• 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.

Rovers v Accrington Stanley

Boz

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Iain Hume
Has anything been said about the seriousness of Scott Davies' injury? I haven't seen Pilling play for years, but recall him getting a fair bit of flak on here when he had opportunities during our NL days. Good that he kept a clean sheet today.

I wasn't there today, but did Corey do more work defensively in this match? One of his weaknesses is switching off rather than protecting players behind him.

Tend to agree with RLC about lacking in quality in the current squad. We need to give Maddox and Walker-Rice an opportunity to see if they're capable of delivering at this level. Assuming we're not shipping players out, only likely to have funds to bring 1 or 2 in. Where will Micky see the priority to strengthen?
 

Ian

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It was probably a perfect game for Pilling to come into because apart from a great save in the first half, he was hardly tested in the second half. However his distribution and awareness were good and he went on to have a solid game. I seem to remember he was weak at crosses but I could be wrong.
 
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It was probably a perfect game for Pilling to come into because apart from a great save in the first half, he was hardly tested in the second half. However his distribution and awareness were good and he went on to have a solid game. I seem to remember he was weak at crosses but I could be wrong.
He seems to have really progressed in the last few months. A year ago he did not look anywhere near ready for the first team, but he has been good in the Leasing.com games and he was good today. He seems much more confident and focused than previously and his distribution in particular was impressive today.
 
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Where will Micky see the priority to strengthen?
In the long term I think the whole spine of the team needs to be addressed.

We need a commanding centre half with good experience of this level who can cajole and organise; a midfielder of the quality of Danns/Perkins/Potter but ten years younger; and a prolific centre forward. However, we are very unlikely to pick up all (if any) of those in the January sales.

I would not want to be too harsh about today's performance, because we played OK in the second half. However, we did not have enough about us to get over the line and win a game that we desperately needed to win.
 

ONIGP

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Eddie Bishop
I really enjoyed today's match. However, we started off with no apparent idea of how Accrington have reached and survived at this level of football. They are tough, work hard, run a lot and play together as a team. This is not exactly football's best kept secret!

Thankfully we seemed to remember this after spending most of the first half being entirely second best at everything and seeming to assume that we had some God-given power that meant Accy would roll over. That will not happen in this league and least of all against today's opposition. I really don't like John Coleman and would not have him within a mile of the Rovers' hot seat but undoubtedly he and Stanley "work" and the team is greater than the sum of its parts.

Pilling made an incredible double save when he came on but, thankfully, was not tested by any high balls. I avoided Wednesday but previously this has seemed like a major weakness. If he has improved that area of his game dramatically he should be challenging Davies. Personally, I still need convincing.

Our midfield was non-existent in the first half but improved massively in the second. Perkins and Danns were excellent and I thought Jennings had his best game for a long while. Attack was really the best form of defence and we avoided the woeful defensive display of the first half; inability to be close enough to prevent balls into the box, a reluctance to tackle and poor organisation.

CBT was by far and away our best player, involved in the majority of our most dangerous attacks, so much so that they had to replace their right back (to little effect). Ferrier put in an excellent performance but not mom. I sometimes think that the sponsors must be so hammered on their afternoon out that that they aren't taking much notice of the match.

Thankfully not a disaster today and the results of the teans around us could have been worse (for us). Unless we can pull of a win at Lincoln, the Wimbledon fixture on 21st looks like it may take on major significance. It's down to us
 

ADD

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Pretty much all that has been said I cannot take any issue with - very poor in first half but better in second though very little end product. Pilling as seen on Wednesday is so much better than Davies in distribution BUT we need to see how he goes on crosses etc. to know for sure how much he has come on as nothing of note to do in second half. Assuming Davies is out for a while then the next few games will determine Pilling's career at Tranmere as MM surely cannot bring in a loan keeper again and must play him. If he does well then we have genuine competition for the jersey for the first time in years and if not then he goes at end of season. Caprice I thought was woeful again. Surely Woods or Wilson need to replace him.
As said above January loans are looking critical now. Get them right if we can afford to and we will be fine - get them wrong or can't afford to and it will be difficult to stay up.
Finally didn't get MM's substitutions today. Ferrier worked his socks off but no support - needed to play 2 up front second half not replace him but we didn't and what was with RHM coming on in the 89th minute? Surely not to waste time?
 

ADD

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With the possible exception of Banks (and perhaps Gilmour), we had a pretty much full strength squad to choose from today, but I think it was evident - as it was three months ago - that we simply don't have enough quality in the key areas.

January is going to be a big month for us.
Wilson is also a first choice now I believe - sure he will start next week as his suspension has ended. Ellis wasn't mentioned by MM in his pre game press interview but he said Gumbs was back on the grass running and I thought Ellis was slightly ahead of Gumbs fitness wise so he might be fit by the end of the year... if so that might help the defence?
 

ONIGP

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Finally didn't get MM's substitutions today. Ferrier worked his socks off but no support - needed to play 2 up front second half not replace him but we didn't and what was with RHM coming on in the 89th minute? Surely not to waste time?
It looked like Ferrier took a knock to the ankle
 

bigmart

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That was a poor performance and in general a fairly poor game and showed why both teams will struggle to stay up. They outplayed us for 30 minutes and deserved to be ahead, their no7 gave Ridehalgh a torrid time our passing was awful. With a good goal we got back into it and ended the half on top. We had a lot of possession in the 2nd half but it was more a case of huffing and puffing than anything else and we certainly didn't do enough to win. Why Woods came on for Morris was very odd, Payne, Mullin or RHM should have come on up front for the last 20 minutes or so.

For me I think several of the team and subs are not upto this level, Perkins looks finished, Ridehalgh is struggling and Caprice as well. Somehow we have to bring in more quality and try to offload some of those not upto it but I think this will be hard to do
 
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I thought Perkins played well in the second half, although I accept that we need younger legs in midfield. Ridehalgh had no protection from CBT in the first thirty minutes. I don't see Liam as our biggest weak link at the moment and think he has generally played well this season, particularly when he has been the third centre back.
 
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Wilson is also a first choice now I believe - sure he will start next week as his suspension has ended. Ellis wasn't mentioned by MM in his pre game press interview but he said Gumbs was back on the grass running and I thought Ellis was slightly ahead of Gumbs fitness wise so he might be fit by the end of the year... if so that might help the defence?
Yes, Wilson is first choice. I was thinking purely of the injured players. It is vital that we extend his loan in the New Year.
 
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ian goodison
1st half was a horror show don,t we scout our opponents? it,s no shame not being up to the required standard of league 1 but today found out some players, don,t understand the overboard praise for ctb but he never gave rides a moments backing, I thought rides was mom for the way he stuck to the task of marking the games best player,plus what does Jackson do during the week as our defence was again woeful, finally caprice wants shipping out asap 1st half he never found a white shirt, never put in a tackle, did anyone think micky bottled it by not bringing on payne?
 

overthewater

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chris malkin
Agree with what's been written. Bringing on Woods for Morris underlined that we were settling for a point, as did not adding a second striker. This is all very well, but being happy to settle for a point at home to a rival at the wrong end of the league is a bit disappointing. If we're going to stay up, some wins against teams around us are essential
 
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Agree with what's been written. Bringing on Woods for Morris underlined that we were settling for a point, as did not adding a second striker. This is all very well, but being happy to settle for a point at home to a rival at the wrong end of the league is a bit disappointing. If we're going to stay up, some wins against teams around us are essential
We switched to 532 when Woods replaced Morris, so we did have two strikers on the pitch from that point onwards (Ferrier and CBT).

In the first half Accrington had cut through our midfield with ease, so I can understand why Mellon was reluctant to leave Perkins and Danns (both aged 37) exposed in the closing stages by taking off Jennings. One point is better than zero points and a defeat to a rival.
 

Boz

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Ellis is a decent defender, but not really an organiser. With Gumbs to come back and 3 other central defenders on the books plus Ridehalgh, Woods and Spellman who can all play there, if we need to recruit an organiser at the back will need to ship some out. Is the ability to marshall a defence instinctive or can it be trained? I don't know the answer, but if the latter then Mike Jackson needs to get working on Nelson and Monthe.

In midfield McCullough might be getting back to match fitness and a Rovers contract. He'll help protect the defence more, though distribution was one of the weaker areas of his game.

There are a number of players at the club who might be good enough at this level, but need to put some work in to address their failings. Whether we've got the time to do that or have to simply recruit better or more savvy players is arguable.

After yesterday's result think we need a minimum of 4 points from the next two games.
 
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Is the ability to marshall a defence instinctive or can it be trained? I don't know the answer, but if the latter then Mike Jackson needs to get working on Nelson and Monthe.
I agree, but we don't necessarily have time to wait for Monthe and Nelson to develop further, as you say yourself. It could take them several years to fully develop, and some centre halves simply aren't natural talkers / leaders.

I agree about the points return required from the next two games.
 
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On the subject of talkers and leaders, who took the armband after Scotty went off and how effective was he?
 

Ian

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Wasnt it Perkins?
 
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