Tranmere Rovers 2014-15... Sky Bet League 2 Champions and FA Cup WINNERS

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15 mins
Jordi Gomez collects the ball from a throw in deep on the left. Sunderland attackers are circling dangerously in the box

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Ake rises to the header, but its too far for him, and Barbosa is ball watching rather than marking the dangerous Larsson. I told him to stick to that guy!!!

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Larsson clinical with his header to the back post. 1-1!

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Half-time, 1:1. The lads enter the dressing rooms looking composed, but they need to be fired up.

"Not good enough! You can play better than this!" That gets them in the mood

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50 mins, and wave after wave of Tranmere attack.

First Rodwell collects Towell from behind just outside the box
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Towell sends the free kick in to the middle, where it is dealt with by the defence.
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Only as far as Galloway on the edge of the box. After some interchanges on the left Billing switches the play and finds Stockton in space on the right


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Stockton unleashes a strong shot but it is parried away by Pantillimon for a corner.

Short corner, but Sunderland deal with the ball into the box easily, Aneff kicking it back out for another corner
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Next corner is a repeat short pass to Cotterill, who plays a one-two back out wide with Kent this time to get space.
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Cotterill sends a cross in towards Daniels, but finds a defender who nods it back out weakly.
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Straight back to Cotterill! The crowd is going wild with this passage of play.
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The defenders tackle Cotterill and send the ball into touch. Ake takes the throw, and finds Donacien in the box.
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He nods it back to Cotterill, who is under extreme pressure but collects the ball and works it back out wide, drawing two defenders with him.
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He fires another cross in
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But it's too close to the keeper, and the defender Lees rises to meet it.
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He sends it back out, but not very far. Cotterill is first to react, and with a burst of speed collects the ball yet again.
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Gomez has had enough, and launches himself at Cotterill, taking out more player than ball!
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Penalty! Towell lines up, and hits it so hard the keeper cowers in fear
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2:1 Tranmere, and I'm going to have to speed up this game/writing process as I have friends coming over in 15 mins!
 
61st minute. Free kick to Tranmere, within shooting range. Towell takes the ball and the teams line up.

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He takes the shot, and it is a real rocket. Beats the keeper but it skims off the top of the bar and over for a goal kick. Ooh, so close to a hat trick there.

81st minute. COrner to Tranmere, Kent plays it short to Cotterill
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Aneff came charging out and collected both him and ball
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Looked a pretty soft decision to be honest, Aneff didnt go to ground, and did take the ball. Anyway, the penalty was given.

Towell lined it up, and banged a repeat of the first penalty into the top of the net.

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At least the keeper moved this time! Towell claims a hat trick. 3:1 to Tranmere! It stays that way to the end of the game, and the celebrations on the pitch and off it are wild! We're through to the 6th round, another great run.
 
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We took a break from celebrations to watch the 6th round draw. No upsets in the last round, so pretty much all the teams left in will be tough.

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Looks like a Reading v Tranmere final won't happen, but we might get a match in the next round. I'll be hoping for them to beat Chelsea for sure.
 
Good luck in the next round, fingers crossed for reading.
Any chance of a ss of the league table? You cant have to many games left can ya?
 
Can I just say this is one of the best underdog stories iv read on here. Well done and congratulations on the successful season. having one problem I find the V5 version ?
 
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13 games left, I'm 16 points up. Would take a disaster to miss out on promotion from here, and winning it looks likely too.

Here's the run to the end of the season:
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Got smashed by Bolton in my second last runout, was getting some youngsters a bit of gametime and it backfired badly! There is a patch in April with a few tough games in a row - Sunderland, Norwich and Palace are all in the top 5.
 
can you post all the details for your tactic an instructions for season one .Couldn't find it in the other thread .
 
can you post all the details for your tactic an instructions for season one .Couldn't find it in the other thread .

Link to the tactics downloads is on this post:
http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/shar...ianeriksen-beautiful-play-15.html#post2334585

I assume the downloads are still available. I was using v5 all season. I didnt change the instructions but if I am losing I sometimes change to an overload mentality, and if I want to protect a lead sometimes I change the tempo to low. Umm I dont really remember any other tactics tweaks that I did apart from that. I used an AF striker but it seems to work well with other roles, depends more on your striker than the tactic I think.

I had a lot of success with v5 but have just updated to the latest version each season. v10 is working well this year after a slight stumble in trying to work out how to make the players actually try and score.
 
Well it really is gona take something special for you to not go up, surely by time you get to that run of games you could already be promoted anyway if you carry on winning lol,

Id also like to echo what jem2701 said, this really is a great underdog story, not read anything this good in a while,
 
I agree :) Although it will be a big step up, and I don't know that I'll get the budget I need to bring in some good players. I would be surprised if we keep our top quality loaners too. All the youngsters I'm targeting are signing contract extensions as we speak, and I have no way of pinching them right now!
 
I agree :) Although it will be a big step up, and I don't know that I'll get the budget I need to bring in some good players. I would be surprised if we keep our top quality loaners too. All the youngsters I'm targeting are signing contract extensions as we speak, and I have no way of pinching them right now!

Im sure youll find some way, loan players from abroad? Likes of madrid n barca?
It is a problem climbing through the leagues so quickly, i remember i read a story a guy did with non-league brislington, he got promoted from level 10 or 11 straight through to prem with only 2 seasons in championship! His budget was still only that of a league 2 team, and he strugled like mad,
I think it will just be a case of fight tooth n nail to stay up first season then the money will come in after the first season, positively the club doesnt have any real debt so that will help
 
On to round 6 - Chelsea v Tranmere.

Steve is still moping about the corridors after Chelsea beat off Reading to make it into the 6th round of the FA Cup. He wasnt the only one a bit down in the dumps after that game, Chelsea didnt just beat them they annihilated them 5-0, and followed it up 3 days later with another 3-1 win over Reading too. As if that wasnt enough, they smashed Dortmund 3-0 mid week. They are really on a roll. We can hope that they are tired from this congested schedule...

Their team doesnt really require much introduction.

Diego Costa is the first choice centre forward, with stats my guys dream of. He will be hard to handle on the ground, but I think our guys should have him covered in terms of crosses into the box.


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Kingsley Coman slots in behind Costa. Fantastic first touch, super fast and decent finishing he looks the real deal at only 20.
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In the middle we have James Ward-Prouse and Nathaniel Chalobah. Ward-Prouse is a danger in himself, and creative. Chalobah is decent but not any better than our midfielders really. Although the England selectors don't agree, they see something extra in him.

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Eden Hazard is a great player, the reigning Premier Division player of the month, shortlisted for the 2016 golden ball, the 2016 Euro championships best player, 3rd placed in "Best Player in Europe" last season... yeah he's a bit of a handful. He's gotten two 9+ ratings in the last three games. And right back is our weakness. Oh dear.

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Not to be outdone, Ramires is their right midfielder. A super fast Brazilian international, although his technical skills are not the best.
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Across the back we have Felipe Luis, not so fast and pretty ordinary stats as well; Fabian Schar who is a fortress in the air, Nicholas Nkoulou who is not as good as Schar in any category, and, according to my scout, Paul Rothwell, a 15 year old at right back, who has amazing potential but terrible current abilities

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Petr Cech is in goals, in prime condition and good form
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Clearly, one on one they are a very strong team. We have some decent matchups though. Ryan Kent vs that 15 year old is not a bad bet for us. umm maybe Richie Towell and Galloway can outfox Nkoulou. I'm very worried about our wide defence but there's not much I can do there at this stage!

So our XI. Ake is ineligible as a Chelsea player. Bummer. Pierce Sweeney comes in to centre-half for Ake but that is a massive loss. I'm going with Stockton up front, Teixeira and Kent out wide, Galloway and Towell in the middle, Billing as our DM, Barbosa on the left and Donacien on the right back, and Sweeney/Daniels in the centre. fon Williams of course in goals.

Subs I will include Brad Sweeney, he can play DR and DM. Da Silva is DM backup as well as MC. Torrano will provide fire power at reserve AMR. Haroyan is the backup DC. Skokic backup DL. Matias as reserve AML / ST, and Joe Rothwell as backup MC.
 
Chelsea exerts their technical dominance from the first minute of the game. Hazard breaks down the left and crosses in towards Diego Costa. Pierce Sweeney is marking him tightly though and is strong in the air to nod the ball to safety

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Chelsea regather, and Billing trips Coman just outside the area for a dangerous free kick. Ward-Prouse has a shot straight into the wall - second chance of the game, Tranmere stays solid... at 1:08 on the clock.
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Ward-Prouse claims the rebound and feeds it to Felipe Luis on the left. Kent strips the ball off him for a "good clean tackle" according to the commentator. Luis flopped to the ground but no appeals.
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Kent dribbles out but is obviously nervous, his clearance only travels 20m to find Hazard just lurking.

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I count 9 Chelsea shirts in that picture - and our goal is on the right! That's right, almost their entire team is in front of the ball, and it is only 40m out from goal! For some reason known only to him, Hazard plays back towards the lone defender. Disaster averted.

1:52 and Chelsea are in complete control still. After some midfield magic Coman sees Costa up ahead, and plays him into space. Costa makes no mistake - 1:0! No!

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Wait, the referee calls offside. It looks borderline, but correct.
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3:50, Hazard takes a corner for Chelsea. Felipe Luis hits it on the volley from deep, straight into Daniels.
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Chalobah hits the rebound on the half-volley, straight into Towell.
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Nkoulou gathers the rebound, and tries to pass for another Chalobah shot, but finds Stockton. Tranmere belts it away and the bench breathes again. But the defense puts it straight back down to Hazard, who fires in yet another cross. Daniels gets himself in front of Coman and belts it away.

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Absolutely brilliant so far and not 5 mins gone!

It doesnt stop there. Felipe Luis takes the throw, and gives it to Coman deep in the left.
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Coman lays back to Hazard on the top corner of the box. Hazard glances up and sees Diego Costa ahead with only 3 Tranmere shirts in the way... easy pass.

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He fires in an absolute rocket of a pass, so hard that fon Williams dives to make a save!
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Sweeney makes another brilliant tackle to strip Costa of the ball, and gives it a belting clearance. Finally a chance to draw breath at 4:30.

Tranmere take the ball and make a few passes just to remind themselves that they are playing a game of football. Towell plays one too close to Hazard, oops! He pounces, and all of a sudden they are back on attack. No Richie, that's their guy!
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A couple of quick first touch passes and the ball is at Diego Costa's feet in space.
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Costa breaks right, dribbles to the edge of the box and unleashes. Billing has tracked back with him though, and makes a sliding tackles right on the edge of the box - courageous.
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Unfortunately the ball slips out into Coman's path, and he cracks it first time towards goal.
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Just wide. Phew.

Tranmere settle into a bit more of a rhythm from here and while there are a few more close chance, they are easily dealt with.

28 mins
Chelsea have a throw deep in Tranmere territory on the left. Ward-Prouse collects at the edge of the box, plays it to Felipe Luis who fires in a shot practically from the corner - audacious. It might have been a cross... but was going goalward
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fon Williams parries the ball but it bobbles away dangerously
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Diego Costa leaps on the loose ball, fon Williams is on the ground and the goal is seemingly at his mercy!
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Sweeney makes a critical slide tackle and takes all ball, perfect. Tranmere goal stays intact
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31 mins

Rothwell floats a pass from half way down the right side, over Barbosa's desparate leap
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Chalobah speeds past a mid-air Barbosa to gather with acres of space
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He sends it towards Diego Costa, who gets in front of Daniels and volleys toward goal. fon Williams does brilliantly to save from that range.
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The half ended with a few straight forward chances for both Chelsea and Tranmere, although they have had by far the better of them.
Half time stats - 9 shots to 1 but possession is even. They are really very threatening on the ball.

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Id say a succesful first 45mins, lets hope you can hold them off and just hit them on the break, im going for a 1-0 tranmere ;-)
 
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