TWO resounding defeats in eight days exposed the uncomfortable reality that Tranmere are not yet ready to stand up to the better teams in League One. The side put together by new manager John Barnes on a slimmed down budget this summer allowed leaders Charlton Athletic to win more or less as they pleased at Prenton Park on Saturday. They were not outplayed, out-thought and out-muscled quite so comprehensively as by Leeds United a week earlier. But there wasn’t much in it. Rovers’ marginal improvement on the performance at Elland Road was not significant enough to seriously trouble the Londoners, whose fifth straight victory set a club record for their best start to a new league season. Tranmere finished August in the bottom four, after losing four out of five games. Home fans who offered the team noisy support at the start of the afternoon were stunned into silence by two Charlton goals in two minutes by Lloyd Sam and Jose Semedo midway through the first half. After the visitors notched further goals from Sam and Nicky Bailey after the interval, the groans and boos turned into a few critical chants against Barnes and several choruses in praise of previous manager Ronnie Moore. The grumbles reflected the fact that Tranmere were rolled over much too easily, albeit by a talented visiting side who knew what they were about. The paying customers were entitled to expect more resolute resistance from the home team. At the very least some strenuous and organised defence. But Rovers lacked cohesion and common purpose in all departments. Barnes’ team are still trying to find some confidence in their ability to master the way he wants them to play. The pass-and-move style the former Liverpool and England winger introduced this summer isn’t holding together when tested by strong opposition. Ironically, it was the quality of the passing game played by Leeds and Charlton that made Rovers struggle to compete. Barnes argues that with belief and persistence, they can make it work. When Rovers attempted to play a compromise formula in the second half, mixing the passing football with a more direct approach after introducing target-man Michael Ricketts at the interval, the change had little impact. No matter how Tranmere tried to go forward, they invariably looked vulnerable at the back after losing possession. | 
Article
HAVE your say on our Rovers Messageboard - click