Tranmere head to Fleetwood Town today (Saturday 14^th) desperate to stop the rot which has seen the team’s form fall off a cliff since the turn of the year. They’ll do so under the management of Pete Wild, appointed this week until the end of the season.

The appointment of Wild was something that simply had to happen. Maybe not Wild specifically, but an experienced manager from outside the club to come in and try and steer the club away from the relegation trap door which is starting to appear closer beneath us.

The appointment was probably not one that owner Mark Palios would have wanted to make. Still going through a supposed-takeover, it’s probably an expense he could do without.

Palios’ managerial appointments through the years have, for the most part, been unambitious, short-sighted and all round dour for a number of years.

Promoting from within is the usual plan of action, if indeed there was a plan. Mike Jackson, Ian Dawes, Andy Crosby all examples of this. All largely unsuccessful. When he appoints from outside of the club, save for Micky Mellon, it’s generally a disaster as well; see Nigel Adkins, Micky Adams and Keith...