Shrewsbury (A) League - Tuesday 26/09/06.

[Duke]

I'm not being overly critical Geordie and I accept that we are in a great position, I also realise that when you are in the 4th division you cant expect stunning football like Arsenal's.
I just think Dobson is cr@p and we are short of an (albeit 4th division) quality midfield playmaker, that's all.

I'd agree, but perhaps RM thinks that you don't pass and play your way out of this division. We seem to be looking for solidity across the back four (not a great deal of creativity from the full-backs) and solidity in the middle. This makes us hard to score against - as shown by conceding seven goals in eleven games this season. The creativity is seemingly reserved for the front two and (to a lesser extent) the wingers. Aside from that, goals will come from speculative shots from distance or set pieces. Ain't always that pretty, but as Geordie says, to have the best goal difference around, given last season, is quite frankly astounding.

Spot on KC it won't always be pretty but its working for us, at times we will play good football ie Peterborough 5-0 at home and still some fans moaned and found faults. I honestly dont know what some fans want or expect.

[TofDover]

After having the p*** taken out of Walsall for the last couple of years at my local they are all pleased for me, and understand my pleasure to see Walsall on the top instead of the bottom Dont nock it ENJOY

[wfc]

i think dobson should start all the while but its evident and has been from day one
that we need a creative midfielder to play alongside him someone to link the midfield with the attack

someone similar to skora or there number 14 ben davies i think is name was impressed me

prefer dobson over keates everytime.

Think the back 4 and keeper are sound

i would of took fox or taylor off just after half time for ishy that pitch was so wide and we could of put them on the back foot then.

Very dissapointed in bedau and wright.

Also think a pacy striker to play with butler is needed. but think nicholls deserves a chance when he is back, if the injury hasnt affected him to much
think with butlers experience and hold up play he will tear this division apart.

I know its a good point but i want us every game home or away to attack teams more and play our own game

[philthesaddler]

v) The referee - what CAN you say. Some totally bizarre decisions but then, worst of all, to totally miss the nastiest tackle I've seen in a long time by no.28 on Butler was disgraceful. It was a red card, no doubt. It was pre-meditated, he and Butler had had "words" a few minutes earlier. Awful refereeing.

Yes, forgot to mention the ref in my post... he was truly awful. I never seen so many bad refs, every game at this level seems to be referee by total nincompoops. Anyone notice the 10 yards that Shrewsbury were taking with every throw?

[ShropsSaddler]

Yes, forgot to mention the ref in my post... he was truly awful. I never seen so many bad refs, every game at this level seems to be referee by total nincompoops. Anyone notice the 10 yards that Shrewsbury were taking with every throw?

Yes I did Phil...amazing, they had one on our right side where the player took 5-10 yards, then decided to leave it for the fullback, who took another 5-10 yards!!!

And yes, the refs at this level are very poor. How did he miss a) several CLEAR handballs b) Sam's shot which CLEARLY struck a defender c) THAT tackle on Butler? And then, the only player he seemed to be having words with constantly was Butler!! How many times did their no.24 jump at the defender rather than for the ball?

[Fray Bentos is God!]

We werent at our best last night, the only gripe i've got with Pead are those 3 corners he took in a row, we really needed to get some quality in there for Dann, Westy and Antnee. He may as well as passed it to the first man.

Although 4 points in 2 away games, one being a local derby against a team playing decent footy I cant really complain.

[coxy_saddler]

Great following from the saddlers, Well done everyone! Bit quiet from the yga's i thought. First 20 minutes we was outstanding, Shrewsbury couldn't get no where near us. Mark wright was superb in the first half i thought, He should of stayed on second half imo. After they eqalised though we seemed to back down abit. They had there chances to wrap the game up, But so did we, Especially when pead hit the bar, if that had gone in it would of been a tony yeboah job! :lol:

[matty_walsall4eva]

Great following from the saddlers, Well done everyone! Bit quiet from the yga's i thought. First 20 minutes we was outstanding, Shrewsbury couldn't get no where near us. Mark wright was superb in the first half i thought, He should of stayed on second half imo. After they eqalised though we seemed to back down abit. They had there chances to wrap the game up, But so did we, Especially when pead hit the bar, if that had gone in it would of been a tony yeboah job! :lol:

they had the momentem when they scored and we couldnt get back into the game, also i thought we looked tired with 3 ganes in a week

[Geordiesaddler]

Just to add another key stat. There's been a fair bit of disgruntlement with a so called "lack of creativity" this season. We have played 13 competitive games and scored in each and every one, scoring first in 10 of the 13. Again, the evidence simply doesn't support that argument. If you're scoring in every game and have the best defence in the league the chances are you're going to win promotion - that in a nut-shell seems to be DD's philosophy, pretty similar to Sir Ray's I would hazzard, but with a bit more modern approach.

[Whitti Steve]

Just to add another key stat. There's been a fair bit of disgruntlement with a so called "lack of creativity" this season. We have played 13 competitive games and scored in each and every one, scoring first in 10 of the 13. Again, the evidence simply doesn't support that argument. If you're scoring in every game and have the best defence in the league the chances are you're going to win promotion - that in a nut-shell seems to be DD's philosophy, pretty similar to Sir Ray's I would hazzard, but with a bit more modern approach.

I am a happy bunny. I think that some people just like to moan. Or to put it another way, there is always room for improvement, so when things are going well - nit-picking is the only way to improve!

[Stourbridge_Andy]

Surprised by so much negativity - both on here and among a lot of those around me on the terraces last night. Some didn't stop moaning from the moment the Shrews goal went in. If you've made the effort to travel over there why not get behind the team? So different to the 'wall of sound' on away trips when we were up near the top of the table in the days of Graydon and Nicholl (and even dare I say it Hibbitt)

OK so we were caught napping at the back for their goal and got over run in midfield. We may be a couple of players short of an automatic promotion winning side and maybe DD got his midfield selection wrong.

But the Shrews looked a good side and played well. We showed real character to keep them out and had them on the rack in the last 10 minutes.

Lets not forget under the previous manager we would have folded after the equaliser and would probably have conceded 5 or 6.

[futuresobright]

We were awful last night...and apparently much worse at Bristol. Bernie's post asks all the right questions. Geordie's response is presumably a wind up.
Butler apart, Money's additions to the squad have proved be woeful. He has succeeded in building the most lack lustre group of players I have seen in over 40 years. Exactly why a player who struggled to impress at Torquay is going to improve us is beyond me. If we go up it will be thanks to the players acquired by previous managers and dependent upon the 'manager' thinking about selections, positions and tactics. Unbelievable what's happened since PM went.

[Whitti Steve]

We were awful last night...and apparently much worse at Bristol. Bernie's post asks all the right questions. Geordie's response is presumably a wind up.
Butler apart, Money's additions to the squad have proved be woeful. He has succeeded in building the most lack lustre group of players I have seen in over 40 years. Exactly why a player who struggled to impress at Torquay is going to improve us is beyond me. If we go up it will be thanks to the players acquired by previous managers and dependent upon the 'manager' thinking about selections, positions and tactics. Unbelievable what's happened since PM went.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Welcome back Paul! :lol:

[King Crimson]

We were awful last night...and apparently much worse at Bristol. Bernie's post asks all the right questions. Geordie's response is presumably a wind up.
Butler apart, Money's additions to the squad have proved be woeful. He has succeeded in building the most lack lustre group of players I have seen in over 40 years. Exactly why a player who struggled to impress at Torquay is going to improve us is beyond me. If we go up it will be thanks to the players acquired by previous managers and dependent upon the 'manager' thinking about selections, positions and tactics. Unbelievable what's happened since PM went.

Lovely to hear from you again. It's certainly been a while. I notice you haven't posted on a match thread since our defeat away at Grimsby. Interestingly, you were unable, or unwilling to post any incisive tactical observations about our wins against Macclesfield, Bristol Rovers (away) or the 5-0 thumping we gave a widely-tipped Peterborough side.

However, you did break your silence to post about one topic: Merson's appearance on t.v.

Fascinating. :roll:

[Dr David Kelly]

We were awful last night...and apparently much worse at Bristol. Bernie's post asks all the right questions. Geordie's response is presumably a wind up.
Butler apart, Money's additions to the squad have proved be woeful. He has succeeded in building the most lack lustre group of players I have seen in over 40 years. Exactly why a player who struggled to impress at Torquay is going to improve us is beyond me. If we go up it will be thanks to the players acquired by previous managers and dependent upon the 'manager' thinking about selections, positions and tactics. Unbelievable what's happened since PM went.

Money out!

[Duke]

We were awful last night...and apparently much worse at Bristol. Bernie's post asks all the right questions. Geordie's response is presumably a wind up.
Butler apart, Money's additions to the squad have proved be woeful. He has succeeded in building the most lack lustre group of players I have seen in over 40 years. Exactly why a player who struggled to impress at Torquay is going to improve us is beyond me. If we go up it will be thanks to the players acquired by previous managers and dependent upon the 'manager' thinking about selections, positions and tactics. Unbelievable what's happened since PM went.

your having a laugh , lack lustre players , Have you watched Walsall
play this season.

[Rhino Saddler]

We were awful last night...and apparently much worse at Bristol. Bernie's post asks all the right questions. Geordie's response is presumably a wind up.
Butler apart, Money's additions to the squad have proved be woeful. He has succeeded in building the most lack lustre group of players I have seen in over 40 years. Exactly why a player who struggled to impress at Torquay is going to improve us is beyond me. If we go up it will be thanks to the players acquired by previous managers and dependent upon the 'manager' thinking about selections, positions and tactics. Unbelievable what's happened since PM went.

Money out!

And Merson in, presumably!
:roll: :wink:

[tinned]

We were awful last night...and apparently much worse at Bristol. Bernie's post asks all the right questions. Geordie's response is presumably a wind up.
Butler apart, Money's additions to the squad have proved be woeful. He has succeeded in building the most lack lustre group of players I have seen in over 40 years. Exactly why a player who struggled to impress at Torquay is going to improve us is beyond me. If we go up it will be thanks to the players acquired by previous managers and dependent upon the 'manager' thinking about selections, positions and tactics. Unbelievable what's happened since PM went.

Same old tosh. We weren't good last night I admit, but we were miles away from being awful. Our performance last night would have given us a 5 - 0 win against the Mersescum team. The energy levels from our players was top notch all game, last season they would have been blowing out of their arses after half an hour.

Whatever happens this season you can't take away the fact that WE'VE GOT OUR WALSALL BACK.

You may as well de-camp to London and watch your mate waddle out of the TV studio's each week.

[Registered Saddler]

Ignoring the wind-ups and addressing the nit-pickers...

Last night was a horrible game against a horrible team meant in a sort-of complimentary way. Shrewsbury played a physical game with plenty of balls in the air into the box - what do you expect from John Beck's protege, Gary Peters? We, by and large, dug in to keep them out although we could have done with Roper in the team, particularly to deal with the pace of Derek Asamoah.

The game was bookended by some very good passages of play by us - after the first 10 minutes it looked like we would walk it. However they upped their game and changed it around tactically, particularly when they pushed their strikers up against our full backs.

The main concern I would have would be the pairing of Keates and Dobson in the midfield. Both seem to do the same job and spend half the time getting in each other's way. We started getting on top again when Pead came on and he was allowed to get forward, while Dobbo was the holding player. Although (if he's fit) I'd prefer Kinsella to be reunited with Dobson in the middle.

Pead's corners - if you were paying attention then you'll notice that before he came on we played a couple of similar set pieces low to the near post. They didn't work either. Must have been something from the training ground which will hopefully be scrapped before the Mansfield game.

Someone also mentioned our 'poor' away form. Get real. We have taken nine points from six away games so far, including trips to Shrewsbury and Lincoln. If we carry on picking up 1.5 points per game HOME AND AWAY for the rest of the season then we'd have enough points to finish in the play-off places.

We're still top of the league and scoring plenty of goals. If you don't enjoy being a Walsall fan now, then - really - what's the point?

[ws3]

I work in Telford and was just talking to a Shrewsbury supporter. His view was that the game was fairly even and 1-1 was a fair result. He was full of praise for Mark Wright and Ant Gerrard and said that either team could have nicked it but neither team deserved to lose.

He did say though that towards the end Gerrard spat in the direction of the Shrewsbury supporters just after being fouled. Anyone see this? (If its already mentioned then sorry but I'm at work and sneeking this post in).

[m&m]

The day after the storm and time to reflect.A point was a fair result all considered.We should have been out of sight in the 1st 20 mins though.After that god knows what happened.We seemed to be bullied out of it.Was this Shresbury Town FC or RFC.
Keates was anonymous as was Fox for me.I would have loved to see Ishmel run at them as I believe they would have panicked.They would have resorted to clattering him --hopefully in the box.Whether last night ref would have given a pen if any of our players had been broken in 2 that's another question. I have not seen such a homer in a long time.

[Jorge14]

We were awful last night...and apparently much worse at Bristol. Bernie's post asks all the right questions. Geordie's response is presumably a wind up.
Butler apart, Money's additions to the squad have proved be woeful. He has succeeded in building the most lack lustre group of players I have seen in over 40 years. Exactly why a player who struggled to impress at Torquay is going to improve us is beyond me. If we go up it will be thanks to the players acquired by previous managers and dependent upon the 'manager' thinking about selections, positions and tactics. Unbelievable what's happened since PM went.

:lol: You keep making me laugh, because with two away wins and three away draws, a total of 9 points, that is nearly 40% of what Merson managed to get in 2 and a bit years away from home! :lol: :lol: :lol:

We are top of the league. We played very poorly last night (bar the first 20 minutes) and got a result. We COULD have won it. A different player got on the score sheet (important, as I can see Butler being rested on Saturday), and the team showed its limitations to DCI Dosh without surrendering a point.

As Gaz and MMF were saying last nght, we have targets, and the first target is 10 points from ever five games. The first 5 game block we got 13 points from 15...the second 5 game block we got 10 points from the 15...this is our third 5 game block and we've got 1 point from 1 game. We've got to fancy wins on Saturday and at Chester - that is 7 points. Wycombe at home is a tough game, a draw as a minimum there. 8 points. Then Accrington away, surely a win? 11 points, and we are off to the races with 34 points and a goal difference of at least +16. 34 points from 15 isn't promotion form, it is Championship form. And though we can expect our usual January/February dip, we are still looking at least at 85 points this season. We SHOULD get more, because I honestly don't see us losing at home more than once or twice. I think it was Matt Busby who said "if you win your home games, and draw your away games, then you will win the Championship" - in our current respect home/away form, that sums us up perfectly.

We all said at the start of the season that we'd accept the play offs. We finished 24 out of 24 in League One last season, and now we are top. The turnaround has been immense. People should stop moaning and recognise that we are playing above ALL expectations this season.

[King Crimson]

Unbelievable what's happened since PM went.

I do, at least, agree with you on that. :D

[Dr David Kelly]

We were awful last night...and apparently much worse at Bristol. Bernie's post asks all the right questions. Geordie's response is presumably a wind up.
Butler apart, Money's additions to the squad have proved be woeful. He has succeeded in building the most lack lustre group of players I have seen in over 40 years. Exactly why a player who struggled to impress at Torquay is going to improve us is beyond me. If we go up it will be thanks to the players acquired by previous managers and dependent upon the 'manager' thinking about selections, positions and tactics. Unbelievable what's happened since PM went.

:lol: You keep making me laugh, because with two away wins and three away draws, a total of 9 points, that is nearly 40% of what Merson managed to get in 2 and a bit years away from home! :lol: :lol: :lol:

We are top of the league. We played very poorly last night (bar the first 20 minutes) and got a result. We COULD have won it. A different player got on the score sheet (important, as I can see Butler being rested on Saturday), and the team showed its limitations to DCI Dosh without surrendering a point.

As Gaz and MMF were saying last nght, we have targets, and the first target is 10 points from ever five games. The first 5 game block we got 13 points from 15...the second 5 game block we got 10 points from the 15...this is our third 5 game block and we've got 1 point from 1 game. We've got to fancy wins on Saturday and at Chester - that is 7 points. Wycombe at home is a tough game, a draw as a minimum there. 8 points. Then Accrington away, surely a win? 11 points, and we are off to the races with 34 points and a goal difference of at least +16. 34 points from 15 isn't promotion form, it is Championship form. And though we can expect our usual January/February dip, we are still looking at least at 85 points this season. We SHOULD get more, because I honestly don't see us losing at home more than once or twice. I think it was Matt Busby who said "if you win your home games, and draw your away games, then you will win the Championship" - in our current respect home/away form, that sums us up perfectly.

We all said at the start of the season that we'd accept the play offs. We finished 24 out of 24 in League One last season, and now we are top. The turnaround has been immense. People should stop moaning and recognise that we are playing above ALL expectations this season.

If we carry on at this rate we'll have over 100 points at the end of the season. FACT.

[liamrowc52]

Why do you hate walsall futuresobright.

[tinned]

Why do you hate walsall futuresobright.

Because his mate is no longer there and it hurts like hell :cry:

[Cheesebag]

We were awful last night...and apparently much worse at Bristol. Bernie's post asks all the right questions. Geordie's response is presumably a wind up.
Butler apart, Money's additions to the squad have proved be woeful. He has succeeded in building the most lack lustre group of players I have seen in over 40 years. Exactly why a player who struggled to impress at Torquay is going to improve us is beyond me. If we go up it will be thanks to the players acquired by previous managers and dependent upon the 'manager' thinking about selections, positions and tactics. Unbelievable what's happened since PM went.

And people think Claypole is our wind up merchant. :roll:

[coxy_saddler]

We were awful last night...and apparently much worse at Bristol. Bernie's post asks all the right questions. Geordie's response is presumably a wind up.
Butler apart, Money's additions to the squad have proved be woeful. He has succeeded in building the most lack lustre group of players I have seen in over 40 years. Exactly why a player who struggled to impress at Torquay is going to improve us is beyond me. If we go up it will be thanks to the players acquired by previous managers and dependent upon the 'manager' thinking about selections, positions and tactics. Unbelievable what's happened since PM went.

And people think Claypole is our wind up merchant. :roll:

Exactly, this chap takes the piddle!

[redalways]

Who is to play the attacking central midfield role?

For me Keates and Kinsella can play the defensive role. Apart from scoring against Posh, Dobson has done nothing recently to justify a start.

If Kinsella gets the vote for the defensive role, who plays with him? For me it would be Kris Taylor (with Foxy and Ish wide). The only other option appears to be Pead. We have to get players forward to support Wrighty. On his own, he is going to find it hard going.

However, I was thinking back probably three years ago, when Wrack was the only one making any impact in that central area. OK he is not match fit and suffered from Mersonities last year, but if he could get back to his best, he could be just right for the second half of the season.

Anyone agree?

[Pedro]

Top the league and people still moan . What they want champions league football or something :twisted:

[post moderated - mind your !@#$ing language]