MA: “There was a risk to it, but it was a calculated risk.”

Michael Appleton breezed through the press conference ahead of the Tranmere Rovers match up on Saturday.

Burton Albion: MA was happy with ‘loads’ of the play against Burton but there were a couple of first-half issues that made him angry; the players are aware of what they were.

Tranmere Rovers: They have some quality in their side and clearly have fighting spirit and belief which makes them very dangerous. Winning three games away from home has dragged everybody ‘into’ it (relegation battle); possibly those games away from Prenton Park have allowed them to play with some freedom. There is rarely very little between any teams whether top or bottom in L1 with MA recalling that Tranmere contributed to a decent game prior to having a player sent off in the corresponding fixture. It would be stupid to not take the state of the Tranmere pitch into account. Build-up play and patterns during training this week have been designed to navigate any such problems. Players have been briefed on where to play and not play football as MA does not want to concede possession in bad areas. However, he still expects the players to not deviate too much, continuing to be brave and pass the ball in the right areas. MA agreed that ‘right now’ he would be happy with a draw. Each of the remaining 9 games will be taken individually on their own merits. For example ‘you’ couldn’t get a bigger contrast between the next two opponents. Tranmere are scrapping for their lives whereas in the first 45 minutes at Coventry those opponents handed Imps the biggest lesson this season in footballing terms albeit MA had been happy with the players’ response during the second half of that particular game.

Who Are The League One Managers? No.22: Micky Mellon (Tranmere Rovers)

Will The Imps Win, Lose Or Draw Against Tranmere Rovers?

Win

Lose

Draw

Injuries: Tom Hopper will be fine although Jorge Grant is 50/50 having sustained a badly swollen ankle when the referee (Burton) decided Jorge had tripped over a blade of grass.

Coronavirus: MA did not have strong views on what should happen to football matches during the pandemic. It is not his area of expertise. Whilst it is always preferable to have fans at the game the reality is that it is a serious situation and people are dying so the quicker the problem is stemmed the better. Like most clubs, practical common sense hygiene measures are in place at the training ground.

Young Players: The way Anthony Scully plays is suited to league football. In the main it is very positive and there is no doubt things tend to happen when he is about. MA is working with Anthony daily to bring more control to his game so he can understand that the team cannot score a goal every time he gets the ball. For example, he may need fewer touches on the ball, moving possession onto teammates more quickly sometimes. Tayo Edun has been ‘at it’ in training after the frustration of his one-match ban. No doubt Tayo is aware of what a good performance Max Melbourne put in v Burton allied to the heavy competition for central midfield roles.

The January transfer window business was no accident. It was a calculated risk bringing in a group of youngsters at that time but for three or four of them the opportunity to play until the end of the season will do them the world of good with MA looking to finish as strongly as possible before moving onto hopefully better things next season.

Writer: hulloutpost

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MA: "There was a risk to it, but it was a calculated risk.":https://t.co/Niy79Ktsjm #TRFC #ImpsAsOne #ProudToBeImps

— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) March 12, 2020