• 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.

MK Dons 3, Rovers 0

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Alan King, Barry Dyson
I have to admit I had a bad feeling about this one before the start, but the defeat still hurts. Ronnie shook the side up by not only bringing Ben Gibson back but also bringing Danny Harrison and Paul Black in, pushing Zoom forward. We started OK, but it all went wrong as early as the fifth minute. Ash conceded an unnecessary corner when he failed to control a through ball. The ball was eventually crossed and hit the bar. It bounced straight to their full back who headed unmarked into an unguarded net. It nearly got worse soon after, but a last ditch Danny Holmes tackle saved the day.

We failed to pick up our game and just before half-time, the defence was split open like the Red Sea and the home side got their second. Just after half-time it was game over. Ben Gibson gave away a needless free-kick just outside the box. Fonners did well to parry the resulting shot but Potter stepped forward unchallenged to head into an empty goal.

Eventually, ABB replaced Harrison and was given a free role. He made an immediate impact and the Dons had to mark him closely and sometimes foul him to stop his tricky runs. On one occasion he put Danny Holmes through, but the full-back blasted over from eight yards out. Then Zoom did the same from a similar position. It was a shame these chances did not fall to our strikers, who had hardly any opportunities to score thanks to a well-organised MK defence.

In fact, MK Dons looked a very useful side and controlled the game from the moment they scored. I found it difficult to believe they were not near the play-offs. I think the problem might be their ground. It must be one of the best outside the Premier League, but totally lacks atmosphere with a crowd under 20,000. The home fans spread themselves out so thinly, you can't hear them. In fact, whenever they scored, you still couldn't hear any cheering. It must be difficult for the players.

It's best not to dwell too much on our performance. It lacked edge and even organisation. We kept passing into open spaces where there was no-one or leaving the ball for a teammate, only to see an opponent run through. Our only good moves were in the later stages and then the wrong people had to finish them off.

No-one deserved TRFC MoM, but I won't single out anyone for playing badly. The whole team was a bit below par. Collectively, we often seemed like a bunch of strangers at times. Maybe Ronnie had made too many changes, but I doubt it would have affected the end result.

We are definitely looking like a mid-table side. My best hope now is that we finish higher than we did last season. Looking desperately for positives, it was good to see Gibson back. He looks fit and has lost none of his confidence. No-one was booked or (as far as I could see) injured.

Roll on next season!
 

WildRover

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Kevin Gray (ha!)
Any truth about harrison getting clapped and cheered off? (in an ironic way, obviously)? Cos if so, then thats disgusting, no matter how **** the players are during a game, they dont deserve that....
 
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Alan King, Barry Dyson
Any truth about harrison getting clapped and cheered off? (in an ironic way, obviously)? Cos if so, then thats disgusting, no matter how **** the players are during a game, they dont deserve that....
I'm not sure. The fans weren't happy at half time but I think any cheers may have been for Bell-Baggie coming on to replace him.
 
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Pathetic performance by both manager and players. I said beforehand that if we played five in the middle it would end in disaster. We did, and it did.

The starting eleven was unbalanced and shapeless, with square pegs in round holes. The wide men did not know what job they were supposed to be doing. Sidibe was too isolated and we were way too deep; no other player got past the half way line until the 30th minute.

We were playing a side in 14th place that have won 3 of their last 17 games and yet we lined up with such a negative approach you would have thought we were playing in the Nou Camp. We are (or were) the team chasing promotion. We should have been positive and proactive. Instead, the formation encouraged yet more negativity in a team already woefully short of energy and confidence.

But the tactics had nothing to do with our defending for the three goals, which was embarrassing. Two from set plays, where we failed to even make a challenge for the second ball, and another mistake by Fon Williams, failing to sweep up when a ball was played over the top.

The players must take their share of responsibility for failing to win their individual battles in all areas of the pitch. MK Dons were not even particularly good, nor did they need to be.

The only real positive was the perfomance of Ben Gibson, who was outstanding despite the dross around him. The best of the rest was Akpro, who looked lively in spite of stupidly being played out of position on the wing in the first half.

Oh dear, oh dear. We are now only three points above Orient, Coventry and Walsall. The doommongers were right and I was wrong. We have fu***ed it up big time.
 

bigmart

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RLC, its not been a case of doommongering but its been coming for such a long time that it has sadly been inevitable.

We have only picked up 33 points in our last 27 games which is woefull.
 
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Any truth about harrison getting clapped and cheered off? (in an ironic way, obviously)? Cos if so, then thats disgusting, no matter how **** the players are during a game, they dont deserve that....

Yes, he was jeered off by some idiots and was visibly upset. In my opinion he should not have started the game, but my objections were tactical, not about his presence in particular; his performance was no worse than 8 of those around him. The barracking was moronic behaviour by people looking for a scapegoat for our general deterioriation.
 

DIW

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Any truth about harrison getting clapped and cheered off? (in an ironic way, obviously)? Cos if so, then thats disgusting, no matter how **** the players are during a game, they dont deserve that....

Agreed. Harrison is a decent honest player - players should only be booed or given stick for lack or effort.
 

Ian

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Harrison for the most part isn't that good, but that doesn't excuse the treatment he received. It just highlights the lack of depth in the squad.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 

drwhoman

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MK DONS

Agree re Harrison. An honest trier. I am not really sure why Ronnie resigned him - maybe because he knew him and he was probably cheap. As regards Ronnie, things have not gone too well since he signed the longer contract. Maybe he needed to be kept on his toes a bit more?! I must confess that I do not like his being critical of individual players in public. I think Brendan Rodgers talks too much for his own (and the team's good) but he does not bag individual players even if it seems a bit contrived when he always says that the players tried hard and he could not ask more of them!
 
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Having calmed down a bit and reflected on the game, my initial comments were a bit harsh. In general play, there was no way it was a 3-0 game yesterday. We were actually decent in possession for long spells and they had relatively few chances aside from the set plays; in the last 15 minutes of the first half we were actually on top. Sidibe had a good chance from a great move but could not connect with a ball flashed across the box. If that had gone in, who knows....

Ronnie's comments in the post match interview are correct. The players are exhausted and those that have come back from injury, like Akpro, are lacking match sharpness at the wrong time. Hopefully from somewhere we will get the shot in the arm we need.

On to Stevenage.....
 
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As regards Ronnie, things have not gone too well since he signed the longer contract. Maybe he needed to be kept on his toes a bit more?!
Interesting comment. To be fair, this was less than two months ago and we were starting to go off the boil well before that!

However, I must admit Ronnie's comments yesterday do make me wonder whether you might be right! http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21831826
 
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Goodison
I think the whole "we're not doing well because they've signed new contracts" is a bit of a red herring. The end of January is always when the fatigue of a season starts to take its toll, and it's also when it becomes apparent that the teams with the better squads start to see an upturn in results.

It's more of a coincedence that these deals were signed at the same time as this. I can't believe that a player or manager would sign a new contract and then think to himself "I've got a new deal, I can't be arsed to try get promoted now" - that doesn't make sense.
 

Ian

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I can't believe that a player or manager would sign a new contract and then think to himself "I've got a new deal, I can't be arsed to try get promoted now" .
Alan Navarro springs to mind. Never seen such a Jackal and Hyde performance. He was great before we gave him a contract. Rubbish after he signed it.

Not quite the same scenario here but I do believe it happens.
 
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Alan Navarro springs to mind. Never seen such a Jackal and Hyde performance. He was great before we gave him a contract. Rubbish after he signed it.

Not quite the same scenario here but I do believe it happens.

Didn't he have a load of injury problems as well?
 

SonkORLY?

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Eddy Sonko
agree strongly with rtid on this one
 

bigmart

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Navarro wasnt the same player with us after his bad knee injury.
 
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I don't think the contract issues have played any part in our recent poor form. In fact, the player whose form has probably dipped most noticeably in the last few weeks is Zoum, who is one of the few who has yet to commit.
 
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