Tranmere Rovers manager John Barnes set to shake up his struggling side at Exeter

Sep 18 2009 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

JOHN BARNES is ready to shake up his struggling Tranmere side when they travel to Exeter City tomorrow.

The Rovers manager insists the changes he is considering reflect the need to inject more defensive resilience into team performances on the road rather than punish individual players who have figured in a sequence of six defeats in seven League One outings this season.

Barnes threatened to make changes in the immediate aftermath of a 3-2 home defeat to Walsall last weekend. He confirmed yesterday: “There very well may be changes.

“To be honest it has nothing to do with the desire and the attitude shown by the players, which has been good.

“It has to do with the fact that not only are we away from home, we are struggling.

“We have to tighten up.

“We have to be stronger, physically and mentally, in terms of being more defensive from a thought process point of view when we don’t have the ball.

“They are the reasons why changes, if any, are going to be made. It’s not a question of anyone playing particularly badly because I don’t think you can single any one out for playing worse than anyone else.”

Barnes could be pondering the introduction of more defensive-minded players and/or an adjustment to the 4-4-2 formation he has adopted since the start of the season.

Tranmere’s away record shows three defeats, at Yeovil (2-0), Leeds United (3-0) and Carlisle (3-0). The overall defensive record is just as bleak with 14 goals conceded in five successive defeats to MK Dons, Leeds, Charlton, Carlisle and Walsall.

The manager has a widening range of options having added four players, defender Marlon Broomes, strikers Michael Ricketts and Kithson Bain and midfielder Seb Carole to his squad since the season kicked off. Broomes looks likely to return to the heart of the back four after pulling out of the 3-2 home defeat to Walsall at half-time last weekend because of sickness.

Carole could be handed a starting role after playing 90 minutes in the reserves in midweek and signing a short-term contract that ties him to Rovers until January.

The 27-year-old Frenchman has defensive qualities to his game that helped him make more than 50 senior appearances for Leeds.

Barnes said: “I spoken to some people at Sheffield United, where Seb has been training.

“He is a midfield player who is intelligent, quite quick and he knows how to keep the ball. He will add more quality and competition for places, which is good.”

The return to fitness of team captain Ian Thomas-Moore gives Barnes a wealth of options in attack with Ricketts, Bain, Craig Curran and Terry Gornell also vying for selection at St James’s Park.

Meanwhile Exeter manager Paul Tisdale sees tomorrow’s game as an opportunity for his side to pull away from Tranmere near the foot of the League One table.

He said: “We have got a team coming to the Park who have been sticky with their opening few games as we have been.

“So it looks like a very even contest. I know that Tranmere are a good side because they just missed out on the play-offs last year and they have got a new manager putting his stamp on things.

“When they click I am sure they will be a very productive team. I just hope that if they click this week we are strong enough to cope with them.

“Sooner rather than later we are going to win a game at home.”