Tranmere have tonight sacked manager Mike Jackson after a dismal start to the season.
Rovers produced another poor display today as they were beaten 1-0 by Morecambe at Prenton Park. Within 45 minutes of the final whistle, Jackson had been relieved of his duties.
Tranmere have recorded only two victories from the opening ten league games.
Andy Parkinson and Ian Dawes will take charge of the first team until a replacement is found, starting with Tuesday’s trip to Harrogate.
A sad but predictable end
Jackson’s departure this evening is not much of a surprise. Despite making some seemingly excellent acquisitions, the team have simply not gelled. Most alarming has been the absence of any sort of pattern of play or identity. It’s been a little disjointed and results have reflected that.
Regardless of what he has done as manager, Jackson will be fondly remembered at Prenton Park. A stellar defender during his playing days, Jacko assisted Micky Mellon brilliantly to help bring Rovers back from the National League with successive promotions into League One.
Last season’s diabolic decision by the EFL to demote Tranmere left the club in a tough position going into a summer full of unknowns. Micky Mellon left for Dundee United and a host of players also departed.
When Mark Palios installed Jackson as manager, many fans questioned the decision. Some branded it a ‘cheap’ or ‘easy’ appointment.
Despite this, the SWA was right behind Jackson, though sadly he never got to experience that with every single match of his tenure played behind-closed-doors. However, performances never showed any promise and there has been a stark lack of goals or even shots on target since the beginning of pre-season matches.
Sadly, that came to the fore once again today and the team was beaten by Morecambe.
Palios must get this one right
Rovers’ Chairman Palios now has to get this appointment right. While he nailed the appointment of Micky Mellon back in October 2016, his other appointments have left a lot to be desired.
Micky Adams was appointed and then not removed quick enough to prevent a slide into non-league. The attempt to bounce back immediately turned into a limp to mid-table obscurity in the fifth tier under Gary Brabin.
Mellon came in and changed the mindset. Fans loved him, players got what playing for Tranmere meant and Rovers found teeth. They tore through opposition and found ways to win games of football consistently.
Whether the Jackson appointment was cheap or quick, it’s now irrelevant. It was the wrong one again – the next one is massive. We’ve essentially wasted two months and are now 18th in the basement division, 8 points off the play-offs, a staggering 16 points off top.
Palios has done a tonne of great work at Rovers, but some fans may now be asking questions. We’re still waiting to hear about what action has been taken against the EFL for our demotion? We were told work was on-going on the quiet – on the face of it, it looks like we have rolled over and accepted it.
A solid appointment that instantly gets fans onside is now an absolute requirement.
As for Mike Jackson, we want to thank him for his service to the club. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward.
