Rob Edwards to Tranmere fans: “Be Passionate”

New Tranmere Rovers boss Rob Edwards has been talking to the Rovers Club website about the need for supporters to encourage the team and be passionate in their support.

Edwards said:-

I’ve played for clubs where the fans like you as a player and where they didn’t like me as a player and that’s fine.They’re always going to have their favourite players and ones they don’t like, and that’s why football is a fantastic game, we’ve all got opinions.

But they need to get behind the team, it can make a real difference.

Maybe Rob is reminiscing about what the Siege Army could achieve on the Big Bank when it was in full swing:-

The atmosphere at the ground here can make the difference to the team’s performance and results. On the DVDs I’ve watched I can hear the crowd in the background and the passion from the supporters is great.

That’s what we want, we want passionate supporters coming to the ground and the players understanding that when they drive here on a Saturday afternoon there’s no way they’re not going to give their all because they’ve got fans turning up who want passion. They’ll drag it out of the players. The players will roll their sleeves up, do their best, bring their talent and technique to the occasion and loads of passion too.

Has Edwards learned the lessons from the problems at St James Park this last season? Where the crowd all too often turned on the management team, making sure they knew the crowd did not appreciate the lack of fight and passion shown by the Exeter players. He continues:-

I played here and you know what you get, you get a bit of grief from the fans. That’s great, as a home crowd you need to get behind your team and make it a little bit uncomfortable for the away team. That all helps.

All you can ask of your supporters is that they’re passionate and get behind us. Stick with us, if times are tough, give it a bit more. If we’re doing well, enjoy it as much as anyone. We need you.

We’ll have to wait and see if Rob Edwards will set up his team with an attack minded tactics, or will he take the Tisdale approach of being over-cautious. At least his rhetoric is one of passion, and engaging the supporters. No hint of recent missives from the Club that supporters should be grateful for what they got or the rather patronising tone of we don’t know what really goes on!