• 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.

the match v macc

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The only goal of theirs I saw clearly was the first and everything fell for them in a sequence following McNulty’s misheader, the only thing he did wrong in the air all evening.
Their first goal was a great move through midfield, where Whitehead took up a good position and fed the full back. Even in periods when we were on top, I thought they had the upper hand in the middle of the pitch.

We seem to be very direct these days, quite predictable in hitting the ball long to Cook. That tactic does create chances but against the better teams I think you need more variation in your play and longer periods of sustained possession.
 

drwhoman

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There was a definite improvement in midfield when Banks was on loan with us. Hughes is not as good but would he be a better option than Norburn at present? Harris is very much a terrier while Jennings is more of an attacker than a controlling midfielder? It will be interesting to see if Wallace is ever fit enough to get a gig. He would offer more quality if fit.
 

drwhoman

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I would also agree with RLC's earlier post that the summer transfer business was poor. Clearly we needed more in midfield and perhaps less at the front.
 
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It was not so much the personnel I was questioning, as the tactics. I think we are becoming too direct.
 
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We seem to be very direct these days, quite predictable in hitting the ball long to Cook. That tactic does create chances but against the better teams I think you need more variation in your play and longer periods of sustained possession.
Not having seen many games, I think the stats bear this theory out. So far this season against the current top seven, we have just two wins and two draws out of nine games (8 points from 27). Last season, our record against our immediate rivals was equally poor and cost us the championship. It already has this season. However, if we win most of the games against the lower teams and pick up the odd point against the other contenders, we will finish high.
 
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As Boz alludes to above, there is a psychological issue when we play the top sides or have to deal with the expectancy of a big crowd. My concern with the tactics is only really relevant against teams like Macc and Aldershot who dominate possession. We struggle badly against them.
 
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As Boz alludes to above, there is a psychological issue when we play the top sides or have to deal with the expectancy of a big crowd. My concern with the tactics is only really relevant against teams like Macc and Aldershot who dominate possession. We struggle badly against them.
If you, Boz and I are right about playing the top teams, we won't have much of a chance in the play-offs. :(
 

drwhoman

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It was not so much the personnel I was questioning, as the tactics. I think we are becoming too direct.
RLC - what I was trying to say is - are the personnel we are using capable of playing the way you suggest or do we need some changes if we want to play this way?
 

drwhoman

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Listening to MM, I did not realise that Kirby is now out again. Medial ligament damage so doubt if we will see him again this season. Also, talk of someone coming in. All will be revealed I suppose. Might be changes on Saturday recognising the type of pitch at Maidstone.
 

Boz

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By the time I got home, didn’t have the inclination to listen to MMs post match remarks. Was aware Kirby injured, but not the extent, sounds like he’ll also be out for the rest of the season. I presume there was no explanation for the lack of substitutes during the game?

Seem a suggestion that we might be loaning Manny Monthe, central defender from Forest Green. Without Gumbs and with McEveley thankfully out of favour, there may be some merit in this. However McNulty and Sutton were amongst our better players last night and it’s not one to set the pulse racing, should it happen.
 

Ian

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I think we need a bit more bite in midfield. No point changing anything in defence or the front two up front, but we need to link the play better and like RLC says cut out the direct balls to Cook.

Norwood isn’t on form at the moment, Harris isn’t offensive enough and we need better service out wide, something Ridehalgh will not give you.
 

Sparky

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Dear oh dear.
Couldn’t believe the score when I saw it. Not seen any highlights but a few comments.

Sounds like Norburn wasn’t great. He wasn’t great against Bromley and perhaps was too up for it against his old side. Norwood is another who can be good and bad and RLC quite rightly mentions the transfer budget - we have 3/4 other strikers in mangan, Alabi, Waring and Kirby - none are good enough to put any pressure on the front 2 so we don’t have competition for places up top.

As much as I like Harris I’m not sure our centre mid options are good enough for a title winning side and Banks is proving to be a massive loss.

Only one game but the title is Maccs to lose now
 

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Very impressed with Macc. Durell was a threat in the first half, a nippy busy player. He was left unmarked for a lot of the game (wish we had him). Small club, small crowds and yet they were much the better side. Thought Tollit looked nervous and was rusty. Should try and put a bit more weight on as well. Anyway, keep going lads, go for the wins and who knows what will happen.
 

drwhoman

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Boz - on subs, MM basically implied that he did not see much benefit in it. We were 4-1 down after 66 mins and the game was lost. He also said that they continued to try hard and I suspect no one wanted to come off given the embarrassment of it all. see his point. I imagine there will be one or two changes on Sat given the Maidstone pitch. From reading the reports, while we may have lost to a team that played better on the night, their goalkeeper made crucial saves at key times.
 
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what a load of bollocks if the subs wouldint make a difference they shouldint have been there . we got beaten bye a better team . are middle of the park is so weak . harris hasint a goal in him . an norburn has gone right off the boil . we got tickled and rolled over . not good enough
 

Boz

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Boz - on subs, MM basically implied that he did not see much benefit in it. We were 4-1 down after 66 mins and the game was lost. He also said that they continued to try hard and I suspect no one wanted to come off given the embarrassment of it all. see his point. I imagine there will be one or two changes on Sat given the Maidstone pitch. From reading the reports, while we may have lost to a team that played better on the night, their goalkeeper made crucial saves at key times.
Drwhoman, I don't find that re-assuring from MM. Norburn was looking at risk of getting sent off and giving the ball away, replacing with Hughes would have given us more chance of retaining possession. Tollitt was having difficulty trapping and controlling the ball, instead, James Alabi style, it was bouncing off him. Ginnelly could have offered us more control. While because of his youth, I don't think introducing Clarke last night would have been a good idea, think if Eddie had been playing, Durrell would have been given more defensively to occupy him. The players heads dropped visibly as we fell further behind and changing things might have sparked a fight-back. If we'd clawed a goal or two back and had Macc hanging on at the end, the mood might have lifted a little, whereas personally I feel very deflated at how little fight there was from us last night. To me, the second half showing was not acceptable neither was the failure to try and do anything about it. Their keeper made 3 good saves, the Cook one on one, where he shot off his line quickly, a good reaction save from a deflected shot from Norburn at 1-2 and one from Cook in the dying minutes. Scott Davies made a decent save himself at 0-0.

Having looked at the highlights, I stand by my view on the first Macc goal, if McNulty's header clears the ball instead of only partially making contact with the cross so that it goes to the player on the right of our box, that attack ends. On their second, the ball bounces in front of Scott Davies then on over him, should he have been able to react to that bounce? The penalty having seen the highlights was pure guesswork by the referee, Ridehalgh wasn't even facing directly when the ball hit him and it was pivotal, we were never going to come back from 1-3. The 4th, Davies had no chance with, a clean strike into the furthest corner, but how did Durrell have so much space to get to the position to shoot unchallenged?
 
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I agree with quite a lot of what Boz says about the individual performances. Tollitt was not ready to start in such a high pressure game and I have not been able to understand why Ridehalgh has been preferred to Clarke. Liam unfortunately went back to his old self last night and was woeful. He is a confidence player, but in big games the best players show mental toughness and unfortunately Liam has shown weakness under pressure on a number of occasions now.

More generally, I think our midfield has become disjointed in recent weeks. The gaps between the midfield four are too big, both in and out of possession, and they are not working as a unit. While we have comfortably beaten the cannon fodder, we were outpassed away at Orient for long spells and our weaknesses were always going to be exposed against a really good team. Playing Jennings out of position on the left hand side does not matter against poor teams, but was a problem last night as Durrell was given complete freedom down that side.

On other matters, Palios was on Radio Merseyside this evening. He said that finishing first is still our target despite last night and his positivity at least perked me up as I felt completely numb this morning. Discussing more general issues, he asid that the summer signings were entirely Mellon's choices and that he does not actively interfere in transfer policy, contrary to comments on social media; he seemed to suggest he had considered sacking Mellon in the autumn but did not because he thought removing him was a greater risk than keeping him; he seemed happy enough with Mellon's performance since then and our position now; he was asked about the performance of the players we brought in in the summer but did not give much away.

Finally, he said he thinks we have a better squad than Macclesfield, which I agree with. The problem for me is that in big matches our collection of individuals simply have not functioned as a reliable team in the way Macc's did last night, or Lincoln and Cheltenham did in the previous two seasons. None of those clubs had the best players in the division in my view.
 

Ian

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It makes no difference whether we have a better team or not, what matters is where we finish in the table. I like Palios’ positive outlook but after last night, I’m really deflated and cannot see how we can pip them to the top.
 
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It makes no difference whether we have a better team or not, what matters is where we finish in the table. I like Palios’ positive outlook but after last night, I’m really deflated and cannot see how we can pip them to the top.
He said we had better players, not a better team. He was putting responsibility on Mellon and the players - I can give you money for a squad that is better than average but you have to produce on the pitch.
 

drwhoman

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Having seen the highlights, the second goal was hard on Davies, the ball bounced at just the wrong time while I agree that the penalty was questionable. The ball seemed to hit Ridehalgh rather than him making a deliberate movement towards the ball. As others have said, how the ref saw that is beyond me given his positioning. Some of the Mac players appealed and that was it. There did not seem to be much protest from Rovers.
 
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