Bradford A - December 28th.

[YGA Saddler]

If any Walsall FC member of staff reads this board tell Jeff that all of us that forked out to travel and watch that load of b*ll*cks, we want our money back. I cannot remember a game where I have left and felt so annoyed and angry.
During the game I hurled abuse at Pead & D.Taylor which is very unlike me (I normally just hurl the abuse at Merse).

MOSOC[/size]

Grow up pal, it was a poor performance from the Saddlers, you have two choices like I have go or stay away.

Nobody makes you go, like me you have the the option and I will be at Ashton Gate as well as being at Oakwell.

If that performance last night didnt annoy me then you certainly have!! It was ANOTHER poor performance, the last 8 away games have not been much better either but last night really took the biscuit.
Should I stay away because I have got a few bad words to say about our pathetic team? NO! We cant all sit there being happy to pay our money and freeze to death whilst "players" are paid £2,000 a week to do F all.

[WS1]

If any Walsall FC member of staff reads this board tell Jeff that all of us that forked out to travel and watch that load of b*ll*cks, we want our money back. I cannot remember a game where I have left and felt so annoyed and angry.
During the game I hurled abuse at Pead & D.Taylor which is very unlike me (I normally just hurl the abuse at Merse).

MOSOC[/size]

Grow up pal, it was a poor performance from the Saddlers, you have two choices like I have go or stay away.

Nobody makes you go, like me you have the the option and I will be at Ashton Gate as well as being at Oakwell.

If that performance last night didnt annoy me then you certainly have!! It was ANOTHER poor performance, the last 8 away games have not been much better either but last night really took the biscuit.
Should I stay away because I have got a few bad words to say about our pathetic team? NO! We cant all sit there being happy to pay our money and freeze to death whilst "players" are paid £2,000 a week to do F all.

Your bad words dont bother me pal, say what you like at the games, all I'm stating is you have a choice to go or not to go-thats up to you

up the Saddlers

[Magic Man Fan]

Well sorry wfc we don't need fans like you. I'll criticise players who don't put in effort like many last night but that's not something you can say of Pead or Taylor in any game. Whether they are good enough on the night is a completely different matter.

Pead has had some superb games for us, including some sparkling man of the match appearances. It's not his fault he was played at left back.

Your description of Taylor is pathetic. I know you go to most away games so you'll know how well Taylor has performed in the past (1in thick legs or not) so ask yourself this? Why is he (and most other players) not performing now? Because the bloody manager can't motivate them or give them self belief thats why. Taylor has been out for months and has no confidence because of muppets like you shouting at him. Where do you work wfc? Shall I come to your workplace and sound like that character off Harry Enfield "YOU DON'T WANNA DO IT LIKE THAT, NO NO NO! RABBISH, YOU WANNA DO IT LIKE THIS" - You'd think f*** this for a game of soliders and give up. Taylor shouldn't be playing and the more stick he gets from people like you the worse he'll get. Do you want that? Merson should recognise this and send him on loan to score loads of goals in the bottom division or Conference then come back the player some of us know he can be.

Young players need encouragement, especially when they have no guidance from the older heads around them especially the manager.

The older players should know better and although Merson's bizarre tactical deicsions don't help they are old and experienced enough to know what they should be doing without Merson telling them. Kinsella and Osborn are on the coaching staff FFS Neil.

[Geordiesaddler]

I still can't belive what I saw last night, I simply can't find the words to describe it, so I wont.

All I will say is 3 things.

1) In 30 years of supporting us that was the second time ever I've left the ground with 20 minutes to go, quite simply down there as one of the worst performances I've ever seen.

2) I've never had any personal dislike of Merson, until now. Quite frankly this morning I despise the man. Firstly for what he is doing to my football club, and secondly because as a human being he hasn't got the guts to hold his hand up and say he's not up to it. He should put his hand in his pocket and offer to refund every Saddler that went to Bradford last night expecting to watch Walsall play football, then when he's finished clear his desk and p!ss off. In-fact If he wants I'll do a 410 mile round trip to come and clear it for him.

3) Echo several other threads, I will go to the remaining cup games this season but I'm not forking out another penny to watch this garbage team in this garbage division. It's just farcical, and we have a very real possibiity of getting relegated if Fryatt goes and this buffoon remains in charge.

[Bernie]

Pead has had some superb games for us, including some sparkling man of the match appearances.

Pead has had some reasonable matches for us in defence, but they have all coincided with the opposition not having a good player against him. When has he ever dealt well with a tricky winger?

Surely even his fans will accept that his distribution is very erratic. He does not contribute much going forward and often remains behind when there is an attack down the right hand side. I know that pleases his fans, who see him as an old fashioned full back, but he is not good enough in defence to be worth his place on that alone.

[Geordiesaddler]

Pead is a steady right-back who can do a decent job in his proper position in a proper formation. It's a team game, something that I don't think Paul Merson has ever really understood.

Why on earth do we keep playing players out of position and on different sides of the pitch? It's like asking Marcus Trescothick to open the bowling for England while getting Stever Harmison to open the batting - left handed.

[Magic Man Fan]

Pead has had some superb games for us, including some sparkling man of the match appearances.

Pead has had some reasonable matches for us in defence, but they have all coincided with the opposition not having a good player against him. When has he ever dealt well with a tricky winger?

Surely even his fans will accept that his distribution is very erratic. He does not contribute much going forward and often remains behind when there is an attack down the right hand side. I know that pleases his fans, who see him as an old fashioned full back, but he is not good enough in defence to be worth his place on that alone.

But he's good enough for this division Bernie. Remember Mark Wright last season and Darren Bazeley's dismal end to his WFC career?

Get of his back.

[Jorge14]

Last night showed up our team to be what it is - inexperienced.

Gerrard was given the toughest game of his life by Windass, Taylor and Pead were destroyed by Bobby Petta, and Ishmel was kicked from pillar to post.
However, for my liking, the experienced lads didn't stick their head above the parapet enough to change the way of the game.
Osborn and Kinsella should have bossed that game last night, even with their age they are still on paper two of the classiest players in our division. But they didn't.
Age means nothing in this league - Wetherall and Windass were superb last night, on his day for instance, Merson can still knock a ball better than anyone in this league and the one above.
Instead of dictating the tempo of the game, Osborn and Kinsella allowed the back four to knock useless route 1 long balls for Jorge and Ishmel to chase - every time the header was lost and the ball came back, putting us under more pressure.
You can't blame individuals - Westwood is not a right back by trade and he is lacking fitness, Pead is never a left back but is a more than steady right back. Pead has been superb this season barring a few dodgy games, but he deserves absolutely no stick for last night. He was playing out of position against Bobby Petta who 3 or 4 years ago was winning title after title at Celtic (one for AC, there).
As I said above, Gerrard was given a torrid time by Windass, and it was his frustration that cost us our first goal.

As for the moaning about wanting our money back - well, it'd be a nice gesture. But as WS1 says, we choose to go to away games in full knowledge of how sh!t we have been away for the past 5 years. No one forces anyone to go.

Biggest complaint of the night though wasn't Merson, it wasn't his tactics, and it wasn't Daryl Taylor, Chris Westwood or Craig Pead. What twerp at the football league thinks it is clever to arrange fixtures like Bradford vs. Walsall, and Carlisle vs. Torquay on the 28th December?
Would it really be so bad for the computer to arrange the local games over Christmas and New Years? Would it have been so difficult to play games on Christmas Eve?
Of course not, but there is no room for common sense in that organisation.

[Magic Man Fan]

Apparently they ty to avoid local derbies over the Chistmas period because of all the trouble that used to happen with people being off work and excessive drink and local rivalries etc.

Walsall v Bradford isn't a bad fixture at all in mileage, especially compared to some that were around yesterday.

As for the postponed vouche thing Jorge - It is meant as just that, a gesture. To let Bonser know just how much we think of the team, the manager and everything else at WFC right now because if we don't by the time people do wake up out of their lethargy it will be too late.

[YGA Saddler]

Well sorry wfc we don't need fans like you. I'll criticise players who don't put in effort like many last night but that's not something you can say of Pead or Taylor in any game. Whether they are good enough on the night is a completely different matter.

Pead has had some superb games for us, including some sparkling man of the match appearances. It's not his fault he was played at left back.

Your description of Taylor is pathetic. I know you go to most away games so you'll know how well Taylor has performed in the past (1in thick legs or not) so ask yourself this? Why is he (and most other players) not performing now? Because the bloody manager can't motivate them or give them self belief thats why. Taylor has been out for months and has no confidence because of muppets like you shouting at him. Where do you work wfc? Shall I come to your workplace and sound like that character off Harry Enfield "YOU DON'T WANNA DO IT LIKE THAT, NO NO NO! RABBISH, YOU WANNA DO IT LIKE THIS" - You'd think f*** this for a game of soliders and give up. Taylor shouldn't be playing and the more stick he gets from people like you the worse he'll get. Do you want that? Merson should recognise this and send him on loan to score loads of goals in the bottom division or Conference then come back the player some of us know he can be.

Young players need encouragement, especially when they have no guidance from the older heads around them especially the manager.

The older players should know better and although Merson's bizarre tactical deicsions don't help they are old and experienced enough to know what they should be doing without Merson telling them. Kinsella and Osborn are on the coaching staff FFS Neil.

Oh right MMF because you dont agree with me on this "our club dont need supporters like myself". Thats ballshit MMF. My boss at work is a complete ass but we all help him out by doing little bits here and there to make his job easier. I for one willl never stick up for Merse but some players certainly dont make his job easy. DT is a bottler! He backs out of every challenge. I for one wont hold back on my comments because hes a youngster. I never criticise Mark Wright nor Ishmel because I can actually see talent there but not in DT.

MMF we are all arguing with each other when its obvious we are all angry over the same thing THAT FAT B*****D

I for one wont stop going because you decide I shouldnt.

[Magic Man Fan]

Where did I say you shouldn't stop going? I said you should think about you say before opening your gob.

If you want to let if your chest then aim it at Merson not innocent players trying their best played out of postion.

Why do you think DT bottles out of challenges? BecaUse he's just been out injured for nearly 12 months thats f****** why. It's always in the back of his mind that he could get injured again, it's psycologicial, he can't help it. It happens to far better players than him also

GOT IT? YOU CAN'T BLAME PLAYERS IF THEY'RE CONSISTENTLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH, YOU BLAME THE MANAGER FOR KEEP PLAYING THEM. GOT IT? GOT IT? GOT IT? THE ONLY THING YOU CAN BLAME PLAYERS FOR IS IF THEY HAVE TALENT, ARE CONSTANTLY BEING PLAYED IN THEIR CORRECT POSITION BUT DON'T ARE RUBBISH BECAUSE THEY DON'T TRY. THATS THE ONLY TIME YOU CAN BLAME PLAYERS. AND THERE'S PLENTY MORE OF THOSE AT THE MOMENT THAN DARYL TAYLOR AND CRAIG PEAD.

And in any case did you not see him crunch into a tackle with their bloke on the edge of the box on about 80 minutes or were you to busy shouting at him to notice?

Aim your voice at Merson not the players.

[YGA Saddler]

Where did I say you shouldn't stop going? I said you should think about you say before opening your gob.

If you want to let if your chest then aim it at Merson not innocent players trying their best played out of postion.

Why do you think DT bottles out of challenges? BecaUse he's just been out injured for nearly 12 months thats f****** why. It's always in the back of his mind that he could get injured again, it's psycologicial, he can't help it. It happens to far better players than him also

GOT IT? YOU CAN'T BLAME PLAYERS IF THEY'RE CONSISTENTLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH, YOU BLAME THE MANAGER FOR KEEP PLAYING THEM. GOT IT? GOT IT? GOT IT? THE ONLY THING YOU CAN BLAME PLAYERS FOR IS IF THEY HAVE TALENT, ARE CONSTANTLY BEING PLAYED IN THEIR CORRECT POSITION BUT DON'T ARE RUBBISH BECAUSE THEY DON'T TRY. THATS THE ONLY TIME YOU CAN BLAME PLAYERS. AND THERE'S PLENTY MORE OF THOSE AT THE MOMENT THAN DARYL TAYLOR AND CRAIG PEAD.

And in any case did you not see him crunch into a tackle with their bloke on the edge of the box on about 80 minutes or were you to busy shouting at him to notice?

Aim your voice at Merson not the players.

MERSON OUT because Fryatt had a baby! MERSON OUT because Jorge wants to go home.
MMF Merson cannot be blamed for everything. DT HAS NOT GOT TALENT!!!!!. He bottled out of challenges before his injury so whats the excuse there? I agree there are more players that cant be bothered other than Pead and DT but they had the abuse for what we had to endure last night. If you heard a loud cheer after that challenge, that was me. I was shocked that he actually tackled someone.
Like I said anyone could have stood in front of me last night and still would have received the abuse, because our club is sinking and I am annoyed, we cant all sit there and think everything is rosey.

[Magic Man Fan]

Says he who wanted to start a MERSON OUT protest with a flag months ago.

Merson can be blamed beceuase he keeps picking him. It's quite simple.

Slagging the players off individually will achieve nothing. Boo them off at the end which I enjoyed as much as anyone last night, have a go when they've done something particularly bad but don't barrack the same people over and over again, especially young players. It doesn't do them any good whatsoever.

You're not old enough to fully remember the stick that people like you gave Martin Butler when he was played at left back. It ruined him and hasn't he just loved to ram it down the throats of the WFC fans that abused him ever since and fair play to him I say.

Other clubs support and appreciate their young players so they progress well and either move on for a massive fee or stay and become legends at their clubs.

People like you mean this doesn't happen at Walsall and never will and the proof is there for all to see.

[Magic Man Fan]

DT HAS NOT GOT TALENT!!!!!.

I'll ask you once more because it seems to be struggling to sink into your confused head...were you at BOURNEMOUTH OR OLDHAM last season?

I saw enough raw talent to suggest that Daryl Taylor could do well in the game if he was MANAGED and COACHED right. Neither of which exist at WFC?

Got it yet? So you see Merson CAN and WILL be blamed for everything.

[YGA Saddler]

Says he who wanted to start a MERSON OUT protest with a flag months ago.

Merson can be blamed beceuase he keeps picking him. It's quite simple.

Slagging the players off individually will achieve nothing. Boo them off at the end which I enjoyed as much as anyone last night, have a go when they've done something particularly bad but don't barrack the same people over and over again, especially young players. It doesn't do them any good whatsoever.

You're not old enough to fully remember the stick that people like you gave Martin Butler when he was played at left back. It ruined him and hasn't he just loved to ram it down the throats of the WFC fans that abused him ever since and fair play to him I say.

Other clubs support and appreciate their young players so they progress well and either move on for a massive fee or stay and become legends at their clubs.

People like you mean this doesn't happen at Walsall and never will and the proof is there for all to see.

Slagging players off will give me a little more satisfaction than the performances are giving me lately.
Oh yes the famous Mr Butler thats gone on to win many major championships. :lol:
We appreciate the young players when we aknowledge they have talent, i.e Ricketts,Fryatt,Ishmel,Fox & Gerrard.

[YGA Saddler]

DT HAS NOT GOT TALENT!!!!!.

I'll ask you once more because it seems to be struggling to sink into your confused head...were you at BOURNEMOUTH OR OLDHAM last season?

I saw enough raw talent to suggest that Daryl Taylor could do well in the game if he was MANAGED and COACHED right. Neither of which exist at WFC?

Got it yet? So you see Merson CAN and WILL be blamed for everything.

Of course I went to Oldham & Bournemouth last season and yes DT played well in those two games, how many games since has he impressed... NONE!
Some fans like yourself just hold onto the hope that one day we can blood good quality youth players that will earn the club millions, DT is yet another youngster to join the scrap heap with the likes of Gary Birch & Craig Stanley.

[Geordiesaddler]

For goodness sake he's only a kid and one that is recovering from serious injury, scrapheap?

I thought Taylor was woeful last night, but so was everyone else. I reserve judgmenet on any sorry individual who's only first team experience has come under this clown of a manager.

Give DT 12 months under a decent manager, and proper time to get his match fitness back and then judge.

[Magic Man Fan]

wfc - If you can't see what you're saying is wrong then that's your problem and if our results are to improve then we really don't need the likes of you slagging off players because that can only do harm.

[geoffwhiting]

[quote="wfc_2uk] Oh yes the famous Mr Butler thats gone on to win many major championships. :lol:
[/quote]

wfc_2uk, that is a truly ridiculous statement, on a par with Diddy P the other day, when he said if Roper was the decent player that we were saying, he'd have played for England.

You don't have to win major championships - any championships - or get selected for an international side, to be a good player. We ruined Martin Butler as a Walsall player, and yes I'm not afraid (nor proud either) to admit that I was one that gave him stick back then. On reflection, he was moved around from position to position, used as a utility player, rarely played in his rightful position, and consequently we rarely saw the best of him. So he left, we were all well chuffed.

Next time I saw him, he came to Bescot as a striker for Cambridge, it was a cup game - probably LDV or the equivalent back then. He was electric, so direct, so much pace, he was 20 times the player that he had ever been for us. I was so impressed, I could hardly believe it was the same guy. He was the best player on the pitch by a mile, but somehow we scraped a lucky 1-0 win - not much changes !

He went on to be a VERY successful striker, I admire him greatly for that, and I for one will NEVER slag him off when he plays against us. I have to applaud his attitude too. Who can forget the day he played for Rotherham in that crucial final game of our relegation season, he could have sunk us in that game, but faced with only Jimmy to beat, he stopped, turned, dillied and dallied - absolutely without doubt he knew the consequences of scoring that goal, and couldn't bring himself to go on and put the ball past Jimmy into the net. He took the wrath of Ronnie Moore on the touchline too. He could easily have scored, he knew it, Ronnie knew it, we all knew it - but despite all that the Walsall fans had done to him years before, he still cared too much to finish us off. Tell you what, that day Martin Butler went way up in my estimation, and I'll argue the point with anyone who comes on here slagging him off.

I'd have loved to get him back here two or three years back when he was leaving Reading, but I guess he wouldn't have come.

Anyway, I've gone off subject, forgive me for that but Martin Butler is a player I have a lot of time for. No he didn't win a load of medals, but he's still had a successful career by any standards, and the same might one day be said of Daryl Taylor and a number of our youngsters who we - the fans - may hound out of Bescot, only to see them come back and haunt us when other clubs, other managers, get the best out of them in a way that Merson hasn't a clue how to do !

As has been said above, criticise players when they are played in position, while match fit, and still don't perform, but right now the tinkerman is coming up with so many bizarre team selections, playing so many players out of position, that it's totally unfair to blame those players - I mean, Craig Pead, left back, doesn't play well and WE criticise HIM, not the manager. Sometimes I think our judgement can be as bad as his!

[YGA Saddler]

wfc - If you can't see what you're saying is wrong then that's your problem and if our results are to improve then we really don't need the likes of you slagging off players because that can only do harm.

For christs sake MMF go back to myu original post I said its very unlike me to do it. Its obvious times have got so bad that even I turn on my own club.