The Poolie Bunker

First of all



What Chip has said is spot on, but I would go further.

Thats now 2 games on the trot at home were we set up like the away side. Basically 2 games were MW has said the opposition can have the three points if they play their cards right.

Yes we played well first half, but did we really threaten them that much? The early chance and one or two others, but it wasnt totally one sided.

We have a right back, playing with no one in front of him. Therefore their left mid isnt occupied defensively.

We had a centre back at left back......and it shows.

We had a left back at left mid.........again it shows. It may work away from home.....at home its easy to counter.........especially with the imbalamnce on the other side.

We have two defensive midfielders. So no pressure coming from deep. There midfield hardly have to back track, and the centre backs have no fear of late runners coming through.

Then the strikers. There first job is to occupy the defenders. You have to win the battles to win the war.

For someone with so much pace James Poole is easy to mark in home games. Way too easy.

Andy Monkhouse is a winger. So his natural instinct is to go wide. Which I thought he did well last night. Sadly tranmere saw this, and their two centrehalves let him. So monkey gets the ball wide on either flank, and knocks balls into the box, for who? Ah yes, James Poole............up against Goodison.

The two Tranmere centre halfs will never have an easier game.

So what about Luscombe. Very good for half an hour.....then nothing.

And near the end, he more or less just kicked the ball anywhere, got bollockd, and just shrugged his shoulders. Well thats not good enough. Oh, and then he decided to get booked for a stupid challenge that just didnt need making.

Right, we are 2 down with 20 minutes to go, and it should have been like the Alamo. So why wasnt it? If we had been the away team, our fans would all be biting their nails praying for full time. I bet their fans enjoyed that, and if anyone was going to score it was them.

Where was the urgency? The desperation to get back intothe game? Where are the bullies rallying the troops, giving others a kick up the arse? Where was the Gary Brabin type player, the Gordon Watson type?

We dont appear to have them. How many of our players would you want in the trenches with you?

This team lacks steel, and appears to sometimes lack the will to win. Once again we appear to have "a great bunch of lads", but sometimes you need more.

There is aboslutely nothing to say about the substitutes. Nothing at all.

Don't worry Sweeney will be fit soon so he can play left midfield can't he??

We need a new back bone in the team. A big dominant and mobile centre half. A big dominant mobile central midfielder (Giles Coke would be good) and a big dominant centre forward to attack balls into the box and make the most of the arial balls we play (step forward Steven Howard).

But then again most clubs will say the same and with the resources and budget we have we have about as much chance of that as we have of getting 3 points on saturday. We have Bob Hope and No Hope.

Last night was the night I realised after all the delusion and promise of the early season that we are an average side who will finish somewhere between 10th and 15th, and it's time I just accept that and enjoy what we have

I dont agree. We should, and could have been set up better with a better balanced team. We have the players. If we hadnt thrown 6 points away we would be up there.

yeah but we did throw those points away. If we hadn't conceded against MK Dons and Stevenage, If Nish scores against Huddersfield, if Luscombe doesn't see red against Wallsall........

All that did happen and we have the points we deserve and in the position our play warrants, with the players we have.

Agree that formation could be better, but it is still a defence that is slow and too easy to breach, a ponderous midfield and a weak as pish set of forwards who couldn't fight their way out of the proverbial wet paper bag, and a team in general devoid of creativity, grit and determination. That would still be the case just in a different formation.

Don't get me wrong there are some positives.

Flinders is still a great keeper. Hartley is still a class act. Poole looks a proper player given time and Luscombe in a stones time will be great too, and I am excited by some of the younger players who are a year or 2 away like Baldwin. After that though.....