Kidderminster H (A) 31/07/07

[larryhaggler]

Nicholls is a pacy striker, why oh why is DD sticking him out on the wing ? He IS far more effective up the middle as a striker.

[digga_2k7]

well i was in the saddlers club on saturday hardley any one in there, and i thought he left. Were are the goal goint to come from when i was at the birmingham city game money looked good. Did danksy9 play in ian ropers testermonial.

[Ben_Hartshorne]

Clayton Ince - First half looked a little unsteady made one bad call which Scott Dann gave him a really roasting for , Second half done alot better made a fantastic double save and claimed every ball that came to him.

Darren Wrack - Another half decent performance but deffinatly not our answer to a right back

Scott Dann - Was comanding of every situation and worked very well with Gerrard against a robusk kiddie strike partnership

Anthony Gerrard - See Above

Paul Boertin - Again showed that he is a very good signing and made some very good solid tackles , as well as linking up well with Fox and ishey when he came on.

Danny Fox - A change of boots but not a change of player , strugled to beat his man.

Danny Sonner - Game past him by abit and some times very waste full on the ball.

Dobson - Worked well and carved out what very few openings we had.

Sonko - Looked very legy and really not the quickest. Showed some nice touches and can use both feet. Hopefully we'll see more from Mr Sunshine

Butler - At times seemed very unintrested , he ran round chasing shadows a some points in the game and in all fairness was given Walsall's 2 best chance at goal 1st try was blazed over the bar from about 12 yards out really should have tested the keeper and the 2nd shot on goal was a 1-1 situation with the keeper on the floor and Butler side footed it right into the chest of Beavan the kiddie keeper.

Caniero - Not 100% match fit and does need some fitness work but showed some great touches as well as first time balls. His over all awerness and link up play is very good hopefully will prove to be a decent signing.


Subs
Mooney - Some good flick on's which on a better day and with a striker that knows what he's going to do would have run onto them and also good hold up play when he came , nothing fantastic possibly saving his self for the Villa game.

Hall - A quiet kameo apperance from Hall who first started at right wing but then got put up frount to make way for Nicholls on the right.

Ishey - Not so flamboyent as against blues again showed some good passing and close control and linked up well with Boertin

Nicholls - Done what he was asked to do really and chased everything down.

In all fairness to walsall , Kiddie where a decent team that were well organised and closed Walsall players down as soon as they got the ball. But walsall lack of creativity and pace may be our downfall at present and only route 1 balls over the top ever looked like casuing the kiddie defence any problems

cant argue with any of that. although Birmingham put Sonner and Dobson under alot more pressure, and both had better games on saturday

[danksy9]

well i was in the saddlers club on saturday hardley any one in there, and i thought he left. Were are the goal goint to come from when i was at the birmingham city game money looked good. Did danksy9 play in ian ropers testermonial.

Danksy9 did

[We-ARE-Walsall]

Nicholls is a pacy striker, why oh why is DD sticking him out on the wing ? He IS far more effective up the middle as a striker.

I though that, but i have changed my mind, i think he will be better on the right wing, can still play striker if needs be

Played most of his loan spell at Burton on the wing, and by all reports was much better there

[Neuromantic]

What people have failed to mention in and from what I have seen and heard and from people I have talked to so far, Michael Dobson seems to have had a very good start to the season, and yet - no one praises him. Is this a left over bias from last year?

therefore I would like to congratulate him.

[danksy9]

What people have failed to mention in and from what I have seen and heard and from people I have talked to so far, Michael Dobson seems to have had a very good start to the season, and yet - no one praises him. Is this a left over bias from last year?

therefore I would like to congratulate him.

If you have alook at my match report i stated in my own words that he had a good game

[We-ARE-Walsall]

What people have failed to mention in and from what I have seen and heard and from people I have talked to so far, Michael Dobson seems to have had a very good start to the season, and yet - no one praises him. Is this a left over bias from last year?

therefore I would like to congratulate him.

I did mention in the Blues game thread, he had a very good game on saturday in my opinion, just needs to let go of the ball a bit quicker, and pass if forward now and then, but i did praise him all the same

[larryhaggler]

Sorry Blazing, I have also watched AN in both positions and to me when he's up front he always looks likely to score. He has pace, determination and can use both feet. Although not sure of his heading ability.

[Atomic Rooster]

No it was like watching a bunch of muppets playing football.

crud comes out as crud as we don't like swearing on this site. I'm sure you noticed when you read the forum rules prior to signing up.

Was it you that took this photo of the team on the way back from the game?

Why was Big "Fozzy" Baz riding with them? :wink:

What is Kris Taylor doing on that picture ? thought he had left :D

And cederquist in his hat

[danksy9]

Sorry Blazing, I have also watched AN in both positions and to me when he's up front he always looks likely to score. He has pace, determination and can use both feet. Although not sure of his heading ability.

Problem being with Alex is that he's not the strongest and is easily pushed off the ball. Don't get me wrong he's a decent player but i couldn't ever see him as a striker and neither can Richerd Money by the looks of things

[We-ARE-Walsall]

Sorry Blazing, I have also watched AN in both positions and to me when he's up front he always looks likely to score. He has pace, determination and can use both feet. Although not sure of his heading ability.

Well, fair play, i'm not gonna argue with you, cos i have only seen him play a couple of times, both up front as it happens.

I think he can play either to be honest

[tinned]

No it was like watching a bunch of muppets playing football.

crud comes out as crud as we don't like swearing on this site. I'm sure you noticed when you read the forum rules prior to signing up.

Was it you that took this photo of the team on the way back from the game?

Why was Big "Fozzy" Baz riding with them? :wink:

What is Kris Taylor doing on that picture ? thought he had left :D

And cederquist in his hat

Only those over 30 are going to get that one Atomic :D

[danksy9]

No it was like watching a bunch of muppets playing football.

crud comes out as crud as we don't like swearing on this site. I'm sure you noticed when you read the forum rules prior to signing up.

Was it you that took this photo of the team on the way back from the game?

Why was Big "Fozzy" Baz riding with them? :wink:

What is Kris Taylor doing on that picture ? thought he had left :D

And cederquist in his hat

Only those over 30 are going to get that one Atomic :D

Isn't that Picken at the back as well hitching a lift

[Jolly Johnny]

No it was like watching a bunch of muppets playing football.

crud comes out as crud as we don't like swearing on this site. I'm sure you noticed when you read the forum rules prior to signing up.

Was it you that took this photo of the team on the way back from the game?

Why was Big "Fozzy" Baz riding with them? :wink:

What is Kris Taylor doing on that picture ? thought he had left :D

And cederquist in his hat

Only those over 30 are going to get that one Atomic :D

"hurdy gurdy burdy.."!! :lol:

[liamrowc52]

I'm all for a good dose of negativity from time to time.(isn’t every Walsall fan) I just think this game and connotations of this game have no grounds on which to be negative,

1. Relatively solid defence against a very pacey attacking force.

2. very good link up play, from defence to attack everyone seemed to pass the ball well and direct.

3. Trialists especially sonko look very decent,, if you consider he is a replacement for Mark Wright. and Carlos a replacement for Hector Sam, we seem to be increasing the quality of the team.

4. It was only a friendly yet we managed a clean sheet, surely that shows disaplin and commitment.

5. Open attacking football, (granted against conference quality) but we are not relying on set plays to set up attacks like we were towards the end of last season, so even though we missed them, at least they are happening and with time butler, and moony, and hopefully Carlos will score them.

Proof with the right frame of mind you can find positives in everything.

[Exile]

Chicken soup!

[Duke]

Clayton. Solid. Few Quality Saves. Few hashed kicks, The normal

Wracky - Another good game. They had some tricky wide men held his own
Boertin - Probably the least impressive performance so far by his own standards but still a class act

Gerrard - Mopped up well and passing long and short was good
Dann - Plodded through unspectaculary

Sonko - Left footed on right wing. Was good on the ball. Some good goalscoring ops from him
Fox - Works hard but struggled to find a white shirt whenever he had the ball.
Dobson - My MOTM all over the shop.
Sonner - Bit sloppier with the ball than what i've seen so far. There pacey driving midfielder Penn ran him all over the shop.

Caniero - Doesn't look sharp but does enough to show promise. Tends to think the ball will drop over the defenders head rather than chase it usually. Should realise he can jump for it and is good when he does. Some great hold up and laying off play. Very creative.

Butler - Worked hard but tottaly fluffed our best chances


SUBS

Mooney - Didn't really get to do that much but like Caniero good link up play
Hall - Still to see him beat his marker and put in a cross in 3 or 4 games.
Ishy and Nicholls came on in wide positions and beat there markers and put crosses in the box and created chances. Just what they are meant to do.

My opinion. I'm worried that we don't look like scoring unless Nicholls or Ishy or any 2 players with a bit of flair pace and vision are playing out wide. Fox and Hall aren't going to be doing that and CM has two JCBs plodding around.

Somethings just never change

[big baz 1]

I hope butler can get back to the form he showed at the start of last season.

[Registered Saddler]

I'm all for a good dose of negativity from time to time.(isn’t every Walsall fan) I just think this game and connotations of this game have no grounds on which to be negative,

1. Relatively solid defence against a very pacey attacking force.

2. very good link up play, from defence to attack everyone seemed to pass the ball well and direct.

3. Trialists especially sonko look very decent,, if you consider he is a replacement for Mark Wright. and Carlos a replacement for Hector Sam, we seem to be increasing the quality of the team.

4. It was only a friendly yet we managed a clean sheet, surely that shows disaplin and commitment.

5. Open attacking football, (granted against conference quality) but we are not relying on set plays to set up attacks like we were towards the end of last season, so even though we missed them, at least they are happening and with time butler, and moony, and hopefully Carlos will score them.

Proof with the right frame of mind you can find positives in everything.

^^^^^^^^^^
Good post but, come on, 2 in the morning! What can anyone be doing on the internet at that late hour...........?

[Bernie]

I hope butler can get back to the form he showed at the start of last season.

I have been hoping that since October last year.

A lot of Walsall fans were totally won over by Butler in his first 10 matches last season when he scored 7 goals. We were all Butler fans then. I think that as a result of that we continually gave him the benefit of the doubt when his performance level dropped. Towards the end of the season lots of people made the excuse that he was playing badly because he was tired, having been on the pitch - often with little support - for 90 minutes in practically every match. That did not really explain October, November and December when he went 17 matches without scoring, but there was still a lot of good will towards him.

We then heard from "reliable sources" that he wanted to leave Walsall during the close season - although the reasons for this were never spelt out. Did Peterborough "tap him up" with an offer of more money? I have no idea.

While pre-season friendlies are meaningless, and often a poor indication of how the team will perform in the coming season, the fact that Butler has been at best nothing special, at worst lacklustre and seemingly uninterested, has to be a cause for concern.

[Duke]

A bit harsh to judge any player or performance on pre- season games .
No player is going to risk injury or go flat out.

[Geordiesaddler]

I hope butler can get back to the form he showed at the start of last season.

I have been hoping that since October last year.

A lot of Walsall fans were totally won over by Butler in his first 10 matches last season when he scored 7 goals. We were all Butler fans then. I think that as a result of that we continually gave him the benefit of the doubt when his performance level dropped. Towards the end of the season lots of people made the excuse that he was playing badly because he was tired, having been on the pitch - often with little support - for 90 minutes in practically every match. That did not really explain October, November and December when he went 17 matches without scoring, but there was still a lot of good will towards him.

We then heard from "reliable sources" that he wanted to leave Walsall during the close season - although the reasons for this were never spelt out. Did Peterborough "tap him up" with an offer of more money? I have no idea.

While pre-season friendlies are meaningless, and often a poor indication of how the team will perform in the coming season, the fact that Butler has been at best nothing special, at worst lacklustre and seemingly uninterested, has to be a cause for concern.

Agreed Bernie.

I think last year Butler had the benefit of being the senior striker and also being top scorer for all bar the last minute of the season. It was always therefore easy to justify selection if justification was needed - which it surely was for the most part of his scoreless run and generally poor second half of the season.

This time around Mooney takes the role of senior striker, and announces his arrival with a pre-season hat-trick, Butler meantime continues to struggle having had his "rest". He is running out of excuses, and if any of the other strikers starts to score goals I can't honestly see how his continued selection can be justified once the season starts.

It would be very interesting if Caneiro, Hall, Deeney, or Nicholls notched a couple of goals between now and the start of the season.

Its up to Butler at the end of the day, he is missing chances as he did last season and that can't go on for ever, he needs to take responsibility as a senior player who has to score his share of goals.

[Registered Saddler]

I agree Bernie, but it is a cause for concern for Butler above all. Mooney looks to have tied up one of the centre-forward spots and the other one is up for grabs. I haven't seen any of the preseason games but Carneiro and Nicholls seem to have thrown their hat into the ring. Plus Money has stated that he wants to bring more players in before the end of August. I'd be surprised if Butler was still in the starting XI by the end of the month.

[Bernie]

It has to be said that last season we did not have anyone to put in his place.

All our other strikers: Bedeau, Sam, Constable, Cederqvist, Tommy Wright, Benjamin etc had their own weaknesses. He did always seem to try very hard last season, and that led us to keep faith with him.

If Mooney and Carneiro can show that they are better and if Deeney and Nicholls challenge for a place on the bench it will be up to Butler to prove that he is good enough for a place in the squad this season.

[WFC_Rob]

I wouldn't disagree with comments that many Walsall fans gave Butler the benefit of the doubt for too long, possibly wrongly so, but he was still worth his place in the side last season more often than not.

He was (and always has been since leaving us the first time) a very difficult striker to defend against. His elbows are everywhere, he chases down lost causes and wins us possession when he almost has no right to. He was the striker we'd been missing for at least 2 years. My only issue with Butler is that he gives away too many cheap fouls.

I often got frustrated with the players around Butler who were often too far away to give him any support. Hector Sam certainly played his part last season, but was far too lazy at times. The midfield had very little attacking ability and would often be stuck on the halfway line when Butler had the ball in the corner.

Having seen the forwards we had the season previously, I think most of us were glad to see someone who looked like they had more than no clue whatsoever how to play up front.

[Geordiesaddler]

And I think that is the disappointing thing so far (from the reports i've read). His conviction in front of goal doesn't seemed to have improved.

I'm sure barring someone scoring 3 or 4 goals more than Butler in the last few friendlies he will still start against Carlisle, but he might now only be one or two games from the chop if he fails to score and someone else comes on and chips in.

He needs to realise that and buck his ideas up.

[Duke]

If the competition we have now dosen't bring the best out of Butler nothing will . I don't for 1 minute think that DD plans to start the season with Butler and Mooney upfront.

[Geordiesaddler]

If the competition we have now dosen't bring the best out of Butler nothing will . I don't for 1 minute think that DD plans to start the season with Butler and Mooney upfront.

Why is that Dave?

[Duke]

If the competition we have now dosen't bring the best out of Butler nothing will . I don't for 1 minute think that DD plans to start the season with Butler and Mooney upfront.

Why is that Dave?

To much alike i reckon Geordie , from what i hear about Carnerio is pretty nippy , Butler and Mooney could be used in a rotation system .