Chesterfield v Walsall (A) - 21st January - League One

[Bitter Tree Hugger]

Good luck today guys - get them 3 points

[geoffwhiting]

Good luck today guys - get them 3 points

BTH, I reckon you're only sayin' that because if we win, Forest will have a better chance of catching 'em and getting into a play-off place. You can't fool me mate! :wink:

But with our away record and our respective managers, I can't see either happening.

[geoffwhiting]

I think there a huge old factory site to the North of the town that they're looking at as a possible new ground.

We just need Geoff to moan about the wooden seat fire hazzard now. :wink: If he will sit in the posh seats to avoid the rain even though it ended up a nice sunny day for us in the open. :D

Christ MMF, you've got a bloody good memory mate !

That day, on the way there and not far from Chesterfield, we had this really torrential downpour, so bad we could hardly see to drive through it. We got there quite late, so I didn't have much time to take in the surroundings, check the state of the sky, cloud-base etc. So, me being a cautious kind of guy, I decided to sit undercover (I refuse to use the word "stand" for that rotting decrepit old tinder-box potting-shed, it should have been condemned in 1906, never mind 2006!

Anyway, nobody told me the clouds were heading south did they? So we ended up with a lovely afternoon, and Chris and me stuck up in that dreadful dark dingy dirty doss-hole of an excuse for a "stand", while you lot all got sun-tans !

By the way, did I mention that the "stand" is a fire hazard ? :lol: :lol:

[sean511]

Good luck today guys - get them 3 points

Do you mean get those 3 points or get chesterfield 3 points?

who have the tree huggers got then, just out of curiosity?

[jeffsmate]

2-1 to the saddlers, a gut feeling.

[PerStener]

Walsalls lineup in todays match.

35. Joe Murphy
2. Craig Pead
4. Anthony Gerrard
5. Chris Westwood
17. Grant Smith
14. Mark Wright
28. Michael Leary
33. Ishmel Demontagnac
40. Kevin James
9. Mads Timm
23. Paul Devlin

SUBS:
1. Andy Oakes (MV)
7. Michael Standing
16. Mark Kinsella
24. Scott Dann
39. James Constable

[SaigonSaddler]

I think there a huge old factory site to the North of the town that they're looking at as a possible new ground.

We just need Geoff to moan about the wooden seat fire hazzard now. :wink: If he will sit in the posh seats to avoid the rain even though it ended up a nice sunny day for us in the open. :D

Christ MMF, you've got a bloody good memory mate !

That day, on the way there and not far from Chesterfield, we had this really torrential downpour, so bad we could hardly see to drive through it. We got there quite late, so I didn't have much time to take in the surroundings, check the state of the sky, cloud-base etc. So, me being a cautious kind of guy, I decided to sit undercover (I refuse to use the word "stand" for that rotting decrepit old tinder-box potting-shed, it should have been condemned in 1906, never mind 2006!

Anyway, nobody told me the clouds were heading south did they? So we ended up with a lovely afternoon, and Chris and me stuck up in that dreadful dark dingy dirty doss-hole of an excuse for a "stand", while you lot all got sun-tans !

By the way, did I mention that the "stand" is a fire hazard ? :lol: :lol:

That stand is a disgrace and probably a fire hazard too. The seats are by far the most uncomfortable in the land, even worse than the plastic Bescot arrangements. :evil:

Up the Saddlers!

[Neil Ravenscroft]

Walsalls lineup in todays match.

35. Joe Murphy
2. Craig Pead
4. Anthony Gerrard
5. Chris Westwood
17. Grant Smith
14. Mark Wright
28. Michael Leary
33. Ishmel Demontagnac
40. Kevin James
9. Mads Timm
23. Paul Devlin

SUBS:
1. Andy Oakes (MV)
7. Michael Standing
16. Mark Kinsella
24. Scott Dann
39. James Constable

I expect it's 4 5 1, with James the lone striker and Devlin and Timm the attacking midfielders.

[sean511]

Walsalls lineup in todays match.

35. Joe Murphy
2. Craig Pead
4. Anthony Gerrard
5. Chris Westwood
17. Grant Smith
14. Mark Wright
28. Michael Leary
33. Ishmel Demontagnac
40. Kevin James
9. Mads Timm
23. Paul Devlin

SUBS:
1. Andy Oakes (MV)
7. Michael Standing
16. Mark Kinsella
24. Scott Dann
39. James Constable

good lineup, paul hall is playing for them.

[Neil Ravenscroft]

Apologies. No call from the Fat Controller (are there any Mobile masts near Saltergate?), so no report from the ground.

[toffo]

Two new boys on the scoresheet. can we now shut up shop, i hope so but i very much doubt it.

[Wyrleysadler]

well at the moment we`re 2-1 up

[sean511]

They are playing well now

[asimpson]

2-2

[toffo]

Feel slightly dissapointed after twice being in front but its a good away point considering the team with Wright and Westwood both playing at the back.

[sean511]

Well Done Saddlers. We should have won though. When was the last time we said that away from home in the league? Lets look to the Swansea game, tuesday and play as well as we did first half.

[Neil Ravenscroft]

It is, still, just 5 points from the last 18 available.

[LancsSaddler]

yeah thats a good idea, lets all look at the negatives!! :evil:

[WarsawPact]

Of course, it's compulsary.

Every silver lining has a cloud.

[ToeJoe Jnr]

Don't worry, expect more in the review which by the way will be on the front page!!!! :shock:

[Neil Ravenscroft]

yeah thats a good idea, lets all look at the negatives!! :evil:

In the end, the table is the only thing that matters. We lost ground on those above us and a few below gained today. It doesn't matter how well we played, we didn't win. The manager says he wants to start a "play off charge", so a draw at a team who have won 1 of their last 10 isn't good enough. That's what I'd expect him to say.

[dler]

yeah thats a good idea, lets all look at the negatives!! :evil:

Surely, 5 points from 18 is a positive under Merson. Losing 13 points from 18 would be a negative...

MOSOC

[Stu]

yeah thats a good idea, lets all look at the negatives!! :evil:

That's the point I made earlier, its not a negative, its realistic and its fact.

We've played very well in our last 4 matches, yet won one of them.
We've just played a team who'd won 1 in 10, and twice threw a lead away.
We've just missed out on our No 1 striker and found out we haven't got a Plan B.

Its all well and good saying "wait till we sign a striker" but (a) we don't have one lined up and (b) he wants a target man, target men aren't usually 20 goal strikers.

Most importantly, and I mean most importantly, we're playing well with a team of who 45% aren't actually our assets, they belong to someone else. So come the summer, we could be back to square 1.

[stig231]

Mixed feelings about this one.When you have only won 2 away all season I suppose a point at the 6th placed team is a decent point , but to be in front twice and end up with a draw is very disappointing (although hardly surprising)

[BathSaddler]

Pleased with the point, but a bit disappointed having been ahead twice. Did we concede two headers again?

To be honest, I genuinely think that we have a chance of getting something at Sjoke next week - not least because they are playing so poorly at the moment. Less confident of getting anything at Swansea however.

As for the league - well, we have no chance of the play-offs and simply do not deserve to have a chance, thanks to the combination of a complacent owner and an incompetent and thoroughly inept manager.

I always, always, want us to do well and want us to end the season as high as we possibly can. However, my long term fear is that we will rally sufficiently [i.e. 12th or something like that] to keep Merson in a job that he is simply not up to doing.

UTS

[Phil_G]

And while we were focussed on getting a 'big man' through the front door, we let 4 left sided players sneak out of the back one, so that now we have to play a right winger at left back.

[Saddler Jim]

By all acconnts a well deserved draw from a game we would have lost 4 weeks ago,it will be interesting to hear what the lads say that went to match wene they post,but like I say we are now showing a sustained improvement over the past few matches,whether its to late only time will tell.

[BathSaddler]

And while we were focussed on getting a 'big man' through the front door, we let 4 left sided players sneak out of the back one, so that now we have to play a right winger at left back.

As I said, a thoroughly inept and incompetent manager. Harkness looked okay in his one performance at left back last season and would have been worth a punt as cover for Fox. But what did Merson do? Play him out of position at Bristol City and then mercilessly get rid of him completely in a blind panic when under a bit of pressure from supporters.

Thankfully, we got away with it to an extent today.

[sj]

Just got back---- We desereved all the points today. We dominated the first half and should have score another two late in the second half.

Westwood and Gerard were mega.

With this team we will get points and what is interesting is that the " Lone Rangers" dont let thier heads drop. They have been up for it each and every game they have played so far-- long may it continue.

I'm enjoying my football again :) But next season scares me :x

[Bernie]

This was another good performance. In our last four matches we have only won once, but we have probably played better in each of them than we did in any the eight homes wins we recorded at the end of last year.

In the first half we were dominant with Chesterfield only having a few breakaways before we scored. We played an unusual formation in that James and Devlin were both really playing as right winger with Timm as deepish striker. (I suppose that James was also supposed to be in the middle, but all his good work came when he was on the right). Despite the odd formation we were playing great football, keeping possession in the Chesterfield half. Our goal came when James was again in the right wing position, beat two defenders brilliantly and gave Timm a tap in, which he almost blasted over.

Their goal might have been offside since Allison was deliberately standing deep, behind our offside line, when the free kick was being taken. He was a long way from his marker because he was offside, but as he moved up to the defensive line our defender Gerrard was not even level with him when the kick was taken. The header was from about 12 yards out and I wonder if Murphy could have done better.

Chesterfield only played well in the game when behind, and the crucial moment in the game came when Devlin went lame and was replaced by Standing. Can anyone tell me why Standing did not go in the clearout? Devlin had a very good 43 minutes, Standing as always did nothing.