
Next Up: Maidstone United (A)
By Kenny_Crons
February 23 2018
A look ahead to Rovers' visit to Maidstone United on Saturday afternoon....
Disclaimer: this preview has been compiled after a memory removal procedure on the author to delete the events between 7.45pm and 10pm on Tuesday 20th February
Maidstone is not only the destination for our latest National League away game but is also the birthplace of a childhood hero of mine - Tony Hart from Take Hart. Many a happy hour was spent in our house watching the feature called 'The Gallery' when kids had sent in paintings/drawings which were then shown on telly. We used to try and guess the age of the artist and scoff when a Da Vinci style painting was produced by 'Steve' aged 7.
Unfortunately, Tony passed away in 2009 so will not be at The Gallagher Stadium tomorrow to watch his beloved 'Stones' take on the Rovers (I might have made up the bit about 'beloved').
However, I am sure that the Super White Army will be there in force to watch the boys attempt to gain an away victory on Maidstone's cheats pitch. Confidence should be there in large quantities though because we normally do well on the plastic and they are in a bad run of form at the moment.
We are in a decent run of form ourselves at the moment though for some reason we have dropped from 2nd in the league on Saturday to 6th and I have no knowledge of why this happened???? A picture of a totally bald man doing keep ups with David Dickinson while wearing silk shirts keeps popping into my head and.......arrrgghhhh..........my memory of Tuesday night has just foooded back. Oh dear me.
In light of this new knowledge, Saturday's game has taken on added significance and it seems like it could be close to a must win game if we are to consign Tuesday to a 'bad day at the office'. Particularly as three of the teams above us are at home tomorrow.
But despite the result from Tuesday and the subsequent analysis of our form against the top sides, I stand by my earlier comment about confidence in getting a result. We should win tomorrow and make reports of our demise premature in the extreme.
I will be tuning in to whatever format I can tomorrow to hopefully listen to commentators painting a beautiful picture of our performance. We need to morph into our ruthless selves and not allow the opposition a chance. The creative talent we have at our disposal needs to show it's maturity and make the game men against boys.
No brain cells were harmed in the production of this article.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018:03:02:13:33:03 by mini_andy.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2018:02:24:07:02:51 by hong kong rover.
Quote:hong kong rover
Good write up Kenny. After Tuesday nights disaster heres hoping things improve and I am sure that we will all be able to TAKE HART from a good performance n result from the Rovers today. With the game not being broadcast by bt sport it means that I won't need to switch my teleVISION ON so instead will be tuning into wirral radio. if it ends in another disastrous 4-1 defeat today then regular painkillers will not be enough to quell the agony of it all, it will have to be the MORPHine... 2-0 for the Rovers.
HKR, the gift that keeps giving! I'd take any scrappy victory in a Hartbeat today. Everyone of us will be feeling downharted after Tuesday. Here's hoping the boys put in a winning performance that earns them a Blue Peter badge. Let's hope tonyght the atmosphere will be more lightharted on here after a TRFC victory. So, to all those watching from the gallery today, leave behind your heavy harts and get behind the boys!
Quote:hong kong rover
Good write up Kenny. After Tuesday nights disaster heres hoping things improve and I am sure that we will all be able to TAKE HART from a good performance n result from the Rovers today. With the game not being broadcast by bt sport it means that I won't need to switch my teleVISION ON so instead will be tuning into wirral radio. if it ends in another disastrous 4-1 defeat today then regular painkillers will not be enough to quell the agony of it all, it will have to be the MORPHine... 2-0 for the Rovers.
HKR, the gift that keeps giving! I'd take any scrappy victory in a Hartbeat today. Everyone of us will be feeling downharted after Tuesday. Here's hoping the boys put in a winning performance that earns them a Blue Peter badge. Let's hope tonyght the atmosphere will be more lightharted on here after a TRFC victory. So, to all those watching from the gallery today, leave behind your heavy harts and get behind the boys!
Whoops, sorry! Tried unsuccessfully to morph this post into the above!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018:02:24:09:42:56 by Phil65.
Quote:mini_andy
Can anybody work out our formation today?
its a bit difficult to work out, no clarke or ridelagh on the left, is it a 3 man defence or is jeff hughes playing a kind of left wing back role
Quote:Glad it's not just me....mini_andy
Can anybody work out our formation today?
Quote:That's right only 1 game. MM has taken all the pace out of the team.aktrfc
Listening on the Tranmere player. Can't believe what I'm hearing from Doyle. Blaming the pitch, the ref. Am I wrong to think they haven't won a game in 16.
This is a key game to demonstrate mental toughness and bottle.
I wish he would forget this theory of selection for each fixture and just put out our best side.
We have just equalised but that does not change the fact that we should win this at a canter
Quote:goosed
mm hasnt a fookin clue wer is mcnulty clarke rides ???
Predictable post. If you watch the interviews and read the various news items you would know that various players haven't been risked because of the pitch. Mcnulty has been carrying an injury, for example. Playing on the artificial pitch was deemed a risk. As for Clarke....
Did you post when the team was banging them in, to praise the selection? (rhetorical) Obviously had a clue then didn't he?
And guess what, now 3-2.
Brilliant result lads and thanks to the SWA who made the trip.
An amazing five minutes... all credit to those who achieved it.
Jeff and Jay are a a safer bet I think if we are are going to attack from the wings.
Comm. would be good to hear from someone who went to the game about what/who was to blame for goals conceded, how the likes of Monte, Dunn performed....
Quote:Hardly Irons
It's goosed I feel sorry for now, hope he's coping okay.
lol
Quote:mini_andy
A 2-3 win after being 0-3 up
u got the right scoreline andy,
Quote:853OKGQuote:goosed
mm hasnt a fookin clue wer is mcnulty clarke rides ???
Predictable post. If you watch the interviews and read the various news items you would know that various players haven't been risked because of the pitch. Mcnulty has been carrying an injury, for example. Playing on the artificial pitch was deemed a risk. As for Clarke....
Did you post when the team was banging them in, to praise the selection? (rhetorical) Obviously had a clue then didn't he?
And guess what, now 3-2.
If what you say was true, then we have the bet squad and manager in the league, so we must be top and running away with it.
Must say I feel we were a bit lucky to get away with it
Couldn't get Wirral radio so listened in on Mixlr, but that kept breaking up at important moments! Scrappy radio reception and scrappy win won't dampen my delight!
Let's get back on the wagon and up our game for the remaining fixtures and see what happens. We ain't goosed yet!!
Quote:hong kong rover
was that our first penalty of the season?
Fylde away mate
I can only assume both rides and Clarke are injured for their exclusion. Fair play to MM for changinging it, and throwing caution to the wind. Good to see Dunn getting praise (maybe MM saw my list of forgotten players and it jogged his memory?)
It’s a results business, and today we got one.
Quote:Kenny_Crons
I do think Norburn is flattering to deceive a bit though.
Jeff and Jay are a a safer bet I think if we are are going to attack from the wings.
Apparently Norburn will be suspended for the next two games due to reaching the yellow card limit. To be honest,I thought he was very lucky not to be sent off against Macclesfield .
I have also read somewhere that Clarke was not risked due to a dodgy knee but not sure if this is correct.

I’ll take any win especially when we’re not at the races and have a very thinned out squad for the game due to injury.
I normally wouldn’t do this and I apologise in advance to those it doesn’t affect but goosed what a poor excuse for a ‘supporter’ you are. Only posting when the goings tough including today when 2-1 down. Shame on you...
The defence today was a little jittery, and nearly gifted them a goal early on. The first Maidstone goal was a free kick into the area (which the ref allowed them to retake after they tried to take a quick one and lost possession), not sure who was responsible but it wasn't dealt with (possibly Davis should have cleared it). Their penalty looked a bit soft, but their player had been able to carry the ball a long way without anyone putting in a challenge. The concerning thing for me was that on a plastic pitch, too many passes in our midfield were not finding their man, and there was a reliance on punting the ball forward.
I thought Monthe had a good fame, he is clearly a big strong lad, and read the game reasonably well.
To go behind twice and come away as winners shows some character.
Fifty I see you did predict correctly for the Mac game, but next time you get that losing feeling just post thet you think we will win, its called the Uri gueller effect and I would like to invite you to try it, you will have heard of him, please try it with no ending comments of us losing thanks.
Quote:goosed
who subs a sub duggen for tollit
Sir Alex Ferguson
Quote:the kav
Without wanting to sound like goosed davies messed up again today i believe
Don't worry the kav, there's no chance of that. He's in a league of his own, with the long departed, seemingly never to return and for those with a good memory, Hugh Jarce.
That match certainly had some twists and turns and I would never have predicted 2 penalties and an own goal, but fair play the team came away with 3 points.
Just a shame Macclesfield snuck a late one, as it would have been 2 points eaten out of their lead.
As for Sutton, without the changes to their pitch finishing above Tranmere will mean nothing, except how it affected the playoff draw, but Tranmere still have a chance of top spot but it isn't going to be easy.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018:02:24:22:18:18 by Matt34.
Quote:Fiftyyearsarover
A good enough win well done ,but the goals are starting to dry up again we had to depend on an OG and penalty to get the win today .O Tuesday 1 Last Saturday its a few games since Norwood scored ,Tuesday was a killer blow but they had enough to get the job done today albeit not really convincing judging by report .but we are still 3rd we’re I would put us the end of season, Macc and Sutton looking solid and don’t appear to be afflicted by self doubt.they can and do win when it matters
We score three and goals are drying up apparently. OGs and pens are perfectly valid ways to score. I might suggest you've been spoilt this season if it weren't for the defensive errors lately which I think is what really needs fixing. Maybe Manny can do a job. Let's see.
Still best GD in the league.
The consensus from some fans and Micky himself is that we need more composure in midfield and an extra pass or two would go a long way. Bizarre considering our main complaint in the autumn was that there wasn't enough urgency getting forward.
Quote:aktrfcQuote:853OKGQuote:goosed
mm hasnt a fookin clue wer is mcnulty clarke rides ???
Predictable post. If you watch the interviews and read the various news items you would know that various players haven't been risked because of the pitch. Mcnulty has been carrying an injury, for example. Playing on the artificial pitch was deemed a risk. As for Clarke....
Did you post when the team was banging them in, to praise the selection? (rhetorical) Obviously had a clue then didn't he?
And guess what, now 3-2.
If what you say was true, then we have the bet squad and manager in the league, so we must be top and running away with it.
Must say I feel we were a bit lucky to get away with it
Apparently, you read what you want to read. Not what was written. Are you related to Goosed. Or same person?
Quote:mini_andy
Can anybody work out our formation today?
Sorry Micky if you can't work it out no point of coming on here asking us.
National League. Surely happy days.
Quote:kennyspint
Lost on Tuesday. Micky changed it. Not working. Micky changed it. 3 points. We're not Man City. But we're in the playoffs of the
National League. Surely happy days.
Exactamundo Kenny. It's an Inspiration Point. Like the Bucko quote, we should accept we're not perfectamundo and all remain cool. We're third, but let's not sit on it, let's go for it. If we could winkle some more results out like yesterday, it could be Happy Days indeed!
Unfortunately, this will not happen every game as we know, whether we play well, poorly or indifferently the three points is what matters.
We certainly by all accounts road our luck in this game and probably didn't deserve all three points but, there have been games this season where we have deserved a win or draw and not got it.
4G pitches are notorious for having little give and causing injuries MM was quite right in taken this into account in team selection of certain players, the last thing we want at this stage of the season is more avoidable injuries.
Useless piece of information, we have won on all three 4G pitches this season (Bromley, Sutton & Maidstone)
I don't know if the team has access to one of these surfaces somewhere else though.
It is all about the effect a 4G pitch has on certain injuries which players may be coming back from or suffer a recurrence of, as there is no give on 4G compared with a normal grass pitch. It can even cause injuries such as Jake Kirby the first season we played on 4G.
Nothing whatsoever to do with not wanting to play on a 4G pitch.
Quote:goosed
So tollit who has been out injured was ok to play on it then ???
Only off the bench and probably only because we were losing at the time.
The general consensus of views was this was the best team to have played at the Racecourse this season, Those that didn't say that said Aldershot AND THE SWA were the best two teams to have played there this season, which was nice to hear. Wrexham probably just about deserved a draw and had the on loan Quigley to thank for both goals, including a coolly taken one on one (yes I know, I know). He is a very tidy and accomplished player, but did not get the service and support he needed, they played him alone up front for some reason. Wrexham fans are now very disappointed with their 9 draws out of 12 matches which puts our 1 defeat to Macc into perspective. I did not need to update myself on how things were going at Maidstone as the most common q all around me 'how are Tranmere doing?' and then all the phones came out. When we did it late on 3-2 I had to remember where I was and not be too demonstrative about my joy, which was only tempered by the late,late goal at Macc. I also had to not respond to those calling MM 'melon head' and 'pathetic', apparently for his views on the reason(s) for our defeat to Macc.
Conclusion: Wrexham as a club are like us i.e. too big to be in the NL but also like us have to deserve their promotion as past reputations, big stadiums (stadia?) or even big (gish) crowds count for nothing, it's points that matter. And we will have to be right on our game on 14 April at PP to beat the Shots. But I believe we will, otherwise there's no point in me turning up
Quote:goosed
So tollit who has been out injured was ok to play on it then ???
The point of some selection changes was not risk reoccurance of some peoples injuries or the impact on people.
McEverley played against Kilamrnock for Ross county last season and said it took him the best part of a week to recover because the 4G impacted on his knees in a certain way. Mellon listened earlier in the season and limited his pitch time on 4G pitches.
As for Tollit almost certainly being used as an impact player only for limited time.
Players not used were deemed a risk, not because they kicked up rough about playing on the surface, because that is a 99.9% certainty that they would not moan about 4G pitches and refuse to play on them, but if you were a footballer and you'd played on one and some of your joints were still feeling the impact 3-4 days later, would you tell your manager it's not a problem to play on such a pitch, or suggest your impact be limited to the subs bench or not at all, when the team next played on such a pitch?
I rather think you would do the latter don't you, so you wouldn't risk possible impact damage to said joints again, that could hamper how long you played football in your career, or damage that could eventually premeditate constant niggles through the rest of your life and if John Fashanu is in early stage knee arthritis in his mid 50's, then why should McNulty end up like him, because he plays once too often on 4G surfaces?
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
Quote:853OKG
Maidstone cope by not winning in 17....
I guess they all have @#$%& knees, feet and toes then 😆
Stud in toe, man die.
What can't happen on a 4G pitch.
Stained toe in mud.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
Quote:goosed
mm hasnt a fookin clue wer is mcnulty clarke rides ???

