A comprehensive Tranmere preview of the match, although its credibility is somewhat undermined by naming Gary Doherty as 'one to watch'. First, he's injured and, second, he is 'one to watch' only if you are a fan of the directionless defensive header. Anyway: Tranmere
Apparently the choice to replace Doherty is between Forch and Llera. I would prefer the latter, the league having turned down Chris Powell's request to place the central defence on mobility scooters.
The Tranmere forecast is 1-1 and a lot of Charlton blogs are forecasting a draw, either a dreary 0-0 or 1-1. I think the gloom is being overdone. Tranmere don't have much of a record at The Valley and I am going for 2-0.
Admittedly the clean sheet may be a bit optimistic given that Elliot seems to be having some problems. He is still has a Dracula problem and at set pieces some of the confusion and panic in the defence may be down to a lack of confidence in him. Possibly one of Parky's mistakes was not to see the potential in Randolph.
My biggest concern is actually the crowd. One of the main arguments for getting rid of Parky was that the majority of fans lacked confidence in him, but the negativity has soon come back. With a side drained of confidence, they need the support of the Addickted, not moans and groans the first time there is a misplaced pass.
Showing posts with label Tranmere Rovers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tranmere Rovers. Show all posts
Friday, 4 March 2011
Thursday, 3 March 2011
I may not go to the game
Although I have a season ticket, I may not go to the next game. The team has slipped down towards mid-table and hopes of progress in the play offs are evaporating. There has been a series of humiliating home defeats.
The team I am referring to is not Charlton but Coventry Blaze who won the Elite League championship last year. This year it's all gone pear shaped with the team losing 2-4 on Sunday to Brahead Clan, a team of upstarts from a shopping mall in Glasgow (25 hardy Scots ventured with them to the southernmost point of top flight British ice hockey).
The team no longer seems to able to dominate the middle of the rink and is prone to defensive errors. There is a resort to the long puck game, a hopeful flick forward that might generate a lucky rebound off the boarding. Some of the players seem to have lost motivation.
And to cap it all the normal Sunday evening game which provides a conclusion to the weekend has been replaced this weekend by Friday and Saturday evening games.
So I will be going to Charlton v. Tranmere on Saturday. So far I haven't been able to find any useful information about the opposition from the Wirral Globe. However, it is worth bearing in mind that losing runs eventually come to an end. We may be mediocre, but so are most other teams in the division. If Chris Powell can inject a little more motivation and confidence, it could do the trick.
Posted by Wyn Grant at 06:27 0 comments
The team I am referring to is not Charlton but Coventry Blaze who won the Elite League championship last year. This year it's all gone pear shaped with the team losing 2-4 on Sunday to Brahead Clan, a team of upstarts from a shopping mall in Glasgow (25 hardy Scots ventured with them to the southernmost point of top flight British ice hockey).
The team no longer seems to able to dominate the middle of the rink and is prone to defensive errors. There is a resort to the long puck game, a hopeful flick forward that might generate a lucky rebound off the boarding. Some of the players seem to have lost motivation.
And to cap it all the normal Sunday evening game which provides a conclusion to the weekend has been replaced this weekend by Friday and Saturday evening games.
So I will be going to Charlton v. Tranmere on Saturday. So far I haven't been able to find any useful information about the opposition from the Wirral Globe. However, it is worth bearing in mind that losing runs eventually come to an end. We may be mediocre, but so are most other teams in the division. If Chris Powell can inject a little more motivation and confidence, it could do the trick.
Posted by Wyn Grant at 06:27 0 comments
Friday, 17 September 2010
Tranmere look for second win of season
Tranmere Rovers are looking for their second league win of the season against Charlton tomorrow. This very full preview from a Tranmere site predicts a 2-0 win for the home side: Tranmere
The argument put forward is that Tranmere players may not be as of high a quality as some of the Charlton players, but their work rate will lead them to victory. I would be inclined to put it the other way round: there is plenty of endeavour from the Addicks, but often a lack of skill. Of course, we have to rememmber that they are third division of players and hoofing the ball out of defence is one of the chaarcteristics of the lower divisions.
The Tranmere preview picks Gary Doherty as the man to watch and he will certainly be a key player in a defence lacking Christian Dailly. There is also no sign of a replacement keeper for the injured Elliot, but even if someone does arrive in a cab at Prenton Park, he will not have a good understanding with the defence.
With hindsight one could argue that we should have gone for a second keeper with a Football League pedigree, but is the No.2 position at Charlton that attractive, particularly as we could not pay very much? One might, I suppose, get a veteran nearing the end of his career.
The other concern is the link up play between midfield and our strikers. Whether Abbott and Benson can do the business remains to be seen and there may at least be a case for inroducing Sodje earlier in the game.
Before the Elliot injury I would have gone for a 2-2 draw, but the Tranmere prediction could now be correct.
The argument put forward is that Tranmere players may not be as of high a quality as some of the Charlton players, but their work rate will lead them to victory. I would be inclined to put it the other way round: there is plenty of endeavour from the Addicks, but often a lack of skill. Of course, we have to rememmber that they are third division of players and hoofing the ball out of defence is one of the chaarcteristics of the lower divisions.
The Tranmere preview picks Gary Doherty as the man to watch and he will certainly be a key player in a defence lacking Christian Dailly. There is also no sign of a replacement keeper for the injured Elliot, but even if someone does arrive in a cab at Prenton Park, he will not have a good understanding with the defence.
With hindsight one could argue that we should have gone for a second keeper with a Football League pedigree, but is the No.2 position at Charlton that attractive, particularly as we could not pay very much? One might, I suppose, get a veteran nearing the end of his career.
The other concern is the link up play between midfield and our strikers. Whether Abbott and Benson can do the business remains to be seen and there may at least be a case for inroducing Sodje earlier in the game.
Before the Elliot injury I would have gone for a 2-2 draw, but the Tranmere prediction could now be correct.
Thursday, 16 September 2010
No fear at Tranmere
There's no fear at Tranmere as big boys Charlton Athletic head for Prenton Park: Tranmere
Sometimes you wonder if the managers, players and newspaper commentators at other third division clubs could not come up with a narrative about Charlton other than: big boys; promotion favourites; we are confident we can deal with them.
Ironically, Tranmere also have keeper problems, although afflicting on loan Manchester City keeper Gunnary Nielsen. He picked up an injury on international duty with the Faroe Islands.
Nielsen was injured (also on international duty) after featuring in Tranmere's opening game. Since then youngster Joe Collister has been used in goal, keeping three clean sheets and appearing in the League One team of the week twice.
However, Tranmere boss Les Parry is worried about putting too much pressure on the 18-year old. He therefore expects to sign a new keeper before the weekend to cope with the menace of Charlton's forward line.
Sometimes you wonder if the managers, players and newspaper commentators at other third division clubs could not come up with a narrative about Charlton other than: big boys; promotion favourites; we are confident we can deal with them.
Ironically, Tranmere also have keeper problems, although afflicting on loan Manchester City keeper Gunnary Nielsen. He picked up an injury on international duty with the Faroe Islands.
Nielsen was injured (also on international duty) after featuring in Tranmere's opening game. Since then youngster Joe Collister has been used in goal, keeping three clean sheets and appearing in the League One team of the week twice.
However, Tranmere boss Les Parry is worried about putting too much pressure on the 18-year old. He therefore expects to sign a new keeper before the weekend to cope with the menace of Charlton's forward line.
Saturday, 30 January 2010
Under the cosh against Tranmere
'Here we are in the last few minutes of the match under the cosh against Tranmere. How far have we fallen?' That was the comment of Paul, the Bloke Beside Me, as we stuttered to a 1-1 draw at home against the Wirral side.
Others have told me that the last two performances at Charlton had been awful, but I did not realise how awful until today's dispiriting performance. Here are some of the faults:
1. Over use of the long ball, instead of playing to feet
2. Lack of shape in the midfield and indeed in the team generally
3. Falling too often into the offside trap
4. Hesitating in promising positions
5. Too slow
6. Bailey always playing the ball to Sam, particularly across the pitch when there was an alternative outlet available nearby in the shape of the lively Reid
7. An excessive delay in replacing Elliot when he was injured which fortunately did not cost us
8. Mooney had one of the poorest games I have seen played by a forward in a Charlton shirt
9. Parky's substitutions were not well judged, especially taking off the lively Reid, a decision that was roundly booed
10. Overall a disjointed performance
In the first half we started quite well but our overall play showed a lack of urgency and too often casualness. It was clearly a concern when Elliot came off, although what worried me was that we were still playing balls back to the keeper (which we do too much anyway) when he was clearly injured. There was one moment of humour when John Welsh, having laid prone on the ground and earned Burton a yellow card, hobbled off the pitch. A wag in the East Stand shouted, 'Are you sure that's the right leg mate?' at which point Welsh smiled and acknowledged the comment, so there is still some humour in football. Mooney did have a couple of half chances, including a crisp cross put in by Reid, but did not make anything of them. I and those around me were relieved to get to half time with the score at 0-0.
The Bloke Beside Me predicted that as against Orient we would go behind in the 47th minute but he was a minute out as Tranmere went ahead in the 48th. It came from a corner, poorly defended as is often the case and Sodje put a bullet header into his own net.
We did wake up a bit and eventually Bailey got us level. Tranmere continued with a mixture of some threatening attacks and time wasting, for which their goalkeeper Luke Daniels eventually got a yellow card, but it was far too late. But there was always a danger that Tranmere would score again and towards the end of the game they hit the crossbar. Somehow this galvanised us and we had a storming last five minutes of the game with the ball going everywhere in front of the Tranmere goal except in it. Tripping expert Zoumana Bakayogo eventually got sent off in time added on for a second yellow card following another display of his artistry with the extended leg.
Why were we suddenly able to turn it on? To me this looks like a team whose always fragile confidence has been dented by recent setbacks and are particularly nervous playing at home. We did play reasonably well at Wycombe and hopefully three games away from the Valley crowd will help us to recover our form.
For those who compare the 4-0 win at Tranmere with the draw, I do think it is likely that they have got their act together since Barnes left as their recent form shows. Also, teams tend to raise their game when they play us.
This was a poor performance, but predictably there has been an over reaction as exemplified by chants of 'You don't know what you're doing' directed at Parky. With this team I thought at the beginning of the season that we would be somewhere between mid-table and the fringes of the play offs. We are third, six points ahead of the nearest side, Colchester lost yesterday and Swindow surrendered a 2-0 lead at Southend to draw. Whilst we are unlikely to get an automatic promotion place, we have every chance of being in the play offs.
Match analysis
Match analyst Ivy the Terrible presented a Silver Bone to a somewhat bemused Kyel Reid. Dismissed as 'crap' after ten minutes by one of the football experts behind me, Reid improved as the game went on and could have done more if the ball had been passed to him when he was unmarked rather than always pursuing our fixaton with passing to Sam. Admittedly one run down the left in the first half did end up with him tripping on the ball, but he had the right idea and as the game went on he put in increasingly good crosses. Having a natural left-winger in the side is an asset we must learn to make use of. Apparently he was withdrawn because of a calf strain. Elliot had relatively little to do until he was withdrawn with what appeared to be a lower back injury. Randolph was not at fault for the goal and made two good saves later in the game. Dailly was solid and dealt with one potentially dangerous situation exceptionally well. Sodje did not have a good game, even leaving aside the own goal. As Steve from Petts Wood remarked, he needs to take a chill pill as he nearly got into an ugly confrontation with a charm merchant from Birkenhead. Basey in my view is both slow and lacks an intelligent football brain, but I would give him credit for playing to the best of his limited abilities.
Richardson was one of the better players on the pitch and his runs forward at least offered the possibility of creating something. Semedo had a terrible game. In my view the defensive midfield position is one of the most important on the pitch. He started the season well, but has never been the same since his injury. One Addick counted how many passes forward he made in the first half and it was just four. Bailey did score the goal, but he had a poor game. His frustration showed when he managed to kick one pass to him into touch. Even at the end of the game he was having a discussion with the referee who was reasonably good. Sam had a poor game, there just seems to be a lack of commitment at times. Mooney was a disaster. When the substitution boards went up, he started to run off and well he might. There also seems to be no working relationship between him and Burton. Burton suffered from repeated unpenalised pushes in the back in the first half but, as Killer pointed out in the programme, he is never going to score that many goals in a season. For once the Bloke Behind Me made a sensible footballing comment in relation to McKenzie: 'What's he for? Is he a left winger or a forward?' For Wagstaff it was the best of times and the worst of times. He took a while to settle in, but made some good runs down the wing and won a potentially valuable free kick at the end of the game. But he also put one ball out of play instead of crossing it and wasted others.
Hiss of the Match: Juneau the Soccer Cat awarded this to South-Eastern Trains as they delayed our return and her evening meal. In fact even the Chiltern train from High Wycombe was overcrowded as was the Bakerloo as ever (to the lady who complained about 'football fans' I would point out that they have as much right to travel as anyone else). Coming back South-Eastern cancelled a whole series of trains and as usual there was limited information.
Crowd rating We have a crowd that waits for the team to lift it, rather than a crowd that lifts the team. We have no divine right to success because we are a relatively big club. After the experience with South-Eastern Trains, sometimes I wonder if the experience of commuting on poor train services drains Charlton fans so that they are in a bad mood by the end of the week. When I lived in Essex and I saw tired commuters coming off trains I vowed that never work in London or have a long commute to work.
Others have told me that the last two performances at Charlton had been awful, but I did not realise how awful until today's dispiriting performance. Here are some of the faults:
1. Over use of the long ball, instead of playing to feet
2. Lack of shape in the midfield and indeed in the team generally
3. Falling too often into the offside trap
4. Hesitating in promising positions
5. Too slow
6. Bailey always playing the ball to Sam, particularly across the pitch when there was an alternative outlet available nearby in the shape of the lively Reid
7. An excessive delay in replacing Elliot when he was injured which fortunately did not cost us
8. Mooney had one of the poorest games I have seen played by a forward in a Charlton shirt
9. Parky's substitutions were not well judged, especially taking off the lively Reid, a decision that was roundly booed
10. Overall a disjointed performance
In the first half we started quite well but our overall play showed a lack of urgency and too often casualness. It was clearly a concern when Elliot came off, although what worried me was that we were still playing balls back to the keeper (which we do too much anyway) when he was clearly injured. There was one moment of humour when John Welsh, having laid prone on the ground and earned Burton a yellow card, hobbled off the pitch. A wag in the East Stand shouted, 'Are you sure that's the right leg mate?' at which point Welsh smiled and acknowledged the comment, so there is still some humour in football. Mooney did have a couple of half chances, including a crisp cross put in by Reid, but did not make anything of them. I and those around me were relieved to get to half time with the score at 0-0.
The Bloke Beside Me predicted that as against Orient we would go behind in the 47th minute but he was a minute out as Tranmere went ahead in the 48th. It came from a corner, poorly defended as is often the case and Sodje put a bullet header into his own net.
We did wake up a bit and eventually Bailey got us level. Tranmere continued with a mixture of some threatening attacks and time wasting, for which their goalkeeper Luke Daniels eventually got a yellow card, but it was far too late. But there was always a danger that Tranmere would score again and towards the end of the game they hit the crossbar. Somehow this galvanised us and we had a storming last five minutes of the game with the ball going everywhere in front of the Tranmere goal except in it. Tripping expert Zoumana Bakayogo eventually got sent off in time added on for a second yellow card following another display of his artistry with the extended leg.
Why were we suddenly able to turn it on? To me this looks like a team whose always fragile confidence has been dented by recent setbacks and are particularly nervous playing at home. We did play reasonably well at Wycombe and hopefully three games away from the Valley crowd will help us to recover our form.
For those who compare the 4-0 win at Tranmere with the draw, I do think it is likely that they have got their act together since Barnes left as their recent form shows. Also, teams tend to raise their game when they play us.
This was a poor performance, but predictably there has been an over reaction as exemplified by chants of 'You don't know what you're doing' directed at Parky. With this team I thought at the beginning of the season that we would be somewhere between mid-table and the fringes of the play offs. We are third, six points ahead of the nearest side, Colchester lost yesterday and Swindow surrendered a 2-0 lead at Southend to draw. Whilst we are unlikely to get an automatic promotion place, we have every chance of being in the play offs.
Match analysis
Match analyst Ivy the Terrible presented a Silver Bone to a somewhat bemused Kyel Reid. Dismissed as 'crap' after ten minutes by one of the football experts behind me, Reid improved as the game went on and could have done more if the ball had been passed to him when he was unmarked rather than always pursuing our fixaton with passing to Sam. Admittedly one run down the left in the first half did end up with him tripping on the ball, but he had the right idea and as the game went on he put in increasingly good crosses. Having a natural left-winger in the side is an asset we must learn to make use of. Apparently he was withdrawn because of a calf strain. Elliot had relatively little to do until he was withdrawn with what appeared to be a lower back injury. Randolph was not at fault for the goal and made two good saves later in the game. Dailly was solid and dealt with one potentially dangerous situation exceptionally well. Sodje did not have a good game, even leaving aside the own goal. As Steve from Petts Wood remarked, he needs to take a chill pill as he nearly got into an ugly confrontation with a charm merchant from Birkenhead. Basey in my view is both slow and lacks an intelligent football brain, but I would give him credit for playing to the best of his limited abilities.
Richardson was one of the better players on the pitch and his runs forward at least offered the possibility of creating something. Semedo had a terrible game. In my view the defensive midfield position is one of the most important on the pitch. He started the season well, but has never been the same since his injury. One Addick counted how many passes forward he made in the first half and it was just four. Bailey did score the goal, but he had a poor game. His frustration showed when he managed to kick one pass to him into touch. Even at the end of the game he was having a discussion with the referee who was reasonably good. Sam had a poor game, there just seems to be a lack of commitment at times. Mooney was a disaster. When the substitution boards went up, he started to run off and well he might. There also seems to be no working relationship between him and Burton. Burton suffered from repeated unpenalised pushes in the back in the first half but, as Killer pointed out in the programme, he is never going to score that many goals in a season. For once the Bloke Behind Me made a sensible footballing comment in relation to McKenzie: 'What's he for? Is he a left winger or a forward?' For Wagstaff it was the best of times and the worst of times. He took a while to settle in, but made some good runs down the wing and won a potentially valuable free kick at the end of the game. But he also put one ball out of play instead of crossing it and wasted others.
Hiss of the Match: Juneau the Soccer Cat awarded this to South-Eastern Trains as they delayed our return and her evening meal. In fact even the Chiltern train from High Wycombe was overcrowded as was the Bakerloo as ever (to the lady who complained about 'football fans' I would point out that they have as much right to travel as anyone else). Coming back South-Eastern cancelled a whole series of trains and as usual there was limited information.
Crowd rating We have a crowd that waits for the team to lift it, rather than a crowd that lifts the team. We have no divine right to success because we are a relatively big club. After the experience with South-Eastern Trains, sometimes I wonder if the experience of commuting on poor train services drains Charlton fans so that they are in a bad mood by the end of the week. When I lived in Essex and I saw tired commuters coming off trains I vowed that never work in London or have a long commute to work.
Friday, 29 January 2010
All is not lost
When I last saw the team play at Wycombe, they put in a workmanlike 'job done' performance. The consensus on the two following home games seems to be that we were awful. I am therefore 'looking forward' to tomorrow to see how just bad we are.
Wisely, Parky has not hit the panic button. Sodje will certainly come in for the hapless Llera which means that we will move above the level of agricultural clearances of an uncertain direction from defence. If Sodje can keep his cool, he is a real asset to the team.
There is also a real possibility that his brother may return, although apparently the discussions with the Owls are complicated. I think that he adds a physical presence to the team which can be useful.
Although Mooney had a poor game on Monday, I would keep faith with him tomorrow, despite the suggestions by the commentators on Monday that there was some personal tension between him and Burton.
I think that Parky made a mistake in taking Burton off on Monday. It all smacked of a desperate last throw of the dice. I hope that people have at last got the message that Dickson is not the answer. Before he came to us he was playing at the third level of the non-league, the same level as Leamington. Sgt. Mark Bellingham bangs them in the cells during the week and bangs them in the goal when he is off duty, but I wouldn't sign him at Charlton.
My general view is that we only have a few players who are of real promotion challenging quality and in any one match some of those are injured (Youga is a real and continuing loss) and others don't turn up on the night (Bailey's petulance on Monday). Sam gets a lot of stick, but he is often double marked which should open up space we can take advantage of elsewhere.
I am far from convinced that the experiment with Shelvey wandering lonely as a cloud is generally working and I think we expect too much of the still developing youngster. Think Andy Murray a few years ago. Whether replacing him with the showboater Racon is the answer is a moot point, but, as other bloggers have argued, we need to start with Bailey out left. At least he stays there. Wagtsaff is still too much of a work in progress to start.
The footballing omens this week have not been good. My meeting with Kentish Man at Charing Cross on Wednesday evening was awkward as, having suggested the rendez vous so he could come straight off a train from his Kent village, he then complained it was 'too close to home' (i.e., Charlton) and we might be spotted by an Addick. I don't think we were, as we secreted ourselves in a nearby bar, but all I got out of it was a bill for his train fare.
Last night I was dining at All Souls and found myself sitting for dessert next to a specialist on 14th century music from Amsterdam University. I don't know anything about 14th century music, so given that I am writing a book with someone from Amsterdam on European football, I turned the conversation to that and my enjoyment of the superb port was disturbed by a diatribe about football hooligans.
I haven't checked the tide tables for Deptford Creek, but I am confident that the Addicks will turn things around tomorrow and win 2-0 (Mooney, Sodje). We are a League 1 team playing League 1 football, but I think we are capable of beating Tranmere at home.
Wisely, Parky has not hit the panic button. Sodje will certainly come in for the hapless Llera which means that we will move above the level of agricultural clearances of an uncertain direction from defence. If Sodje can keep his cool, he is a real asset to the team.
There is also a real possibility that his brother may return, although apparently the discussions with the Owls are complicated. I think that he adds a physical presence to the team which can be useful.
Although Mooney had a poor game on Monday, I would keep faith with him tomorrow, despite the suggestions by the commentators on Monday that there was some personal tension between him and Burton.
I think that Parky made a mistake in taking Burton off on Monday. It all smacked of a desperate last throw of the dice. I hope that people have at last got the message that Dickson is not the answer. Before he came to us he was playing at the third level of the non-league, the same level as Leamington. Sgt. Mark Bellingham bangs them in the cells during the week and bangs them in the goal when he is off duty, but I wouldn't sign him at Charlton.
My general view is that we only have a few players who are of real promotion challenging quality and in any one match some of those are injured (Youga is a real and continuing loss) and others don't turn up on the night (Bailey's petulance on Monday). Sam gets a lot of stick, but he is often double marked which should open up space we can take advantage of elsewhere.
I am far from convinced that the experiment with Shelvey wandering lonely as a cloud is generally working and I think we expect too much of the still developing youngster. Think Andy Murray a few years ago. Whether replacing him with the showboater Racon is the answer is a moot point, but, as other bloggers have argued, we need to start with Bailey out left. At least he stays there. Wagtsaff is still too much of a work in progress to start.
The footballing omens this week have not been good. My meeting with Kentish Man at Charing Cross on Wednesday evening was awkward as, having suggested the rendez vous so he could come straight off a train from his Kent village, he then complained it was 'too close to home' (i.e., Charlton) and we might be spotted by an Addick. I don't think we were, as we secreted ourselves in a nearby bar, but all I got out of it was a bill for his train fare.
Last night I was dining at All Souls and found myself sitting for dessert next to a specialist on 14th century music from Amsterdam University. I don't know anything about 14th century music, so given that I am writing a book with someone from Amsterdam on European football, I turned the conversation to that and my enjoyment of the superb port was disturbed by a diatribe about football hooligans.
I haven't checked the tide tables for Deptford Creek, but I am confident that the Addicks will turn things around tomorrow and win 2-0 (Mooney, Sodje). We are a League 1 team playing League 1 football, but I think we are capable of beating Tranmere at home.
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Funny place, up there, sticks out
This was Harold Macmillan's comment about The Wirral which once provided the constituency of his erstwhile unfortunate Chancellor, Selwyn Lloyd. At one time The Wirral had two league clubs, but New Brighton, located in a rapidly fading seaside result, succumbed in the early 1950s and tottered on as a non-league club until the 1980s.
Tranmere Rovers have to survive in the shadow of the two Merseyside giants. At least Charlton have not suffered the humiliation of being put up for sale on E-bay which is what the North Carolina consultants charged with the club's sale did to Tranmere a few weeks ago.
I have been there once and enjoyed the visit. I was able to park up outside, the reception was very friendly and a steel band playing in front of our stand at half time got Brian Cole dancing away. Without checking the stats I recall that the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
The Birkenhead club is now managed by ex Addick John Barnes. An indifferent stint at Celtic blighted his managerial career and with the Jamaican FA not standing in his way when the call came from Prenton Park it is last chance saloon for the former England winger. Some fans think that the treatment of former manager Ronnie Moore under whom the club had made steady progress was harsh.
Goalkeeper Danny Coyne is rated as one of the most important players, while Bas Savage is admired by the fans for his work rate which could make him a candidate for the headless chicken award. Charlie Barnett is reckoned to be improving all the time.
For Charlton, Jose Semedo has a slight hamstring strain and will be asssessed again today before the journey north.
The Tranmere fans fear relegation, but hope for a mid-table finish. Pundits put them in the relegation zone and they haven't made the brighest of starts.
Nevertheless, Charlton can't go on winning for ever and I am forecasting that the few hundred Addicks making the trip will witness another 2-2 draw with goals from Shelvey and Bailey.
Supremo Phil Parkinson has revealed his frustration with the takeover situation and the limits it places on his ability to strengthen the squad: 'The situation is frustrating, but I understand people are working every hour there is to get matters resolved,' he said. 'The transfer window is a concern, but if we can't bring anyone in, then we will have to move on, and perhaps go down the loan route.'
Let's hope there is no truth in the rumours that the current argument is about who should get how many seats in the directors' box (the dispute about West Stand car parking spaces hopefully having been settled). I would not expect any announcement over the Bank Holiday Weekend and if it comes on Tuesday I shall be on a plane to Canada.
Tranmere Rovers have to survive in the shadow of the two Merseyside giants. At least Charlton have not suffered the humiliation of being put up for sale on E-bay which is what the North Carolina consultants charged with the club's sale did to Tranmere a few weeks ago.
I have been there once and enjoyed the visit. I was able to park up outside, the reception was very friendly and a steel band playing in front of our stand at half time got Brian Cole dancing away. Without checking the stats I recall that the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
The Birkenhead club is now managed by ex Addick John Barnes. An indifferent stint at Celtic blighted his managerial career and with the Jamaican FA not standing in his way when the call came from Prenton Park it is last chance saloon for the former England winger. Some fans think that the treatment of former manager Ronnie Moore under whom the club had made steady progress was harsh.
Goalkeeper Danny Coyne is rated as one of the most important players, while Bas Savage is admired by the fans for his work rate which could make him a candidate for the headless chicken award. Charlie Barnett is reckoned to be improving all the time.
For Charlton, Jose Semedo has a slight hamstring strain and will be asssessed again today before the journey north.
The Tranmere fans fear relegation, but hope for a mid-table finish. Pundits put them in the relegation zone and they haven't made the brighest of starts.
Nevertheless, Charlton can't go on winning for ever and I am forecasting that the few hundred Addicks making the trip will witness another 2-2 draw with goals from Shelvey and Bailey.
Supremo Phil Parkinson has revealed his frustration with the takeover situation and the limits it places on his ability to strengthen the squad: 'The situation is frustrating, but I understand people are working every hour there is to get matters resolved,' he said. 'The transfer window is a concern, but if we can't bring anyone in, then we will have to move on, and perhaps go down the loan route.'
Let's hope there is no truth in the rumours that the current argument is about who should get how many seats in the directors' box (the dispute about West Stand car parking spaces hopefully having been settled). I would not expect any announcement over the Bank Holiday Weekend and if it comes on Tuesday I shall be on a plane to Canada.
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