Yeovil Town (H) League 1 Saturday 9/2/08.

[Burnside]

One of the worst games of football i have seen this season but 3 points still.

What an unintelligent team we looked like today. We hacked at the ball, didn't move and lacked any kind of pattern to our play.

I'll attribute this to the loss of intelligent players like Bradley, Sweeney, Dann and Ricketts. All of whom show composure and thought in how they move the ball around the pitch.

We struggled to keep possession. Only Eddie Sonko appeared to put his foot on the ball and look to pick out team mates.

Betsy fails to win the first ball 9 times out of ten and doesn't even seem bothered about the 3rd ball let alone the 2nd. Only seems to come to life when the pitch opens up and he has the ball at his feet and then i'm not seeing that much quality (I hope a run in the team and settling in to how we play will help him)

Roper had me confused today. Was i frustrated with him for not being able to do what Scott Dann could ? Was dominant in the air but the there forwards left him standing 9 times out of ten on the deck.

Thought Weston and Eddie were superb. I wonder what young Taundry could do with an extended run in CM. Looks like he is going to be a real player.

Holmes showed moments of real ability but then couldn't cross a ball or pass it 3 yards summed us up really.

We weren't utter tripe, but we didn't click and flow and that was down to us lacking players who can add a bit of guile and craft to our play. I suspect the return of Bradley and the signature of Ricketts might remedy it.

[WFC_Rob]

I thought we were just about good enough to win, which was the main thing, obviously.
We struggled to find our feet in the first half, largely because we were losing every second ball in midfield. People will say that we missed Bradley, but I wouldn't agree - we were simply outnumbered and outbattled.
Once we started giving Holmes more of the ball, we looked a bit better. As it goes, I think he's currently our best player. His movement and what he does with the ball - particularly the way he just likes to keep it, create chances for us to put balls into the box.
Ignoring the needless fouls and the clumsy tackling we see from him - Ian Roper should be replaced in the starting 11 if we're to keep our place in the playoffs. It's not wonder we struggle to play the ball in the final third, when he lumps balls anywhere and everywhere. We didn't concede any goals today and as part of the defensive unit responsible for that he deserves credit. I think it'll be a different story when we travel to Swansea, Leeds and Forest though.

Obviously, the goalkeeping situation helped us, but it would have taken something special from any goalkeeper to keep Holmes' strike out. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't load more balls straight down the throat of the goalkeeper if I'm honest.
Sonko did really well in the middle, particularly in the way that he wouldn't let their players settle on the ball. He did what Bradley usually does, which was why it worked in there today. On top of that, I think Taundry has a future as a central midfield player. He wins a ecent number of headers considering he's not the biggest, isn't scared to put his foot in and has an eye for a pass.
I have to say, as early as it is in his Walsall career, Betsy didn't look too great. Looked like an older version of Mark Wright to me. Enough of that for now though - he produced the goods when it mattered today.

All in all, a pretty efficient, professional performance against a mid-table side. We'll need to raise the bar to keep our top six place though, I feel.

[Percie]

I have to say, as early as it is in his Walsall career, Betsy didn't look too great. Looked like an older version of Mark Wright to me.

Ridiculous comment! At least Mark Wright gave a toss. Betsy day look arsed if you ask me! 8)

Poor game really, I can't say I was too entertained not that the Ref didn't help. Doh mind the win though. We played much better than that at Carlise last week and came away with nothing.

[sack]

e thats better, we win, the daft dingles loose, tops, as for the game i thought it just wasn't going to happen again today, the players just didn't look at it, the defence coped, but wouldn't have if they had had more pace and/or quality up front, i dont want to moan and thanks lads for what was a good afternoon in the end, but i'm sure everyone there including the players and staff would agree we just have to be better than that.

[Pheasey_Saddler]

I agree, it wasn't a very entertaining game. Yeovil looked pretty poor and I can see them drifting into mid-table obscurity this season.

My view from today is that we need an experienced centre half and a striker with a half decent scoring record to ensure we finish in the top 6. Roper just does not up to it at the moment, although he could improve with further match practice. Deeney's first touch and general awareness lets him down. This was summed up by the chance right at the end of the first half when he took the ball in a great position only for his first touch to take him wide of the goal. On the other hand, I thought Nicholls did extremely well when he came on.

[PT]

Not the best performance of the season but a vital result given the run of 3 away games coming up.

Sonko carried the midfield for much of the game. The back 5 were efficient. Mooney looked off the pace whilst I think Deeney has a composure problem when given time in front of goal. His running, effort and guile away from goal is great, but give him a sight of goal and he gets pretty flustered. If we get a forward in over the next few weeks it would probably do Deeney the world of good to get back into a scoring habit in a less pressurised environment (i.e the reserves) and then hit next year brimming with confidence. Nicholls made the difference when he came on and had a hand in both goals with some direct running at defenders. Jury out on Betsy, given his size his physical prsence is minimal and he certainly shirked the odd 50-50 and even the odd 80-20.

All in all, a day about the result. If we're in the top six next time we play at home then we'll probably be there come the end of the season.

Next game for me is Luton away. I really hope we've picked up a point or two in the meantime.

[Duke]

I was as disappointed as anyone today although i thought we improved in the second half one of those games where the result was more important .
Sonko is growing in the centre mid , Taundry looks like he has a future in midfield he helped us keep control of the game when in previous home games we lost it .
The main worry for me was upfront Deeney looked out of sorts Mooney did next to nothing Nicholls was very lively when he came
on their number 4 was very lucky should have been booked for that challenge that ended in him going off .

all in all a vital 3 points got to be happy with that .

[shrewsbury saddler]

I'm not sure that people aren't being a bit over-critical.If you were high up in the F2G,it might not have been obvious just how badly the pitch was cutting up.If I had to sum up the performance in one word,it would be "persistence."
Nicholls looked worth a run a run up front and it took a while for me to realise ,but there was a little bit of Taundrey's performance which reminded me of Ian Paul-strong,good vision,anxious to move the ball into dangerous areas.
BTW wasn't Mooney's booking a joke?The ref had no intention of booking him until it turned out that the Keeper had fallen badly and injured himself-as he could have done in a legitimate challenge.

[Duke]

I'm not sure that people aren't being a bit over-critical.If you were high up in the F2G,it might not have been obvious just how badly the pitch was cutting up.If I had to sum up the performance in one word,it would be "persistence."
Nicholls looked worth a run a run up front and it took a while for me to realise ,but there was a little bit of Taundrey's performance which reminded me of Ian Paul-strong,good vision,anxious to move the ball into dangerous areas.
BTW wasn't Mooney's booking a joke?The ref had no intention of booking him until it turned out that the Keeper had fallen badly and injured himself-as he could have done in a legitimate challenge.

excellent point SS.

[Goose277]

Maybe Betsy didn't work his socks off but I thought he did ok today. He showed some nice touches and always looked for space and I'm sure there's more to come from him. Can't argue with Sonko's MOM award, very assured performance but Taundry really stood out for me. As SS said, strong with good vision. Looks really comfortable on the ball with good control and he played like he really wanted it. Ref made some awful decisions, especially Mooney's yellow, and I can't believe the linesman missed the handball in the first half. (Should have gone to Specsavers.)

Overall, not a great game but did enough to get all 3 points.

[Registered Saddler]

Three points were very important today, as others have said, and the results of teams around us mean that we hopefully won't lose too much ground (if any) with our tough away game on Tuesday followed by a blank weekend. First half was as poor as I've seen us all season - including the first few games. Much better in the second half and Nicholls made a big difference. Start him up front on Tuesday, I'd say. This being a DD team, we didn't really look like conceding a goal and once we'd gone in front I was pretty confident of the win. I'm happy enough with that, we did the job and can move on to the next one.

[redsaddler]

My thoughts...

The first hour today was probably our weakest display for a while. We lacked creativity and a cutting edge to our game, passes were going astray and we rarely troubled their keeper. But once we got the goal, we looked a different team as more and more crosses were coming in and chances were being created. Yeovil were one of the poorest teams I've seen this season from an attacking perspective, whilst at the other end of the pitch it just goes to show how important it is to have a substitute keeper on the bench! The referee was puzzling to say the least. Some of the yellow cards he dished out (i.e. Mooney and Betsy) were hard to believe.

Ince: Little to do. Fumbled a couple of crosses in the first half.
Weston: Kept Stewart quiet and was quietly effective.
Gerrard: Long-range passing was wayward, but otherwise solid.
Roper: A mixture of the comical and courageous. Typical Ropes performance!
Boertien: Quiet first half. Supported Holmes more after the break.
Betsy: Could have had a hat-trick, but I'll settle for one. A mixed display.
Sonko: Continues to improve and confidence is growing all the time. MOTM.
Wrack: Kept things ticking over in the middle of the park before injury forced him off.
Holmes: Like Boertien, quiet first half. More creative and well-taken goal in the second half.
Mooney: Ineffective up until the last half-hour. Covered every blade of grass as usual.
Deeney: Plenty of hard work and endeavour. Just needs a goal to increase his confidence further.

Subs:
Taundry: Creative, energetic and attack-minded. We looked a lot better when he came on.
Nicholls: Injected some pace into our forward line. Involved in the second goal.
N'Dour: No time to make an impact.

To sum up, three crucial points in the bag despite a poor performance. Let's hope we can end our hoodoo against Swansea on Tuesday night!

[King Crimson]

As others have said, its all about the result. Which is a good job! Solid and impressive performances by Sonko, Holmes, Weston, Gerrard, Boertien and Ince. Wracky, Betsy and Mooney OK. Roper and Deeney were poor.

We miss the experience of Ricketts up front, and the composure of Dann at the back. We miss Dann more when we have the ball than when we don't, simply because we can no longer play the ball across the back line any more. We revert to the odd hoof, making it much more difficult for the midfield to become involved, and without a player like Ricketts up front, all too often the ball came straight back off their centre halves.

We won the game, Yeovil looked average and were a cynical bunch who deserved nowt from the match.

I think we'll do better against Swansea, and we'll need to.

[shrewsbury saddler]

My thoughts...

The first hour today was probably our weakest display for a while. We lacked creativity and a cutting edge to our game, passes were going astray and we rarely troubled their keeper. But once we got the goal, we looked a different team as more and more crosses were coming in and chances were being created. Yeovil were one of the poorest teams I've seen this season from an attacking perspective, whilst at the other end of the pitch it just goes to show how important it is to have a substitute keeper on the bench! The referee was puzzling to say the least. Some of the yellow cards he dished out (i.e. Mooney and Betsy) were hard to believe.

Ince: Little to do. Fumbled a couple of crosses in the first half.
Weston: Kept Stewart quiet and was quietly effective.
Gerrard: Long-range passing was wayward, but otherwise solid.
Roper: A mixture of the comical and courageous. Typical Ropes performance!
Boertien: Quiet first half. Supported Holmes more after the break.
Betsy: Could have had a hat-trick, but I'll settle for one. A mixed display.
Sonko: Continues to improve and confidence is growing all the time. MOTM.
Wrack: Kept things ticking over in the middle of the park before injury forced him off.
Holmes: Like Boertien, quiet first half. More creative and well-taken goal in the second half.
Mooney: Ineffective up until the last half-hour. Covered every blade of grass as usual.
Deeney: Plenty of hard work and endeavour. Just needs a goal to increase his confidence further.

Subs:
Taundry: Creative, energetic and attack-minded. We looked a lot better when he came on.
Nicholls: Injected some pace into our forward line. Involved in the second goal.
N'Dour: No time to make an impact.

To sum up, three crucial points in the bag despite a poor performance. Let's hope we can end our hoodoo against Swansea on Tuesday night!

I'd agree with most of that.Sonko was a good choice for MOM,but I wouldn't put Weston far behind.Ican't remember a single mistake from him.Mooney improved massively when he had some support from Nicholls;Deeney was IMO,pretty ineffectual.When we first signed Mooney I thought we'd signed a headbanger who would put the wind up opposition defences and score some goals.In fact he's got one of the most acute footballing brains I've ever seen in a Walsall player.

[WFC_Rob]

When we first signed Mooney I thought we'd signed a headbanger who would put the wind up opposition defences and score some goals.In fact he's got one of the most acute footballing brains I've ever seen in a Walsall player.

That's a good point. Almost makes you feel that he's been wasted in the sides he's played for previously as he'd largely (when I'd seen him anyway) been used as a battering ram of sorts. As you say, that's probably not even the most effective part of his game.

In terms of today's performance, he just looked like he lacked support up front. I rate Deeney, but think it's asking a bit too much of him at this point to start him in so many games as he tends to run himself into the ground far too early on. Being able to replace him with Nicholls seems to be working pretty well at the moment, but it would be nice (and I think this is a minimum requirement if we are to make the playoffs) to have a more experienced striker with that bit more quality to play alongside Mooney.

[Plastic Hawk]

Maybe I was watching a different game to everyone else, but I thought Roper looked good today. Ok, so he's not Dann when it comes to playing the ball away and he appears clumsy from time to time, but he headed away every high ball and never gave their strikers (ok, so it was only one to start with - but an awkward one in Kirk) a look in. If anything, I was more worried about Gerrard who seemed to be trying to make up for the absense of Dann by trying to play the cultured, passing centre back role - and that's just not his game. In any case, I don't know how anyone in a defence that was pretty much untroubled all afternoon can be described as poor.

Other than that, everyone was pretty much of a muchness for me today. Betsy didn't look anything special, but it's early days and Holmes and Sweeney took a while to get going at the start of their loans. Deeney had his poorest game for a while, but in truth he's been overdue on for a while now - you can't really expect too much consistency from younger players (he does need a goal though, for morale as much as anything). Nicholls looked bright, Taundry impressed again. Sonko and Wrack were ok in the middle. Full back were both solid but didn't get forward as much as I might have liked.

We just don't look like scoring goals at the moment (I know we got two in the end, but they were against a dwarf full back). Reminiscent of the start of the season in many ways today, just with a little extra quality in Holmes when it mattered. The sooner we get Ricketts back the better - and if it's going to be a few weeks (say after the end of this month as we don't have a game next Saturday) then I'd suggest binning him and moving on to plan B.

[Duke]

At last a bit of praise for Roper quite right PH , he did ok today , problem is many are comparing him with Dann , Ropes is not that kind of player . Off course we are going to miss a player of Dann's quality but at least in Roper we have a player who will give his all .

[cal wfc fan]

At last a bit of praise for Roper quite right PH , he did ok today , problem is many are comparing him with Dann , Ropes is not that kind of player . Off course we are going to miss a player of Dann's quality but at least in Roper we have a player who will give his all .

Totally agree with that, Roper has missed a hell of a lot of games and needs time to fit back into the first team, having said that I dont think he did too bad at all.

[Burnside]

We know what Ian Roper can do.

We also know what he can't (and never has been able to do).

Sadly. The style of football we play and considering the other defenders we have we need a defender who can do what Roper Can't.

Replacement please.

[Atomic Rooster]

We know what Ian Roper can do.

We also know what he can't (and never has been able to do).

Sadly. The style of football we play and considering the other defenders we have we need a defender who can do what Roper Can't.

Replacement please.

I agree ropes would be a good player in league 2 but today proved anything higher he is not good enough now

[Registered Saddler]

We know what Ian Roper can do.

We also know what he can't (and never has been able to do).

Sadly. The style of football we play and considering the other defenders we have we need a defender who can do what Roper Can't.

Replacement please.

So you want someone who can head the ball away, win tackles, organise the back line and spray balls around like Beckenbauer in his pomp? That'll cost you £1m, like it just did for Coventry. Wake up, this is League One. We kept a clean sheet and Ropes did pretty much all you could ask from him today.

[fensaddler]

Awful game, good result. Bad pitch, poor ref, cynical opposition. We definitely started to look a lot better when Nicholls and Taundry came on, and I think that says much for both of them. Nicholls in particular had perhaps the best spell I have seen him play - Taundry we already know is a class act, and looks at home in centre mid. Betsy didn't do very much for me - its early days, but I've seen Deeney play far better in that position - and Troy definitely had a bad one as striker today. Mooney likewise didn't get much joy, but he was poorly protected by the ref and continuously flattened, and needlessly booked when it looked like the oppo keeper had merely landed bady after a fair challenge - I'd appreciate the views of our resident refs on this guys performance, because for me Betsy's booking was also tripe, whilst he let a lot of cynical stuff go completely unpunished. Anyway, whilst anything from Swansea would be a bonus, I'm expecting some useful additions to the squad before the month is out, and today was perhaps evening out Carlisle, where we played far better but got nothing.

[Neuromantic]

Agree with whats been said. Id be very disappointed if I was Alex Nicholls if I didnt start the next game up front.

[YGA Saddler]

Deeney is a frustrating player. He runs around like an headless chicken and doesnt look like he could score in a brothel. Although I think the kid COULD become good, he needs to go out on loan- he just isnt up to scratch at the minute.

Sonko was clearly MOTM. Some of his vision was quite good but then sometimes ruined it by some stupid passes. Weston is probably our most consistent performer, since his dodgy first few games he has really come good. Well done Rhys.

We played poor today and won, i just hope for the life of me- we play much better on Tuesday.

[Neuromantic]

Deeney is a frustrating player. He runs around like an headless chicken and doesnt look like he could score in a brothel. Although I think the kid COULD become good, he needs to go out on loan- he just isnt up to scratch at the minute.

Sonko was clearly MOTM. Some of his vision was quite good but then sometimes ruined it by some stupid passes. Weston is probably our most consistent performer, since his dodgy first few games he has really come good. Well done Rhys.

We played poor today and won, i just hope for the life of me- we play much better on Tuesday.

Agree with this and the rest of your post Kev. He does all the hard work (Deeney) but he is about as dangerous as a Stoat wielding a French stick.

[Gaz the Train]

Deeney is a frustrating player. He runs around like an headless chicken and doesnt look like he could score in a brothel. Although I think the kid COULD become good, he needs to go out on loan- he just isnt up to scratch at the minute.

Sonko was clearly MOTM. Some of his vision was quite good but then sometimes ruined it by some stupid passes. Weston is probably our most consistent performer, since his dodgy first few games he has really come good. Well done Rhys.

We played poor today and won, i just hope for the life of me- we play much better on Tuesday.

Deeney for me isn't a striker, he's a midfielder, he has the drive and batteries to keep going, more an industrious player. Yeah eddie was MOTM and ok there were some stray passes but at least he tried to get it down on the deck and play it about rather than hoof it 90ft in the air

[latviancheese]

They wor even good hoofs, just girly little chips to nowhere.

[King Crimson]

We know what Ian Roper can do.

We also know what he can't (and never has been able to do).

Sadly. The style of football we play and considering the other defenders we have we need a defender who can do what Roper Can't.

Replacement please.

So you want someone who can head the ball away, win tackles, organise the back line and spray balls around like Beckenbauer in his pomp? That'll cost you £1m, like it just did for Coventry. Wake up, this is League One. We kept a clean sheet and Ropes did pretty much all you could ask from him today.

Agreed. If only we'd been able to develop such a player ourselves though, and lock him into a lengthy contract which, given our much-welcomed relative financial stability should mean a manager wouldn't have to sell. :wink:

[King Crimson]

At last a bit of praise for Roper quite right PH , he did ok today , problem is many are comparing him with Dann , Ropes is not that kind of player . Off course we are going to miss a player of Dann's quality but at least in Roper we have a player who will give his all .

He was badly caught out on at least three occasions, two of which resulted in decent chances for them. On another day, against another team, we'd have been punished.

It's not a question of effor, its a question of quality. Otherwise, I'd have Deeney in my starting XI over Ricketts any day - but he doesn't yield anything like the return.

No one doubts Roper's commitment, honesty, loyalty etc. - but in the time he's been out the team, we've learned how to play football from the back. Roper just can't do that.

[Pedagogue]

Awful game, good result. Bad pitch, poor ref, cynical opposition. We definitely started to look a lot better when Nicholls and Taundry came on, and I think that says much for both of them. Nicholls in particular had perhaps the best spell I have seen him play - Taundry we already know is a class act, and looks at home in centre mid. Betsy didn't do very much for me - its early days, but I've seen Deeney play far better in that position - and Troy definitely had a bad one as striker today. Mooney likewise didn't get much joy, but he was poorly protected by the ref and continuously flattened, and needlessly booked when it looked like the oppo keeper had merely landed badly after a fair challenge - I'd appreciate the views of our resident refs on this guy's performance, because for me Betsy's booking was also tripe, whilst he let a lot of cynical stuff go completely unpunished. Anyway, whilst anything from Swansea would be a bonus, I'm expecting some useful additions to the squad before the month is out, and today was perhaps evening out Carlisle, where we played far better but got nothing.

Agree with all the football comments, there. Regarding the referee, I don't think that he was "poor". I have seen better but I have also seen a lot worse. The caution for Holmes was fully justified but the one for Betsy was not, imho, as he had not had chance to move away to allow the kick to be taken.

Mooney's caution was a "grey" area. He DID foul the 'keeper who, in turn, was GENUINELY injured when he landed awkwardly, as a result of Mooney's challenge. I do wish that certain WFC supporters could remove their blinkers when assessing referees and try to be impartial (fat chance!). Mooney is a classic case in point. Do our fans ever watch him closely? He is a crafty old fox who knows every trick in the book. Most centre-backs are very tall and Mooney clearly isn't, so he uses guile to overcome this. He leans low into his marker, often leaning forward slightly (calm down, YGA Saddler!). He then takes one pace smartly backwards, under the marker's centre of gravity, thus causing the marker to to appear to be "climbing all over" Mooney's back. Mooney does this, in every game that he plays, and it is amazing how many times that he gets away with it! Not only are referees deceived by this tactic but also many Walsall supporters. I just wish that they would remove their red-and-white spectacles, occasionally.