Rovers v Newport

[Boz]

Our last meeting at Prenton Park was a 0-0 midweek game during the short-lived Rob Edwards era, when Bell-Baggie spurned a couple of good chances and Joe Day kept the Exiles in the game. The same keeper who had such a 'mare last weekend. I don't think now is a good time to play Newport as they willbe determined to tighten up and atone for their horror show v Yeovil.

Micky Mellon must decide if he'll stick with the same starting xi as Carlisle or opt for the side that finished as winners. Personally I think Paul Mullin has earned a start, but probable that we'll start with Stockton again.

Predicting a draw here with just under 6k attending.

 

[Back in the DHSS]

Think we can nick this one, but we’ll have to play better than we did at Carlisle. One change I would make is Johnny Smith starting the game.

 

[RLC]

I agree with BDHSS about Smith, and I also think we can nick a victory. A win would move us into the play-off positions which, while not particularly meaningful at this stage of the season, would still be a great start considering Mellon did not have that much room for manoeuvre in the transfer market in the summer.

I would like Mullin to be given a full ninety minutes, but I think MM will start with Stockton again.

 

[Boz]

0-1, defence seemed to go to sleep or expecting an offside for the Newport goal? The visitors have had a couple of good chances to extend the lead, Rovers came closest with a Norwood effort late in the half.

 

[Tranmerewhite]

Criminal the way we switched off for the Newport goal. We really lacked energy and effort first half. Second half we offered more but we weren’t anywhere near our best going forward today.

Ref had a shocker without having any major decisions to make. Pointed to his watch for time wasting half a dozen times first half to then give 1min added time.

Frustrating day we will have to move on from quickly with Mk Franchise and Lincoln up next.

 

[Carver]

Haa, you get a good win against us and then follow it up with a shit defeat at home against bloody Newport.

 

[White Army]

What a disgusting football match that was.

 

[Reremnart]

The amount of time wasting and general snide play play by Newport was as bad as anything we have seen during our 3 seasons in the VNL aided and abetted by a referee who has been coming to PP for at least the last 10 years we have been in the Football League and has been appalling on every visit. Having said that we gave the poorest performance of the season today with at least 3 players not at the races.

 

[RLC]

I thought Newport were really solid defensively and deserved their victory, but their tactics were reminiscent of the NL. They even deployed the very National League tactic of man-marking several players, notably Ollie Banks, who was dreadful.

It was our poorest performance of the season by far and emphasised that Norwood and Mullin can't play as a strike partnership. I think next week's game at MK Dons will actually suit us better, as we will get the time to play some football.

 

[neilcork68]

I thought Newport were really solid defensively and deserved their victory, but their tactics were reminiscent of the NL. They even deployed the very National League tactic of man-marking several players, notably Ollie Banks, who was dreadful.

It was our poorest performance of the season by far and emphasised that Norwood and Mullin can't play as a strike partnership. I think next week's game at MK Dons will actually suit us better, as we will get the time to play some football.

We cant all be Real Madrid or Barcelona every week so sorry to come to your gaff with a game plan to try and get at least a draw. The manager set his side out to play that way after last weeks humiliation we got by being stuffed by Yeovil .
The way football is nowadays if we had lost we would have been on a run of three consecutive defeats and after five or six in a row managers start to get squeaky bums fearing the sack so IMO he came looking for a reaction from his players and at least a point. Thankfully for us we got the three...
So I understand it as I couldn't make the game, we actually had the better of the game and overall probably deserved the three points ?

 

[RLC]

We cant all be Real Madrid or Barcelona every week so sorry to come to your gaff with a game plan to try and get at least a draw. The manager set his side out to play that way after last weeks humiliation we got by being stuffed by Yeovil .
The way football is nowadays if we had lost we would have been on a run of three consecutive defeats and after five or six in a row managers start to get squeaky bums fearing the sack so IMO he came looking for a reaction from his players and at least a point. Thankfully for us we got the three...
So I understand it as I couldn't make the game, we actually had the better of the game and overall probably deserved the three points ?

As I said previously, you deserved the victory. It was a dreadful game to watch, but our own failings and the officials played a major part in that.

 

[neilcork68]

It wasn't aimed at you but a few of the other posters are enjoying tasting 'sour grapes' this evening

 

[Boz]

The reality is we could have been 0-3 down before Norwood had our first real chance, the lob that skimmed your bar. While I think the referee, Mr Boyeson is the worst seen since our return to the FL, it was a lack of creativity and failure to adapt tactically that led to our downfall.

 

[Back in the DHSS]

Deserved victory for Newport. The opening 30/35 minutes from us was as bad as I’ve ever seen us play. Newport who I thought were decent first half will be disappointed they didn’t score more.