• 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 Wycombe volume 2 (FL1)

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I wasn't able to go as on holiday but watched the extended highlights this morning. MM was rightly tearing his hair out in the post match interview pointing out both Garnett and Jackson had played Championship level as defenders and so were coaching correctly but they could not control what was done on the pitch. What on earth Manny thought he was doing for their first goal is anyone's guess. It was clear that AA was his man as Nelson was taking the other guy stood on edge of the box and they both clearly knew that. He went tightish to AA and then when AA gave him the slightest of pushes he decided to wander forward 2 yards into no mans land and simply stand there and not once did he look back to see what AA was doing. We can all accept players make a lot of mistakes on the ball at this level but that simply was unforgiveable IMO. Talking of unforgiveable ditto Potter for the penalty - it was so blatant it was unreal.
On the positive side there looked to be some nice passing and interplay but we have to allow for the fact that WW clearly went into their shells protecting what they had so we had plenty of space 2nd half. With defending like that however, we will continue to lose games even if we are the better side for most of the game.
 

Boz

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I see that a guy has been arrested for homophobic abuse of the Wycombe goalie. Every club has a few brainless ones unfortunately.
There is no excuse for making such remarks and the culprit is likely to get a ban and criminal conviction if the matter is proved, which seems likely given Rovers fans have confirmed the remarks were made. However footballers must realise they don’t exist in a vacuum and if, as suggested, the Wycombe keeper was goading the fans in the Kop then some reaction was inevitable.
 
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Alan King, Barry Dyson
I hope the SWA don't get a bad reputation because of this idiot. The fact that he has been caught quickly and with fan help should keep our name clean. If their goalie really did goad the fans, he should be dealt with too, but it may just have been banter.
 

ONIGP

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It was quite a frustrating afternoon with the overall feelings somewhat muted by the great set of results for us on Saturday. It almost felt like a "free hit" and it was a shame we didn't take it because, despite Wycombe's lofty league position, there is certainly no gulf between the teams. Barring the regulation sloppy defending we really could and should have won the match. In the first half they were far tighter in their marking than we were and that was really frustrating in that it is so easily correctable, especially from throw-ins. The other big difference was that every aerial ball we played forward came back at us; Jennings and RHB being entirely unsuited to dealing with Davies' punts and goal kicks. The introduction of Ferrier made a massive difference in this respect; not only can he hold a ball but fights like an alley cat to retain it. CBT certainly gave them something to think about when he came on and it probably summed it up that the sponsors' man of the match went to a player who was only on the pitch for 45 minutes! Perkins had a poor half and was rightly subbed at half-time while Wilson had another good performance amidst a group of youngsters who are struggling with consistency. A real shame that we didn't win the cup match last weekend but, based on this performance and being howler-free, would give us half a chance of progressing.
 

ONIGP

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After my grumble last weekend about dud speakers, dodgy shutters and pantomime poppies it's only fair to give credit where it's due. My dad wasn't too well on Sunday morning (nothing serious) so missed the game but the club were happy to give a refund on his ticket - they did struggle with the "how to do it" bit, but we got there in the end!
 
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The introduction of Ferrier made a massive difference in this respect; not only can he hold a ball but fights like an alley cat to retain it.
Yes, I agree. In terms of his all round game I think he is our best striker by a distance.

He is valuable because he is strong and can hold the ball up, but also has the pace to threaten in behind. Neither Payne or Mullin have the same qualities.
 

Ian

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despite Wycombe's lofty league position, there is certainly no gulf between the teams
Not sure I agree with that. In terms of possession play, maybe not, but they were more clinical then us and strong in defence. Something we did not do well enough on both counts.

Akinfenwa is excellent at holding the ball up and allowing others into play and is a real handful for defenders. Can score a few too. I like Ferrier for reasons mentioned above and I think we've missed someone that can play that traditional role at holding the ball up. Most of the time our attacking play has little substance. Let's hope he stays fit, gets a good run in the team and makes a difference up top.
 
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Not sure I agree with that. In terms of possession play, maybe not, but they were far more clinical then us and defended very well. Something we did not do well enough on both counts.
That is true, but I agree with ONIGP that there was no technical gulf between the sides. Ipswich and Sunderland have got much better players than us, but Wycombe have not.
 

Boz

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Wycombe looked better than us on Sunday. If their players are only the same technical standard as ours, then their manager got more out of them in this game.

Ferrier has potential, but is someway from the finished article at present. Most of his work was done outside the box, where it was ineffective. We need to find away of getting him closer to the goal in matches, where he can hopefully do some real damage.
 
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Wycombe looked better than us on Sunday. If their players are only the same technical standard as ours, then their manager got more out of them in this game.

Ferrier has potential, but is someway from the finished article at present. Most of his work was done outside the box, where it was ineffective. We need to find away of getting him closer to the goal in matches, where he can hopefully do some real damage.

Wycombe looked better than us as a team in terms of organisation and they have got a bit more quality in the vital areas than we have, but there is no way there is a huge gulf in technical ability between our players and theirs. At Ipswich we actually played well for the majority of the game, but still got battered because of the gulf in talent between the two teams. That was not the case on Saturday: we were done by two set pieces.

Even Wycombe supporters admit their team is functional and based around organisation, rather than having scintillating individuals. Their manager has been getting more out of his players than plenty of managers this season, a lot of them with more money to spend than Mellon..

Wycombe were defending very deep in the second half which meant Ferrier went hunting for the ball, but his performance was still impressive in my view. He was not prolific at Walsall last season and I am not expecting loads of goals from him, but he offers more with his all round game than Payne or Mullin.
 
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I thought they were fitter & faster than us but also a lot younger very impressed with the 2 young centre backs, also Jacobson whose corners & free kicks which caused us all sorts of trouble
 
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Darius Charles is 31, although I agree he played well. They were more athletic than us in midfield which is an area where we are lacking, particularly in the absence of Danns / Gilmour.
 
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What should be remembered in all of this is that Wycombe finished seventeenth last season. Ainsworth has been able to build a squad because he has been shown patience through several transfer windows, and has been backed by reasonable investment.
 
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Wycombe remind me a bit of Tranmere - at least what we could be like in a couple of years. In Ainsworth, they have a good manager who knows and loves the club. He has a board who is patient and backs him to build gradually within a limited budget. He has now got some external investment to improve the team. I've always been impressed by the way Wycombe has been run - sensibly, patiently and with no prima donnas. Just like us, except that if anything we have made progress a bit more quickly.
 
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