MANAGER Les Parry admitted Tranmere “repeatedly pressed the self-destruct button” in crashing to a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth.
Rovers’ second straight loss in front of their own supporters left them next to bottom of the League One table with a single point from three games.
Meanwhile the transfer wrangle over Ian Thomas-Moore continued with Parry describing Rotherham United’s attempts to prise the skipper out of Prenton Park as “totally unacceptable.”
Parry insisted: “Our performance was not as bad as the result would suggest. We realise the fans were disappointed and no one was more disappointed than me. But I thought we pressed the self-destruct button repeatedly.”
The home side were two goals down inside 18 minutes and conceded the third just after the hour mark. “We started better than we started a game for some time,” Parry added. “Then within 10 seconds of nearly scoring from a free-kick, they broke on us and scored. A big punt down the middle brought them a second goal. We started the second half really well but once again a square ball was intercepted, they broke on us and we were 3-0 down.
“We did control the possession in the first third of the field but once we advanced our quality began to suffer. Bournemouth were good, when we gave them the ball, at counter-attacking very quickly. That’s what caused us all the problems.”
Tranmere withdrew midfielder Joss Labadie and striker Ian Thomas-Moore after the pair collected bookings. Thomas-Moore showed his frustration at being substituted by kicking the wall of the players’ tunnel.
Parry said: “We did not want to end up in a situation where the two players picked up second bookings, got sent off and suspended. They were decisions taken for the right reasons.
“Ian probably thought he should not have been taken off and Joss is the same. That’s not a bad thing. In Ian’s case, 90% of kicking the tunnel had something to do with the frustration of the transfer issue.”
The affair has been rumbling along since the first weekend of the season when Thomas-Moore handed in a transfer request and said another club had offered him a two-year deal with better pay.
Tranmere turned down his request and rejected transfer bid with a “nominal fee” from Rotherham, the League Two club managed by Thomas Moore’s father Ronnie Moore. Rovers say they have subsequently offered Thomas-Moore a one-year extension to his current contract at Prenton Park, which runs until the end of the season.
Ronnie Moore, speaking after Rotherham’s 6-4 win over Cheltenham, said the Millers made an increased bid of £30,000 for Thomas more adding: “They (Tranmere) want £100,000 for him. He was offered a contract (by Tranmere) so it is basically down to Ian what he wants to do.”
Parry said: “It is frustrating the contract issue is dragging on and on. It would be stupid of me to say it isn’t. I think Ian is frustrated it is dragging on.
“Ronnie Moore has been on radio saying we had not offered Ian the second year. It is a little unfortunate he got involved in that. The fact that Ian is his son is the only reason why we are not hauling Rotherham before the Football League because what’s going on is totally unacceptable. It is not very professional.”
Meanwhile, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was delighted with the win. He said: “That was a good performance. I was pleased with our first half when we were a real threat. Josh McQuoid came into the side and really took his opportunity. He’s a young player who is improving all the time. I felt his pace would suit the way we set out to play.”
