• 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.

League Two Newport v Rovers

Match result

  • Newport

    Votes: 2 33.3%
  • Draw

    Votes: 3 50.0%
  • Tranmere

    Votes: 1 16.7%

  • Total voters
    6
  • Poll closed .
Newport v Rovers
Posted by Ian
Rodney Parade
Saturday, August 20, 2022 - 03:00 PM
Until: Saturday, August 20, 2022 - 05:00 PM
(Adjusted for timezone: Europe/London)
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Sparky

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Next up we have a long trip to South Wales against an out of form Newport side. The hosts ended up finishing 11th last season but have started this one poorly sitting second to bottom only ahead of Rochdale who have lost all 4 league games. Newport started the season with a draw at Sutton, but have since lost at home to Walsall and Salford plus away at Bradford. None of those are easy games on paper of course so I’m not reading too much into their league position, and expect more of a challenge than Hartlepool on Tuesday.


Notable names include ex rover Declan Drysdale who might be suspended for this one. Omar Bogle is a handful at this level and already has a couple of goals this season. Aaron Wildig was a good signing for them in preseason.


As for rovers I don’t expect many changes. Hopefully Turnbull can play as if not I’m not aware that Davies or Robinson are fit in which case do we go to 4 at the back? I’d like to see Hawkes play as he is the only player we have who has real pace and brings goals and assists. However in a 5-3-2 at the moment micky prefers Lewis in there. I guess it’ll once again be Hemmings and Nevitt up front but hopefully a new and fit striker will be with us soon to give them some competition.


Prediction: first goal will be key. If we get it then the home fans will turn on their own. If they get it then we could find it difficult.

Tuesday nights home defeat was a club record for Newport – from the end of last season and this one they have lost 7 home games in a row – you know what that means !!
 
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Thanks, Sparky. Yes, on current form we should win, but this is Rovers!

I agree with your analysis. Sides out of form tend to look for rays of hope and take setbacks badly. That's why we mustn't make it easy for them. The first goal, no matter when it comes, will be important. However, even if they score first, their confidence is so fragile that we could still win. Ever the optimist, when the poll goes up, I'll vote for an away win.
 

bigmart

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It will be interesting to see if Micky gives an update on Turnbull as he may well miss the game and I don't think any others are due back yet
 

bigmart

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Mumbongo is injured again and Hockenhull although fit is not deemed ready to play we are literally down to bare bones
 

Ian

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Mumbongo got drafted in too early, he isn't and hasn't been ready since we signed him but due to low squad numbers, found himself on the bench. Any news on Turnbull?
 

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Mumbongo got drafted in too early, he isn't and hasn't been ready since we signed him but due to low squad numbers, found himself on the bench. Any news on Turnbull?
Well that is plain stupid if true putting him on the bench. Even more stupid that he has been brought on in each game. Burton or Taylor would have been better than someone seemingly only able to jog around.
 
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Tuesday nights home defeat was a club record for Newport – from the end of last season and this one they have lost 7 home games in a row – you know what that means !!
Yes, that statistic can be interpretated in two ways, depending on your predisposition.

Newport were poor at the end of last season, but have particularly suffered from the loss of the prolific Dom Telford. However, as Sparky says they still have some decent players, and I expect this will be a tougher test than Tuesday night.

The quandary for Micky is obviously whether to switch to a back four or stick with five at the back if Turnbull is absent. From his pre match comments, it seems that Hockenhull is not ready to start, in which case a back four seems likely with Hawkes coming into the starting line up.

Our record at Newport since their reformation has been poor, with two draws and two defeats, and I don't think we played particularly well in any of those games. I am hopeful we can break our duck at Rodney Parade on Saturday, but a draw would not be a disaster. My first competitive away game of the season, and I am looking forward to it.
 
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Well that is plain stupid if true putting him on the bench. Even more stupid that he has been brought on in each game. Burton or Taylor would have been better than someone seemingly only able to jog around.
Completely disagree. If he is struggling for match fitness, it makes sense to regularly give him fifteen to twenty minutes from the bench as we have been doing. His performances were ok prior to Tuesday night.

I am not sure how he will get match fit if he does not play any matches.
 
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It will be interesting to see if Micky gives an update on Turnbull as he may well miss the game and I don't think any others are due back yet
He said one player might come back into the squad, and we might lose one or two others, but did not mention any names. However, it is pretty clear that Hockenhull won't play.
 

bigmart

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Mumbongo got drafted in too early, he isn't and hasn't been ready since we signed him but due to low squad numbers, found himself on the bench. Any news on Turnbull?
No mention of any players specifically, just 1 maybe back but 2 more maybe out which I would think are Mumbongo and Turnbull.

No questions on any transfers either
 

Boz

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I find the Hockenhull situation puzzling. He played a few times in pre-season and don’t recall any comment that suggested he’d played poorly. Yet now, when we’re struggling for defenders, he’s “not ready”.

I agree that we ought to have kept hold of Burton and would also suggest Taylor needs to be on the bench, given the lack of any other striker arriving.

Despite Newport’s poor start, it is looking like Rovers face a major battle to get anything out of this game.
 
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Despite Newport’s poor start, it is looking like Rovers face a major battle to get anything out of this game.
On what basis ? Ten of the starting eleven from Tuesday's game are available to play, and even Turnbull has not been definitively ruled out yet.

Hockenhull looked ok in pre-season, albeit against weak opposition. However, the coaching staff work with him on a daily basis and are well placed to measure his progress vis-a-vis McAlear and Bristow.
 
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No mention of any players specifically, just 1 maybe back but 2 more maybe out which I would think are Mumbongo and Turnbull.

No questions on any transfers either
The questions from the Radio Merseyside interviewers are awful and have been for years now. The journalists they send to the press conferences do not attend games and have no real knowledge of the squad, recent performances, etc. There is no way they would turn up at Anfield or Goodison with such little preparation. If they did, they would not be invited back.

I have always thought Derek Jones should attend the conferences and ask the questions as the resident Tranmere 'expert', and I have never understood why he does not.
 

Boz

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On what basis ? Ten of the starting eleven from Tuesday's game are available to play, and even Turnbull has not been definitively ruled out yet.

Hockenhull looked ok in pre-season, albeit against weak opposition. However, the coaching staff work with him on a daily basis and are well placed to measure his progress vis-a-vis McAlear and Bristow.
Gut feeling. I thought we did ok at Hartlepool but the vibes since don’t feel that good. Troubling too that Hockenhull is deemed so far off the squad when things are looking thin at the back. A failure of the recruitment process or the coaching squad being over cautious, I’ve not the information to call it either way.
 

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I agree that Derek Jones would be a much better bet. The questions are pretty inane frankly and the last question from Ant Stonelake MM had to guess at the meaning of so convoluted was it! We learnt very little from the 9 minutes aside from the fact that Mumbongo is again injured and Hockenhull appears to be considered nowhere near being ready to play in the first team.

As to the game itself think it will be a tough one. Turnbull will likely be out as has already been said and with no Mumbongo on the bench either we will have precious little opportunity to change things around if we are struggling to create enough. In the circumstances despite the relative position of the two teams in the table I would take a draw.
 
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Gut feeling. I thought we did ok at Hartlepool but the vibes since don’t feel that good. Troubling too that Hockenhull is deemed so far off the squad when things are looking thin at the back. A failure of the recruitment process or the coaching squad being over cautious, I’ve not the information to call it either way.
I think it is harsh to call out the Hockenhull signing as a 'failure'. Surely a development player on a two year contract should be given more than a couple of weeks to show their value ?

Young players develop at different rates, so there was no reason to assume he would hit the ground running like Bristow.
 

Sparky

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Yes still early days with Hockenhull but if turnbull and Robinson are missing tomorrow then Micky has to decide whether to give Ben a game or go to 4 at the back. I would worry a bit with Byrne and Jameson in a four without turnbull there, even tho they have done well recently.

As an aside baba Fernandes who we had on trial but joined Accrington made his debut for them midweek. He gave away a penalty and they drew
4-4 at home to Burton
 

bigmart

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Yes still early days with Hockenhull but if turnbull and Robinson are missing tomorrow then Micky has to decide whether to give Ben a game or go to 4 at the back. I would worry a bit with Byrne and Jameson in a four without turnbull there, even tho they have done well recently.

As an aside baba Fernandes who we had on trial but joined Accrington made his debut for them midweek. He gave away a penalty and they drew
4-4 at home to Burton
Fernandes got took off at half time.

I wudnt be surprised if Robinson is back tomorrow for Turnbull
 

Boz

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I think it is harsh to call out the Hockenhull signing as a 'failure'. Surely a development player on a two year contract should be given more than a couple of weeks to show their value ?

Young players develop at different rates, so there was no reason to assume he would hit the ground running like Bristow.
That’s a bit of a straw man argument. I put forward two explanations for his absence and didn’t express an opinion on either. I do think that you can categorise the development players into two groups, those like Bristow and Hockenhull who were individually highlighted by the club when signed with the expectation that they would be involved with the first team and others like Lomax and Williams, where comment was limited to the fact of their signature, giving the impression of squad players at the outset.
I agree that it’s too early to be writing any player off, but think it’s indicative of how far the management team think Hockenhull is from first team action that they weren’t prepared to give him any match-time v Gillingham when Rovers were comfortably in front.
 
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