likelihood is, it won't work!
The lads can see it, the supporters can see it. Even some kids can!
And I can't see anything changing!

 

[Ian]

Yes and the evidence was there to see. We could have been down by three goals very early on. I don't get it.

 

[MancunianWhite]

2 wins from 7 under Nigel. How long do we persist with him? It real looks like the 14/15 season when we went down. Started with an inexperienced manager and didn’t work. Then a very experienced manager came in and that didn’t work.

Something needs to change at this rate.

Nigel needs to make one of his KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) winning games sharpish.

 

[Sparky]

Yes and the evidence was there to see. We could have been down by three goals very early on. I don't get it.

Yes I agree. Away at the leagues top scorers and we start with a midfield trio including two very attacking players in Morris and Jennings.
I love Connor to bits but he made a stupid tackle and allowed them to put in in the box after 10 minutes.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Am I the only one who has noticed that we actually moved UP one place today? FGR’s hammering of Colchester wasn’t enough for them to catch us but enough for the U’s to drop below us. I’m amazed that our goal difference is good enough to keep us out of the drop zone.

However, we are now four points below the team above us and just a goal away from the drop zone. The situation is serious but far from hopeless. We have beaten teams in the top half. We are not getting hammered - even with nine men. This was never a quick fix. Let’s have a little more patience. We have some decent players and a very capable, experienced manager.

 

[Sparky]

Am I the only one who has noticed that we actually moved UP one place today? FGR’s hammering of Colchester wasn’t enough for them to catch us but enough for the U’s to drop below us. I’m amazed that our goal difference is good enough to keep us out of the drop zone.

However, we are now four points below the team above us and just a goal away from the drop zone. The situation is serious but far from hopeless. We have beaten teams in the top half. We are not getting hammered - even with nine men. This was never a quick fix. Let’s have a little more patience. We have some decent players and a very capable, experienced manager.

I thought the same BBTC when Dawes got sacked but game by game I’m starting to have less faith in Nigel. His sticking with the failing 4-3-3 and the players picked in it being a real problem. Even in games like the bradford win we were lucky to not be 2 or 3 behind early on.

I can hear him already pre match next week saying today wasn’t all bad because we went up a position.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

. We are not getting hammered - even with nine men.

We were completely outplayed today and it was only due to luck and some heroics from McGee that we were not hammered, as on several other occasions this season.

We now have an experienced manager, but the concern is that our most obvious failing - an inability to defend - has not been addressed at all since he arrived, and he does not even raise it as a key concern in his pre and post match interviews.

 

[Keith Hill (Bolton)]

Am I the only one who has noticed that we actually moved UP one place today? FGR’s hammering of Colchester wasn’t enough for them to catch us but enough for the U’s to drop below us. I’m amazed that our goal difference is good enough to keep us out of the drop zone.

However, we are now four points below the team above us and just a goal away from the drop zone. The situation is serious but far from hopeless. We have beaten teams in the top half. We are not getting hammered - even with nine men. This was never a quick fix. Let’s have a little more patience. We have some decent players and a very capable, experienced manager.

My worry was that even before kick off, I knew what would happen. No I'm not a soothsayer or such but once I seen the line up, we were going to get beat. Unless etc , blah, blah miracle happened. The first half stats were the same ones from a few weeks ago in so many ways. This team cannot defend regardless of who plays. The midfield can't defend and we have so many players out of the game on turnovers, which is most of the game, we can't defend from the front, we are spineless. In the most important part of setting up, your spine is the most important, we only have the goalie, who was very good again today, even tho the sending of! Spineless, nil confidence, and the only reason that the second half looked better with ten men was because Crewe were comfortable and in cruise mode. They should have taken the piss but didn't!
Where is the thinking of not getting beat? Where is the tactics to stop better teams or even some worse teams playing us off the park every game?
Something needed to be done before the season started, and on the pitch, nothing much has.
Never mind now!
The players know it, the fans know it!
Why doesn't those who run it?

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I haven't posted for several weeks on the games as frankly the toxicity around Dawes bored me.

A bit rich considering your endless (unwarranted) attacks on Mellon, which went on for several years.

 

[Ian]

Let’s have a little more patience. We have some decent players and a very capable, experienced manager.

We haven't won away since February! If we don't pick up any points on our travels we are in big trouble and we aren't exactly killing it at home either.

 

[bigmart]

We haven't won away since February! If we don't pick up any points on our travels we are in big trouble and we aren't exactly killing it at home either.

And we shortly travel to a bang in form Stockport

 

[ADD]

A bit rich considering your endless (unwarranted) attacks on Mellon, which went on for several years.

Not at all.

Some of the comments here re Dawes from you and others were totally over the top and have been shown to be by the performance yesterday which was just as bad as anything under Dawes. Adkins has had several weeks to put things right but yesterday we were terrible and he appears to have no idea as to why or what to do about it!

As to MM, I 100% stand behind my view that MM should not have been been brought back for a second stint once he had left to progess his career. His second spell was a waste of 2 seasons. However, that is in the past. I am more concerned about the shambles we have now with farcical recruitment, about 10 LB's none of whom are any good, CB's who are so slow it is unreal, powderpuff midfield with no-one who can tackle, Dennis being wasted completely, Taylor being dropped after he had one quiet game and now not getting a look in whilst Jolley plods his way round the pitch at a snails pace etc.

 

[dollar'sbloke]

You have to be completely obtuse not to see Mellon had us far more competent than what has happened since and despite some strange external signings possibly out of his control.
The away record and the personnel issues are nothing to do with Nigel. It is unreasonable to claim yet another leader, completely unnamed by anyone, would improve things overnight.
Most seem to recognise our defence unit is wobbly and yet many advocate having less defenders when not in possession. It is 4-5-1 not 4-3-3 when defending. Very curious thinking.
This won't be turned around overnight and certainly not at very decent sides like Crewe. The fact is Nigel is already averaging the point a game needed. The only plan can be to see what you can get before the window opens. Changing managers or using squad players who can't make a case over the current lot will make matters worse.
People were screaming to get rid of Mellon and to give Burton more of a chance. Maybe some need to reflect on their own previous claims?
PS I will always maintain my diagnosis of Bristow being limited due to his poor positional play, Wood replicated Ethan's errors in this regard from last season in one afternoon. To think Liverpool have a twenty year old pro who behind him and on merit after Tuesday is utterly bizarre

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Not at all.

Some of the comments here re Dawes from you and others were totally over the top and have been shown to be by the performance yesterday which was just as bad as anything under Dawes. Adkins has had several weeks to put things right but yesterday we were terrible and he appears to have no idea as to why or what to do about it!

As to MM, I 100% stand behind my view that MM should not have been been brought back for a second stint once he had left to progess his career. His second spell was a waste of 2 seasons. However, that is in the past. I am more concerned about the shambles we have now with farcical recruitment, about 10 LB's none of whom are any good, CB's who are so slow it is unreal, powderpuff midfield with no-one who can tackle, Dennis being wasted completely, Taylor being dropped after he had one quiet game and now not getting a look in whilst Jolley plods his way round the pitch at a snails pace etc.

Adkins is clearly a vastly superior manager to Dawes but has inherited a complete mess from the individual you consistently championed and claimed would be an upgrade on Mellon.

If Mellon was still in situ we would not be in this mess. I maintain this group of players is similar, if not better, than the one we had last season. If Adkins had taken over as permanent manager last May we all in all likelihood would not be in this position.

Palios is ultimately responsible for this situation, but the biggest of many mistakes he has made was appointing Dawes, which could ultimately kill us as a club.

You would think you would show some humility having called that decision so spectacularly wrong. The vocal minority of 'supporters' who consistently hounded Mellon and encouraged Palios to get rid of him are largely responsible for the position we now find ourselves in.