After narrowly avoiding relegation from the English Football League in a chaotic 2024/25 season, this summer has brought significant change for Tranmere Rovers – but to what degree has their squad revamp actually helped The Super Whites?
Andy Crosby was named first team manager in May after a successful stint as interim, taking over from Nigel Adkins who was sacked following a poor run of form midway through the previous campaign.
Crosby managed to turn the club’s fortunes around, securing six wins, five draws and suffering just two losses in their final 13 games in League Two.
This is a level of form that would have seen Rovers automatically promoted had they sustained it for all 46 games, averaging 1.77 points per match.
However, the Tranmere boss has failed to replicate this form at the start of the 2025/26 season, gaining just 10 points in their opening nine fixtures including a winless run since 23 August – nearly mirroring the number achieved at this point last term.
A new-found attacking prowess
But one key issue from the Adkins era that Crosby has improved on is the number of goals scored.
So far Rovers have found the back of the net 13 times, a noticeable progression on last season’s tally of just five after nine games. Star player and 2024/25 top scorer Omari Patrick has contributed heavily yet again with two assists and six goals so far.
Following a summer that featured 12 new signings, including three attacking players, there is far more positivity surrounding the club’s potential in forward areas.
Proven striker Joe Ironside made a deadline day move from Doncaster Rovers and joined fellow forwards Taylan Harris and former Everton Under-21s playmaker Charlie Whitaker in putting pen to paper for the Wirral side.
Savvy recruitment on a tight budget
The Super Whites boss also conducted a revolution in defence and midfield, getting rid of 11 players and bringing in individuals who could slot into the new system.
Since joining in February, Crosby transformed the team’s formation from Adkins’ 4-4-2 to a new and inventive 3-4-2-1 system, allowing them to play with more dynamism in possession.
Despite an underwhelming start to the season leaving the club sat in 18th, the former Port Vale boss has set his side up well for a playoffs push thanks to the recruitment of several individuals with experience higher up the table.
Defensive duo Nathan Smith and Jason Lowe both joined Tranmere from Port Vale after they earned automatic promotion to League One last season, alongside new Rovers captain Richie Smallwood’s Bradford City.
Richie Smallwood has captained Bradford City, Hull City, Blackburn Rovers and now Tranmere Rovers. Embed from Getty Images.
The squad has also received an injection of youth due to a hybrid transfer policy of mixing proven and experienced players with young talent on loan from clubs higher up the EFL.
Sheffield United midfielder Billy Blacker and Leicester City defender Jayden Joseph joined Tranmere throughout the summer, as well as forward Harris who has already scored his first goal since arriving on loan from Luton Town.
Defensive instability or just a change in style?
Because the core of The Super White’s team has been completely switched up, there have been some understandable issues that have popped up in the early stages of this campaign.
For example, they have struggled defensively at times in League Two.
They have conceded 12 goals so far, suffering 4-2 and 3-1 defeats away to Walsall and Salford City respectively.
Under Adkins, at the same point last season Rovers had let in three fewer goals and looked far more defensively solid.
However, Crosby’s Tranmere demonstrated that they were able to perform more convincingly at the back in their recent 0-0 draw against Cambridge United, after a week of stripping their playstyle back to basics.
Speaking after the game, the manager said: “Being tight at the back was the biggest thing we spoke about this week. Our last couple of away games we conceded a couple of goals and a number of shots on target.
“We have looked far too open to counter attacks and transitions, so we wanted to be harder to play against, we did that today and we aim to replicate that moving forwards. It is good to stop the rot of looking like we were an easy team to score against.”
Although the fans inside Prenton Park weren’t best pleased with last Saturday’s defensive-minded showing, they will hope it sends out a message to the rest of the league – Tranmere are here to compete, and they won’t be easy to beat.
Bad luck?
In fact, it could be said that the Super Whites are sat in a false position down in 18th.
They have been on the receiving end of a couple of refereeing mistakes in the form of unfair penalty decisions and a bizarre ghost goal situation, which Crosby believes has been detrimental to their points total.
The injury situation hasn’t helped too, with seven players on the sidelines, including the long-term losses of goalkeeper Luke McGee and striker Kristian Dennis.
Despite their misfortunes, if Rovers are able to combine the solid display against Cambridge with the goals of Patrick and Ironside, as well as the creativity of Whitaker and Smallwood, then a promotion push could certainly be on the cards for the Wirral side – a feat that would have seemed absurd to The Super White Army under Adkins.
