• 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.

Which management team?

Ian

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Surely they must have had an idea once Ronnie was sacked..
I wouldn't bet on it.. However I do think the club are in a difficult situation because any targets they do have are probably ruled out due to financial constraints. Can't imagine it's an easy process..

New ethos and structure sounds good though.
 

frenchrover

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As RLC says O'Driscoll might be a good shout and definitely better than the other new name mentioned today of Mick Wadsworth who has had more "sacks" to his name than the local coalman! Also notice Michael Appleton's odds have been shortening throughout the day today as have those of Dave Penney. Ah well we'll just have to wait and see. Good to see the club have put out a "holding" statement today about the time it's taking to make an appointment, presumably a tacit acknowledgement of the frustration shown by a lot of fans about the time being taken to make an appointment and the"fallout" from the Ryan Lowe fiasco.
 

Boz

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I wouldn't bet on it.. However I do think the club are in a difficult situation because any targets they do have are probably ruled out due to financial constraints. Can't imagine it's an easy process..

New ethos and structure sounds good though.
It would have been better for Horton and Butler instead of drawing up lists of players to sign up to have prioritised drawing up a list of interviewees who could then have been involved in the footballing decisions at an early stage. While not an attractive proposition for a manager in comparison to some, there is still enough scope at Rovers to rebuild a side and use it as a stepping stone to better things.
Of the latest names mentioned, Wadsworth and Appleton's records don't inspire and O'Driscoll had limited tactical ability going on what Bristol City fans say. Dave Penney has been off the radar lately. Another name mentioned elsewhere as a possibility is Wayne Allison
 
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It would have been better for Horton and Butler instead of drawing up lists of players to sign up to have prioritised drawing up a list of interviewees who could then have been involved in the footballing decisions at an early stage. While not an attractive proposition for a manager in comparison to some, there is still enough scope at Rovers to rebuild a side and use it as a stepping stone to better things.

I agree. Regarding the likely candidates, I would still much prefer S.O.D. to Allison or Wadsworth; the latter would be a return to the stone age.
 

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Ronnie has been given a suspended one month ban from football and a small fine.

He has admitted his genuine mistake but states the sacking was undeserved. I always felt that was the case too. The crime did not fit the punishment.

None of the names linked with the job particularly excite me. What odds Ronnie coming back? Unlikely and Ok things didn't work out this season but we may have stayed up had he been in charge all season.

He knows how to get out if L2....
 
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I liked Ronnie more than most people on this site but, no, he should not come back. There is no way Butler would appoint him and, let's be honest, he is a bit of a footballing dinosaur, in the nicest possible sense; not the man to make the changes the club needs.
 

Boz

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Ronnie has been given a suspended one month ban from football and a small fine.

He has admitted his genuine mistake but states the sacking was undeserved. I always felt that was the case too. The crime did not fit the punishment.

None of the names linked with the job particularly excite me. What odds Ronnie coming back? Unlikely and Ok things didn't work out this season but we may have stayed up had he been in charge all season.

He knows how to get out if L2....

There are two separate issues in what you say Sparky;

Should Ronnie have been sacked? What he seems to actually have done was some betting on football games, one apparently being Tranmere to win as part of an accumulator. While the FA sanction may have been tempered by the fact he lost his job, it is nonetheless fairly light. When he was suspended, we'd just taken a decent away point at Bristol City. Had he stayed at the helm, I suspect we would have managed to stay up. I don't know how much longer his contract had to go, I thought it was a rolling contract to be reviewed at the end of each season, but read he had about another 18 months left. There were significant failings with the way he set the side up for this season, but whether footballing reasons alone would have merited his sacking is doubtful.

Should Ronnie come back? Basically what RLC states above. I can't see it happening in our current situation and with the new "ethos". However he would do a better job than a number who have been linked with us.
 

Gray

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I'm really undecided on this one. Now that the dust has settled on our relegation, the optimist in me can see some benefits of our new approach. Greater focus on youth and less reliance on the loan market might... might... just see us playing some attacking football and building a 'team' of hungry young players we can be proud of. Dropping down to league two might... might... just mean we're scoring goals and scrapping for promotion rather than fighting for survival in league one.

On the other hand, Ronnie would probably get us promoted playing hoof ball in a team of gnarly, seasoned pros.

FWIW, I don't think Ronnie should have been sacked (either the first time or the second time!)
 
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I agree with the above posts that we would have survived had Ronnie stayed; I was never persuaded by the argument that he should have been sacked for footballing reasons, although many disagreed.

However, we are where we are, and I don't think there is any way back for him at TRFC now.
 

Sparky

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Your probably right RLC/Boz. I guess time will tell..

I only hope that we don't appoint someone else, it goes drastically wrong, and they go to Ronnie for a short term fix. Unlikely though I accept.

Was hoping the new mgr would be all sorted now but sadly not. I liked the chief but he isn't an option in my view. Sean OD always played good football with Donny but I think is settled elsewhere in terms of where he lives. Appleton did ok at Pompey when he sold a load of players but ain't done much since of any note. Let's hope it's sorted soon though.
 
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Even if we had stayed up under Ronnie, I think his time was up. The utter shambles of last summer when we failed to arrest the terrible decline in form from January 2013 put us under intolerable pressure this season was of Ronnie's making. We'll never know if he could have kept us up last season, but what we do know is the football under Moore was for the most part dire. I'm looking forward to seeing who gets the job and whether he can implement this new 'ethos' whilst juggling a reduction in the playing budget. I agree that it is ominous that we haven't appointed anyone yet. Surely a sign that the first three or four preferred choices have taken flight already!

Still, the close season is always a time for optimism!
 

bigmart

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We will never know if we would still have gone down if Ronnie had stayed as manager, but his time was up anyway we had been on a horrendous run for sometime and it was only down to finances that he was still in the job
 
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Ronnie must take a lot of the blame for the transfer shambles last summer, but I think it is simplistic to see it as entirely his fault. There was absolutely no strategy or direction from the top of the club regarding player recruitment, which is a recipe for disaster when you have very restricted resources. I also think the football was better in his second spell than some suggest; certainly much better than under Parry. But we are right to be looking elsewhere now.
 

Ian

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It might be a case of better the devil you know because it makes you think in our position with very limited resources can anyone do a better job than Ronnie ? Whoever comes in has got a hell of a job to steady this ship.
 
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I agree that Ronnie's suspension and eventual sacking was a key factor in our relegation, but you can't turn the clock back. Last season was disastrous for a long list of reasons. It's inconceivable Ronnie will be offered his job back and even less likely he'd accept it after the way he feels about both his sackings.

The club has new direction and a new strategy, which Ronnie may find difficult to accept. We need a new manager who understands and agrees with the new regime - and has the ability to manage successfully within those constraints.
 

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The bookies are suggesting a guy called Brunskill who is a coach at Blackburn. I vaguely recall him as a player - full back? A bit of a punt but worth a go as opposed to the old lags and high profile ex players being talked about. Youth and enthusiasm would very relevant with no money. The next Brendan Rodgers?!! -wishful thinking I know but they all start somewhere - on the other hand - Conference here we come!b
 

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Even if we had stayed up under Ronnie, I think his time was up. The utter shambles of last summer when we failed to arrest the terrible decline in form from January 2013 put us under intolerable pressure this season was of Ronnie's making. We'll never know if he could have kept us up last season, but what we do know is the football under Moore was for the most part dire.
Reading a little bit in the Echo from Ronnie saying he should have known the rules and didn't. I find it hard to believe he could be that naive. However you would have to be mad to bet on Tranmere. Ian Thomas Moore pointed out on Twitter in April: "For the record: £1,100 was his outlay of bets in three years, he won £900! Not one was on Tranmere to lose, it's a family account. FACT."

Slightly missing the point but shows what a crazy thing to do. I do feel it a bit for him though. Naive maybe but to lose his job is a bit harsh. The reason I quoted TT64 because I think it's hard to argue this and maybe the club just found an excuse to get rid.
 

Ian

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Ronnie's not taking the sacking too well at all and has now said that if Tranmere were top of the league he would never have been sacked. It's a valid point.
 
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I think Ronnie would be better advised to keep his mouth shut now to be honest. I did not ever call for him to be sacked, but if he had lost his job for results alone he could not really have complained.

I thought his comments were quite patronising and insulting to McMahon, who was the number two he selected, and just brought a load more negative coverage to the club at a time when it is trying to draw a line under last season and move on.
 
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I'm prepared to admit that my comments re Ronnie were a bit over the top now that I hear more about what actually happened. What Ronnie did was foolish but was done in ignorance and for no financial gain. His FA punishment was just about right, but his sacking was not.

In retrospect, TRFC's actions were surprising. Firstly, (according to Ronnie) they suspended him straight away without asking him to explain what happened. Any sensible employer would grilled him, then given the circumstances they should have backed him and pleaded for leniency. His suspension and ultimate sacking was suicidal. I'm not convinced it made any sense. If it was a way to get rid of Ronnie without paying compensation, then they should have got a new manager in straight away. Surely they knew that using an untried interim like John McMahon was a very risky strategy.

I believe the club were trying to show they were whiter than white, but badly over-reacted and paid the price. If the same thing had happened a year ago when we were challenging for promotion, I think they would have done the same.
 
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