Rovers v Rochdale

[Boz]

I don't think it is really. He does not rate him but he is under contract so we can't just get rid of him. Plus, until the strikers arrived this week we had to hold on to him just so we had sufficient bodies up front.

I think this is all classic displacement. We face a massive challenge this season, and we are not sure we have the resources or the players to compete at this level, so people are dealing with that anxiety by obsessing about a fringe player who is pretty much irrelevant in the bigger picture.

Should we be saying a player is irrelevant this early in the campaign? I would like to see Mullin be given a chance BEFORE being written off. Micky doesn't seem to rate him, but he at least deserves the same opportunity as Ponticelli, namely a start.
On the broader picture, we do need more in other areas than up front.

 

[aldoes mustache]

do we need another striker . mm did the same at shrewsbury they had a load of forwards . we realy need to get the middle sorted and get the defence right . ok i was not there and im glad i was not there . and it needs sorting b4 we go to pompey .

 

[aldoes mustache]

the mad thing is mm chased Mullin for two seasons wanting him . then don,t play him mad

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Should we be saying a player is irrelevant this early in the campaign? I would like to see Mullin be given a chance BEFORE being written off. Micky doesn't seem to rate him, but he at least deserves the same opportunity as Ponticelli, namely a start.
On the broader picture, we do need more in other areas than up front.

You are making my point for me. In the bigger picture, whether we select Mullin / Ponticelli / Hepburn-Marsh is irrelevant. The challenge for the club is to have a SQUAD that is capable of operating at this level. On today's evidence there are a dozen or more players that need to improve rapidly to compete at this level.

Mellon has clearly decided he does not rate Mullin, so you either back the manager who has just won back to back promotions in his decision, or obsess about a squad player.

Mellon is not obliged to start any individual player just to satisfy the curiosity of supporters. He picks the team he believes will be most effective for Tranmere Rovers.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

the mad thing is mm chased Mullin for two seasons wanting him . then don,t play him mad

Until you actually work with a player, you can't fully assess how good they are.

 

[Boz]

And got it wrong today in that clearly Ponticelli was totally ineffective.

Micky does not get a get out of jail free card, simply on the basis of two promotions, his past record shows he’s as capable of making mistakes as anyone. I don’t think he should have started Ponticelli, who he should have started Is more open to debate.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

And got it wrong today in that clearly Ponticelli was totally ineffective.

Micky does not get a get out of jail free card, simply on the basis of two promotions, his past record shows he’s as capable of making mistakes as anyone. I don’t think he should have started Ponticelli, who he should have started Is more open to debate.

So you are on his case after ninety minutes of League One football ? Priceless.

Mullin's absence made no difference to the result, and if Mellon does not rate him I trust his judgement.

 

[aldoes mustache]

i agree with that . have seen it in the kitchen you think your working with some one who should know what there doing . then they serve pink chicken . .

 

[Boz]

All I’m saying is if Micky thinks Ponticelli is better than Mullin, he’s not got the evidence to back that up. at this stage. If he picks Mullin to start the next game and he’s as ineffectual as Ponticelli was today, there might be an argument.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

All I’m saying is if Micky thinks Ponticelli is better than Mullin, he’s not got the evidence to back that up. at this stage. If he picks Mullin to start the next game and he’s as ineffectual as Ponticelli was today, there might be an argument.

I doubt Ponticelli will start next week, and I am sure Mellon now realises he is not up to it (at least not yet). But he has been working with Mullin for over a year and has probably deemed he is not good enough for this level, the same as with Harris and Buxton.

Going off at a tangent, I think Harris would have been completely lost in midfield today. Rochdale had some real quality in there.

 

[Boz]

I don’t know either way, but just feel Mullin deserves a chance to show what he can do.

 

[Ian]

Felt a little bit deflated after the match but not altogether surprised by the performance. I thought Rochdale were a good side. Passing and movement excellent and if that kind of team struggled last season we have to step up and quick. Right back was a problem today and they exploited it. Rdiehalgh was not much kop on the left either. Midfield struggled to get a grip of the game with only Perkins having a solid game. Not sure what to make of Payne although he did have a couple of chances in the 1st half so there is a positive.

Hepburn-Murphy wasn't great when he came on but I liked Ferrier. The worry for me is that when Rochdale turned it on, we were unable to stop them. Look at their 3rd goal. Probably around 20+ passes and then into the back of the net. Crisp passing and movement.

Last 10 mins was a bit of a farce really. Rochdale took their foot of the gas cruising at 3-0 and gave away a silly goal. Harsh lesson today but you don't get as much time and space on the ball, the players need to learn and I'm sure we will improve as time goes on. It's only game one so they have time.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

As Ian says, Rochdale found it very easy to pass through us for two of the goals and you wonder if we need an extra man in midfield for the time being. The 442 was not effective today, particularly as in both halves one of the two strikers was less than convincing. The absence of a natural holding player / ball winner did not help either.

Perhaps we will start with 4411 or 4231 at Portsmouth.

 

[aldoes mustache]

and he realy did serve pink chicken that why he has been taking over when back off hols im in greece for two weeks part holiday . part work or could be. been asked to look at an amazing place that if it comes off i Realy could call home . but not to soon realy just want a cheap 3 week hol b4 i start my new roll. lol

 

[Ian]

Portsmouth next away. I would definitely look at tightening up that midfield.

 

[Ooh Johnny Johnny]

I don't think it is really. He does not rate him but he is under contract so we can't just get rid of him. Plus, until the strikers arrived this week we had to hold on to him just so we had sufficient bodies up front.

I think this is all classic displacement. We face a massive challenge this season, and we are not sure we have the resources or the players to compete at this level, so people are dealing with that anxiety by obsessing about a fringe player who is pretty much irrelevant in the bigger picture.

"people are dealing with that anxiety by obsessing about a fringe player who is pretty much irrelevant in the bigger picture."

What a ridiculously condescending remark!

Mullin could have and should have been given the opportunity to replace Norwood.
His footballing qualities are blatantly apparent, not to mention his professionalism and patience when not selected.
But you are right on one thing, Micky clearly doesn't rate him. Towards the end of last season, he failed to give him any meaningful game time, preferring instead to run Nors into the ground over the full 90 minutes despite the fact that he was carrying an injury.
Our scatter-gun approach to recruiting attackers this close season has been truly dubious. Adding an array of largely untried youngsters comes at a high risk and at a financial cost.
I don't believe that Ponticelli and Payne offer any improvement on Mullin. They have not shown any premium in quality over the lad in any aspect of their game - hold-up play, chasing, closing down, heading and shooting. Yesterday, HM showed a high degree of immaturity - far too selfish in possession and stupidly getting sent off. Hope he's fined for that idiotic behaviour.
Mullin has something to offer still. The lad deserves a fair crack at the whip.
On a more optimistic note, Ferrier looks promising and Connor will always do a good job behind a lone striker.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

"people are dealing with that anxiety by obsessing about a fringe player who is pretty much irrelevant in the bigger picture."

What a ridiculously condescending remark!

Mullin could have and should have been given the opportunity to replace Norwood.
His footballing qualities are blatantly apparent, not to mention his professionalism and patience when not selected.
But you are right on one thing, Micky clearly doesn't rate him. Towards the end of last season, he failed to give him any meaningful game time, preferring instead to run Nors into the ground over the full 90 minutes despite the fact that he was carrying an injury.
Our scatter-gun approach to recruiting attackers this close season has been truly dubious. Adding an array of largely untried youngsters comes at a high risk and at a financial cost.
I don't believe that Ponticelli and Payne offer any improvement on Mullin. They have not shown any premium in quality over the lad in any aspect of their game - hold-up play, chasing, closing down, heading and shooting. Yesterday, HM showed a high degree of immaturity - far too selfish in possession and stupidly getting sent off. Hope he's fined for that idiotic behaviour.
Mullin has something to offer still. The lad deserves a fair crack at the whip.
On a more optimistic note, Ferrier looks promising and Connor will always do a good job behind a lone striker.

Do tell me about Mullin's massive experience and clear pedigree as a League One player ? Oh, he has never played a game at that level ! Payne scored fifteen goals in this division two seasons ago and both RHM and Ponticelli have experience at levels higher than Mullin, yet you presume that Mullin would be more effective than them in this division based on no evidence whatsoever. Why does Mullin 'deserve to replace Norwood' ? Mellon's job is to select the best players available regardless of sentiment and in his view Mullin is not good enough. Presumably you think Adam Buxton and Ritchie Sutton should also have played yesterday because they did not get many opportunities last season ?

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

"people are dealing with that anxiety by obsessing about a fringe player who is pretty much irrelevant in the bigger picture."

What a ridiculously condescending remark!

Mullin could have and should have been given the opportunity to replace Norwood.
His footballing qualities are blatantly apparent, not to mention his professionalism and patience when not selected.
But you are right on one thing, Micky clearly doesn't rate him. Towards the end of last season, he failed to give him any meaningful game time, preferring instead to run Nors into the ground over the full 90 minutes despite the fact that he was carrying an injury.
Our scatter-gun approach to recruiting attackers this close season has been truly dubious. Adding an array of largely untried youngsters comes at a high risk and at a financial cost.
I don't believe that Ponticelli and Payne offer any improvement on Mullin. They have not shown any premium in quality over the lad in any aspect of their game - hold-up play, chasing, closing down, heading and shooting. Yesterday, HM showed a high degree of immaturity - far too selfish in possession and stupidly getting sent off. Hope he's fined for that idiotic behaviour.
Mullin has something to offer still. The lad deserves a fair crack at the whip.
On a more optimistic note, Ferrier looks promising and Connor will always do a good job behind a lone striker.

'His footballing qualities are blatantly apparent'. I agree he is a moderate League Two footballer but you do realise he never reached double figures in the division below ? Oh, and it is good to see you have lambasted our recruitment and written off RHM and Ponticelli after 45 minutes of football. And you claim players should be given a fair chance !

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

The point I was making about Mullin in my comment about 'displacement' is that even if you think he is being unfairly treated, he is not the 'silver bullet' who is going to score 25 goals and ensure our survival. So in the bigger scheme of things, the overall quality and depth of squad as a whole is what is vital, not the future of Paul Mullin.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Our scatter-gun approach to recruiting attackers this close season has been truly dubious. Adding an array of largely untried youngsters comes at a high risk and at a financial cost.

Our recruitment strategy is driven by finances. We can't afford to pay £2 million for John Marquis, or sign an above average striker at this level like Ian Henderson (who was class yesterday), so we have to bring in a mixture of senior players and loanees. Loans do not carry 'higher financial risk' than permanent contracts as we only pay a proportion of the players salary and are the contract is for a shorter time period than a permanent deal. If we got rid of Ponticelli, CBT and RHM I seriously doubt we could go out and sign three proven, experienced League One players.

Our signings carry an element of risk - loans, players who have underperformed the previous season - due to our financial circumstances, but to call that strategy 'scattergun' is disrespectful to both Palios and Mellon in my view.

Returning back to the topic in hand, despite the result I thought it was refreshing to see a visiting team come to Prenton Park and play football yesterday. Every attack started with a ball bowled out to a centre half or full back and I can't remember their keeper smacking it long once in the whole game. Only Bury played football of a similar standard in League Two last season, and we have to bear in mind that Dale were in the relegation zone for the majority of last season and finished sixteenth.