Tranmere v Swindon pre match chat and match day thread

[swindonmaniac]

To be fair Richards is the sort to go on and score in 3 or 4 in consecutive games.

Still hoping for a Power deadline day special though.

Is this the new Fjortoft  ??.

[normy]

I, for one, am pleased with nearly everything Wellens has done so far.  Promising times at last.

[bathford]

I, for one, am pleased with nearly everything Wellens has done so far.  Promising times at last.

I agree

[Nijholts Nuts]

In years to come it would be very interesting to hear what the current players say about the difference between the Flitcroft/Brown eras and the Wellens era, as it has been interesting listening to ex players talking about Kingy's regime et. Long live The Loathed Strangers podcast.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Those two games iirc are the only ones that we came out of the blocks quickly and is something that I am always anticipating at   the start of games and are nearly always left disappointed. Perhaps they need fifteen minutes out on the CG extension before a game so they are well and truly on their toes! 

I disagree. We tend to start games very well at the CG and look far the better team. The problem is that too often that isn’t translated into scoring. The Exeter and Lincoln games were a case in point.

We’re a decent team who play some good stuff but struggle to score at home. Sort that out and we’re flying.

[Peter Venkman]

I disagree. We tend to start games very well at the CG and look far the better team. The problem is that too often that isn’t translated into scoring. The Exeter and Lincoln games were a case in point.

We’re a decent team who play some good stuff but struggle to score at home. Sort that out and we’re flying.

I agree, we have been really good starters ina lot of home and away games this season but we just can't capitalise on pressure by turning them into goals.

We need a goalscorer as I have said since July.

Yes I know they are hard to find but get a decent striker in and we will get automatic promotion not just play offs.

On Saturday I lost count of the number of decent chances created inside the box by Anderson and Woolery that with a good goal poacher (goal hanger as they used to call them) we could well have converted several chances into goals.

[Nemo]

I know it's a bit of a tired argument - we need a goalscorer / goalscorers are really hard to find, but I wonder how many proper consistent goalscorers there are in the whole division? Stockley has gone now, the League Two top goalscorer chart looks like this:

1. James Norwood (Tranmere) - 18 goals, 135 minutes per goal
2. Jayden Stockley (Exeter) - 16 goals, 137 minutes per goal (has since been sold to Preston)
3. Tyler Walker (Mansfield) - 14 goals scored, 167 minutes per goal
4. Nicky Maynard (Bury) - 12 goals scored, 128 minutes per goal
5. Padraig Amond (Newport) - 11 goals scored, 218 minutes per goal
=. Jay O'Shea (Bury) - 11 goals scored, 200 minutes per goal (midfielder)

Then the two MK forwards with ten each, then Doughty on 9 alongside Akinde. So really only three "1 in 2" strikers in the whole division, albeit two of the three play for sides currently sat in the automatic promotion spots.

For comparison, 2011/12 promotion under Di Canio our top scorers were Paul Benson and Alan Connell with only 11 goals each, Ritchie chipping in with 10. Promotion under Sturrock in 2006-7 was similar - Roberts and Peacock got ten each.

I think the point I'm probably trying to make is whilst a goalscorer would obviously make this easier, it's not really mandatory to get promoted.

[Batch]

it's mandatory for this #stfc team to get promoted (imo). We aren't solid enough or cupping in with enough from elsewhere.

[Peter Venkman]

I think the point I'm probably trying to make is whilst a goalscorer would obviously make this easier, it's not really mandatory to get promoted.

Nobody would disagree with you (and thats been Reg's argument all season) but what I am saying is that if we did have a striker that could score those goals then I think promotion would be much much easier than without one.

Under Di Canio we had a team that shared the goals, thats not happening this season so much.

If we could get Anderson to actually be able to shoot accurately he would be on 20 goals already this season rather than the 3 goals he actually has which is why I can understand Wellens getting in better coaches.

I would love him to get an attacking coach with experience to show Woolery, Twine and Anderson how to shoot. Natural goalscorers like Ajose and Austin are rare as rocking horse shit but you can coach the best out of players with potential and make them better.

When Thierry Henry went to Arsenal he had a record of 1 goal every 5/6 games but with the right coaching turned into one of footballs greatest ever goalscorers, he never really started scoring goals until he was 24.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/dec/02/thierry-henry-arsenal-arsene-wenger-barcelona-career

Obviously I am not saying Woolery or Anderson could emulate that but both obviously have a lot of potential and ability but with the right coaching they could be very good players as both are still only 23 & 24.

[wheretherealredsare]

Isn't that the problem though, that there is a mentality that we need someONE to score goals instead of getting more goals from all areas of the team?
Lots on here and maybe some in the team expect it to be a one man job, and instead of having a shot they look for a.n. other.

[Peter Venkman]

Isn't that the problem though, that there is a mentality that we need someONE to score goals instead of getting more goals from all areas of the team?
Lots on here and maybe some in the team expect it to be a one man job, and instead of having a shot they look for a.n. other.

I don't think anybody EXPECTS it to be a one man job.

I think its a team weakness that would obviously be eased if somebody could find the net regularly. I think thats pretty obvious.

The team as a team are not scoring enough. The defence isn't the problem.

We have conceded 38 goals from 29 games which is pretty average for a team in mid table but we have only scored 33 goals in total which is easily the worst in the top half of the table with even Northampton and Crawley below us scoring more with Crewe Cheltenham and Yeovil scoring only 1 or 2 less than us so far and they are all well below us too.

[horlock07]

Commentators saying Ridehalge. I liked to think it was pronounced Ridehay. Anyone got the definitive?

Its a northern thing to pronounce Halgh as halge.....

[Panda Paws]

Anderson is a funny one - I think we should all accept he's not a striker and thus won't score 15-20 a season.

He's been outstanding since Wellens come in - probably our best player in the last 6 weeks. It was interesting to see him in the same team as Doughty on Saturday, and how that worked.

I watch a lot of Watford, and they play a strange 4-2-1-1-1-1 sort of thing, with one winger, one central striker, one progressive CM and Deulofeu playing wherever he wants. It matches up well how it seemed to me we played on Saturday.

Deeney - Richards
Deulofeu - Keshi
Pereyra - Woolery
Cleverly/Hughes - Doughty

Basically, between the holding CMs and Richards, it can be a beautiful mess.

Long story short - we need a striker who can replace, or support Richards, add depth and give us options, but we can be successful without a 20-goal-a-season man.

[Reg Smeeton]

The team as a team are not scoring enough. The defence isn't the problem.

No. At the CG the defence is the problem.... our 21 conceded is only topped by the bottom 3 of Morecambe Macc and Notts, then PV.  Sides know that we will play it around for a while and if they can do te traditional keep it tight for 20 minutes an error will come along. OK we could do with a few more from somewhere, but it's continually having to chase the game which causes the problems. 

Tranny illustrate the point.... a record at Prenton of W8 D4 L2.... on the back of 18 scored but only 7 conceded.... whereas we've managed 16 scored, not vastly different.  A similar defensive tightness for us to give a similar home record to them would have yoelded an extra 10 points, putting us a point out of the autos.

So on Sat, unusually for them they had to chase te game, and despite having a scorer in Norwood, couldn't do it.

[Peter Venkman]

Long story short - we need a striker who can replace, or support Richards, add depth and give us options, but we can be successful without a 20-goal-a-season man.

Exactly.

I was looking at the team on Saturday and in the first half we almost played with just 2 defenders at times with Koki pushing up almost as a defensive midfielder which I think he wasn't comfortable doing and Carrolll kept on coming inside from right back to a defensive midfield position overloading the midfield.

Dunne and McCourt both floated around between defensive midfield and attacking but not really ina  box to box role just going wherever they were needed with Dunne pushing more left and McCourt more right and Doughty sat further forward in the central attacking midfield position.

This meant that Anderson and Woolery were able to swap sides and run with the ball at every opportunity, creating lots for each other and getting some good balls into the danger zone in their box. Ironically it was actually a Koiki cross that was bundled in by Richards!

Broadbent wasn't scared to take on his opponent either giving us an extra midfielder at times when in possession and his long passing was excellent, especially first half.

Richards though I fear cannot and never will be able to play the role asked of him as Flitcroft and Brown tried before Wellens, he doesn't have the physical strength and control to be a target man and even though he won a few headers against McNulty he never settled into the role and does not lead the line, hopefully House can do that when he is finally fit.

Anderson is a weird one, when he first started at Barton Rovers he scored more than 1 goal every 2 games as a 20 year old and he was signed by Palace as a striker.

His first loan spell was at Doncaster where he played every game as a striker scoring 3 in 7 before breaking his leg, but since then he has not played as an actual striker since.