• 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 Ipswich

Ian

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Agreed. We battled well but lack quality. Same old story really.
 

Boz

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I was quite disappointed by Ipswich, better quality players than ours but didn’t really stand out, though the poor pitch may be a factor.

Only 2 efforts on target and 5 shots all game tell the story. Of the 2, the second was a Banks free-kick into the keepers arms in added time. Ferrier’s not suited to a lone striker target man role and Micky’s refusal to change things up front disappointed. Prospects for the rest of the season aren’t looking rosy atm.
 

Sparky

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Frustrating but the result not a surprise. First half we were solid with Clarke looking assured and Woodyard doing well. Monthes header from caprices free kick giving us the lead.

No surprise when they equalised as they are decent and once Nors came on it was inevitable he’d been involved in the winner setting up Jackson.

Disappointing with mickys decisions today. Banks came on at 1-1 and looked as cumbersome as ever in a a game that was really open. Didn’t think it was right to bring him on in those circumstances after so long out. Secondly we’re losing at home and he keeps 2 strikers on the bench. Even late on Jennings was dropping deep and Morgan was all on his own. Easy for their centre halves. We were losing and had to go for it so get another striker on.

That aside we were fairly toothless and will go down unless we get more goals in the side.
 
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I thought it was a decent performance, despite the scoreline.

Yes, Ferrier was isolated up front and we did not create much in general play but if we had gone 442 we probably would have been taken apart, as in the Coventry game. As it was, we worked incredibly hard, stayed in the game for a long period and probably deserved something in the end.

I think the two goals and the block on the line from Manny were the only three genuine chances Ipswich created, and we looked far more solid defensively than in many games this season, largely due to the presence of Clarke and Woodyard. Clarke's organisational skills improved the performance of the back five and Manny looked more assured playing alongside him, while Woodyard was my man of the match. He constantly ran and harried and broke up the play, and his work without the ball also resulted in decent performances from Perkins and Danns, who looked happy that he was doing a lot of the donkey work in the middle of the pitch. The much maligned Jake Caprice also had a very good game at right back, forcing Garbutt to run towards his own goal and getting the assist in the first half.

Yes, the quality is still lacking in the attacking third, but with Woodyard and Clarke in the side I think we will concede fewer goals and pick up more points against the mid table and bottom half sides. However, a victory has to come soon as we are in danger of being cast well adrift in the bottom three.
 

Sparky

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Agree with RLC about Woodyard for MOM. I have no issue with one striker at home to Ipswich but when we are losing get another one on.

Clarke l and Woodyard have been good defensive and midfield signings. We need an attacking one now
 

overthewater

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Couldn't disagree with any of that. The formation was probably right in the circumstances but it means we lose the creativity of Morris, definitely our best player in the first half of the season. We created virtually nothing and there was a real sense of inevitability about everything after they equalised.
 
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I agree about Morris. He is wasted at wing back, although I can understand why we asked him to do a job there against one of the top sides.
 

Ian

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I can understand erring on the side of caution but when you are losing the game at home desperate for points I think a change was needed. Ferrier needed more help and we just needed more up front.
 
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I can understand erring on the side of caution but when you are losing the game at home desperate for points I think a change was needed. Ferrier needed more help and we just needed more up front.
We are only talking about a ten minute period at the end of the game though are not we ? I still think the tactics were fundamentally correct.

We did switch to 4411 when CBT came on. I would probably have brought Payne or Mullin on but, then again, they have looked very poor in recent weeks and Mellon probably thought Jennings still offered more of a goal threat, even at that stage of the game.
 

ADD

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Despite the defeat that was a much better performance though the worry is that in trying to stop the avalanche of goals conceded MM is still feeling forced to play 532 and we simply then do not have enough outlet. Until we can sort that conundrum we can't do much and I can't imagine that Ferrier is enjoying playing up front isolated and often today with 3 on him. Absolutely no chance. No doubt Woodyard was MOM and Clarke also looked very assured again. Perks and Danns also did well. Davies was lucky early on when a shot he should have held rebounded out into the danger area but thankfully no-one was there. That aside he looked solid.
Have to agree with Sparky and Ian that I thought MM made poor decisions today. Bringing Banks on was definitely not what I felt was needed. I would have brought on Gilmour to sit in front of the defence and switched to a back 4 so that we could bring on Payne and play 2 up front.
CBT also I didn't think should have been brought on and when he came on was poor again IMO and frankly I don't feel he is that interested.
It's all very well saying we are playing top sides but things are starting to look very difficult. Says it all when Southend have taken 7 points from their last 6 games and us only 5 whilst they have lost only one of those and we have lost 3. At this rate even assuming that Southend will finish as the second relegation team is looking less certain by the game.
Tough decisions needed urgently.
 

bigmart

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I was quite disappointed by Ipswich, better quality players than ours but didn’t really stand out, though the poor pitch may be a factor.

Only 2 efforts on target and 5 shots all game tell the story. Of the 2, the second was a Banks free-kick into the keepers arms in added time. Ferrier’s not suited to a lone striker target man role and Micky’s refusal to change things up front disappointed. Prospects for the rest of the season aren’t looking rosy atm.
I thought first half they were not very good but improved after the break, their subs certainly ha d a positive impact.

Ferried flatters to deceive he is far too easily knocked off the ball and have away numerous fouls. The signings on the whole have been disappointing and unless we can get better quality forwards in I think we will go down.
 
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I am not sure what 'tough decisions' can be made that are not already being made. All we can do is try and bring better players into the club, which we have done with Clarke and Woodyard.

If we can afford it, more will follow. If we can't, we might be relegated, but it is better to go down as a financially stable club rather than end up as a Bury or Macclesfield.

Things are looking very difficult, because they always were going to be difficult this season, after back-to-back promotions.
 
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losing at home so instead of bringing on strikers he brings on CTB who never broke sweat, I would sooner get beat having a go rather than stick to the same old tactics that have got us nowhere, thought woodyard & Clarke where class today, we complain about other teams time wasting yet davies was the main culprit never known anybody slow the game down more than him
 
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I thought first half they were not very good but improved after the break, their subs certainly ha d a positive impact.

Ferried flatters to deceive he is far too easily knocked off the ball and have away numerous fouls. The signings on the whole have been disappointing and unless we can get better quality forwards in I think we will go down.
I agree. He looked very good as a lone striker against Blackpool, but has done little since then. Obviously it was difficult for him today, due to the standard of the opposition.
 
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I maintain that with the addition of Clarke and Woodyard the defence will be more solid, and over time that gives us a much better chance of picking up points against the mid table and lower half sides. Our chances of survival are better than they were before we signed that pair.
 
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Despite the defeat that was a much better performance though the worry is that in trying to stop the avalanche of goals conceded MM is still feeling forced to play 532 and we simply then do not have enough outlet. Until we can sort that conundrum we can't do much and I can't imagine that Ferrier is enjoying playing up front isolated and often today with 3 on him. Absolutely no chance. No doubt Woodyard was MOM and Clarke also looked very assured again. Perks and Danns also did well. Davies was lucky early on when a shot he should have held rebounded out into the danger area but thankfully no-one was there. That aside he looked solid.
Have to agree with Sparky and Ian that I thought MM made poor decisions today. Bringing Banks on was definitely not what I felt was needed. I would have brought on Gilmour to sit in front of the defence and switched to a back 4 so that we could bring on Payne and play 2 up front.
CBT also I didn't think should have been brought on and when he came on was poor again IMO and frankly I don't feel he is that interested.
It's all very well saying we are playing top sides but things are starting to look very difficult. Says it all when Southend have taken 7 points from their last 6 games and us only 5 whilst they have lost only one of those and we have lost 3. At this rate even assuming that Southend will finish as the second relegation team is looking less certain by the game.
Tough decisions needed urgently.
If you extrapolated ours and Southend's performance in the last six matches over the remaining games, they would still finish below us. That is assuming that our form can't improve at all, which I think it can.
 

bigmart

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We have 2 points out of the last 5 games, we have possibly Blackpool the. Sunderland we will need to win one of those of we could be cut adrift.
 

Ian

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There are still too many games to say we may be cut adrift at this stage however we do need to start picking up points sooner rather than later.
 
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