The one cap England forward has had a number of failed trials in League One this summer including Brighton and Stockport County. Both clubs on his release commented on his lack of match fitness with, with the latest to release him Stockport Manager Gary Ablett telling the Stockport Express "Michael's not staying. We just felt that it would possibly take too long to try and get him fit. We need a fit Michael Ricketts to be doing his stuff on the pitch and unfortunately when we weighed it all up we thought we might not get Michael on the pitch and to the standard we require for maybe another four to six weeks, which would have been too late for us really.
After signing the player, John Barnes told his club's official website www.tranmererovers.co.uk:
"Michael is an experienced goalscorer who I'm delighted to be able to bring to the Club. He is big and strong and will add something different to our attacking options."
Michael told his new club website: "I'm pleased to have joined Tranmere. The lure of playing for John Barnes, who was an idol of mine, and the style of football he wants to play were big factors in me coming here."
While Michael enjoyed a good season at Walsall last season in terms of goals, he spent nearly a quarter of the season suspended after picking up THREE red cards
Michael Ricketts (Tranmere Rovers) Information | |||
Date of birth | Monday, 4th December 1978 | Height | 6.1 |
Place of birth | Birmingham, England | Weight | 12.5 |
Nationality | England | Position | Forward |
Comments | Squad No. | ||
Recent Career History By Club (1999 onwards) | ||||||
Team | Debut | Apps (+ sub) | Goals | Yellows | Reds | |
| 03 Nov 2007 | 45 (3) | 17 | 8 | 3 | ||
| 11 Aug 2007 | 11 (1) | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 13 Jan 2007 | 9 (7) | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 24 Sep 2006 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 31 Jan 2006 | 12 (1) | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 10 Sep 2005 | 17 (0) | 5 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 07 Aug 2005 | 2 (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 22 Feb 2005 | 1 (10) | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 07 Aug 2004 | 11 (13) | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 08 Feb 2003 | 17 (22) | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 23 Feb 2002 | 18 (16) | 7 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 13 Feb 2002 | 1 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 26 Aug 2000 | 48 (27) | 38 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 21 (11) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Recent Career History By Season (1999 onwards) | ||||||
Season | First App. | Apps (+ sub) | Goals | Yellows | Reds | |
| 09 Aug 2008 | 29 (3) | 12 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 11 Aug 2007 | 27 (1) | 7 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 24 Sep 2006 | 9 (9) | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 07 Aug 2005 | 31 (4) | 8 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 07 Aug 2004 | 12 (23) | 1 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 26 Aug 2003 | 12 (18) | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 17 Aug 2002 | 19 (12) | 8 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 18 Aug 2001 | 28 (15) | 15 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 26 Aug 2000 | 25 (20) | 23 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 21 Sep 1999 | 21 (11) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Appearances 213 (+ 116 as sub); Goals 78; Yellow cards 52; Red cards 3 | ||||||
It will be interesting to see if John Barnes can get the best out of Michael Ricketts, if he does, they have just signed a very good player and a League One match winner. If they cannot, they have just found a massive drain on the weekly wages budget.