• 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.

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A deserved draw for Rovers and no need for a trophy presentation after all.;-)

In all seriousness, both sets of supporters were pretty sporting in their behaviour at the final whistle.

I thought there were a lot of positives to draw from the performance. JLAA had his best game in a while and seems to be getting back to full match fitness. The back four were excellent, with Taylor and Holmes (who kept Pugh quiet virtually all game) outstanding. Mooney definitely looks worth another contract. Other than in the final third, we matched Bournemouth for the majority of the game and that will be the first time they have failed to score in a while.

Now we just need to start scoring goals again.
 

DIW

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Doesn't look like anyone gives one anymore this season. Thank **** it's finished.
 
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Doesn't look like anyone gives one anymore this season. Thank **** it's finished.
You're right. I think there will be more excitement during the close season than we've had in the past two months. I've been looking forward to next season for a few weeks now and wondering who we will keep and who we can persuade to sign for us.

I'm just grateful the fixture list wasn't played in reverse. If so, we'd have spent most of the season in the bottom four including a long spell at the bottom!
 

WildRover

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You're right. I think there will be more excitement during the close season than we've had in the past two months. I've been looking forward to next season for a few weeks now and wondering who we will keep and who we can persuade to sign for us.

I'm just grateful the fixture list wasn't played in reverse. If so, we'd have spent most of the season in the bottom four including a long spell at the bottom!
think i would rather have had that happen to be honest mate, just missing out after a charge up the league would be a million times better than what has happened this year...anyway onwards and upwards
 
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think i would rather have had that happen to be honest mate, just missing out after a charge up the league would be a million times better than what has happened this year...anyway onwards and upwards
I can't agree. At least we have had our five months of glory, looking down the table from the top. The other way round would have been like another Les Parry season. And Ronnie would not have lasted till November. We must make sure we sort things out for next season and don't blow it again.
 

drwhoman

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NEXT SEASON

Hear what you say BBTC but it is going to take some inspired signings and good loanees for us to enjoy another decent season. We simply cannot compete with the wealthier teams when it comes to acquiring enough quality players. We get a few injuries or lose loan players and we are stuffed. Ronnie was saying on the club site that we need a quality finisher. Fair comment but where do you get one willing to play for Tranmere's money?
We will see next week who Ronnie lets go but Goodi did not get a run on Saturday so maybe Ronnie is just going to leave it to Ian as to whether he returns next year. There will be no Fonners or Zoom it seems in 13-14 so replacements will be needed for them. I understand Mooney did ok on Saturday although we might not see Black being retained - too injury prone, so we will need a new left back. At least we know Ronnie has good player knowledge at Div One level.
To put it all in context. When I first started following Rovers we had derbies with Chester, Southport and Wrexham. Where are they now? I see Stockport, who were only one step removed from this group, have been relegated from the Conference. Maybe we should be grateful for where we are even if we would all wish for a return to the Championship, Wembley visits etc.
 

bigmart

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An ok game our defence were very good Taylor had an excellant game along with Holmes and Mooney made some good saves.

A shame that Fon is going along with Zoom but they will be replaced and we will move on as ever. It was good that we had a number of home grown players in the team yesterday, lets hope some more will come through in the coming seasons.

Cant beleive another season is over for us so now its a case of seeing who we release and wait to see who we can bring in.
 

Ian

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Not a bad game really. Much better second half where Akpo showed signs of the player he was earlier in the season.

Robbo was disappointing as was Zoom who didn't look arsed. Mooney fared well and showed good handling and kicking but didn't really have that much to do. Re comments about Fonners. Not bothered if he goes. He's just an avg player at this level.

Shame we didn't have the strength in depth this season, it could have been a much different end to what was a magnificent start. I think we were top for 23 weeks! Crazy..

Defensively I don't think we need to worry. Ronnie's impossible task now is to find quality in the final third.


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lonerover

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Wasn't difficult to see why we've struggled in the last third of the season...we could have played all week and not looked like scoring. Defence was great, would love to have Gibson again next season, have to see how close he is to 'Boro's first team I guess.

Mooney did well on his debut, couple of good saves second half and I think he looks like a keeper who will cut it at this level. Dealt well with some dodgy back passes on our awful pitch!!

Looking forward to seeing what magic Ronnie can weave in the close season. Thought on the whole all his player decisions have been pretty good this season. Lets hope some of the Home Bargains money reaches Ronnie.

Overall you have to say its been a good season, disappointing in the end but at least no danger of the bottom.

Onwards and upwards....Super White Army!!!
 
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Re comments about Fonners. Not bothered if he goes. He's just an avg player at this level.

I tend to agree really. He had a pretty ropey second half of the season and still has problems coming off his line and dominating the six yard box, particularly from set plays.

A great shot-stopper but not in the same class as Nixon / Coyne / Achterberg.
 
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First half of the season: Best team in the division. Second half of the season: Worst team in the division. We need fitter players and a deeper squad if we are to avoid the same problem next season.
 
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Hear what you say BBTC but it is going to take some inspired signings and good loanees for us to enjoy another decent season. We simply cannot compete with the wealthier teams when it comes to acquiring enough quality players. We get a few injuries or lose loan players and we are stuffed. Ronnie was saying on the club site that we need a quality finisher. Fair comment but where do you get one willing to play for Tranmere's money?
I'm not quite so pessimistic. Even the wealthier teams struggled this year with form. It seemed no-one wanted to go up for most of the season as we still stayed top while regularly losing. In the end, only a few points cost us the play-offs. We were VERY unlucky with injuries so even with our best disciplinary record in years, we were forced to use the loan market even more than planned. While we got some great loanees early on (Cassidy, Gibson, Palmer), the quality of what we got later in the season was at best average. It was mainly raw youngsters plus a willing but far from match fit Sidibe. I would hope we won't be so unlucky next year, but we do need to find better replacements when needed.

To put it all in context. When I first started following Rovers we had derbies with Chester, Southport and Wrexham. Where are they now? I see Stockport, who were only one step removed from this group, have been relegated from the Conference. Maybe we should be grateful for where we are even if we would all wish for a return to the Championship, Wembley visits etc.
You are so right. After all the traumas of ther past 30 years, I am just grateful that TRFC still exists. Back in the sixties, Third Division (League One) football was still a dream, so being top of this league is still a real achievement.
 

SonkORLY?

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To put it all in context. When I first started following Rovers we had derbies with Chester, Southport and Wrexham. Where are they now? I see Stockport, who were only one step removed from this group, have been relegated from the Conference. Maybe we should be grateful for where we are even if we would all wish for a return to the Championship, Wembley visits etc.

This was my argument when people on here had the audacity to complain about this season (we were 7th at the time)
 

bigmart

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The most frustrating part is that the division was sick weak this season, the weakest in a long time its been and we had a great chance to go up and ultimatly blew it.
 

SonkORLY?

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yep. 3 teams go up from 24 tho. we hardly have a divine right.

once you've reached the end of the season it largely doesn't matter where you were at certain parts of the season, whether you were in contention, whether you weren't. we finished on 67 points, doesn't matter what order you get them in.

coulda been better. could be a lot worse.
 
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People tend to forget that even had we reached the play-offs we would probably have ended up disappointed. In my supporting lifetime we have made six play off appearances and been promoted once. If we made the top six and lost would we then bemoan our failure to make the top two in a division that was so 'weak' ?

The play-off sides will have a maximum of ten days of excitement next week, but then we had about 6 months of good football, goals and thrilling victories earlier in the season.
 

Ian

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People tend to forget that even had we reached the play-offs we would probably have ended up disappointed.
Yes probably, but that doesn't make it any easier, not for me anyway. Given the choice..
 

bigmart

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How we done in the play offs was not the point, the fact that we blew the chance of getting in them is the point.
 
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I was just emphasising how difficult it is to get promoted from this division, even for clubs with greater resources than ourselves. At least two of Sheff Utd / Brentford / Swindon will end up disappointed this season. We did not 'blow' anything because there were too many fundamental weaknesses in the squad for promotion to be a real possibility (unless we had massive luck with injuries). At least, we have not blown it any more than 20 other clubs.

We were top in January, but so what ? The season lasts 46 games, not 30.

Promotion is not really on the agenda for the club in its current state and if supporters realise this they will probably feel happier and the management will not receive unwarranted criticism.
 

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A rot-stopping performance against a Bournemouth side who, setting aside issues about their financing, try to play football and were it not for a couple of players leaving their shooting boots at home would probably have won. Good luck to them in the championship.

Generally agree with the remarks about Rovers players. Defensively, we were very solid. Mooney made a couple of decent saves on his debut, but needs to work on his kicking. As an aside, OFW is an above average keeper at this level; not without faults or at the standard of some recent 'greats', but he made a significant contribution to our positive start to the season. Further forward,JLAA was approaching early season form, while Cole Stockton's work-rate and willingness to track back impressed. Disappointment yesterday was Bell-Baggie, who, maybe because of some rough treatment down on the south coast in the reverse fixture, seemed very subdued when he came on. Just once, he got into a decent position, but then dithered instead of going for goal or passing early and the chance was lost. I was a bit surprised Jake Kirby didn't make the bench, given how highly Ronnie rates him.

I don't want to rake over the coals of the good season/bad season arguments again. I agree that a club of our resources have no right to expect promotion. Equally, we should aspire to do as well as Walsall and Yeovil, clubs with similar budgets, who finished just outside and in the play-offs.
 
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