Tranmere boss Les Parry is urging his players to ‘walk tall’ over Christmas

Dec 23 2011 Liverpool Daily Post

TRANMERE will be encouraged to “walk tall” into the festive encounter with Rochdale at Prenton Park on Boxing Day.

Manager Les Parry and his coaching staff have missed no opportunity to remind players that they are performing better than recent results suggest and have no cause to be inhibited in their football after a run of four League One defeats.

”When you are in a run like this there is a danger that players will want to hide and not accept the ball,” Parry said. “Every manager in the league would admit to that.

“We have been saying to the lads ‘Be confident. You are playing well’.”

Parry added: “When you are winning, everyone wants the ball. Everyone is confident and everyone walks with their shoulders back. When you are in a losing run, people’s shoulders come forward. You can see the body language. They tend to panic a little bit more than when they are winning. It is human nature.

“We’ve tried to reduce the effects of that. I have been impressed with what I’ve seen from the players this week.

“It was a bit of a worry that they might have been a little down but every day in training they have had a bounce in their step.”

Tranmere may be looking for their first win in seven League One outings but they are in a more comfortable position than their visitors.

Rochdale, third from bottom of the table with 18 points – eight fewer than Rovers – sacked manager Steve Eyre and assistant Frank Bunn this week and put youth coach Chris Beech in charge of first-team affairs.

Beech recruited former Barnsley coach Ryan Kidd as his assistant and made it clear he would be interested in taking the job on a permanent basis.

Other candidates linked to the post include former Tranmere manager Ronnie Moore, who has been out of football since leaving Rotherham last March and brothers David and Garry Flitcroft.

David Flitcroft worked as number two to Keith Hill, the manager who led Rochdale to promotion to League One in 2010 and then departed at the end of last season to take charge at Barnsley.

Tranmere will expect a change of manager to provoke a change in approach from a Rochdale side who have won once in the last 10 League One outings.

“We expect a reaction from Rochdale,” Parry said. “This has happened to us a few times.

“Chris Beech has taken over and is well known to the players. He will have been watching the team for the past four or five months and he will have had his ideas about how he would change things if he had the opportunity. Now he has been given the opportunity. I know Chris quite well. I obviously wish him well – but after Boxing Day. We need the points a little bit more than he does.”

Parry is hopeful of more positive news on the injury front by the time the teams face each other on Monday.

Centre-back Ian Goodison, who missed two games with a hamstring injury, and right-back David Raven, sidelined for two games with a thigh strain, will be given every opportunity to put themselves back in the selection frame.

Zoumana Bakayogo, fighting off a knee injury and Michael Kay, who suffered a broken rib in the 2-1 defeat at Stevenage last Saturday, may take a little longer.

Parry said: “Both Ian and David had a run in training and are still a little bit unsure. We will leave it until after the weekend.

“Zoum is still feeling his knee when he strikes the ball. If needed, I think he could be persuaded to play. Michael Kay’s ribs are sore. It’s a question of when he can put up with the level of pain he gets from playing.”

Rochdale this week offered a permanent 18-month contract to former Manchester City defender Stephen Jordan. The 29-year-old had been on a short-term deal at Spotland since October.