And so this is Christmas

And what have we done? John Lennon’s question is a tough ask for us Rovers supporters. It’s been a disappointing 12 months, it feels like the club have gone backwards with continuing uncertainty about our future. There is little Christmas cheer around Prenton Park.

A year ago there were those amongst us clutching their betting slips. Rovers had been given ridiculous odds for promotion and the up turn in form over the previous few weeks meant that many took a punt. There were reasons to be optimistic. Rob Apter was creating chances, we were scoring goals. Nigel Adkins had brought a positivity to the club. The future looked bright, Super White.

Yet, as we got towards the end of the season a pattern emerged. Poor performances, poor results. We finished the season on 57 points following a 4-1 thumping at Accrington. 5 of the players in that final squad are no longer with us. Others, like Charlie Jolley, were shown the door in the summer.

We were promised a smaller but higher quality squad. There was much excitement at the signing of Josh Davison, Omari Patrick and Cameron Norman.  Plus promising youngsters Josh Williams and Sol Soloman were brought in. Could this be the start of a balanced squad, a blend of youth and experience, a new trip to the moon? 

The season started with an injury crises but despite this we beat Walsall and progressed in the League Cup. Then, just as the selection problems abated we seemed to lose the plot. Team selections and formations became erratic. Results poor, performances even worse. 

At the start of the season many thought we were good enough to challenge for promotion. At this moment in time it’s possible that we might not even be good enough to stay in the EFL.

What has gone wrong? It seems that we haven’t maximised the impact of our new signings. Our promising youngsters have not got much of a look in. Our experienced senior squad members have either been plagued by injury, fallen out of favour or lost form. Off the pitch the rumoured sale has not yet materialised and there is a sense that the money we need just isn’t available. It is not clear when this will happen. Either by the end of March or by the end of June. The difference could be crucial. By June it’s possible we will be in the National League.

The jury is out on whether or not Nigel Adkins is doing his best with limited resources or is making the situation worse with inconsistent selections and tactics. Andy Crosby has been brought in to work alongside the manager. This could be seen as a vote of confidence in the current manager or as a vote of no confidence in the current coaching team. 

A bigger problem still is the uncertainty surrounding ownership. Are we being bought by a celebrity US consortium or is it the former owner of Port Vale that is bidding to buy us? We are in the dark. Communication, once a strength of our owners, is hampered by commercial considerations.

It would be a shame, to put it mildly, if our 140th season saw us relegated back into the National League. None of us fancy that. Supporters have been patient, a good indicator being the number of season tickets sold. They are counted towards the attendance even if they don’t turn up, but recent games have been notable for the numbers that are staying away. If we go down the implications will be enormous.

Christmas though is a time for optimism. It could be that this time next year we are pushing for promotion and climbing the table. We might even have gained promotion with a massive cash injection in January followed by us storming up the table between then and the end of the season. It’s not impossible that we could be a Division higher. As things stand though it’s highly unlikely.

Christmas is also a time for family. At Rovers we are close knit, just like a family. We have arguments, but we also share a common bond. Let’s hope that this is enough to get us through until the end of the season and that everyone, players, owners, prospective owners, the hard working staff at the club and us supporters have a very happy Christmas, filled with cheer, good health and celebrations. If 2024 was a year of disappointment let’s hope 2025 is a year of celebration.

Happy Christmas!