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Doncaster (H) 22-10-05

Reports and reaction from the 2005-06 season as Walsall finished 24th (R) in League 1
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booster cogburn
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Sat Oct 22, 2005 8:51 pm

wfc_2uk wrote:Ishmael


It's Ishmel. FFS it's not rocket science to spell our own players' names correctly is it?

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Sat Oct 22, 2005 8:54 pm

booster cogburn wrote:
wfc_2uk wrote:Ishmael


It's Ishmel. FFS it's not rocket science to spell our own players' names correctly is it?


It's not rocket science to say "for fudge sake" either... :wink:

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booster cogburn
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Sat Oct 22, 2005 9:08 pm

AC_Loyalist wrote:
booster cogburn wrote:
wfc_2uk wrote:Ishmael


It's Ishmel. FFS it's not rocket science to spell our own players' names correctly is it?


It's not rocket science to say "for **** sake" either... :wink:


Yes but I thought it inappropriate to type f***.

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Sat Oct 22, 2005 9:21 pm

booster cogburn wrote:Yes but I thought it inappropriate to type f***.


Heh, true enough!

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Sat Oct 22, 2005 11:56 pm

Good result against a good team and a good enough performance without ever being entirely convincing. If I was a Donny fan, I would be disappointed not to get a point from that game, but we know well enough that if you don't take your chances you get punished. I'm surprised they aren't higher up in the table - how can any team afford to leave Sean Thornton on the bench, has he been injured or something? Plus I've yet to see a better player than McIndoe since we returned to this division.

However, we really stuck to our guns well and, marshalled by Ropes and Murphy, we kept our concentration for the full 90 (for a change) and showed some application and hard graft to dig in when we needed. Pead had a good game at the back and Ishmel is getting better and better. As for the Merson debate, to be honest, I don't care if it is Paul Merton managing us so long as we win, so 3 points today makes me a happy Saddler. Whether it is another false dawn or the start of better things to come, only time will tell. What I do know is that Merse has bought himself another chance with this victory, but the ever-decreasing level of public support will be pushed to breaking point if we go on another winless run and suffer a couple of cup defeats.

One other point on today's game - I thought the booing of Matty Fryatt was a disgrace. It may not have been audible in all parts of the ground but I certainly heard it sitting in the lower F2G. A minority certainly, but a vocal minority. This is a young kid, learning the game. He's our leading scorer, biggest asset and today tried his hardest. OK, so he held onto the ball for a bit too long sometimes, but so what? He made some super runs off the ball (including in the build up to the goal) and led the line well alongside the much less effective Larossa who got a good ovation when he went off. These are the same sort of brainless idiots who booed former Wolves players (Osborn etc) in the past and booed Daryl Taylor at Port Vale last year. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

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Sun Oct 23, 2005 7:58 am

Spot on, Registered Saddler. Regarding your lasr paragraph - sitting in the H.L.Fellows stand, I didn't hear any actual booing of Matty, only a mumble of discontent. However, I agree - it's bang out of order. North Staffs Saddler sits next to me and we were commenting on how few (if any) passing options Matty had when he was caught in possession. We don't have the most intelligent set of players, the world has ever seen, here at Bescot and many of them just "switch off" when they don't have the ball at their own feet. I agree that SOMETIMES Matty is selfish but, as often as not, the reason he is caught in possession is down to the lack of support from his team-mates. I would much rather have a player with the self-confidence to hold on to the ball and try and beat his man rather than always seek to get rid of it as if it were a red-hot brick.

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Neil Ravenscroft
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Sun Oct 23, 2005 8:47 am

Strange, isn't it, that the so called anti Merson lobby gets criticised for not posting when, if they were like me, they wwere down the pub celebrating!

Agree with registered saddler, actually, in that I thought it was unconvincing today and, on another day, we could just as easily have lost. As I put in the match report, that was mainly because the central midfield went completely missing today and the reason Roper and Bennett played so well is that they had to. Congrats to Matty for ignoring the boos and doing the professional thing and to Merson for going 5 4 1 and closing the game out.
Last edited by Neil Ravenscroft on Sun Oct 23, 2005 10:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

Valence Finstorr
 

Sun Oct 23, 2005 10:50 am

I thought their finishing was poor yesterday. In the first half they had 3 easy peasy chances and failed to test murphy on any of them. I thought we were very poor in the first half, and only marginly better than that in the second. Donny looked a good side, but looked tired - yet they still managed to open us up at the back dozens of times through a combination of slick passing and us standing off.

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Neil Ravenscroft
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Sun Oct 23, 2005 10:53 am

Valence Finstorr wrote:I thought their finishing was poor yesterday. In the first half they had 3 easy peasy chances and failed to test murphy on any of them. I thought we were very poor in the first half, and only marginly better than that in the second. Donny looked a good side, but looked tired - yet they still managed to open us up at the back dozens of times through a combination of slick passing and us standing off.


Especially the one right on half time which I could have put away, even at my age!

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geoffwhiting
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Sun Oct 23, 2005 11:00 am

Neil Ravenscroft wrote:
Valence Finstorr wrote:I thought their finishing was poor yesterday. In the first half they had 3 easy peasy chances and failed to test murphy on any of them. I thought we were very poor in the first half, and only marginly better than that in the second. Donny looked a good side, but looked tired - yet they still managed to open us up at the back dozens of times through a combination of slick passing and us standing off.


Especially the one right on half time which I could have put away, even at my age!


Couldn't figure it out really, was it them or was it Murphy's uncanny positioning, but several times they were in great positions and then under-hit their shots, and each time the ball just seemed to roll right into Murphy's hands, almost like back-passes. Amazing really, for a team that beat Southend last week then banged in 5 at Barnsley on Tuesday, they were really poor once they got into the danger zone, yet they were really solid at the back and slick in their approach work. Good for us tho' ! :D

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Sun Oct 23, 2005 5:24 pm

I was amazed when Murphy ran out, do they not have meat pies in Sunderland. That bloke looked quite a different keeper now he was over a stone lighter at least.

Performance was far from convincing unfortunately, although I do think they were a bleedin good team. They played some great football and really opened us time after time.

Generally, I though it was a disappointing performance that could quite easily have seen us 3 down by half time.

A lot better than what we've seen recently, but still far from reaching a level of satisfaction.

I hope that maybe it'll fire some confidence into the team now though.

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Sun Oct 23, 2005 5:36 pm

A much better performance yesterday. And as for those asking where everyone is, grow up. As Neil says for the first time in ages I have actually wanted to go out after a game and have a few drinks because we have a win to celebrate.

Experienced keeper, Ian Roper recalled. Clean sheet. Why didn't we think of that? Oh yes, we did, weeks ago. You see all you Merson defenders, we criticise for a reason because we know what he should be doing, and so should he after more than a season in charge.

As for yesterday he got everything right in my opinion. Team selection, tactics and even the substitute at the right time so congratulations. Lets see if this becomes the norm before any sustained praise of Merson. I won't be holding my breath waiting though.

One result means nothing, even against a decent Donny side. Its what happens, next week, the week after that and so on. Unfortunately, judging Merson on trends over the last 12 months I predict more draws and defeats before we see a decent run of wins. I hope to be proven wrong.

I'm waiting for those to defend Merson by saying he couldn't play Roper before because he wasn't match fit. Well, he wasn't match fit today but he was still able to give us the sort of display we expect from him. Roper is always the same, always starts slowly but the only way he gets fit is by playing matches. He had a point to prove yesterday and he certainly made it. He was going in for tackles hard which we don't see enough of. When other players around him see him doing that, they then do the same and did so yesterday.

Pead was also excellent, as was Bennett. I'm not oppose to playing Westwood or Gerrard alongside Roper but Bennett doesn't deserve to be dropped after yesterday.

Murphy did well and looks the player we expected last year. Maybe I'm being harsh but I felt most of the saves he made we hit at him and Roper dserved MOTM over him but he was encouraging. Wright was also excellent but I still expect people to say he can't cross a ball. :roll: If Ishmel continues with his current form, it won't be Fryatt that will be snapped up in the transfer window.

Fryatt looked much livelier than last week but has to learn when to release the ball. Sorry Leamore but several times when he received the ball yesterday he had a simple pass on. You say he didn't, the only reason for that is because he'd chosen to ignore the simple pass first so was surrounded by a couple of players meaning it was too late.

Although this was a much better performance, it was only what we expect week in week out. We shouldn't be making a big thing of it. We were still lucky. If that Forte had his shooting boots on then we could have been 2 or 3 down at half time without complaint.

I'm intrigued as to what will now happen at Barnsley but I can't help feeling I already know.

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Sun Oct 23, 2005 5:45 pm

Fryatt needs to remember he still plays for Walsall ,and not that he is a superstar and can do everything on his own.

Young Ish is playing well, but I just hope fans do not get on his back when this are not going his way, like they did to Daryl Taylor last season

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Sun Oct 23, 2005 5:49 pm

i disagree with you about bennett mmf at free kicks and corners time and time again his man he was suposed to be marking moved awy from him and he didnt react to it untill it was to late and it was only because the bal didnt come to them that they were not able to punish us!

the same can be said about kris taylor who let people come streight pst him unchallenged to me thouse two players yesterday were the weeklink in the side.

i would like to see either westwood or gerard alongside roper next weekend.

murphy for me just shaded the man of the maatch award but was closly followed by roper pead and ishmal.

it was 3 points and the effort that was put in by the lads must now become the norm every match not just when there is unrest with the fans and merson is fearing for his job! merson you proved yesterday that you can motivate the team now you have to do it every week! as even if we lose the occasional game playign with the effort and comitment of yesterday then i wont mind its the lack luster trip that was being served up in the weeks before that i wont stand for!

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Neil Ravenscroft
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Sun Oct 23, 2005 8:56 pm

Just goes to show how differently people see games! I agree with ucow about Taylor (who I thought had a very poor game, not defending well at all and trying too many "glory balls"), disagree in that I thought, like MMF, that Bennett did OK and disagree with both of you, in that I thought Pead got a roasting and showed what a liability he'd be at full back against decent wingers!

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Sun Oct 23, 2005 9:09 pm

And just to offer the different one, I thought Pead had a good game. Yes, McIndoe got the beating of him on a few occasions, but Pead also made 2 of the best tackles you'll see all season.

First one being the first half tackle when their bloke was clean through.

Second one being when he ran 30 yards across the pitch to make that nigh on perfect tackle on Forte when he was 1 on 1, Pead running 30 yards to cover for the gap that Bennett and Fox had left between them.

Taylor was poor, but it was his quick vision and Fryatt's movement that created our goal.

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Neil Ravenscroft
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Mon Oct 24, 2005 6:05 am

We're always going to disagree about Pead. I think, given the fact that Merson's avowed aim is promotion, he should be looking at players who can perform in the next Division up. At full back, at least, I think this bloke would be a liability at that level, where he'd meet wingers of that class most weeks. Not denegrating his persitance on Saturday, however, as he did keep going when some might have folded.

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Mon Oct 24, 2005 6:09 am

its also nice to know neil that even if myself, you, mmf and stu dont agree on every part of the match that we can discuss it sensibly and calmly that wasnt the case with certin ex-posters who wouldnt see anyone elses view point! although this does not exclude other posters on hear its just that we are teh last 4 to comment before anyone takes the hump.

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Stu
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Mon Oct 24, 2005 8:33 am

Neil,

In all fairness, if your saying Merson should be looking at players who will be able to perform at a higher level, then your looking at quite a few.

Fox, Bennett, Gerrard, Wrack, Wright, Osborn, Smith, Leitao, Larrossa, Kris Taylor... And those are just the quick ones off hand.

This division is as poor as it has been in a long time in my view, so these players are more than good enough to get out of it. However I think 75% of this squad would be taken to the cleaners at a level above, with Merson in charge anyway.

Interestingly, I was surprised to see Pead captain the side on Saturday.

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Neil Ravenscroft
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Mon Oct 24, 2005 8:41 am

75% might be optimistic!

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