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“You, the lifeblood of this football club, can really help us,” the Tranmere manager, Andy Crosby, wrote as he made an impassioned attempt in his programme notes to galvanise the fanbase before the defeat by Barnet on Saturday made it seven games without a victory in League Two and left the club in 19th place.
Crosby celebrated steering Tranmere to safety last season by joining supporters for a drink in the bar run by the supporters’ trust – less than five yards from the Prenton Park main stand – that is now at the heart of a legal dispute which has created a rift between the club and a section of the fans. Given the team’s form, unity is needed more than ever. Rovers finished 20th last season and two wins in 11 matches in this campaign indicate that the aim is to keep their heads above water again.
This makes it all the more remarkable that the club, owned by Mark and Nicola Palios, have been exchanging legal letters and tit-for-tat statements with the trust more often than the players are securing points. Even more surprising is the fact it stems from a successful collaboration between the club and supporters. The trust operated a fan-run site for nine years at Prenton Park, which helped to fund its activities and brought income into the club.
The marquee attracted home and away fans, leading to a decision to elevate the project from a tent to a permanent structure. A total of £632,695 was raised from fans to set the wheels in motion for a joint venture between the club, trust and the German Kraft brewery that would deliver a space – called a fan park – that could be used as a bar on matchdays and non-matchdays and as a community space throughout the week. A 10-year lease was agreed and work began in April 2023, before the relationship between the trust and the Palioses became fractious.
An unfinished domed-roofed building now stands in the main car park at Prenton Park. A building that should be teeming with people is instead mothballed. About 30 yards away is half of the marquee that previously welcomed match-goers for drinks. It sums up the club, stuck between the forgotten highs of the past and a joyous future that is within touching distance. Tranmere find themselves in a malaise.
Construction at the site stalled amid an increase in costs and the death of the trust chair Ben Harrison but the trust believes it could complete the project in six to eight months. The trust has received invoices from the club totalling £36,833 for loss of car park earnings, because the fan park sits within it, and legal costs. If the trust, which is run by volunteers, were to pay, it would go bankrupt. Tranmere were approached for comment.
Around the corner, the trust has set up in the car park of a charity, with the stands and floodlights of Prenton Park, and a mural of Ian Muir and Ray Mathias funded by the trust, in full view. Craft beers, cider and coffee are on offer, in addition to merchandise from scarves to steins, and donations are being collected for a local food bank. The capacity is 200, far fewer than it would be in a fully functioning fan park. Chatting with mates and enjoying a drink is the best part of the day for many of those attending.
It is no secret the club are for sale. Mark Palios has been open about the need for outside investment but nothing has come to fruition. From the rapper A$AP Rocky to a former Donald Trump lawyer, plenty have been linked with a takeover. Palios said a month ago he was “reasonably confident” a deal would be done by Christmas. The Palioses deserve credit for the work they have done to keep Tranmere running over the past 11 years in a loss-making industry, with the latest accounts showing a pre-tax loss of £1.5m. It is understandable that Mark, a former chief executive of the Football Association, would prefer a quieter life at the age of 72.
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An impressive 7,620 attended the first home game of the season, a 4-0 win against Shrewsbury. That figure dropped to 6,519 for the loss to Barnet. On the pitch, injuries have ravaged the squad. Starting in goal was the 44-year-old Joe Murphy, who first played for the club in 1998. He has seen it all, from glorious cup runs – he played in the League Cup final in 2000 – to the fourth-tier struggles. Charlie Whitaker offered some hope with neat touches and dribbling but a Tranmere error gave away the opener to Lee Ndlovu and poor marking allowed Adam Senior to double the lead.
Tranmere, vying for supporters with Everton and Liverpool, are positioned as a community club. A young fan gets the role of reading out the home team over the public address system, and on Saturday a junior side provided the flagbearers and got to take a half-time penalty against the mascot, Rover the Dog. It is this sort of loyalty they need to survive.
Considering the quality of performances and results, it was a surprise there were not more dissenting voices in the stands, although many talked with their feet by making an early exit. No one was calling for the manager or board to go, and the fans appeared to accept the state of affairs until many of those who stayed booed at the final whistle. Even then there was some applause, followed by plenty of frustration expressed on social media.
There is an air of disquiet at Prenton Park. The only memories of the better times come from Murphy, murals and the fading blue seats. The unoccupied remnants of a marquee and its supposed replacement sit quiet. It is representative of the wider problem at Tranmere, waiting to move from one era to another as a united club but instead stuck in the middle, wondering what the future holds.
