Tranmere Rovers
Pessimistically Optimistic
Rovers Crest
By David Sindall
August 27 2026
It’s only two games in. Two games, with 44 still to play. We can’t get carried away, obviously. But it already feels like a better team than the one we had last season. We have exactly the same number of points as we did at this stage a year ago, and yes, things could still go belly up — this being a family website, you know what belly is standing in for — but there is something different about this side.
Nothing has changed, and yet a few personnel changes are already having a massive impact. Firstly, Will Vaulks looks like a superb signing. He commands the pitch in a way few recent captains have managed, and his work rate sits right alongside that authority. He doesn’t look lost; he looks born for the job. Tom Ince is also settling into the team. He opened his goals account last week at Vale; hopefully, it will be the first of many. Together, Will and Tom bring a level of experience that feels different. This could already be having an effect on the other players.
Then there is Jordan Davies. To me, he looks like a player who knows how to play football. He has attacking guile and energy, plus a decent level of skill. Alongside Charlie Whitaker, he has given us a positive outlet for goals. There appears to be just that bit more craft and movement, and that adds to the sense of positivity.
At the back, the new signings are also settling in well. It’s not an entirely new back four — Smudge is still there — but it feels different. So far, Joel Senior and Jacob Slater have done reasonably well. Bobby Faulkner has been a revelation; his performances have got stronger, and his cameo in goal last weekend has earned him early cult status. I am surprised that Lee O’Connor has not been in the team, but it’s great that all players are fighting for their places.
I still have concerns. The injury to Harrison Male means that we are exposed between the sticks. We have had no update, at the time of writing, so it remains to be seen whether he will be back in time for Saturday. Luke McGhee still appears to be injured, so emergency cover is likely to be needed.
Consensus has it that we need somebody up alongside, or even instead of, Joe Ironside. Joe’s work rate has been impressive, but his return in front of goal has been low. He doesn’t look like a lone forward to me. He looks like someone who needs a strike partner. Baker-Richardson, or another forward signing, looks much more able to play the lone forward role. However, from my perspective, Joe still has the edge in terms of footballing ability.
All this bodes well, albeit with the caveat that we are two games in. Darrell Clarke and Dean Whitehead seem to have got the team to gel quite quickly. And, of course, by five o’clock on Saturday evening we might be looking at our first defeat. I watched the Bristol Rovers v Newport game last week, though, and there was nothing Newport had that made me unduly worried. A result should be possible; a win is not an unrealistic fantasy. County are not Vale.
Optimism is a curious sentiment for us all. I don’t think we look like anything other than a reasonable team. That, though, is a big improvement. If we can get something on our trip to South Wales, we can afford to be a bit more positive. For a bit. For a little while. Until things start to go wrong, as they must do. Or maybe they won’t.
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27/08/2026 16:28
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