1994-2009: 15 years, 15 players

Also we’re looking for photos for our SWA On Tour section, if anyone’s got any good snaps in TRFC colours then send them in…

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After putting 5 past Walsall and more impressively Huddersfield, the Saints must have been brimming with confidence going into this match, and with Tranmere’s mediocre home form I feared the worst. But as Tranmere have a tendancy to do, we got a result against the odds. Les Parry’s men went out with the intention of putting their bodies on the line to win every ball. Although Southampton looked good, and Ricky Lambert provided an aerial threat, they quickly ran out of ideas and looked jaded after being hassled by Tranmere. The referee didn’t help matters, but we certainly deserved the victory.

I was also pleased to see LP making substitutions when they were required, unlike previously were he has left the starting 11 out for the entire 90 minutes. Bringing Bas Savage and Alan Mahon on at just the right time lifted the crowd and added a bit of much needed quality and creativity. Hopefully this will give him the confidence to make more of these decisions. Both players looked sharp considering their absense from the first team and I hope they both start against Leeds Utd tomorrow night.

Now 4 points off the drop zone, I think we deserve to avoid relegation and truly believe we will, as we obviously have the capacity to get results such as the Southampton one, whereas the teams below simply don’t. Bring on Leeds and let’s dent their chances of promotion!

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Thomas-Moore, Curran and Gornell have worked hard as Parry’s preferred front 3 but even the Physio-turned-Savior has readily admitted what he wants most as a belated transfer window Christmas present.  “We are looking for someone with some pace but with some height and size – and maybe someone who has a bit of a record in scoring goals.”

The irony in this is until last week, Tranmere had a player on their books who in theory ticked all the above boxes. Hell, he’d even turned out for England.

Step forward, or more appropriately perhaps, amble forward, the enigma that is Michael Ricketts.

A man blessed with the physical requirements every side dreams of in a target man. A man who, despite his size, possesses the touch of class and close control that exposes his premier league pedigree.

And yet….

Michael Ricketts could not get a game under Les Parry. Moreover, Michael Ricketts has struggled to hold down a first team place at a club since the nadir of his career, at our old enemy Bolton back in 2003.

A quick glance at his career stats provides intriguing reading. 14 goals in 31 starts at Walsall earned him a move to Bolton, where then boss and former Aldridge nemesis Sam ‘carp features’ Allardyce coaxed some excellent performances out of the big man.  So much so that he earned a call up and 45 minute cameo under Sven, albeit in a friendly.

This would prove to be the highlight of big Mike’s career- a subsequent move to Boro for 3.5m resulted in a meagre return of 3 goals in 22 appearances. He dropped down a level to Leeds where he failed to hit the net in 25 league appearances, and then, on loan to Cardiff, smashed in 5 in a dozen appearances and seemed to have regained some of his vigour.

Spells at Burnley, Southend, Preston and Oldham followed, as Ricketts successfully earned the dubious title of journeyman. By the time he turned up at Walsall again, he was somewhat of a spent force- but then managed to hit 9 goals in 25 starts, his first regular run of games in some 6 years.

And yet…

He was again released. When John Barnes turned to him in a desperate attempt to fix the gaping void he’d failed to fill in the summer, it was clear there was little left in the tank, and to say he’d let himself go in terms of his physique would be being extremely kind.

His debut  from the bench at Elland Road resulted in derisory jeers from the Leeds fans who remembered his spell at their club. In the few games he started at Prenton Park he showed brief glimpses of his ability, but all to often he was so far behind play he’d only just made it into the box by the time the ball was cleared.

Even Les failed to get him match fit, despite the rest of the squad improving in fitness massively in the last few months, and it was with great relief to most Rovers fans when it was announced he’d left last week by mutual consent- freeing up some wages for a much needed replacement.

His one goal for Rovers (I refuse to acknowledge the Hudds’ goal which was patently not his) was scored away at Exeter in a 2-1 defeat- a decent back post header. But this single goal would be all Rovers’ fans would really have to remember him by.

So what was wrong with Michael? What I saw of him suggests his heart just wasn’t in it. He was so unfit he could hardly run after 10 minutes. I recall one fan shouting at him “move your arse Ricketts!” to which he simply replied “I don’t have to”.

Maybe this is where the problem lies. Mike doesn’t have to play football. Maybe he has lost the love of the game; maybe he is financially comfortable and happy to ply his trade at any club willing to hire him on past glories.

Whatever the reason, it’s a sad waste of a talent. Perhaps Kevin Blackwell, his former boss at Leeds, sums it up best. “I think Michael needs to ask himself if he loves football enough.”

From what I’ve seen, that’s a very astute observation.

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In my opinion, this is probably the best decision we could make right now. Whilst I was bitterly disappointed that the talks with Keith Hill came to nothing, the last 4 weeks has seen a massive improvement on the pitch, with wins v Southend and Brentford at home and the fantastic point achieved at the Galpharm. Bringing in someone else now would only cause more upheaval, and at this stage of the season we really can’t afford to take our time finding our feet.

It remains to be seen whether Les can keep us up- but the fighting spirit, organisation and dedication is there for all to see. If Les gets to bring in one or two in Jan, and maybe shift one or two out, we might just get out of this mess.

Les, you have our full backing. Godspeed sir.

SWA

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1. Season starts this Saturday away to Carlisle
2. Performance Of The Season – Bring On Leeds

As we all know the wage budget has been reduced by Mr Johnson, and all things considered the appointment of an inexperienced celebrity was not only footballing suicide, but marketing suicide. Seeing that PJ is a successful businessman this again puts Tranmere Rovers in the ‘weekend plaything’ in Johnson’s priority stakes. However I feel the right man is in charge to get things into shape in the short term.

I honestly feel if Ronnie Moore was still at the helm even with the reduced wage budget we wouldn’t be in this mess, and also maybe a little controversially if Barnes had a higher wage budget then we would still be higher up the table? All things considered we need to sort out the team.

Paul Mclaren is an example of an experienced player who has not delivered and appears not to give a monkeys about the plight of Tranmere, considering he came with a reasonable reputation as a former player (I didn’t rate him first time round) he has done nothing to endear himself to the Super White Army.

Similarly Alan Mahon was a former fans favourite, and a personal favourite having been relatively young when Tranmere’s cup exploits in 2000 in which he was the star player, but this season he has been off the pace and has even offered to payback half his wages to the club, this is exactly the kind of commitment needed for a dogfight.

Former Bolton and Leeds Utd’s Michael Ricketts has been a major disappointment also, maybe slightly less so because I for one didn’t expect much. Historically a lot has been said about his desire and passion for the game, and his fitness still seems way off what it should be even with intensive one on one training sessions with Les. However at times he has looked a cut above, is it possible he could turn himself into a striker to be reckoned with, ignoring the weight issue (chief springs to mind) utilised correctly in the right system is it possible he could do a job but it will be tough for him with Bas returning in the new year.

Kithson Bain, now out on loan at Kettering, couldn’t possibly comment as only seen him as a substitute for short periods, the fact he’s out on loan suggests we don’t need him so lets monitor his performances at Kettering.

A player I hear mixed reports about is former Blackburn Rovers player Marlon Broomes, an experienced defender yes, but personally I see him as out of his depth, slow, hot headed and uncomfortable on the ball, horrible to watch.

Finally Shay Logan at right back is certainly a position where we can be much improved, the Man City player is talented, and in some ways is more suited to the premier league where it’s less physical and more technical. At this level we need to be solid, and for me he’s too diminutive to have a positive impact and bully tricky wingers. Gareth Edds would suit this role if he wasn’t doing a job in central midfield.

There are positives that can be drawn from this scenario, the emergence of the younger players such as Gornell, Curran and Ash Taylor can only be of long term benefit to Tranmere, these lads are hungry for the game and possibly wouldn’t have got a chance if the above players where starting every week.

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The likes of Jody Craddock are still likely to notch up a cricket score, and if we’re still languishing in the bottom four by the time of the match then it may knock some optimism and energy out of the players – and leave us playing the billionaires of Notts County.

Would it be too boring and sensible to suggest we put the cup to one side this season and concentrate on safety? John Barnes had his hands on the cup once before. We need to focus on Les Parry’s tenuous grip on League One.

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Good win last night keep up the work rate

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One of the main changes under ‘Discopants’ is the formation- from John Barnes alien 4-2-2-2 to a heavily protective 4-3-3. Les has made his reasons for this very clear- to stop the rot at the back, and stem the gaping holes in a Rovers rearguard that has slipped to a -18 goal difference in the opening three months of the season.

The last time Rovers employed this system was early last season under Ronnie Moore. During pre-season it looked particularly impressive with free flowing football and attacking verve culminating in a comfortable 1-0 win over Blackpool, with the only goal coming from Charlie Barnett. Once the season started however, the formation proved too lightweight in midfield and Ronnie quickly abandoned it in favour of his usual 4-4-2.

Going further back, most Rovers fans will associate the 4-3-3 with John Aldridge. In a system that brought the heights of a Wembley appearance and 6th round appearance in the FA cup, Aldridge utilised a midfield trio of Mahon, Gary Jones and Nick Henry, with Taylor and Parkinson supporting the likes of Ned Kelly or Wayne Allison as the target man.

So what are the benefits this time round? Well from first impressions, it seems Parry is looking to use the two wider forwards as support for the midfield, defending from the front and making the opposition work to break us down. The trio of Moore, Gornell and Curran have interchanged continually and worked tirelessly, somewhat to the detriment of their attacking threat, and Parry has acknowledged this as a neccessary sacrifice.

In midfield, McLaren has played a deep lying role behind the ball winners, Edds and Welsh, which has had mixed success. While it does in theory give us options, and McLaren the chance to prove he can pick a pass, the lack of movement in attacking postions has more often then not led to him losing the ball or going backwards. Edds however has been a revelation, becoming somewhat of a fans favourite by giving 100% for the cause.

From a defensive perspective, Parry seems to have improved things. 2 goals conceded in 3, and a much stronger backbone to the team than before. The main concern though is the lack of someone to put the ball in the net. Only 1 goal scored in his 3 matches in charge, and yet numerous chances created, particularly for Curran- worryingly Ian Thomas-Moore has been a peripheral figure, and seems unsuited to the role. The solution may be to shake things up up front. The front 3 are all similar in build and ability- someone like Ricketts as the focal point could make a massive difference; or perhaps using Shuker or Mahon out wide ahead of Gornell could bring some much needed creativity.

Personally though, I think once the ship is steadied, the defence more confident and a new man is in charge, a return to 4-4-2 could be our salvation. For the moment though, we can only hope one of the forward players finally finds the net in what could be a crucial 125th anniversary match on saturday.

SWA

Related posts:

1. Where Do We Go From Here?
2. Tranmere Rovers 0 Charlton Athletic 4
3. Tranmere’s Deadwood

Super White Army

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1. Les Parry confirmed till end of season
2. Tranmere Rovers v Charlton Athletic – 29th August

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