Inventive Shuker helps dig Rovers out of a hole

Jan 31 2009 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

YOU DON’T have to be a student of football to appreciate how an improvised remedy to the short-term problem of today can become the established way of doing things tomorrow.

Nothing stimulates invention quite like a crisis in many walks of life.

Take the case of Tranmere Rovers. There they were, struggling to score enough goals to sustain a promotion challenge in League One. Then most of the forward players available to manager Ronnie Moore were pushed onto the sidelines by injury and suspension.

With only one specialist player to call on, Moore came up with the idea of using winger Chris Shuker in a central role just behind striker Ian Moore.

It was a ploy Rovers fans had not seen before. The formation showed promise without delivering any tangible results when first tried in a 1-0 defeat at Millwall earlier this month.

But it worked on every level in helping Tranmere trounce Carlisle United with four second-half goals last weekend and outplay Stockport County in a 2-1 success at Prenton Park on Tuesday night.

Now, as the specialist strikers return to fitness and into contention ahead of today’s visit to Crewe Alexandra, Moore has good reason to be reluctant to move the impudent Shuker out of the “hole” he uses to undermine defences.

Moreover, the little wide man is more than happy to continue in the role.

“It suits me down to the ground,” Shuker said. “And I’m happy to keep playing it.”

Shuker added: “I feel that by playing in the middle I am more involved in the game. Sometimes when you’re playing on the wing, you can wait 10 to 15 minutes for a touch of the ball and that frustrates me.

“I can end up trying too hard to impress them.

“In this role I see much more of the ball and I’m more involved in the play. I’m doing more tackling and even won a couple of headers the other day!”

It helps that Shuker and forward partner Ian Moore are experienced players who have adapted to different roles before – and have the know-how to build a partnership.

Shuker play in a similar position as an emerging player under Kevin Keegan at Manchester City, then later in his career at Barnsley.

He explained: “I used to play at the head of a diamond formation and Barnsley. Kevin Keegan thought the central role was my best position at City and I played there around 20 to 30 times.”

Past masters of the position, such as Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool, played as if they had eyes on the back of their heads.

Shuker said: “The idea is to get yourself into the right position and to make the right passes, cause uncertainty in the minds of opposing defenders.

“You want to put the opposition centre-backs in two minds about whether to come and mark you or back off, so they are half cocked. It is a cat and mouse game.”

It was a game that Shuker and Moore won emphatically the expense of the Carlisle centre-backs last Saturday. Shuker’s ability to turn sharply and make incisive passes helped to create an abundance of second-half opportunities for Tranmere.

Against Stockport, Shuker seemed to be at the heart of every Rovers attack. And there were so many of them that the Hatters could have been swamped by a much heavier defeat.

Shuker reckons he is helped to great effect by the efforts of Moore.

“Ian does really well in getting in behind defenders and made a couple of great finishes for his goals against Carlisle,” Shuker said.

Manager Ronnie Moore says he can see Shuker striking up an effective partnership with tall target man Bas Savage.

The 26-year-old from Huyton added: “I think this shows we are being flexible. You have to be adaptable when you have a small squad as we do.

“When you are struggling in some positions you have to be able to last people to do different jobs for the same.

“The system worked so well against Carlisle and it was one of our best performances, going forward, this season.

“There was a lot of movement up front and a lot of chances created, which is what you need.”