• 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 Pool

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If you listen to Mellon's interview he says that he wants to play different formations, including with two wingers at times. I think he has used five at the back purely so we could grind out results when we did not have any decent striking options. I don't think that is the system we will use all season.

The quality of the football will also be affected by confidence, which must have been low prior to today.
 

Charlton1975

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Did I read that we had the oldest average age of any side playing today? The lack of pace is a real problem, and a season of trying to nick 1-0 wins isnt going to be much fun. MM's time in Dundee was similar, set up not to concede, horrendous to watch.

But a win is a win and I am happy that we got 3 points on the board, whether it was deserved or not.
 

Sparky

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Did I read that we had the oldest average age of any side playing today? The lack of pace is a real problem, and a season of trying to nick 1-0 wins isnt going to be much fun. MM's time in Dundee was similar, set up not to concede, horrendous to watch.

But a win is a win and I am happy that we got 3 points on the board, whether it was deserved or not.

Wouldn’t surprise me about the age. In the starting 11 we had Murphy, Clarke, NKP, spearing, Duffy and Maynard - 6 players all 32 or older. That is still a concern to me and that we don’t have enough in their mid/late 20s reaching their peak. The other concern as although early days for Maynard, I still don’t think we have enough goals but as you say, a win is a win so let’s enjoy it
 
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shocking display reminded me of my sunday league games when people just turned up and got on with it, made up with davies getting the goal as he has a great attitude, felt sorry for KP who is clearly no full-back and had a torrid time, how duffy got the nod over merrie who after signing for 2yrs was very strange, cogleo MOM all day long, thought Jackson was back in charge at one point it was that bad
 

drwhoman

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As has been said, a win is a win. It is also worth observing that we are having difficulty scoring we have the best defensive record in L2 and are only one point away from the playoffs, albeit after only six games. You would hope that as the new players bed in, and confidence grows, then we might see a more adventurous style with more goals, although I accept that this will probably need a change of formation and more youth in the side.
 
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Wouldn’t surprise me about the age. In the starting 11 we had Murphy, Clarke, NKP, spearing, Duffy and Maynard - 6 players all 32 or older. That is still a concern to me and that we don’t have enough in their mid/late 20s reaching their peak. The other concern as although early days for Maynard, I still don’t think we have enough goals but as you say, a win is a win so let’s enjoy it
Experience triumphed over youth then ?

We have got plenty of younger options in the squad now with Cogley, Merrie, O'Connor, Walker, Glatzell and Hawkes, plus Watson, Morris, Nevitt and Mani who are mid-twenties.
 

Sparky

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Experience triumphed over youth then ?

We have got plenty of younger options in the squad now with Cogley, Merrie, O'Connor, Walker, Glatzell and Hawkes, plus Watson, Morris, Nevitt and Mani who are mid-twenties.
Yes it triumphed today and I’m all for a healthy balance of youth and experience. Just think we have a bit much of the latter
 

Ian

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They did play well first half and went as close as the post but they were not clinical enough. We had the best of the second half and snatched it at the end. Hartlepool did little in the second half. You can look at it a couple of ways I suppose.
 

Boz

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Firstly, I am grateful for what at one stage seemed an unlikely win, created by new loanee Josh Hawkes and a bullet header from Tom Davies. If this is to be a turning point of our season, then the pros and cons of what went on today won't be so important with the passage of time.

As said earlier though, I hope not to see us line up like this again. I don't think the defenders we've got operate well in a back 3, which was how it seemed to me that we set up, the BBC suggested a 442. Knight-Percival had a torrid time on the left and he tends to lunge in at times, leaving his team-mates exposed. With current personnel, my preference would be restoring Merrie to left-back until Macdonald/or perhaps Maguire return to full fitness. Starting without any width further up the pitch didn't work either for me, we didn't have any pace and were tending to get bogged down in midfield dead ends. It also didn't make best use of Maynard, a player who operates mainly in the box. If Nicky had been playing for Pools today, he'd have bagged himself a few with the balls they were playing in the danger area, as it was he was taken off to be replaced by Macmanaman, who could have supplied him some ammunition. Feel it would have been better with the midfield Micky picked to start with Glatzel or even Dieseruvwe, as Maynard was working with scraps. Tom Davies, a defender having the most goal attempts for Rovers is telling. Wasn't sure about Duffy, felt he got brushed off the ball too easily, while today at least, he didn't make the best judgements, holding onto the ball too long and one free-kick to us in the visitors half, ending up with Josh Cogley needing to make a last-ditch tackle in Rovers' penalty area.

I'd also go for Josh Cogley as MoM all over the park, might have had a penalty and Challinor mentions the no 2 as problem for them in his interview. Honourable mentions to Nevitt who had a decent game, Spearing who picked up well after an iffy start and did a lot of the less glamourous tidying up play and Hawkes who helped turn the game in our favour with a promising debut.
 

Sparky

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Interesting thoughts Boz and I agree about the left side. Morris is not a wing back and although he did ok in the second half, first half all their attacks came down the right I was thinking why isn’t McDonald playing there or even merrie who set up the winner v Walsall and hasn’t featured since. Good points about Maynard who must have been salivating at the chances pools created
 
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I thought the front two of Maynard and Nevitt looked promising, and I am not sure what Glatzel or Mani would have added today. I certainly would not start them ahead of Nevitt at the moment. Duffy showed some nice touches, but the midfield was very congested and it was difficult for him. He will be a decent signing in the long term.

Morris is not a left back, which is why KP was repeatedly exposed in the left centre back position. KP is a head it, kick it, centre half, who does not want to be repeatedly turned by players running into the channel, which is what happened due to his lack of protection from Morris. MacDonald is injured again and I don't think Mellon trusts Maguire, which is why we have the current set up on the left, which I agree is not the answer in the long term.

Mellon's decision to play five at the back was ultimately vindicated by the result today. We have been in poor form, and he put out a side to stay solid and try and nick a victory, which we did. From his comments in his post match interview, I don't think he intends to play that way all season, but in our current circumstances we simply had to grind out a victory today.

More broadly, I don't think he has yet settled on his best eleven, or even his preferred formation, which is hardly surprising considering the huge turnover of players this summer, with several arriving in the last week alone.
 
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Just returning to the point that was made earlier, the variety of options on the bench was impressive today: MacManaman, Hawkes, Merrie, Foley, Feeney, Glatzel. I am not familiar with Hartlepool's squad players, but I doubt they had anything like the same quality.

That squad depth is going to be vital as we go deeper into the season.
 

Sparky

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Just returning to the point that was made earlier, the variety of options on the bench was impressive today: MacManaman, Hawkes, Merrie, Foley, Feeney, Glatzel. I am not familiar with Hartlepool's squad players, but I doubt they had anything like the same quality.

That squad depth is going to be vital as we go deeper into the season.

yes I was thinking the same when I saw the bench. Won’t be easy for Micky to keep everyone happy. You wonder how far Mani D is from the starting eleven but as you suggest it’s a long season
 

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Yes, it's great to have options and those options did make a difference today. Macca makes a big difference when he's on the pitch, Merrie looks promising so far, Hawkes too and Feeney can still play a part. Not sure where it leaves Glatzel, Mani etc but they will probably be needed again as the season progresses.
 

Boz

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I was thinking more of starting with Nevitt and Glatzel/Dieseruvwe when we'd lined up this way. Maynard didn't see a great deal of the ball and the lack of width and a supply line into the box seemed to contribute to this. There were one or two good things, the ball to set up Nevitt for his shot and the exchange of passes that led to the foul on Watson and free-kick on the edge of the box, but the way we set up today didn't make the best use of Maynard's ability. Perhaps Micky thinks it was worth playing Nevitt-Maynard together to develop an understanding, even in such barren conditions.

Knight-Percival is an experienced defender, albeit playing in a back 3 today, whereas Morris obviously isn't primarily a left back. While you could argue Morris should have done more to protect him and add Duffy the left-sided central midfielder into that, whose defending value on today's showing was of the chocolate teapot variety. My feeling was NKP was not composed in how he dealt with their players running into the channels and his distribution often erratic. Our problems down that side can't totally be dumped onto Morris' shoulders and if Macdonald is a longer term absentee presents a significant difficulty.

I remain unconvinced that today's approach was a tactical masterstroke but will be interested to see how things evolve as the season progresses.
 
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I was not blaming Morris for the problems on the left. Ideally, he would not be playing there, but there is no doubt most of the difficulties occurred because he can't defend. Duffy was playing behind the strikers, so he can't be blamed for a failure to defend the left flank.

Maynard was the marquee striker signing we had been waiting for, so I think it was the correct decision to play him and help him develop a partnership with Nevitt. I am sure the game plan involved both wing backs giving him service from wide areas, something he would thrive on.
 

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You would think playing five at the back is quite a cautious approach but it can also be quite a dangerous one as it allows the opponent to get forward and attack the back line and it also stifles our attack to some extent like we saw in the first half. Hartlepool were guilty of missing some really good chances but it could be punishing against a more clinical team. The game opened up and we saw more variation in the play when the subs were introduced. I'm not a fan of it, but it did help us get the three points today.
 

Sparky

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Yes, it's great to have options and those options did make a difference today. Macca makes a big difference when he's on the pitch, Merrie looks promising so far, Hawkes too and Feeney can still play a part. Not sure where it leaves Glatzel, Mani etc but they will probably be needed again as the season progresses.
Merrie has looked promising but you wonder how much game time he’s going to get. Same for mcmanaman who has been a part time player so far which is how how career has generally gone. Suspect Micky knows this as he keeps saying he’ll use the whole squad when we need them. Early days though and plenty of games left
 
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I have been disappointed by Watson so far. People say he is constrained by the system, but with Spearing alongside him and three centre halves behind him he has plenty of licence to get forward. In fact, the centre halves actually make more marauding runs into the opposition half than he does.

I think we need to see more from him, and Merrie is a bit unlucky not to be starting ahead of him.
 
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