Wed Aug 09, 2006 8:26 am
Well, what a great performance.
Should really have been 4 or 5, Butler should have had a hat trick, but I aint going to complain, we are 3rd and haven't conceded a goal.
I thought we set the tone in the first 10 minutes when we kept the ball imperiously - Don't think Stockport had a touch for 10 minutes did they? Every body playing well, being patient, keeping the ball and eventually creating a chance.
How on earth the referee didn't give the penalty is beyond me. Fair enough, in your first league game you might bottle a difficult decision, one thats a bit ambiguous, but thats probably the most stonewall penalty I've ever seen, Butler had no reason to go down, the defender clearly got no where near the ball - penalty and sending off, but no. That kind of decision should mean he drops out of football league refereeing, because when it comes down to it, thats a match changing decision, and he effed up. I thought the ref poor all round to be honest.
Clayton Ince, at time his kicking was a bit off, but mainly solid, and again a good couple of saves. Gerrard and Roper, absolutely superb. Pead and Taylor, excellent.
Mark Wright, his play on the ball has improved dramatically. His use of the ball when he has it is dangerous and worries defenders, that what he's there to do. He's growing in confidence and starts to take players on, which is great to see. However, his off the ball play is at times way way way below standard - he's drifts in to a daze the minute he's passed the ball, he rarely uses his pace to make runs - at times there were acres of space crying for him to run in to, but he just jogs on out wide. His tackling and heading need to improve, and he needs to stop dozing when he hasnt got the ball. And also, he needs to set off quicker. For a guy with his pace, he don't half take his time to get going, and that gives defenders the chance to pick him up. But all round, a good performance by Wright, very encouraging.
Kinsella, did well, could probably do with some younger legs in that position, but he seems a different player to the one we saw under Merson, so he's sound in my book.
Dobson, well what can I say. Imperious, majestic... That Carlos Alberto step over was a masterstroke. What a superb player he is.
Fox, IMHO the poorest Walsall player last night. He looked off the pace, like Wright a little dozy at times, and reluctant to get forward. That game was crying out for ish to start on the left.
Butler and Sam. Superb, absolutely superb. I was saying to Daz at half time what a difference, what a breath of fresh air it is to see proper strikers, not the tripe of the likes of Barrowman, Robinson, Birch, Fitzgerald, Deon Burton and Larossa. It just goes to show what I've been saying for years, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. In Sam and Butler we've got two strikers who, in the not so distant past, have been regarded so highly that clubs have parted with £100k+ for their services - we got them through a bit of luck, and some very shrewd trasfer market watching by RM. It's such a massive difference to have strikers that know what strikers should be doing, interchanging, flick ons, diagonal runs off the defenders shoulder, in the 6 yard box when crosses come flying in. Its superb to see and a breath of fresh air. Bonser please learn the lesson that for a relatively small investment, you get quality, and this proves it. Just look at the difference between Butler, 32, and Sam, recovering from a broken leg, and the players mentioned above [most of whom are younger than Butler and Sam]
Also, a mention for their goalkeeper. Made 2/3 superb saves - that close range one from Butler and the superb touch he got on keates' lob.
Also a good attendance, so the folk of Walsall will see the light. Hopefully on Saturday we can get close to the 6000 mark, and then no looking back.
UP THE SADDLERS
Last edited by
philthesaddler on Wed Aug 09, 2006 8:31 am, edited 4 times in total.
