Sheff Wed (a) - League - 26th December 2004

[Cully]

Fair point AC but today both myself and a couple of gentlemen sitting behind me made our feelings clear to a number of mutants sitting not to far away near the centre section of seats. Whether they were drunk or not most were unable to reply.

[Ace]

What did you say to them?

[Cully]

I said something along the lines of 'Why don't you support your team instead of booing Osborn, hows that going to help him or the team?' The bloke behind me told them to f*ck off and another few choice words. Only reply I heard was 'Well he's crap isn't he'[Osborn]

[redalways]

Whilst Merson and Barlow appear to have improved much in recent weeks, they got it wrong today. Jorge was a passenger wide right. Worse still, by clogging up mid field, there were fewer forward passing opportunities for Merson, Wrack and Standing.

It is time for Wrack to be told he must be more positive going forward. He always stops, turns and passes backwards. Standing must also be far more involved.

They did however deserve a good response at half time. Such a pity they lost it after the break. McShane might well appear as a right back before long, he has the control and confidence. He does not however have the height for centre back.

[addo]

I know I am not saying anything that hasn't already been said, but I think today highlighted how desperate we are for 2 quality fullbacks.

Mark Wright was a contributory factor to two of Wednesday goals today with 2 bad clearances. The first was a girly header straight to a man who scored. The second was diverting a cross from inside the 6 yard area back across goal, (supposedly toward Murphy?) which McShane was unfortunate to be caught in the way of.

I think Wendys second half domination can be put down to their noticing that we had a crap left back & then trying to exploit it. Our midfield had an particularly ineffective second half only because Wrack spent most of it protecting Zigor from Wendys right winger, leaving us short in numbers & exposed across the middle. Everything that Wednesday did second half was down their right wing.

I also have concerns about Murphy. I know he will never be a Jimmy Walker, but he does seem a little overweight to me and his reactions do seem a little on the slow side. He also flapped at a couple of high balls today, which somehow we eventually managed to scramble away. If we are to prioritise cash, with Murphy's loan period soon to expire, then surely our need for full backs that can defend is far greater than for a goalkeeper who, if at all, is only marginally better than what we already have in Paston.

On the positive side, McShane looks quality. Hard to believe that he is 18 was making his league debut.

[Neil Ravenscroft]

I'll disagree only slightly, in that neither full back is helped by the formation, which leaves them hopelessly exposed at times, especially away from home. Their first goal, having seen it on Sky, was a qulaity finish, but I don't know what the hell Wright was doing, as he had time to let it drop and volley it away.

[LarryHagler]

Agree with most of the above especially about our poor full backs and Murphy. Why oh Why does Wrack, Arandale and Wright not close down and continue to let the opposition cross the ball in to our box, when we have a keeper who does not like to leave the line. Incidentally I thought the comedy own goal was another cross from our left that flew across the six yard box which Murphy should of caught easily.

[Pedant]

should of - should of - should of - NO NO NO NO NO

There is NO such thing as should of

should have - should have - should have - YES YES YES

English PLEASE

[Burnside]

we have been carrying passenger number 9 for a fair few weeks now dear chap. Time for a change or a kick up the arse for old Jorgey boy.

[Pedagogue]

Well Ernest, I think your (and most of the rest of us) wish is about to be granted. Fryatt is nearing fitness and the guy from Dallas Burn should soon receive his work permit. Bye, bye, Jorge.

[Pedro]

Why people boo Osbourn is because the player shows no effort. He is getting paid a good sum of money to play for us and a player of hisstandard should be playing a whole lot better. cully if you saw Osbourn display at Slough you may want to boo then .

But when people pay there hard earnt money, and see a player who shows no effort , maybe they do have a right to boo.

[geoffwhiting]

I just fail to get this anti-Osborn stuff - I have never seen Osborn fail to put in the effort. OK he isn't the best player around, but if he was he wouldn't be at Bescot, and I can honestly say I have never seen a match where he was worse than a number of other players on the pitch, yet they don't get criticised in the same way that he does.

In total contrast, I have seen him do many good things and receive no praise or recognition, but one mistake and the usual boo-boys are on his case like a shot, with all kinds of obscenities and anti-dingle cr@p that just makes me sick.

Get some consistency into the critical stuff, or for Christ's sake get off his back. Booing a player as he comes onto the pitch is senseless - do you really think this kind of thing can possibly encourage the team to play better?

[Magic Man Fan]

I'm really getting tired of constant debates about Osborn being booed.

Whether you like it or not it seems it will happen every time he figures in the squad from now on.

Do we have to have the same debate about it on here after every game.

Its getting nearly as tiresome as everyone saying how cack Zigor and Wright are :)

My brief comment on the game - If Standing, Kinsella, Wrack and Jorge had turned up we've have won. But they were all a waste of space so we didn't. The management team should also take the blame for not replacing Kinsella and Standing earlier and leaving Jorge on the field for so long when the game was crying out for Herivelto to come on and win it for us, expecially as Jorge was out on the right most of the time.

[Jorge14]

Incidently, I thought Ozzie played well when he came on yesterday. While some players would turn around and flash a V to the fans and not try, Osborn can't be accused of not trying. He put in a good cross in the build up to our second which has been totally overlooked, but he simply will not win over the fans unless he goes on a spell of great unbeaten form that in theory he should be capable of. However, Osborn is not the player who can go on this great run of form, and so, is expendable, and a target for the boo boys, like Tom Bennett became.

Ozzie is great when he does the simple stuff, when he doesn't try to over-reach his abilities. However it seems that this season he has tried to do too much, probably because of the similarities between him and Kinsella, who simply can't be played in the same team.

I'm not Osborn's biggest fan, but the reaction yesterday may have been a little OTT, they weren't crys of "Oh no, not Osborn", they were booing him. It was a toss up what was hated more, "The Dingle Song" or Osborn...

Unfortunately, it seems that our fans have to have one or two players to single out from the crowd. It was Birch, now it is Osborn and Wright.

I'm neither an Osborn fan or a hater, if he plays well for Walsall and shows pride in the shirt, he doesn't deserve to be booed. But it is up to every fan to have their own opinion.

[Burnside]

There is one thing i can say for Osborn. I would want someone like him working for my company. He is funny, well liked, reliable and honest. Great charecteristics in a man.

[Magic Man Fan]

Well liked???

[Lukeyboy]

Well yeah most fans dislike Osborn! I just try an get behind all the lads (not in a gay way!) :oops:

[Dantheowl]

For the second time, this season, I came away from Hillsborough frustrated at seeing us lose a match we could have won. Let's make no bones about it - Wendy are NOT a good side yet we have failed to beat them in 3 meetings. It was very much a case of us throwing away at least one point, if not all three, although, in our defence, I have to bemoan the 3 Wendy goals - a total fluke, an own-goal and a debatable penalty. I hope Paul Sturrock remembered to put his Lottery numbers on as, with his luck today, he is on a winner!

We were clearly the better side in the first half but we failed to "go for the jugular" against a surprisingly nervous and inept Wendy side. Their on-loan (from Southampton) beanpole of a striker, Kenwyne Jones, tries a speculative lob from about 30 yards out and it drops just inside our post. He could try that 20 more times and never get another goal. Excellent equaliser - a perfect cross from Aranalde (I can't believe that I've just typed that - but it WAS his only one of the afternoon!) and Robinson finishes with the perfect header. McShane, who looks a real threat at corner-kicks, heads narrowly wide and then has another header cleared off the line with the 'keeper beaten.

Wendy came ouit strongly at the second half and took control (presumably after a deserved bollocking by Sturrock). We were clearly second best and we needed an inspired substitution but none came. They regained the lead when McShane and Emblen got in each other's way and put the ball in our net instead of clearing it. Emblen conceded a penalty which I thought was a little harsh as the Wendy player went down as if shot by a sniper although we would have been shouting for it at the other end! Nevertheless, I wouldn't have awarded it. With time running out we piled on the pressure but the damage was done and we could only scramble one back through McShane.

Any positives? Well, yes. Our first half performance as well as the last quarter of an hour. Wright had a very good first half but looked uncomfortable when Wendy put on the pressure. I am also impressed by McShane. Apart from a first half burst of temper (he IS red-headed and Irish!) which earned him a yellow card he performed well and, as I said above, he looks like scoring every time he goes up for a corner. How many years is it since we have been able to say that about a Walsall player?

Negatives - our failure to turn control into goals. Individually, - the usual suspects such as the ineffective Leitao, Kinsella and Osborn contributed little and, away from home, Standing MAY be a luxury player (I think the jury's out on this one), Apart from laying on our first goal, Aranalde gives me heart failure every time he goes near the ball.

Bring on Tranmere and three points in the bag!

unlucky we beat you again, a great goal though from Jones