Open Dawes: Rovers 1 Morecambe 2
When Tranmere Rovers strolled home to a 5–0 win at Grimsby back in November, the progress they had made under the interim management of Ian Dawes and Andy Parkinson was at its most apparent. The passing and movement that cut Grimsby to shreds meant that the game was over by the interval, where Rovers were 4–0 up. It was at this point that I dared to dream that Dawes & Parky would be given the gig on an interim basis until the end of the season, just as Bradford City kept faith with Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars after they dismissed Stuart McCall.
Alas, there was a certain Keith Hill waiting in the wings during this demolition. The initial hope that Hill would interfere as little as possible in Rovers’ momentum by retaining Dawes and Parky faded rather quickly as the Dawes Diamond made way for Hill’s Hoof-ball. Whilst Hill was in charge, the refusal to revert back to the system that had seen Rovers climb the table under Dawes and Parky once James Vaughan’s injury became long term meant that it was another team that had suffered a sticky start only to come through with an improved 2021 that would gain an automatic promotion that has never been so up for grabs.
Both Dawes’s and Joe Murphy’s post-match interviews were revealing in that they stated that the passing and moving that penned Morecambe back in their own half for the first 45 minutes was the way the players wanted to play. It certainly wasn’t the way Hill wanted them to play, that’s for certain. So, whilst it might be a case of better late than never in terms of seeing the free-flowing football at first hand, it may yet prove too late for Rovers hopes of getting back into this tie.
And the maddening part is that it was that it wasn’t the more attacking style under Dawes that left Rovers vulnerable to the two goals that have put Morecambe in control of this tie, but a failure to deal with set-pieces against a team that took full advantage of their physical prowess. Cole Stockton, who promised much but delivered precious little in two spells for Rovers, was hungry, ripped and a constant thorn in the side of Big Manny and the not quite so big Clarkey.
Yet the goal that knocked the wind out of Rovers’ sails right on half-time was more frustrating following Joe Murphy’s over exuberance in trying to release Liam Feeney on the counter. Feeney wasn’t alert to Murphy’s ball and ended up giving a free-kick that proved costly. Shooting yourself in the foot is a luxury that Rovers can ill-afford at any time, not least during a play-off at home. It meant that all Morecambe had to do was halt play at any given opportunity to prevent Rovers from rebuilding their first half momentum and run the clock down. Not even eight minutes of injury time could help Rovers’ cause.
Dawes also observed that Rovers were simply not moving the ball anywhere near as quickly in the second half as they did in the first, and unfortunately his substitutions did not help Rovers’ cause. Otis Khan was key to maintaining the tempo that kept Morecambe on the back-foot in the first half, ensuring that Corey Blackett-Taylor saw plenty of the ball to put the fear of God into the Shrimpers’ back-line. Yet by the second half, Khan was less prominent and with that CBT saw a whole lot less of the ball. It is likely that Khan may have run himself into the ground, as this was the only possible reason for his withdrawal as far as I could see. But I’m not convinced that CBT’s race was run as he was withdrawn as part of a triple substitution.
Frustratingly. Kieron Morris was not one of those subbed at this point. He’s forever played on the right side of midfield since his move to Rovers two seasons ago, but his predominant left foot simply could not make inroads into what was a packed Morecambe midfield. Equally frustrating was Feeney operating once again in a central role instead of getting those dangerous crosses from wide areas in open play.
However, had Lee O’Connor dared to venture forward on the overlap more often then Morris’s one-footed close control could have been more telling. Even the less pacey Liam Ridehalgh found himself getting decent crosses from the left through CBT’s constant menace in the first half, not least the one that led to Clarke’s equaliser. Morris had forged a good relationship with Jake Caprice and Kane Wilson as these were two players not afraid to venture forward, but that has been non-existent with O’Connor whose general forays into the final third have been all too rare.
Rides is the longest serving Rovers player by some distance having seen the downs, ups and downs again during his seven year stay which may well end come Sunday, and it has been a constant source of bemusement as to why his trusted left foot has been so underused during his time here for set-pieces. One explanation would have been the lack of aerial presence that Rovers have just now, or at least it would if he wasn’t called upon to patrol the halfway line in the event of a counter attack whenever Rovers have a corner or attacking set-piece.
So, what must Rovers do to turn this around? It makes sense to start with the Dawes Diamond that saw Rovers create more in 45 minutes than they had done in the last two months of Hill’s tenure. But it also makes sense to pick a bench that can adapt to a change to an even more attacking (as in throwing the veritable kitchen sink) approach. To this I’d try to find a place for Ali Crawford, who is more than capable of getting hold of the ball and moving it with speed and purpose, over Paul Lewis (whose form has deserted him in recent weeks).
In addition, I’d include George Ray, not for Sid Nelson but for David Nugent, only because Ray would be more adept as an emergency striker who could compete in the air with Morecambe’s massive units at the back more effectively than Nugent. Put it this way, Rovers have rediscovered their inner beauty since Hill’s dismissal. But given the shithouse tactics deployed by Morecambe, especially in the second half, it would be useful to discover a little bit of ugliness as an option too. Without this Plan B, Rovers may find themselves wondering what might have been come Sunday.
