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Gillingham (H) League - 12th November 2005

Reports and reaction from the 2005-06 season as Walsall finished 24th (R) in League 1
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Neil Ravenscroft
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Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:01 pm

A poor Gillingham team and a midfield exhibition as good as anything I've seen since his compatriot Peron. Skora was at least a class above this Division today and, quite frankly, if we could sign him, I'd be delirious. He barely wasted a pass and provided threat after threat, whilst not being properly match fit. I hope Merson was taking in what a proper creative midfielder looks like.

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sid swifty
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Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:03 pm

ws3 wrote:
sid swifty wrote:
ws3 wrote:
sid swifty wrote:well done lads,2 on the trot,another 3 wins and i could be persuaded to
pay to see them again, 4,700 there today so i am not on my own with
this boycott am i ?


No need to rush back. We seem to be doing just fine without you. :wink:

yes ws3, you are right you dont need me or the other people who did'nt go,what was it again 4,700?
yes mate you dont need me :wink:


You seem to think its a good thing to stay away.

Nothing like loyalty and lets face it you are nothing like loyal.

:wink: :wink:
well thats the idea of a stay-away protest ws3,i can just see a little light bulb light up and the sound of a penny dropping as you read this,THATS RIGHT WS3! he's caught up with everyone else :shock: :? :wink:

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Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:17 pm

Dave Gittins wrote:I'm not denying that we deserved this win tactically but what I am saying is that we have had too many false dawns to expect too much from one win against a team who are even worse than us away from home. I'll give credit where it is due for this match but I don't think for one second that it means PM has turned the managerial corner. As I have said, if we gan go on a decent run then I am prepared to reconsider but until there is any kind of consistency then I am not about to change my views.


Exactly, we aren't going to push for the playoffs by beating the gillinghams of this division and losing to the barnsleys, port vales, Huddersfields etc.

If we are crap against half decent sides in the top 10, then we wont be going anywhere fast.

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Neil Ravenscroft
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Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:19 pm

Like I said, the main difference today was one man. Skora is way too good for this Division and it showed. They were also very, very poor.

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WS1
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Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:24 pm

Neil Ravenscroft wrote:A poor Gillingham team and a midfield exhibition as good as anything I've seen since his compatriot Peron. Skora was at least a class above this Division today and, quite frankly, if we could sign him, I'd be delirious. He barely wasted a pass and provided threat after threat, whilst not being properly match fit. I hope Merson was taking in what a proper creative midfielder looks like.


My man of the match, will PNE let him go, can we afford his wages.

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Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:27 pm

ws3 wrote:Zippy

I am with you on this one. Why do we have to credit our oponents with our wins?

Lets face it, Mersons staying put whether you like it or not. Credit to him and his team for this win.


We credit teams that beat us though! We say "huddersfield were a good side" - "Swansea look the best side in this league" - so that just makes it sounds like the right excuse to fit. When we lose, we dont lose cos we're crap - we lose cos the opposition were too good. When we win, it wasn't cos the opposition are poor, its cos we played well.

Look at our record under merson. We lose against the teams that have some go about them. The fit teams, the well motivated teams, the teams that look like theyre going somewhere - the swanseas, huddersfields, port vales etc. We only scrape results against the poor sides like the gills today and doncaster two weeks ago - cos lets face it, it doesnt take much to score past us [look at our 'goals for' record], doncaster didnt manage it cos they missed several sitters, and the only real chance the gills had today was brilliantly saved by murphy.

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WFC_Rob
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Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:29 pm

Whilst Gillingham were a poor side today, we've played teams of a similar standard over the last 2 seasons who we've failed to beat, so today is a step in the right direction. Not one player didn't perform well today - we looked organised, committed & most of all, we played like we wanted it today.
I would love to see Merson go out now & get a striker in on loan as Larossa isn't good enough - for every neat ball he lays off, he fails to close someone down or do some of the so called, 'dirty work'. Fryatt worked his socks off today, but didn't really look like scoring.
I thought Westwood did a decent job at right back today - the defence looked solid for most of the game.

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Phil_G
 
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Sat Nov 12, 2005 9:00 pm

Without wishing to urinate on anyone's bonfire, before we mortgage the place to buy Eric, can I just say Fitzroy Simpson.

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Duke
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Sat Nov 12, 2005 9:20 pm

without doubt skora is the best midfielder i have seen at bescot since martin oconnor's
first spell here.
fryatt and larossa were very dissapointing
westwood settled down after a shakey start
the ref in the first half was dreadful he improved in the second maybe the chorus of
the referee's a w***er at half time had something to do with that
ishmel just gets better and better
all in all three points clean sheet cannot be bad

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sj
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Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:15 pm

Eric -- " The seagulls follow the ship- the ship knowes not where it is going" post 1989!!!!!!!!

I see no ships-- Lord Dunfunkington

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Exile
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Sun Nov 13, 2005 1:35 am

Well done Walsall - three much-needed points bagged. Let's see if we can't keep this little run going, and improve from our 13th spot.

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SaigonSaddler
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Sun Nov 13, 2005 5:22 am

Zippyzip wrote:Now is the time to change, let's have no more negativity, let's get back to supporting the team 100%.

MICOUSS

8)


Rather frighteningly, I find myself agreeing with Zippy on this in part. While Walsall are moving in the right direction and have a realistic playoff chance, I think Merson should not be hounded, but rather supported. I still maintain that Merson is a disaster in the making, but results speak for themselves to a large extent. I would be dismayed if, in the last third of the season, with Walsall in 'X-th' place and still in with a shout, Merson was still receiving abuse.

Naturally, if we sink to unacceptable depths then he's fair game, but what's the point of hamstringing the manager if we're there or there abouts? At least that way we can say that Merson was given every support by everyone at the club.

Hopefully we can worry about the manager after a playoff victory, we can worry about how on earth we're going to stay up in the Championship with limited funds, Bonser can pull his hair out over the finances, but at least we'll have done our bit in getting us there.

I hope this doesn't translate as a post in defence of Merson, it's actually a post in defence of our promotion push.

UP the Saddlers!

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Exile
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Sun Nov 13, 2005 5:25 am

Everyone is happy with a win - don't feel confused, my Eastern friend.

The more cynical amongst us will question whether this is the new beginning or yet another false dawn. Still, wait long enough and ye shall see the light!

Please, let it be the start we've been looking for. Please.

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SaigonSaddler
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Sun Nov 13, 2005 5:36 am

Cheers mate.
:wink:

wait long enough and ye shall see the light!


erm.........what sort of time-frame are we talking about here?
:D

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Exile
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Sun Nov 13, 2005 6:14 am

SaigonSaddler wrote:erm.........what sort of time-frame are we talking about here? :D


Anything between 6 weeks and 60 years. This IS Walsall we're talking about, and you knew the risks when you signed up! :lol:

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WSOne
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Sun Nov 13, 2005 10:22 am

"Eric, Eric, Eric!"

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SaigonSaddler
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Sun Nov 13, 2005 11:50 am

Exile wrote:
SaigonSaddler wrote:erm.........what sort of time-frame are we talking about here? :D


Anything between 6 weeks and 60 years. This IS Walsall we're talking about, and you knew the risks when you signed up! :lol:


If I recall, going to see Walsall was embellished in such fanciful, magical ways by my family that going there on Saturday afternoons was made out to be the only possible choice for a sensible young man - such as myself. I must confess to being mildly disenchanted with the offerings when I was a child. I was much more interested in my half time bovril, staring at the fading advertisements for Highgate Mild on the rooves of the stands and the half-arsed programme. I used to read the league with some interest and wonder why it was that we were never allowed to play teams with interesting names like 'Crystal Palace'.

The sea change occured during an unmemorable game against someone in green. During the second half an unfortunate fellow child right next to me was smashed in the face by the ball. How the peer group hooted with laughter as he was led away to his consolling parent streaming with snot and tears! It immediately dawned on the group that football was cool after all.

I've been hooked ever since! So if you ever hear an uncontrollable whoop of delight from the lower F2Go as the ball enters the crowd at speed, you'll know who it is!

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Sun Nov 13, 2005 2:16 pm

Much better performance and very enjoyable to watch!

We looked good in defence. Kinsella and Skora ran the show and Ishmel will is likely to be snapped up before Fryatt if he keeps performing as he has been. I wasn't sure about the 4-2-4 before the game and early on it seemed that we were going to get overrun in midfield but we settled and never looked in danger after that. Even at half time and in control I wondered if we would go on to win as we've thrown games away while we've been in control, such as at Yeovil but we carried on as before and could have won by 3 or 4.

I'd have a lot more time for Merson if performances and entertainment was like that every week, even if we didn't always get the results.

Nice to know someone seems to have told Fryatt that it's sometimes best to make the simple pass the way you're facing instead of always trying to run at people. He looked a lot better for it and worked hard yesterday.

Couldn't fault any of the players on that performance although Larossa was quiet I still think he can offer us something.

As has been said above though there is no point in getting carried away, we've seen it all before. We should expect to beat Merthyr and having seen the worst side we've played so far in Gillingham we should also expect to beat them.

Its games like next week at MK Dons we have to win if we're going to push for the play offs. Somehow I'm not confident we can do that judging on the last 18 months but I'm more encouraged after yesterday.

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Stu
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Sun Nov 13, 2005 2:50 pm

Agreed on Larossa, there is something in him. That first time flick that released Ishmel for the cross on our 2nd goal was sublime, he really can link up the play very well but is still lacking physically and my biggest worry is that I don't see goals in him.

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King Crimson
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Sun Nov 13, 2005 4:09 pm

An excellent and well-deserved win. No one had a 'mare in my view, and Skora looked excellent. His touch reminded my a little of Pedro in his earlier days. Quality. Well done Ropes and Bennett too. I've not been a big fan of Bennett, but he and Roper worked well together. Westwood grew into the right back berth as the game went on, and Fox did everything he had to do, and put in some lovely balls. Jorge won everything in the air, Ishmel gave them a torrid time down the left and Kinsella played the holding role excellently.

Well done boys, and Merse!

Great to hear some singing etc from the Bescot faithful. Give us stuff to sing about every week and we'll be in amongst 'em.

:)

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WFC_Rob
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Sun Nov 13, 2005 6:29 pm

Whilst the formation we played worked well yesterday, it's not a formation we will be able to play away from home very often when teams will attack us more.

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Sun Nov 13, 2005 9:30 pm

A professional performance against a poor team, I thought. We played well. Defensively we were excellent, the goalkeeper and all of the back four were terrific. A couple of misplaces passes couldn't disguise the fact that Westwood was excellent at full-back, for me. I don't know if he's played there before but he would seem to be ideal, with more assured distribution and a calmer head than any of the other candidates to play there in Pead's absence.

In midfield, Kinsella gave his best performance in a very long time and Skora was terrific. I think Jorge works quite well on the wing and he won everything in the air yesterday. I don't think Demontagnac is anywhere near the finished article but he's exciting to watch. Not to mention extremely amusing to watch, though I can't quite put my finger on why. Scored a good goal. I didn't think it had gone in and neither did anyone else around me.

Up front I thought Fryatt had his weakest game for a while but not nearly so weak as everyone who phoned WM seemed to think. Larossa offers nothing for me and I think we need a far better striker to play alongside Fryatt. (Or we need a right winger so Leitao can play alongside Fryatt.)

Speaking of WM (as I did, briefly), I got so irritated by Paul Franks I turned it off. He launched a tirade against people who don't like Merson, saying they all go very quiet whenever we win a game. Wasn't he himself saying Merson didn't have a clue and should be sacked only 14 days ago? What a moron.

If we played like that every week (which, sadly, would probably only happen if we played Gillingham every week, since I can't remember the last time we played a team with less confidence and which looked quite so dejected and lost all the way through a game) then Merson would have everyone's full backing. We've got three extremely winnable matches coming up in the next three weeks. Win them and we'll be going into December in the top six and in the third round of the FA Cup. That would surely match pre-season hopes and might just be enough to convince me and others that Merson really is worth a bit more time.

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tinned
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Sun Nov 13, 2005 9:46 pm

I've decided to post my thoughts before reading the match report or any posts on here, so all points will be honestly mine and not merely me agreeing/disagreeing with anybody else.

Okay, we won, we got three much needed points, we played okay and basically I'm fairly happy. However, Gillingham were the second worst side I've seen down Bescot this season (the worst being Walsall, obviously not yesterday). If any happy-clappers (Zippy) have been on this post previously talking about corners being turned then they will need an urgent dose of reality. They were awful and only a relegation certainty would have lost to them yesterday. We just about had enough to see them off but stronger opposition would have breezed past us.

Skora was very good. The optimistic part of me says that he was just what this team needed, an energetic, alert midfielder. The pessimist (realist) in me says that give him a couple of weeks under Merson's wing and we'll see a player a shadow of yesterdays showing.

All in all, not too bad and certainly better than in the recent past, but still can and must do a lot better.

Right I'm off now to see what happy-clapping Zippy has wrote :wink:

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geoffwhiting
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Mon Nov 14, 2005 12:57 pm

Actually Bristol, Franksy was still saying Merson didn't have a clue during the run up to the game on Saturday, so why he should change and start having a go at the Merson Out faction so soon afterwards, God only knows !

We beat a really poor side on Saturday and a non league side 8 days earlier. OK, a win is a win, but let's inject a bit of reality here, it will take a much more sustained run of good performances (I deliberately didn't say wins) to convince me that we have started to turn any corners.

In the meantime, I shall continue to believe that PM hasn't got what it takes to make a success of this job. I base that on his past record, which I believe is a far more reliable indicator than the hopeful speculation which is the cornerstone of the Merson-In argument.

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Magic Man Fan
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Mon Nov 14, 2005 1:02 pm

Yep Geoff, reality is required, not only about the win but also about Skora.

He was fantastic and made a big difference but if he played like that every week, he wouldn't be getting sent on loan to us and not getting in the PNE team therefore I'm not expecting him to play like that every week. I hope I'm wrong though!

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Flemish Saddler
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Mon Nov 14, 2005 1:12 pm

Magic Man Fan wrote:Yep Geoff, reality is required, not only about the win but also about Skora.

He was fantastic and made a big difference but if he played like that every week, he wouldn't be getting sent on loan to us and not getting in the PNE team therefore I'm not expecting him to play like that every week. I hope I'm wrong though!


maybe he had problems with manager or teammates and was playing bad for that reason!!! Maybe he hopes to get on track again by Walsall. Maybe...., maybe....,...

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WarsawPact
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Mon Nov 14, 2005 1:20 pm

I thought he'd just come back from a bad injury?

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Neil Ravenscroft
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Mon Nov 14, 2005 1:35 pm

WarsawPact wrote:I thought he'd just come back from a bad injury?


Knee ligaments, hence not yet match fit.

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