tranmere 1-0 scumthorpe

[SonkORLY?]

A win is a win.

First half we struggled to deal with their frantic pressing and never really looked like creating a great deal. O'Halloran is very quick and works hard but never looked particularly threatening and lacks awareness of anything outside of a 5 yard radius, Cassidy was kinda off the boil all game and the rest of the team didn't create much for either of them. Not much changed for Stockton when he came on although he did get the winning goal.

As the game wore on Scunny's early pressing took it's toll and the deeper they withdrew into their own half the more likely we looked to win the game. We worked hard dug in and pulled a goal from one of our 4 shots.

Some other results went our way which means we go back to the top of the league (so much for whoever it was who said we'd never be top of the league again for the rest of the season). Things will get better when players return and until then we just need to keep digging for 3 points from these games.

Ref was **** and Djeziri is a bellend.

 

[Mal]

Cheer up. It isChristmas. And we are top despite everything. And Bournemouth play brentford and Doncaster play Sheffield on new years day.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I thought it was a good, dogged performance today. We did not really cope with their five in the middle in the first half, partly I think because Palmer had a below par game, partly because we started at too slow a tempo and did not impose ourselves on the game.

As pointed out above, O'Halloran was working hard but was not holiding the ball up or acting as an effective partner to Cassidy. Credit again then to Ronnie for bringing Stockton on at half time, which I thought had a major impact on the game: the ball started to stick up front, and as a team we played 10 - 15 yards higher up the pitch and got Scunny on the back foot.

As in the Crewe game, we upped the tempo at the start of the second half, got Robbo on the ball and deservedly took the lead. A number of quality balls flashed across their box but weren't attacked, and so we did not get the second which would have made our afternoon more comfortable. In the final 15 minutes, I thought we failed to learn the lesson of recent matches, and again sat too deep, but Scunthorpe weren't good enough to create anything of note despite our ceding a lot of space to them.

It is fitting that we are back at the top at the turn of the year, as we have been the outstanding team in this divison in the first half of the season.

It was interesting today that Cole's goal was very Cassidy-esque and I wonder if he could be the direct replacement for Jake that some think he can be ? Cass seems to be lacking a bit of confidence at the moment, and it is a shame he could not sign off at PP with a goal.

Man of the match for me was Zoum, unplayable at times in the second half.

Nearly forgot, ref was diabolical.

 

[SonkORLY?]

Credit again then to Ronnie for bringing Stockton on at half time, which I thought had a major impact on the game: the ball started to stick up front, and as a team we played 10 - 15 yards higher up the pitch and got Scunny on the back foot.

I think these things were coincidental tbh, they just sat deeper. Hoping Stockton can kick on - I think he looks good, but comparisons with Cassidy, who has took this league by storm, are very premature.

 

[WildRover]

another game, another win, 21 more wins and we go up automatically, no matter what....come on Rovers!!

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I think these things were coincidental tbh, they just sat deeper. Hoping Stockton can kick on - I think he looks good, but comparisons with Cassidy, who has took this league by storm, are very premature.

Don't really agree with you about the change after half time. Thought Stockton's physical presence and hold up play made a difference. Also, we pressed higher up the pitch, not just a case of them sitting deeper.

To be clear, I don't think for a moment we can rely solely on Stockton should we lose Cassidy, nor will we. However, a lot of our fans who have watched him from youth / reserve level upwards seem to think he is a natural goalscorer, and he has certainly made a good start to his first team career in terms of goals to games.

 

[amplesou]

Went today ...(first game since preston when i walked out ..after they scored !)

Game lacked tempo first half ...P/P like a wake ,probably the reason

Danny holmes is not in great form at the mo,but to be expected, this is his first full season

Robbo and zoom immense second half, against a one paced Scunthorpe

Looks like Daniel's will be a player, once he stops taking lessons from ash Taylor how to brick it, when in possession!

Baggy and apro and Wallace and gibbon( if poss )..then we are different class...but today we wound up the tempo second half and wow!

What a player Andy robbo !

just found out sheff utd got beat jeeze !

 

[DIW]

Some good posts on here which I agree with summing up the game and some bollox as usual.
We ground it out today against a well organised but dour side. Stockton did make a difference when he came on mainly due to the extra physical presence but he also seems to have more of a turn of pace than I was aware of. Power did okay, better in the second half but we are really missing the quality of Wallace and it will be good to have him back. Daniels is big and physical and will be a good player if he settles down but he was somewhat shaky today. Ash had a good game and I thought the sponsors were right with the MOM.
Still top of the league again and an amazing result for Hartlepool - thanks very much. Hopefully the two wins will have restored some confidence and belief and we can get another 3 on Tuesday. Well played lads.

 

[amplesou]

Some good posts on here which I agree with summing up the game and some bollox as usual.

I agree ..er who was talking bo;;ocks?

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Game lacked tempo first half ...P/P like a wake ,probably the reason

I thought the atmosphere was actually really good today, as on Boxing Day.

O'Halloran was apparently ill today, hence his below par performance and withdrawal at half time.

 

[Ian]

O'Halloran was apparently ill today, hence his below par performance and withdrawal at half time.

Illness or not, I think with O'Halloran it's a bit of a case of headless chicken. Receive the ball, head down and run. I can't see him as a goalscorer. It made a big difference when Stockton came on and should get the nod in place of the departed Cassidy. As as been mentioned, his goals to games ratio is good and he should be given the chance.

SonkORLY sums it up with 'a win is a win'.

Not every game is going to be pretty and sometimes you have to dig out results, we've done that and had a decent Xmas at last! 2 wins on the trot and a much needed six points to shoot us back into pole position.

I predicted a poor first half with the odd goal to win it. Not difficult to predict if you've been a regular at PP the last few months. I just don't understand why they start to slowly. It's quite frustrating but not going to harp on about it.

I think Scunny's initial gameplan was to play for the draw. They were happy to ping it around the centre without creating anything of note and they didn't attack in numbers. The game changed when we scored but they were poor upfront and we were never in danger of losing. A second would have been nice though.

Top of the league. Roll on Bury!

 

[Mal]

I think some of you expect far too much for the money that hasn't been pumped in. What matters is gaining points. At beginning of season I said that a w2 d1 l1 sequence normallygets you into promotion. A 'win is a win' is a bit condescending given our circumstances. Meeting the 'promotion criteria' is worthy of praise IMO. Well done for grinding out two wins after a bad patch, is my view. Still, I don't manage a league side...

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I think most people on here completely understand that the football won't be of the same quality until the injured players return. I don't see too many negative or unreasonable comments above.

I agree with Ian that O'Halloran is not a natural goalscorer, nor is he really a partner for Cassidy. However, I think calling him a 'headless chicken' is over the top: he gives us pace and variety in our play up front by running in behind the oppositon defence, which neither Cassidy or Stockton can really do, and has done pretty well as a stop gap until Akpro returns.

 

[bigmart]

3 points a clean sheet and back top thats it, game was poor.

 

[amplesou]

I think some of you expect far too much for the money that hasn't been pumped in. What matters is gaining points. At beginning of season I said that a w2 d1 l1 sequence normallygets you into promotion. A 'win is a win' is a bit condescending given our circumstances. Meeting the 'promotion criteria' is worthy of praise IMO. Well done for grinding out two wins after a bad patch, is my view. Still, I don't manage a league side...

I think attendance's have been up, and we have received additional cup winning and tv appearances, to the tune of £200k plus, we are still in for a pay-day re Derby county in the cup...but no real sign of investment in the squad from the board..

Surely we are not paying for the likes of o,halloran to play for us on loan and others recently?

i think the point is ,this team are showing a profit but for no return as yet..

Time to pile the pressure on PJ,to go out and give RM ,a real chance..unless going up to the Championship is impractical financially..?

great three points yesterday!!

 

[SonkORLY?]

Yes we are paying for them to play on loan for us, we accepted that fate when we put together a very small squad in the summer. We've hardly got anywhere in the cup and Derby away doesn't really meet the definition of a 'pay day'. Any investment from Johnson would be with a view to giving our promotion chances a boost, rather than spending the non-existent surplus of money you allege we have lying around. But that's not to say we shouldn't be looking to spend a bit, given our achievements so far.

I think some of you expect far too much for the money that hasn't been pumped in. What matters is gaining points. At beginning of season I said that a w2 d1 l1 sequence normallygets you into promotion. A 'win is a win' is a bit condescending given our circumstances. Meeting the 'promotion criteria' is worthy of praise IMO. Well done for grinding out two wins after a bad patch, is my view. Still, I don't manage a league side...

I have no idea why you're aiming this at me, you're fighting a bit of a pointless cause because nobody is being negative really.

I kind of agree with Ian about O'Hal being a headless chicken but I also think he has good attributes; pace, notably - which we are otherwise lacking in. At this level that alone will cause teams problems and move defensive lines deeper. Although he's 21, yesterday was only his 10th ever league game so I think we'll see him improve. If McGurk weren't playing so well, and Robbo weren't so indispensable, knowing Ronnie I expect he'd be playing him out wide by now.

 

[Boz]

It sounds like the game went much as I'd expected. Agree that the 3 points is the main thing here.

My issue with O'Halloran is that he's one of the loan players on a must play basis. This means that it costs us if we don't pick him, even if that's not the best option for a particular game. He does offer something different and appears from the Cup games to work better with Stockton than Cassidy, so maybe they'll work in tandem on a regular basis now Jake's gone back.

One query for those at the game. A couple have singled out the ref as being poor and similar views expressed on other forums. Mr Davies is meant to be one of the bright young things in refereeing and I'm interested why he was said to have performed poorly yesterday?

 

[SonkORLY?]

Took up some bad positions and was caught giving decisions for incidents he didn't even see. Got himself in a right mess first half.

 

[bigmart]

The ref was very poor.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

One query for those at the game. A couple have singled out the ref as being poor and similar views expressed on other forums. Mr Davies is meant to be one of the bright young things in refereeing and I'm interested why he was said to have performed poorly yesterday?

Incorrectly gave a lot of 50:50 challenges as free kicks, disrupting the flow of the game, but did not penalise blatant fouls, an example being a challenge on O'Halloran in the first half where he was dragged to the ground: a blatant yellow card offence, yet he did not even give a free kick.

Also gave a number of throw-ins to the wrong side, when he was better placed than the linesman.

I may be wrong, but I think Jake is available for Bury and goes back for the cup weekend ?