Next up is esteemed Tranmere blogger and podcaster Paul Harper (@PaulHarper82 on twitter) who is editor and presenter of Total Tranmere . I was delighted to guest on the podcast ahead of a Blades v Rovers match; a game sadly not to be repeated this season.
Paul took a quick break from his comprehensive coverage of Rovers' pre-season to offer up his opinion on James Wallace.
James Wallace
There is no doubt that James Wallace has got the potential
to become a very good midfield player. Unfortunately, injury halted his
progress in developing that potential during his two year spell at Prenton
Park.
He first arrived at the club for a loan spell for a couple
of months at the end of the 2011/12 season and helped keep the team in League
One at the end of a difficult campaign for Rovers.
During that temporary spell, he looked a very promising
player. A dynamic, energetic midfield player who enjoyed getting forward but
could also do the defensive side of the game too and that led to then-manager
Ronnie Moore signing him up permanently for the following season and making him
club captain.
In the first three months of that first full season, he was
excellent. He led by example with his all-action performances, giving 100%
commitment and that desire to win every ball probably led to his long-term
injury lay-off.
In an FA Cup game against Chesterfield, he took a heavy
touch and dived into a tackle and came out worse and had to endure over 11
months on the sidelines.
And to be honest, since his return, which was actually a
goalscoring return away at Coventry, we didn't see a great deal of him due to
further injury issues and a suspension after a red card on New Year's Day at
Wolves.
We could have done with him on the pitch at the end of last
season, but unfortunately another injury lay-off meant that was not possible.
His presence on the pitch, I'm sure, would have kept Tranmere in League One.
He was offered a new deal with the club, and had he signed
then I would have been happy. When fit, he is an excellent player. But can you
keep him fit for long enough for him to have enough of an impact? There are
huge doubts about that.
Because of that reason, a lot of Tranmere supporters weren't
overly disappointed when he left the club to join Sheffield United.
He is certainly a good player, but at Tranmere, with a small
squad, we can't afford to have a player who might not be available for large
parts of the season. And with him never having played a full season, it is
still a massive unknown as to whether he can do that.
I wish him well and hope that he can remain injury-free and
enjoy success in his career because there is no doubting his ability.
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