⚽Match thread v Tranmere Rovers 01.01.24 [EFL L2]

[OP67]

The problem we have is that we have 5 league 1 players carrying the 6 non league players. I'm hoping we'll get some decent L1/L2 players in to replace the majority of the non league players! Otherwise we'll be struggling to hang onto a play off place.

[Mark_Ross]

Ah bldy well.

Another hammering away from home.

On to the next...

[BigFatPie]

Half an hour of playing fantastic surrounded by an hour of dogsh!t. We’re so easy to get at which inevitably leads to shots which unfortunately with our keepers leads to goals. We all know about the need for some new defenders but we also need people off the bench who can change the game. Sanderson does look like he’s got something about him though.

Impressed with Tranny who’ve totally turned it around from their abysmal showing at ML. Adkins deserves a lot of credit.

[matt_magpie]

The problem we have is that we have 5 league 1 players carrying the 6 non league players. I'm hoping we'll get some decent L1/L2 players in to replace the majority of the non league players! Otherwise we'll be struggling to hang onto a play off place.

Not sure their non league standard but get what you're saying. We need at least 3 very decent players to come in if we want to challenge top 3 but I fear that’s probably gone. Reality is budget wise we’ve probably over achieved and that’s with 3 long term injuries too, if we hang on to LW I’d be surprised if we don’t make the play offs.

[ThePieWhoCameIn]

I can't help feeling there is going to be a fair amount of disappointment around over the next few weeks.

A lot of faith is being placed in January and our 'obvious' needs. Lots of calls for recruitment of defenders. We 'need' a new GK. We also need more strength in depth in midfield. And all these players need to be able to slot straight into the Notts way.

I'll be happy to be proved wrong but it isn't going to happen. As someone's already said, 4 GKs on the books is excessive. And for a new GK to have all the qualities that are apparently required, it seems like we need Jordan Pickford. Good luck with that.

We need another defender with decent pace and strength who can go with a runner. Oh, not forgetting they also need to be confident carrying the ball into the opposite half. In short we need another Baldwin. That won't be easy.

The biggest issue with the defence is not the players. We play a back 3. Of course this doesn't give us the solidity of a back 4. Those 3 seem reluctant to get pulled any wider than the width of the goal. Nemane and Jones are asked to do the jobs of full backs, neither of them are, they're wingers.

This is the system we play. It is a gamble, we are lightweight defensively because we are so loaded with attacking players. This isn't supposed to matter because we're supposed to control the game. LW is always talking about it. We control the play at all times and then it doesn't matter if you are lightweight defensively because you can't concede if you have the ball.

I thought we looked tired second half. Same XI for all 4 Xmas games is a big ask in a high energy football model. I also thought Tranny looked decent and well prepared. They managed to survive our high energy counter press when we lost the ball, which we did too often, so we use a lot of energy for nothing, and they had clearly targeted our right as a weakness. Too many people didn't go with runners. No, actually too many people didn't STAY with runners, they got left behind, I think our legs had gone.

The break should do us good but I would not be expecting miracles from the recruitment team, or for our defensive frailty to improve massively. The way we keep clean sheets is by totally dominating the play as we have recently at home. And that just isn't going to happen every game.

[optipez]

If one of those poor teams was Doncaster, since we beat them they have drawn with Mansfield and beat MKD 3 - 0.

I can't help feeling there is going to be a fair amount of disappointment around over the next few weeks.

A lot of faith is being placed in January and our 'obvious' needs. Lots of calls for recruitment of defenders. We 'need' a new GK. We also need more strength in depth in midfield. And all these players need to be able to slot straight into the Notts way.

I'll be happy to be proved wrong but it isn't going to happen. As someone's already said, 4 GKs on the books is excessive. And for a new GK to have all the qualities that are apparently required, it seems like we need Jordan Pickford. Good luck with that.

We need another defender with decent pace and strength who can go with a runner. Oh, not forgetting they also need to be confident carrying the ball into the opposite half. In short we need another Baldwin. That won't be easy.

The biggest issue with the defence is not the players. We play a back 3. Of course this doesn't give us the solidity of a back 4. Those 3 seem reluctant to get pulled any wider than the width of the goal. Nemane and Jones are asked to do the jobs of full backs, neither of them are, they're wingers.

This is the system we play. It is a gamble, we are lightweight defensively because we are so loaded with attacking players. This isn't supposed to matter because we're supposed to control the game. LW is always talking about it. We control the play at all times and then it doesn't matter if you are lightweight defensively because you can't concede if you have the ball.

I thought we looked tired second half. Same XI for all 4 Xmas games is a big ask in a high energy football model. I also thought Tranny looked decent and well prepared. They managed to survive our high energy counter press when we lost the ball, which we did too often, so we use a lot of energy for nothing, and they had clearly targeted our right as a weakness. Too many people didn't go with runners. No, actually too many people didn't STAY with runners, they got left behind, I think our legs had gone.

The break should do us good but I would not be expecting miracles from the recruitment team, or for our defensive frailty to improve massively. The way we keep clean sheets is by totally dominating the play as we have recently at home. And that just isn't going to happen every game.

Macari for Brindley improves the defence and Luke Belshaw is available on loan and would instantly improve us in goal. We've already signed a midfielder with 75 L1 games under his belt so there is hope.
Away from home we perhaps ought to try being a bit more defensive even if we have to sacrifice a winger for a second holding midfielder.
As Ardley used to say, respect the point, we haven't done that away this season and keep getting well beaten.

[BigFatPie]

I can't help feeling there is going to be a fair amount of disappointment around over the next few weeks.

A lot of faith is being placed in January and our 'obvious' needs. Lots of calls for recruitment of defenders. We 'need' a new GK. We also need more strength in depth in midfield. And all these players need to be able to slot straight into the Notts way.

I'll be happy to be proved wrong but it isn't going to happen. As someone's already said, 4 GKs on the books is excessive. And for a new GK to have all the qualities that are apparently required, it seems like we need Jordan Pickford. Good luck with that.

We need another defender with decent pace and strength who can go with a runner. Oh, not forgetting they also need to be confident carrying the ball into the opposite half. In short we need another Baldwin. That won't be easy.

The biggest issue with the defence is not the players. We play a back 3. Of course this doesn't give us the solidity of a back 4. Those 3 seem reluctant to get pulled any wider than the width of the goal. Nemane and Jones are asked to do the jobs of full backs, neither of them are, they're wingers.

This is the system we play. It is a gamble, we are lightweight defensively because we are so loaded with attacking players. This isn't supposed to matter because we're supposed to control the game. LW is always talking about it. We control the play at all times and then it doesn't matter if you are lightweight defensively because you can't concede if you have the ball.

I thought we looked tired second half. Same XI for all 4 Xmas games is a big ask in a high energy football model. I also thought Tranny looked decent and well prepared. They managed to survive our high energy counter press when we lost the ball, which we did too often, so we use a lot of energy for nothing, and they had clearly targeted our right as a weakness. Too many people didn't go with runners. No, actually too many people didn't STAY with runners, they got left behind, I think our legs had gone.

The break should do us good but I would not be expecting miracles from the recruitment team, or for our defensive frailty to improve massively. The way we keep clean sheets is by totally dominating the play as we have recently at home. And that just isn't going to happen every game.

I don’t think anyone’s expecting a League 2 Beckenbauer or a 2024 Maldini to turn up in Jan and transform us overnight.,Maintaining an attacking threat AND not having a worse defensive record than the league’s bottom club isn’t too much to ask though is it?

[freemuzzy]

The problem we have is that we have 5 league 1 players carrying the 6 non league players. I'm hoping we'll get some decent L1/L2 players in to replace the majority of the non league players! Otherwise we'll be struggling to hang onto a play off place.

Out of interest, who are the 5 L1 players? Who’s non-league out of Langstaff, Crowley, McGoldrick, Jones, Bostock, Baldwin, Nemane, Cameron?

[irishpete]

Macari for Brindley improves the defence and Luke Belshaw is available on loan and would instantly improve us in goal. We've already signed a midfielder with 75 L1 games under his belt so there is hope.
Away from home we perhaps ought to try being a bit more defensive even if we have to sacrifice a winger for a second holding midfielder.
As Ardley used to say, respect the point, we haven't done that away this season and keep getting well beaten.

You shouldn't be scoring goals away from home & losing games like we do & the amount conceding to teams in the lower half. We need to toughen up a bit

[TheBlackHorse]

... as some are saying, expectancy levels to resolve current problems are far too high at the moment. We can see what is required, but there will be a premium put on players who arrive to resolve our immediate defensive needs. I suspect that the club has its targets but will not want to be held to ransom on fees. Perhaps we should remind ourselves of the basic need to be first to the ball and stop the crosses. There was some criminal defending v Tranmere, as we saw. It's also a bit rich to expect Nemane and Jones to deliver critical crosses AND stop crosses in a defensive role whilst other 'defenders' swan about marking no-one. Perhaps we will settle for part solutions until our preferred choices are available at the right price. COYP