• 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 Rovers v Exiles

Match result

  • Tranmere

    Votes: 6 75.0%
  • Draw

    Votes: 2 25.0%
  • Newport

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    8
  • Poll closed .
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Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
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It's de ja vu every game we look good in possession but rarely look like scoring, Nevitt did well but the formation and tactics were wrong today we don't need to play 3 centre halves at home to any team never mind a team with 1 up front.

Frankly that was a depressing performance to watch against a very limited and average team at best.
I disagree that they are an average side. They never play nice football, but they are well organised and probably the most effective team we have played.

Flynn is a good manager and they will probably be up there again.
 

Ian

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Frankly that was a depressing performance to watch against a very limited and average team at best.
Agreed, I didn’t think much of Newport at all which makes the result even more disappointing.
 
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Newport are a very difficult team to play against if they score first. They are well organised, and they break up the game effectively with gamesmanship.

They are in or around the play offs every season under Flynn, and probably will be again.
 
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Ged Brennan, Big Steve McNulty,
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Mickey Mellon, Johnny King.
I do believe that you have to be horrible in league two!
We don't have enough quality or grit and determination to go a goal behind.
At this moment in time we are not an attacking team, the shape and formation from the start were the evidence that the squad is short of more of the league two horrible players.
 

bigmart

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I disagree that they are an average side. They never play nice football, but they are well organised and probably the most effective team we have played.

Flynn is a good manager and they will probably be up there again.
They were there for the taking especially in the 1st half, they are organised and little else of we had more about us we would have beaten them comfortably
 
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They were there for the taking especially in the 1st half, they are organised and little else of we had more about us we would have beaten them comfortably
They are always 'organised but little else', and that approach is successful for them. I disagree they were there for the taking, but I am aware of our own deficiencies.
 

Sparky

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On the plus side Bristol rovers lost heavily and hopefully joey Barton will be out of work soon. However more goals for cookie and Stockton again today seem to magnify our goal scoring issues.
 

drwhoman

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We can quite rightly moan about Newport’s style but unless we start scoring goals we will end up in mid table for the season. Fingers crossed for recruitment in the coming week!
 

Ian

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Ohh dear, the talk on new signings doesn't sound too promising..
 
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Yes, I agree it was very cautious, and not an approach we have associated with Mellon in the past.

I think because of the lack of striking options he believes we have to hold on to a point and try and nick a goal, rather than opening out and potentially exposing ourselves.
That must be the reason. Otherwise I can't see the point of "resting" Macmanaman, our best attacking player, who is surely capable of playing twice a week, and Watson and Merrie, who are both fresh. The trouble is that it didn't work and may have resulted in a pessimistic attitude in the dressing room rather than a "can do" we associate with Micky's teams. I'm now worried unless we get reinforcements in soon.
 
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That must be the reason. Otherwise I can't see the point of "resting" Macmanaman, our best attacking player, who is surely capable of playing twice a week, and Watson and Merrie, who are both fresh. The trouble is that it didn't work and may have resulted in a pessimistic attitude in the dressing room rather than a "can do" we associate with Micky's teams. I'm now worried unless we get reinforcements in soon.
I think he is also rotating MacManaman because of his recent injury record and the amount of football we are playing. However, I agree MacManaman should be starting every game, at least until the striker situation is sorted out. I always think we look a more dangerous side when he is on the pitch.
 

ONIGP

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Eddie Bishop
Massively disappointed. McManaman is clearly a level above the rest of our team; why didn't he start? For their goal too many centre halves spoiled the broth, why 3 at home and why the confused 4/5 defenders system? Nevitt looks good for a rookie and put in a shift but there is too much pressure on him. Glatzel was very skillful and should have scored but can't understand why he was hooked. Day's great save to prevent an own goal was our best opportunity which says it all. I really don't understand why McManaman and Merrie didn't start; is Micky trying to prove a point? Despite his posturing Feeney is not delivering the killer ball and is disappointing. We didn't deserve to win today and it will be interesting to see how we set up on next Saturday especially since Clarke did well to actually finish the game. At the moment we are looking at being somewhere between mediocre and bang-average. Please let the only way be up.
 

ADD

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Pretty decent summaries all round although I am not sure we deserved a draw given they also hit the woodwork twice and Murphy made a couple of excellent saves as well and they were I thought the better side not that that is saying much as we were awful. Defensively poor for the goal yes but that happens in football.
Of much greater concern was our attacking play. All this talk of a striker is all well and good but if the service is as poor and laboured as it was yesterday then no matter who we bring in they will not be scoring many. In any event based on yesterday we already have a decent striker at this level as Nevitt yesterday was excellent with a great touch on the ball - his speed of development is so impressive and already looks comfortable at this level. He will surely start ahead of Mani now who simply is not good enough and is another poor poor signing. Glatzel miss was a shocker albeit on his weaker foot remember. Thought despite that he was excellent again and am mystified why he was the one subbed for Mcmanaman. Morris I thought was ineffectual again.
What was most concerning however was how slow and pedestrian we were. We again had the majority of the posession but simply take far too long playing it around so sides have loads of time to get themselves sorted defensively.
MM's selections also I didn't get yesterday - why on earth did Merrie not play? The sending off MM has said several times was incorrect so he can't be "punishing" him for it so why he wasn't brought back. Also as others said McManaman needs to start - why didn't he?
The only good news aside from Nevitt's development is that we have no midweek game so MM has time to work on improvements as new striker or not playing like that we will be struggling for even mid table.
 

bigmart

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They are always 'organised but little else', and that approach is successful for them. I disagree they were there for the taking, but I am aware of our own deficiencies.
They have lost several of their better players and had a couple missing yesterday, a half decent performance would have been enough to beat them
 
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Ohh dear, the talk on new signings doesn't sound too promising..

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that since his return from a year north of the border Micky is using a lot of Scots dialect in his interviews? Listen again if you don’t believe me. He’s always had a strong Scottish accent but I am now hearing a lot of words you don’t often hear on the streets of Birkenhead. ;)
 
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They have lost several of their better players and had a couple missing yesterday, a half decent performance would have been enough to beat them
We are just repeating the same points here. We will have to agree to disagree.

They are still a well organised side and difficult to break down, and likely to be in the promotion shake up under Flynn. They always are.
 
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I did not think Glatzel was excellent yesterday. He had a couple of nice touches in non-threatening areas but looked very lightweight and had little impact in the eighteen yard box. His chance should have been scored, weaker foot or not.

I don't think either he, or Mani when he came on, made any impression in the areas that count, leaving Nevitt too isolated.

I also did not think it was a given that Merrie would start ahead of Watson or Foley, as we have good options in that area, although I agree that we should not be playing five at the back at home.

I think the distribution of chances between the two sides was similar to previous matches, as demonstrated by the stats, and we should have taken a point, which is not to say it was a great performance.
 
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