To say the football world has been cruel to Tranmere fans in 2020 is probably an understatement, but things may be about to get a whole lot worse.
In the middle of last week, speculation suddenly ramped up that Micky Mellon was a front-runner for the Dundee United job. Now, having seen his odds dramatically slashed, it seems as though Micky is a matter of hours away from being confirmed as new Dundee United boss.
The Scottish Sun reported that Rovers had received an approach from Dundee Utd for Mellon and it seems that the approach was accepted and the Tranmere boss opened talks with the Tannadice outfit.
Tonight, it looks as though it’s a done deal, subject to a compensation package being agreed between the two clubs.
The news comes at the worst possible time.
Rovers were recently demoted from League One by the shambolic EFL and left trying to pick up the pieces of a subsequent £1million budgetary hole. More than 20 roles at the club were made redundant, apparently including two of Micky’s backroom staff.
With just 10 players under contract and suggestions from sources that the EFL season could kick-off as soon as late August, losing Micky Mellon rubs salt into some already pretty deep and painful wounds.
However, if one thing is certain, it’s that no Tranmere fan in their right mind would begrudge Micky a move. While many will feel he could do better than heading to the SPL, he’s more than deserved the opportunity to pick out his next club, a club that works best for him and his family.
If and when the news is confirmed, we’ll try and write a fitting tribute to the man who picked Rovers up at the lowest point in their history, dusted them down and dragged them back not only to the EFL, but with successive promotions, back to League One. As important as what he did on the field, he rebuilt the bond between the fans and their club. Players understood what it meant to pull on the famous old white shirt again.
To any Dundee United fans reading this, don’t go panicking because Micky will be ‘credited’ with last season’s relegation. It wasn’t a relegation. We saved a chunk of our budget for January, Mellon made some excellent signings and we were flying once again. No fan who was present at the last three games before lockdown would have believed the club was going down.
Micky, once again, had turned things around.
Here’s hoping that there’s a huge turnaround in the next 24-48 hours and that Micky stays, but if not, we wish him the very best of luck. The job he has done here will never be forgotten.
