Moore won’t let opposition bully Rovers this time

Feb 22 2008 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

MANAGER Ronnie Moore insists Tranmere can settle a score by standing up to the tough guys of Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium tomorrow.

Moore admits his defenders were ‘too namby-pamby’ in the face of a powerful visiting attack when losing 2-0 to the Pirates in League One at Prenton Park last month.

“That was the first time we have been physically out-fought here,” Moore said. “They murdered us. It was our worst display in a long time.

“We have to be physically stronger this time, deal with the pressure and give ourselves a chance to show that we have better players.”

Moore does not doubt that Tranmere’s seven-game unbeaten run will be seriously tested by a Bristol side who have lost just once in the last 10 matches and put Southampton out of the FA Cup in a fifth round upset last weekend.

“This is a very tough game,” Moore said. “It is a big ask because Bristol have not been beaten at home since November and their pitch is not a surface to play good football on.”

The Memorial Stadium pitch takes a pounding because it is also used by the Bristol rugby union team. The Championship players of Southampton struggled to come to terms with the surface in last Saturday’s Cup tie and West Bromwich Albion will not be looking forward to playing on it in the quarter-final next month.

Moore said: “It’s a bit like a park pitch and we have to adjust the way we play for 90 minutes. The same applies to Bristol Rovers. They do want to play football as a rule. When they came to Prenton Park they played a lot of balls off the front two and it worked for them.”

Ricky Lambert, the 6ft 2in Liverpudlian who scored one of the Bristol goals at Prenton Park, has notched 14 strikes this season, including the winner against Southampton.

Tranmere should take a more assertive approach into the rematch, having taken 17 out of 21 points at stake since the clubs last met. Moore said: “I would like to think that their manager is looking at this game as being one of the most difficult they face this season. We are playing well and successful runs breed confidence. Every time we play now we feel we are capable of winning the game. We are back in the play-off positions, which is where we want to be.”

Bristol start the contest in 11 points behind Tranmere but with four games in hand and chief coach Paul Trollope isn’t ruling his team out of the race for promotion.

Moore said: “It is going to be hard for Bristol to win four games in hand. I would rather be where we are than trying to play catch-up.

“They are going to fall another game behind because of the West Bromwich Cup tie and with the smaller squads clubs have at this level, it is bound to take it out of players.”

Tranmere have no new injury problems. Moore ‘welcomes’ a selection dilemma in attack where the bright work of Ian Moore and the recalled Chris Greenacre in the 2-0 win over Millwall last week will make it difficult for fit-again Calvin Zola to step straight back into the team.

The manager said: “We had Calvin and Gareth Taylor against Bristol last time and their centre-backs just wanted to head the ball away. I wonder what they will be like against two players who have got legs. Maybe that will be the way to cause them problems.”

Moore has issued instructions to a trio of players to avoid unnecessary disciplinary troubles tomorrow.

If skipper Ian Goodison, Greenacre or Moore were to pick up a fifth booking of the season at the Memorial Stadium, they would face an automatic one-match suspension.

But the suspension is replaced by a warning for players reaching five cautions after the end of February.

Moore said: “If we can get through this game out of the way those players will be breathing more easily. It is a question of them being professional and not doing anything stupid. Those players know that if they do something silly and get themselves booked I am going to come down on them like a ton of bricks.”