CARETAKER Les Parry is ready to make a formal pitch for the manager’s post at Prenton Park – providing Tranmere can deliver the right kind of results and performances in three away games over the next nine days.
The long-serving physio has been in temporary charge of team affairs for five weeks while chairman Peter Johnson considers dozens of potential candidates for the role as long-term successor to John Barnes.
Parry says he does not worry about the speculation linking a variety of names to the post. This week Rochdale manager Keith Hill and long serving former Rovers player, captain, coach and manager Ray Mathias were mentioned prominently.
But Parry, together with coaches Shaun Garnett and Wayne Allison, continues to enjoy the support of the chairman to carry on in a temporary role and expects to be in charge for the testing League One fixture at Norwich City tomorrow.
The trip to Carrow Road is closely followed by two visits to Leyton Orient, for an FA Cup first-round replay next Tuesday and a League One fixture four days later.
Parry said: “I have no control over who comes in or who turns the job down. I had a chat with the chairman on Tuesday and he indicated it might take a little while longer (to resolve the issue).
“At the end of the day he is looking for someone who can do a better job than me. Until the chairman finds someone who he feels can do a better job than I have done with Shaun and Wayne, we will still be in the job.”
Parry added: “I want what is right for the club and I’m pretty sure that if I was to see the chairman and put myself forward, he would consider me seriously. But I feel exactly the same as the chairman.
“I feel if there is someone out there who can do a better job than me, I would welcome him with open arms.
“All I’m concerned about is the club getting out of the trouble we are in and moving up the table. If the chairman does not find a person over the next week or so and results go okay, I think I will be knocking on the door. I will be saying: it’s gone on for six weeks now, can we have a chat.”
Parry is by no means Tranmere’s longest serving caretaker manager. That distinction is held by Ray Mathias. If Rovers results had matched the upturn in performances over the last five games, then the caretaker regime would have a strong case for asking for an extended run straight away.
But Tranmere have won only one out of four League One games under Parry and head for Norfolk aiming to improve on a poor away record.
Norwich look like formidable opponents. The Canaries may have started the season losing 7-1 at home to Colchester. But they have since climbed to fifth place under new manager Paul Lambert and boast an attack knocking in goals at an average of two per game.
Parry said: “This is a good challenge for our lads. Playing in front of the big crowd will be a fillip for our players as well as theirs. I don’t think I will have to say too much to them before the game. The lads will be up for the scrap. A good result at Carrow Road will give us a tremendous boost of confidence.”
Tranmere will be without Shay Logan, who is serving a one-man suspension after accumulating five bookings, so Gareth Edds switches to the right-back role with Paul McLaren returning to the side in midfield.
