He’s Out of My Life: Where it went wrong for Michael Jackson at Tranmere Rovers
Without being able to get the vibe from the Kop given the current situation, I would hope that Michael Jackson will remain in the hearts of the Super White Army in spite of his less than glittering spell in charge of Rovers, which came to an immediate end after Rovers’s latest defeat. In this vein I can’t help but think of Les Parry, promoted from the assured place of legendary physio to a profession not known for its job security.
Jacko’s contribution as Micky Mellon’s right hand man meant that he deserved his chance to succeed Mellon after his move to Dundee United over the summer. Not only that, it made sense to have some level of continuity given Rovers’ progress under Mellon, whose only blemish was what he called relegation by a calculator.
Unfortunately, this continuity disappeared on a number of counts. Jacko’s recruitment, the chopping and changing when it came to team selection (even when you take into account those players who had to self-isolate for the Salford, Newport and Leyton Orient games) and the constant changing of the team’s shape both before and during games have all led to Rovers’ struggles this season.
As far as the recruitment goes, this has been nothing short of disastrous both in the players Jacko brought in but also the players he let slip away. In defence, Jacko is spoilt for choice at centre back yet has only one right back to choose from in Lee O’Connor, who not only can’t defend but is reluctant to overlap, made all the more mystifying by his ability to put in telling crosses as he did against Scunthorpe last month. Through his insistence on playing square balls to the centre backs or whoever is anchoring the midfield instead of getting into the final third, O’Connor has managed to make Jake Caprice look like Cafu in comparison.
In attack, the lack of mobility and cohesion has meant that Rovers have failed to score in 7 out of their 10 league games so far. James Vaughan has an undoubted pedigree, but he is not known for having that ability to work off the ball the way James Norwood used to do. Who knows what might have been had Morgan Ferrier or Corey Blackett-Taylor been available. But Paul Mullin would also have been a decent option in terms of having that mobility up front, and his impact at Cambridge shows what Rovers are missing just now.
And only Jacko and his coaching team know why they chose to play wide players in the middle (Kieron Morris) and central players in wide areas (Otis Khan and Kaiyne Woolery) with so little success. And I’m tired of hearing how may assists Liam Feeney contributed last season at Blackpool. I don’t mean that to sound disparaging, but it’s clear that Feeney needs the ball to feet in those danger areas and that’s something he hasn’t had this season. His one assist so far this season has been a poorly defended set-piece against Southend, a goal wholly against the run of play.
Which brings me to the most crucial recruit made by Jacko, namely Jay Spearing, a player with years of experience at Championship and League One level. By rights, Spearing should have been able to operate as a deep-lying midfielder with some authority but for whatever reason this he has looked lethargic in his movement, distribution and decision making. And Rovers have suffered for this both creatively and defensively.
This makes me despair at how Rovers managed to let Luke McCullough go, given how well he commanded the space just in front of the back four with vision and composure, allowing the likes of Ollie Banks to drive forward in midfield. But whilst Jacko was right to drop Spearing, to replace him with the creative yet erratic Banks instead of the more disciplined Jack Young was counter-productive. Yet another square peg in a round hole meant that the Morecambe attack were able to cut through Rovers’ rearguard all too easily.
But for completeness it is only fair to balance these shortcomings to the current pandemic. Key to Mellon’s success was his affinity to the #SWA, where Rovers’ social media would often include video footage of the supporters both home and away by way of acknowledgement of their impact on Rovers’ fortunes. Jacko had done enough as Mellon’s assistant to get the #SWA onside, but he was ultimately denied the chance to establish a relationship with the supporters, a situation entirely out of his hands.
So it is easy to criticise Jacko for his failings, but it’s easy to forget that Mellon wasn’t always that astute either. In fact, in my tribute to Mellon as he moved up the road I worried that he would be denied the chance to connect with the Arab faithful which could could have affected his impact in his new role. It never occurred to me that Jacko would end up losing his own job for something possibly not too dissimilar.
In a parallel non-Covid universe, I can just about imagine Jacko’s first home game in charge in which he gets to greet the Kop and the warmth he would get in response. That would have not only spurred Jacko but also serve as a reminder to those new recruits that he was kind of a big deal in this part of the world and that you would do well to give it everything you’ve got for the Rovers cause.
As it was, Jacko never got the chance to connect to Rovers’ support as the gaffer. This matters as much, possibly more, than Jacko’s own failings as football without fans is nothing. It’s even got to the point that even those established players who know what its like to play in front of supporters at Prenton Park have also lacked a sense of purpose during this campaign. And the latest lockdown looks set to extend this absence of the Twelfth Man, possibly for the whole season, which could yet undermine Jacko’s successor.
So whilst there was no surprise at Jacko’s departure, there is no guarantee that whoever takes over will be able to stop the rot. The pandemic is a big enough deal to put Rovers’ woes into some perspective, but I can’t help but feel for Jacko now he’s gone or worry about what will happen next at Prenton Park.
