TRANMERE ROVERS
LAST SEASON LEAGUE TWO 7th FA CUP Third Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER James Vaughan ( 22)
F A n F I L E SAM ROBINSON @ Samrobinson9 Last season was a failure. We had a strong squad and should have been promoted. We clung onto a play- off spot before losing to Morecambe in the semi- finals. The big talking point among the fans is who’s going to replace James Vaughan, our 22- goal top scorer last season who hung up his boots over the summer. This season will be different to
last because Micky Mellon [ above] is back as manager, and the bond between club and supporters should be repaired after the ructions caused by Keith Hill. Can we just pretend 2020- 21 didn’t happen?
I’ve really missed getting terrible looks from other train passengers for cracking open a lager at 8am.
I won’t be happy unless we’re competing for promotion. We’ve been promised a top- third budget and need to get it right this time. Our most underrated player is central defender Peter Clarke, who
turned 39 in January and played every minute last season. I had my doubts when we signed him and was completely wrong. The pantomime villain will be the EFL again, for an inability to govern their leagues properly. Save the date for our clashes with Forest Green, which have had some needle since our days battling for promotion in the National League. The best thing about matchday at
Tranmere is going to be the Fan Park, where home and away fans can mix. The plans look outstanding and would probably give us the best matchday experience in the division.
Our key player will be Jay Spearing [ below]. He endured a rocky start to last season but improved steadily every game in central midfield. The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is that he’s the best we’ve ever had in modern times, and most are thrilled he’s back. Mellon has a big job on his hands, needing to build a squad from scratch. If he left, he should be replaced by
Dave Challinor, a former player who just led Hartlepool back into the EFL. We’ll finish in the top seven again. 7TH FFT VERDICT
Rovers have made the play- offs in their previous two seasons at this level, largely through clinical attacking. The fortunes of Micky Mellon, returning with unfinished business, may therefore hinge on whether new Liverpool loanee Paul Glatzel lives up to his billing.