• 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.

Wycombe away

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ian goodison
what conor Jennings must feel like stuck on the bench watching certain players going through the motions is anyone's guess, not the most gifted of players but never gives less than 100% can cope with getting beat but there doesn,t appear any leadership from the bench i.e. micky/jackson
 

bigmart

bigmart
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Ian Muir
We will need a clearout in the summer and hopefully recruitment will be better than last summer
 

Boz

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Iain Hume
what conor Jennings must feel like stuck on the bench watching certain players going through the motions is anyone's guess, not the most gifted of players but never gives less than 100% can cope with getting beat but there doesn,t appear any leadership from the bench i.e. micky/jackson
I agree with this to some extent, was surprised Micky only made one change during the course of the game and I’m not sure either Ferrier or Cook made much impact. There was an argument for introducing either Jennings or Danns in place of one of the defensive midfielders to try and make something happen after we’d gone behind again.

I was told by a Rovers fan after the game that there was a push during the Wycombe opening goal. Vaughan’s equaliser was taken well and against the run of play, they’d headed against the bar a bit before. Thought we could have done more for their second, allowing the quality cross to be put in and giving Akinfenwa a free header, though he placed in where Davies had no chance.

I’d agree the final score was flattering to the hosts, but on balance we deserved to lose. Can’t see much hope of getting out of the relegation mire now.
 
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ian goodison
to be honest I'm dreading the thought of going down and finding mellon is still in charge, he signs players on 2yr deals then dumps them so I have no faith with any recruitment he may end up presiding over
 

Ian

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to be honest I'm dreading the thought of going down and finding mellon is still in charge
did you have the same thoughts when we won back to back promotions? there is still no better manager if we go down. we will be much more competitive in league two and we can hopefully build from there. we are not ready/equipped for league one football as it stands.
 

ADD

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Norwood
Firstly have to say conditions were clearly very difficult wind and pitch wise but although we played slightly better they scored 3, hit the cross bar and created way more than we did despite us having plenty of possession. Despite the layoff and personnel changes nothing has changed - terrible at defending set pieces and still creating very little.
Amazed again by Micky's lack of substitutions. We are 2 -1 down and we do nothing. How CBT got to play 90 minutes is beyond me - he is simply not up for it and pulled out of so many tackles today. I can't be the only one who noticed other players looking at him as to why the hell he hadn't challenged for the ball.
I guess we go again on Tuesday as we are and if we lose that game then surely we accept the inevitable and start preparations for next season? Play Pilling, Walker Rice, Spellman, Gilmour and Gumbs and give them a chance to showcase whether they are worth another contract.
We could alternatively I suppose bring in a caretaker manager but it is probably too late in any event with us effectively 9 points behind even if MP was minded to...
 

Sparky

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Chris Greenacre
I agree with Ian. Micky has 2 promotions on his CV from league 2 and left Fleetwood when they were 4th albeit some years ago. He is proven at that level. So many supporters have such a short memory and we can’t just expect season after season of constant success be it promotion or staying up. Yes some signings have been poor e.g Payne, Ray and some loannees, but we can’t afford to go and sign proven L1 players so plenty of players come with an element of risk. Dont get me wrong I get as frustrated as anyone when micky won’t make changes when things clearly aren’t working but if we go down, he deserves another crack at league two. Obviously if we struggled in L2 next season then decisions could be made but Micky has worked wonders up to now.
 

Sparky

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Just watched the goals. Poor defending from both sides. Our goal was a missed clearance although Vaughan finished well. Their second goal saw Wilson turned inside and out and unable to stop the cross and akinfenwa outmuscled manny unsurprisingly. The penalty saw a moment of madness from Davies who cane running off his line when we had cover.
 
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ian goodison
did you have the same thoughts when we won back to back promotions? there is still no better manager if we go down. we will be much more competitive in league two and we can hopefully build from there. we are not ready/equipped for league one football as it stands.
ian last year in league 2 we finished 7TH we were nowhere near the level of the clubs that went up outright in fact we were nowhere near as good as Mansfield, we got lucky again in the play-offs for the 2nd year running, I don't have a vision of mellon doing anything different than the last 2 seasons, we never know we may scrape another play-off victory but other than that I wont hold my breath
 
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ian last year in league 2 we finished 7TH we were nowhere near the level of the clubs that went up outright in fact we were nowhere near as good as Mansfield, we got lucky again in the play-offs for the 2nd year running, I don't have a vision of mellon doing anything different than the last 2 seasons, we never know we may scrape another play-off victory but other than that I wont hold my breath
So we 'scraped' two promotions through sheer luck ! Having failed to 'scrape' any promotions in the previous 27 years under a succession of managers.

The one thing you are right about is that we were not at the same level as the other promoted sides from League Two, completely understandably given that both had higher budgets and more established squads at that level, whereas we were fresh out of non league football. That is also the reason why they have fared (slightly) better this season, whereas it has been difficult for us to make the transition to League One football.
 
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Despite the relentless negativity on social media, there were improved elements in the performance today.

In the first half we clearly set up to be solid, and were improved defensively with Clarke back in the side. It was a midfield battle and a nothing half really, with only a couple of half-chances for either side, which is exactly how we would have planned it. However, Wycombe did force a succession of free kicks around our box, often resulting from dubious refereeing (as admitted by their manager). In this period of pressure a corner was whipped in dangerously by Jacobson, took a nasty deflection and was bundled in by Akinfenwa, who used his arm to force the ball home from my viewpoint.

The second half started poorly, with Rovers relying too much on long punts to Cook, who was becoming ineffective. However, Mellon correctly made a change, bringing on Ferrier, which revitalised us and gave us more of a threat in the final third. The quality of our football improved, with Morris heavily involved and we finally had a threat in behind. The equaliser was deserved and was an excellent finish by Vaughan.

In the five or ten minutes that followed we had Wycombe under serious pressure and I honestly believed we could go on and win the game. We did not force their keeper into any real saves, but Ferrier and Vaughan were a threat playing on the shoulder of the Wycombe defence and we visibly grew in confidence, having finally got on the scoresheet. However, Wycombe's second goal was the obvious turning point in the game. Wilson was beaten by their winger for probably the first time in the match, and Akinfenwa delivered a superb header into the bottom corner. From that point we obviously had to chase the game and were vulnerable to the counter attack, which is how their third arose. Davies was probably rash to race from his line and make a challenge, but I was not convinced the foul was inside the box (neither was their manager). Wycombe created three or four good chances when the game opened out and deserved the victory, but the final scoreline flattered them slightly.

There were some good individual displays. Wilson kept their talented winger very quiet, other than in the build up to the second goal, and Ridehalgh had a really solid game. Woodyard covered an unbelievable amount of ground and protected the back four very well. Morris had his best game in a while - the Prenton Park pitch makes it impossible for him to dribble and play his natural game.

It was interesting that the quality of our football improved when Cook went off today, with Vaughan looking more threatening alongside Ferrier. Food for thought for the manager. I think if Cook does start games we have to play through the thirds, move the ball wide and then cross to him, rather than punting long balls for him to knock down. We just don't look threatening with that pattern of play, and I don't think that kind of service is any use to Vaughan, who really needs balls threaded through from behind.

As I said previously, I did not expect us to get anything out of this game, so today's result changes nothing for me, despite the hysteria. The game on Tuesday was always the one we could realistically win, although that task has become harder following Shrewsbury's apparent return to form and impressive victory against Donny today. However, I saw enough in the second half to suggest we can cause them some problems.
 
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aldo
well ive been told by some one who knows and has worked with a fair number of our first team . that they are not getting much coaching . witch if true would explain our piss poor record with set plays and our lack of beating the first man when we have em . its not good enough end of and there is only one thing they can do im not saying it but the writing is on the wall and it needs doing the players are not responding no more and it needs changing
 
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Just watched the goals. Poor defending from both sides. Our goal was a missed clearance although Vaughan finished well. Their second goal saw Wilson turned inside and out and unable to stop the cross and akinfenwa outmuscled manny unsurprisingly. The penalty saw a moment of madness from Davies who cane running off his line when we had cover.
I don't know if the highlights showed it, but there was a great burst forward from Ridehalgh in the build up to our goal. He had a good game and I think he has had a good season.
 
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aldo
the thing is the players are making the same mistakes . mm says they wana learn but they don,t seem to be able to do it . whats the issue is it they are not being trained or is it they have given up . its the same shit different day thing and its not happening . we will be playing LG 2 next year has MP got the money to have a massive clear out and do they Trust mm To use it and get the right players in . i am the most positive person in the world but i hear of things not right in the club . the place a work for have just taken a group witch over the year will cost the club between £9800 and £13k witch they can,t afford to lose but if you serve sh%t then they move on its not the first time its Happend . . i love the club and im hurting i like you all want to see the team winning and playing well . so come the fu%k on get there fingers out of there arses
 

Ian

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whats the issue is it they are not being trained or is it they have given up .
most of them have probably reached their level and will continue to make the same mistakes against this level of opposition which is why we are seeing the same thing week in, week out. i wouldnt say they have given up but confidence must be pretty low at the moment.
 

bigmart

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Ian Muir
It seems to me that despite being well backed in January we have little or no improvement at all, the lack of balance in the said is obvious. We are certain to go down and it is not just down to the budget.

what concerns me most for next season is will we be able to challenge at the top end of the table, we got promoted by being fairly solid for most of the season and on the back of norwoods goals who h on both counts it will be very hard to replictae.We

the recruitment strategy needs to be much better as we can't afford to sign players then not involve them within 6 months of signing them as has been the case with several.Players this season.
 
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It seems to me that despite being well backed in January we have little or no improvement at all, the lack of balance in the said is obvious. We are certain to go down and it is not just down to the budget.

what concerns me most for next season is will we be able to challenge at the top end of the table, we got promoted by being fairly solid for most of the season and on the back of norwoods goals who h on both counts it will be very hard to replictae.We

the recruitment strategy needs to be much better as we can't afford to sign players then not involve them within 6 months of signing them as has been the case with several.Players this season.
I think individually Clarke, Woodyard and Vaughan are clearly better than the players they replaced, but it is difficult to get a team to gel mid season when confidence is low and there are still inadequacies elsewhere in the team. Last season was different as we had a confident squad and a prolific goalscorer which we could add to in January. If we had been able to bring in the January signings last summer and have a full pre season with them, we might have stayed up. But we could not afford to, so we had to bring in dross. So yes, the budget is the issue, as we did not have the resources last summer to put together a competitive squad at this level.
 
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If we are mid table in League Two next season and don't immediately challenge, it is not a catastrophe. Think of where we were three years ago and where we could be now if it was not for the work Mellon has done. Wrexham and Stockport supporters would bite your hand off for a season of League Two mediocrity.
 

bigmart

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Ian Muir
I think individually Clarke, Woodyard and Vaughan are clearly better than the players they replaced, but it is difficult to get a team to gel mid season when confidence is low and there are still inadequacies elsewhere in the team. Last season was different as we had a confident squad and a prolific goalscorer which we could add to in January. If we had been able to bring in the January signings last summer and have a full pre season with them, we might have stayed up. But we could not afford to, so we had to bring in dross. So yes, the budget is the issue, as we did not have the resources last summer to put together a competitive squad at this level.
It is not just the budget though is it, if it was Accrington would not be in league two neither mind comfortably being in league one, Ipswich and Sunderland would easily go up automatically but it is not just that simple and Wycombe ha d proven it too despite having a budget similar to ours.
 
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It is not just the budget though is it, if it was Accrington would not be in league two neither mind comfortably being in league one, Ipswich and Sunderland would easily go up automatically but it is not just that simple and Wycombe ha d proven it too despite having a budget similar to ours.
There are always outliers like Wycombe (whose budget is still bigger than ours by the way) but the vast majority of clubs in this division and at every level are performing in accordance with their budget.

Accrington were promoted automatically from League Two and did not have three seasons in non league football, so had a stronger squad than us to start with. All of the other struggling clubs - Rochdale, Wimbledon, ourselves - are the clubs with low budgets, with the exception of Southend and Bolton who have been mismanaged off the pitch. The vast majority of clubs at the top end of the table - Sunderland, Portsmouth, Ipswich, Rotherham, Doncaster - are the clubs with high budgets. Wycombe are the exception that proves the rule.

We have not only faced the problem of having a restricted budget. A lot of that budget was taken up by players who were of National League or League Two standard at best and were never going to be good enough for this level. However, we could not move those players on and sign twenty new ones, so we were hampered in our ability to compete to begin with. We had to use what little remained of our wage budget, after accounting for those players, to compete for League One standard players, which was obviously impossible judging by the quality of the players we were able to sign last summer. When additional money was made available in January due to the cup run, we were finally able to bring in some League One standard players - Clarke, Woodyard, Vaughan. However, that was too little, too late.

So, yes, the budget and the impact of back to back promotions are the reasons we are likely to be relegated.
 
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