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Don’t shoot the messenger but a Tranmere fan who’s very ITK their side who I’m pally with reckons we are well in for 2 of their players and may have deals agreed in principle already for summer.

I’m sure he was told we are much better than we are, but let’s not kid ourselves. He’s here because we offered more money than he was on at Barnsley, on a longer deal, closer to home. Not becsuse he was told we’re half decent and might win the NL

Maybe - he’s clearly not thrilled to be here. It’s the wages though, who would pay it or get close? Maybe a Salford? He lives in Manchester so can’t see him venturing too far unless he REALLY hates it.

This is the first team squad signed up for next season if we don’t extend any 2024 lads and send all loans back: First Team Squad 1. Magnus Norman (2025) 13. Matt Hudson (2025) 3. Mark Kitching (2025) 4. Liam Hogan (2025) 5. Shaun Hobson (2025) 16. Charlie Raglan (2025) 21. Will Sutton (2025) 6. Mark Shelton (2025) 8. Josh Lundstram (2025) 11. Dan Ward (2025) 14. Nathan Sheron (2025) 26. Oliver Hammond (2025) 32. Tom Conlon (2026) 7. Kurt Willoughby (2025) 10. Joe Nuttall (2025) 25. Alex Reid (2025) 30. James Norwood (2025 plus option) 24. Joe Garner (2025) Have to try and get rid of some of this lot. Reckon a team will take a punt on Willoughby but the rest will be tough. Can see us paying off a couple, maybe Reid and Shelton

The players have let us down and let’s be honest some simply aren’t as good as we thought/hoped. However, MM has a LOT to answer for with us not even making the play offs. 3 points off when he came in, now 5 off despite even more investment. I thought I saw somewhat of a plan early doors but since late January it’s all been rather shit and bizarre. Though I’m not having that every player we sign is shit, they all tend to come with rave reviews yet look completely lost at Oldham. Recruitment wise You might be off on a couple, maybe even a few, but not everyone. Something isn’t right. Having said that the only player I’d be arsed about leaving in summer is Hudson, says a lot.

I think Mellon had been in a few days before Dale. He was in the stands at Alty away the week prior and it was confirmed then he was going to be our manager. Sure he started the Monday after Alty. Tbf how much impact he had in a few days, I’m not sure

Furious after yesterday. I’ll be honest and it may be a bit knee jerk but I want a different manager. Yes a LOT of these players aren’t up too it but why do we sign players who do well everywhere else then they come here and look completely lost? That’s coaching. Tbh, I could talk for hours about the bizzare/shite recruitment policy. The fact our game plan for a huge game to get us back in the play off hunt was fucking hoof it to Garner and see what happens is a disgrace. Franks pumping in millions and THATS the best we can come up with?? We seem to be getting worse under MM which is my concern despite signing better players. Under Unsworth while it was mostly terrible I could see why the club stuck with him in summer. We did improve results wise towards the end of the season, so thinking ‘okay let’s get him a couple of better players in summer then we’ll really kick on’ I understood. We’re doing the opposite now. So much of MM’s tenure has been odd: Began at Dale away great attacking football. Then we blew hot and cold but around that time played well in Alty (H), Barnet (A), Woking (A), Solihull 2nd half and you think I can see a plan here. Then all of a sudden he starts coming out with comments implying we can’t play football….and basically saying with this group we have to make games a battle. It continues to get worse. The performances plummet. We get the odd win but the wins look atrocious and flukey. January was full of odd/shocking recruitment. On the pitch Players coming in and out of the team. Players have their best game for us then vanish for weeks (Hope over xmas, Sachdev, Lundstrum etc). It’s all a bit strange. WE are the Non League clogging shite. Most other teams try and play football. This hoof the ball see what happens crap is dinosaur football.

Hopefully

Reckon a team will take a punt on Kurt and maybe even Shelton, i can see us paying a couple off too, certainly Reid. I think we’ll be stuck with Ward and Nuttall at the very least personally. Maybe we can offer Nuttall a loan elsewhere and another team at least contribute to his wages.

On what we need, I echo some of the earlier comments before this became another Norwood thread. We need a solid RB, one who is actually a RB and good enough to start every week in a promotion chasing side. 2 wingers and at least another CM, probably 2. M I reckon we’ll pay Reid off and release Fondop so you’d imagine we’ll need another striker. I would probably go for Dallas, his history suggests he has what it takes and I think he has shown glimpses when we have actually tried to play football. He was outstanding against Chesterfield. Again it depends on finances as I bet he’s on 3-4k a week at Barnsley and do we want/need another striker taking up a huge amount of the budget. Depends how many we can shift probably. If Fondop goes though you do need a big man up front ideally. Rb, 2 wingers, atleast 1 CM and a striker would be my priorities.

Yeah this is a key part, I can’t imagine our budget will be as big as it is/was this season given the funding is reduced next year but imagine we’ll still be quite high up there in this league. The problem is shifting some of the dead wood. You’d imagine the majority of the 2024 lads will get released, the only ones in with a shout to be extended are Hogan, Green, Fondop and McGahey (I know…but MM seems to rate him) you’d imagine. Personally I think we will offer Hogan and Green deals and release the rest. I think MM will think he can get a tune out of Green, particularly if he’s cheap. However you still have so many lads signed up next year who probably won’t be used: Norman Sutton Sheron (will probably be used but is a big talking point) Shelton Ward Nuttall Reid Willoughby I could see us paying a couple off in summer which again will use budget. Reckon a team will take a punt on Willoughby as well but it won’t be easy shifting some of this lot on

Agreed. 9 of those 33 where under Unsworth too and he barely had a sniff in those games. Norwood is our best player ability wise by a country mile. I think he does think he’s the bollocks and probably a bit too good for this league/club (and he is) - but if he keeps scoring goals and performing well who cares. He’s also a serial winner and has mainly played for teams pushing for promotion, so when a few of the lesser players cock up or don’t put him through etc, you can see how frustrated he is and he lets them know. Nothing wrong with it. Suggestion on here and Twitter they could see him leaving in summer. I’d be stunned tbh. He’s on a fortune, plays down the road from where he lives and under a manager he loves. As much as he gets frustrated with the ability of some others, he has it pretty good.

That was so shit. First 20 minutes we where decent but both teams should have scored. After that, abysmal. Not sure how Hammond didn’t get on. McGahey is legit horrendous. Would have left Garner on. We are too slow, at everything. Sachdev was good.

We thinking Norwood Garner up top? If Bromley are cloggers I really think it might be worth throwing Dallas in from the start with his pace and movement, just risky him and Norwood as both probably aren’t fully fit yet. Also Garner has been great and is such a nuisance up there.

Someone on twitter did the last 12 months and it was played 13, won 8, drawn 3, lost 2.

2-0 home win. We rarely lose on Tuesday nights, especially at home.

Yeah I sit in the Athleticos section but towards the back behind them all. Remember saying to my dad there seemed far less Athleticos than usual and the ground felt emptier than it has been all season (especially for a saturday). It’s been building for a while (the frustration of home games) but does feel that the Kidderminster game was the final straw for quite a few to leave it for a bit/not attend.

Can they get promotion at our place or did the Dorking result cock that up?

Wouldn’t mind seeing Dallas given a go from the start, especially if Bromleys defenders are cloggers. He has to be given a go at some point surely. The rumour was he was brought in on loan as a bit of a trial to potentially be bought in summer but he’s not really been given a go (which is a credit to how well Garner and Fondop have done). Someone posted a team on twitter which looked really good with Dallas behind Norwood and Garner but it was 433 and I can’t see us moving from 352 at this point.

He was only signed because he’s got a long throw. He looked okay on his debut but no better than Sutton tbh (and I’m not Suttons biggest fan) but I’d be playing Sutton over him. Tbh Hogan did really well there Saturday. Bridge barely got a sniff once Hogan went to RWB. I’d be sending Sachdev back. Probably Walker too if we don’t intend to use him (I would use him, but if he’s fit and barely ever makes even the bench whats the point?). The Green injury may change the latter though.

I’ve noticed

Agree he’ll only get better, He’s already good player imo. He could do with bulking up a touch as he’s shrugged off the ball a bit easily but there’s a player in him. His work rate and off the ball movement is superb. Needs to settle down a touch in the final third but it will come. Will be a massive player for us next season.

Hammond created a chance for Green about 2.5 hours ago

Spot on. When we win it tends to feel lucky/scrappy. When we lose it’s usually an all time bad performance and some how gets worse a week later. The first thought when a player gets the ball is to either go long aimlessly or take the easy pass back, to which the opposition then press and we end up hoofing it anyway. Rinse and repeat. Our movement off the ball is the worst I’ve ever seen from a side. We don’t press the opposition. We do a half arsed jog at them and it’s always 1 to 1, not as a collective or in packs. Unsworths football was a disgrace but I’d argue Woking, Ebbsfleet, Dorking away and todays performance are as bad as anything he served up if not worse

Hammond the only one who looked like a footballer that half. Sheron an all time bad 45 minutes