AFC Bournemouth - Monday 29th August (A)

[Pelsall_Saddler]

Predictions? I'm going for 3-2 Walsall, Surman and Fletcher scoring for them with Fryatt scoring twice and K. Taylor for us.

[Ace]

Cherries 4 - 1 Walsall. We're crap.

[Guest]

1-0 walsall with Leitao scoring

[geoffwhiting]

Bournemouth won at Bradford yesterday, we conceded 5 at home to a team that had lost their previous two games, our form is poor despite earlier results that tended to conceal the truth, we can't keep a clean sheet for love nor money, Merson's going to tinker with the team again (he said so), and people are predicting us to win tomorrow!

Can't see how it's exactly logical to be predicting a win for us - then again, I guess little about football results turns out to be logical.

Can't see anything but a 2 to 3 goal defeat to be honest, I'll go for 3-1, Surman getting at least 1 of 'em and proving that he IS the player we are missing from last season!

[guest 1]

How can you predict who will score ,when you know there will be changes from saturday.
2-1 walsall win

[boldmere saddler]

3-0 Bournemouth with Surman having a field day.
I mentioned the merits of Surman in our team and got shot down by the likes of Stu.
Not getting him was the biggest major loss of the season so far.I'd happily have Surman instead of Smith Staunton and Westwood put together.These 3 we did not need at all.Surman we did.
Ok he opted for Bournmouth but how hard did Merson really try to get him.I'd have thought as a creative player himself he'd have done everything possible to get him. Again it shows to me that although a brilliant footballer himself he cannot identify a decent player.--If he can then why 3 more years for Wrack?

[YGA Saddler]

How can you predict who will score ,when you know there will be changes from saturday.
2-1 walsall win

theres changes every week wether we win or not, so no-one knows what Ranieri is thinking.

I'll go for 4-4 tomorrow.

[WFC_Rob]

2-0 Bournemouth. Every team has a dodgy spell at some point in the season :roll:

[Stu]

I mentioned the merits of Surman in our team and got shot down by the likes of Stu.

And for what its worth, as I posted last week, they're not overly impressed by Andy Surman at Dean Court. He is playing wide left in a 4-4-2 formation and the Cherries fan at work said the following, exact words "He is okay, nowt special, we've got better players."

I didn't "shoot you down", I said he wasn't anything special in a 4-4-2, and questioned the wisdom of signing him unless we were planning on playing 4-5-1 all the time.

As it was, we tried to sign him and he turned us down anyway, so there is nothing we could have done anyway.

[Ace]

2-0 Bournemouth. Every team has a dodgy spell at some point in the season :roll:

Yes, and our dodgy spell starts now and ends May 2006 :?

[TheSaddlers]

Bournemouth - 1 (Surman)
Walsall - 3 (Fryatt 1, 2 and 3)

[Jorge14]

2-0 Bournemouth. Every team has a dodgy spell at some point in the season :roll:

Yes, and our dodgy spell starts now and ends May 2006 :?

Nothing like confidence Andrew! :wink:

Just about to set off down south - a repeat of last season, a 2-2 draw is my prediction. Either that or a sneaked 2-1 win for the Saddlers. I fancy us to get something out of today's game - we are made of sterner stuff than last season, so we should be looking to bounce back straight away.

Surman, though, is bound to score for them.

[Manchester Saddler]

I'll go for a 2-0 win for Bournemouth. They are quite capable of beating us when we are playing well and they also have the home advantage.

After the 5-2 defeat I reckon confidence will be low. And if merse buggers about it could be worse

[geoffwhiting]

And if merse buggers about it could be worse

What do you mean Manchester, "IF" ? :D

I'd say it's a cast iron dead certainty that he'll bugger about with the line-up again, all we can do is just hope he manages to get it right (whether by luck or judgement) and then sticks to it, or all the goal scoring entertainment is gonna carry on like Swansea, AT OUR END !

[Stonnall_Saddler]

If Smith, Staunton or Wrack starts 4-0 cherries

If Osborn, Gerrard or Leitao start in the 4-5-1 formation 2-1 saddlers

[WSOne]

For me, tonight's Merson's biggest test as manager!

Has he changed from last season? We will soon see...

[geoffwhiting]

For me, tonight's Merson's biggest test as manager!

Has he changed from last season? We will soon see...

For some reason I thought today's match was an afternoon kick-off, you've just made me check on it WSOne, and it's 7.45 - but why, on Bank Holiday, at that distance?

Damn it, I'm off at 6pm and by the time we kick off I'll be in Wales, with no access to commentary (I believe it's the main match on WM, but I'll be well out of range), Saddlers World or even Sky Sports Soccer Special to keep me up to date.

Any of my usual contacts willing to keep me up to date with scores please ?

Leamore, ucow, Dave Roe, Dave Gittins, MMF, anyone - help - save me-e-e-e-e-e-e !! :(

[fensaddler]

Articles on the Walsall OS say 3pm KO. SO I imagine our team will be there for then...

[fensaddler]

But if you want updates anyway Geoff, PM or e-mail me your mobile and I'll try to keep you up to date - but I'll be relying on secondhand sources myself, so you might be better with someone actually at the match...

[Mirek]

With our dodgy defense and the fact that ex-players usually come back to haunt us I will go

Bournmouth 2 ( Surman 39, 87)

Walsall 1 ( Westwood 9 )

[King Crimson]

For me, tonight's Merson's biggest test as manager!

Has he changed from last season? We will soon see...

For some reason I thought today's match was an afternoon kick-off, you've just made me check on it WSOne, and it's 7.45 - but why, on Bank Holiday, at that distance?

Damn it, I'm off at 6pm and by the time we kick off I'll be in Wales, with no access to commentary (I believe it's the main match on WM, but I'll be well out of range), Saddlers World or even Sky Sports Soccer Special to keep me up to date.

Any of my usual contacts willing to keep me up to date with scores please ?

Leamore, ucow, Dave Roe, Dave Gittins, MMF, anyone - help - save me-e-e-e-e-e-e !! :(

OS says 3pm kick off. So does fixture list. What time is the match? I'm bloody confused! :?

[Evo Boozy Saddler]

On Saturday on WM they said the programme starts at 2 and we're the live coverage so it must be 3. Fixture list says 3 as well. To be honest I've never heard of it being an evening kick off. Wish I'd gone now, but my previous 5 visits have all been night games. Wouldn't be the same in the day.

[Geordiesaddler]

According to the BBC team news Bournemouth are definitely without 6, possibly even 9 players! This is the kind of game that I just couldn't see us losing before Merson started piddling around with the team and formation. Just hope he has the sense to re-instate Ozzy and go back to 4-5-1.

[WSOne]

First clean sheet of the season, and with ten men!

[YGA Saddler]

Well I know B'mouth had 6 players out but after saturday a clean sheet was the last thing on our minds!

Just got back and im happy today. No Wrack,No Staunton albeit with an injury in the warm up and no Paul Smith in the 16!

Andy Oakes was superb today. I blamed him after saturday but he came back in good fashion, Pead was also strong. But for MOTM step forward Mr Gerrard. Its been very frustrating having him on the bench but lets hope Merse keeps the same frame of mind and stays with 3-5-2.

Just two moans about today,

1. one walsall fan punched another fellow saddler just for being told to sit down because he couldnt see the match, IDIOT!
2. Julian Bennetts good work at the start of the season as gone, especially with that tackle. IDIOT!

[Geoff's No 1 Client]

Geoff,

Can you please reassure me that your audit work is of a substantially higher quality and capability than your ability to read and confirm kick-off times.

Yours

A Worried Chairman
MegaHoldings plc (Beechdale Branch)

[Hednesfordred]

Just like to say, if anyone thinks B'mouth are a top six side, then we ought to be pi**ing this league. The reason they dominated play, particularly in the 2nd half was that we decided to play for a point. Had Merse had the confidence to leave Standing on' and not replace him with Kinsella (who was awful by the way), we might have had a chance of turning them over.
Fryatt really does need to learn that when you play on your own up front, you have to do a bit of work. Thought Jorge worked his nuts off today (like saturday). Gerrard was MOM, and great to see Ropes back.
Oakes was superb and kept us in the game. Bennett i thought was a little unlucky. He seemed to get a piece of the ball as well as the man, and a yellow was maybe warranted, but certainly not a red. Also thought Osborn & taylor had good games, particularly Taylor 2nd half when he was forced to play left back.

Up The Saddlers

[JPD]

Re the kick off confusion, it's not the first time v B'mouth.
Old timers like Geoff and Neil will recall Alfie Biggs turning up for a 3pm ko when he was with us and the game being at 7.30....
Cast those memories back fellas....

[Stu]

In all fairness Hednesford, anyone who thought Bournemouth were a top six side before the start of the season had drunk one too many brandies.

They lost their best two players to Burnley, they've just lost the current best player to Burnley. They're stony broke beyond belief and will do well to stay out of the bottom half of the table, if they're lucky.

Going back to yesterday, there has to be grave concerns that Merson chose himself again yesterday. We got a point through the oppositions complete inability to score in a brothel, let alone on a football pitch.

[TimWilkes]

It's not rocket science is it....Gerrard plays at centre half and we don't concede.