Port Vale (a)-League 19th March 2005

[Geordiesaddler]

Don't tell me the king was in the altogether all along?
Warsawpact, welcome to the world of watching Walsall away games under Paul Merson. I would hazzard a guess that if your circumstances had permitted a few more away trips this season you might understand better why some of us have been so "negative". Good isn't it?

[Unbiased]

Geoff just look at the quality of the squad PM is putting together and compare its promise with the shambles he inherited from Colin Lee. Look back to the the threads this time last year and you will be struck by just how rudderless we had become. Look at the team sheets - names most Walsall fans have attempted to erase from their memories. I don't blame you for forgetting Burleyand Bradbury etc. but perhaps you and the rest of the anti-Merson mob do need to reflect on the disaster that Colin Lee was to appreciate just how much PM has achieved.
Come close season he will get rid of more of CL's follies and add to a squad, a young squad, that is full of real potential.
So...compare the players before PM took over to what we have now. There is only one word to describe it - bloody, fantastic PROGRESS.

[geoffwhiting]

Guest, I can only conclude that you are totally deluded or brain-washed, or both! You DEFINITELY need to take more water with your glue mate !
I try not to use this expression these days, but this is mad, do you have ANY idea whatsoever what you are talking about ?

QUALITY ? You must be joking, yes? Let's just name three of these youngsters shall we.

Mark Wright - has had the odd good game, but a total liability in most. Yet he's been given a TWO YEAR contract - based on what ? We should have been getting rid!

Daryl Taylor - apart from his excellent substitute appearance in the opening game against Vale, he has mainly been a liability, a selfish, headless chicken who runs with the ball and keeps it to himself until, nine times out of ten, he loses it. Frustrates the hell out of me - get rid!

Between them, these two manage to ruin our right side whenever they play together.

Joe Broad - I liked him in close season - he's just got a two year contract, yet Merson doesn't even put him on the bench. I'd keep him, but what is Merson thinking about when he puts two years of faith in him and then doesn't involve him in the squad.

This division will never be won by a shed load of youngsters, we need a fair proportion of players who have the physical presence to compete in this environment, and we don't have them and show no signs of getting them. That's one of the reasons why we have decent individual players but still lose "easy" matches against crap opposition, like yesterday.

Exciting, you say ???? Bloody 'ell, get me my heart tablets before I collapse!!

[Magic Man Fan]

As much as I hated Colin Lee at least he had a squad of players capable of performing in Division One.

Even though the majority of players have remained Merson still hasn't found a way of getting them to perform in a far poorer division.

You're just talking rubbish Unbiased/Ernie.

[Burnside]

Excuse me.

I use my own name to post on here. IT is you that stoops to using fake names to back up what you want to say.

I have my colours nailed to the mast.

O haven't read this thread because i know to a T what everyone will be saying.

You are just typical football fans. The answer to not having a club challenging for promotion is not to change it's manager.

[London Saddler]

Rubbish but totally predictable performance and result. We were clueless at the beginning orf the season in our tactics, performance and team selection. The only thing that has happened as the season has gone on is that we have got worse and worse. Every team knows that we r absolutely dire in defence (like we have been all season) and will score at least a couple of goals against us, however crap they r. Teams know that we have no bottle in midfield, can't pass, have only 1 player with pace and have no one who can cross from out wide so they will dominate us however crap they r. Teams know they can also relax in defence as we will either play a crap negative formation so we create very little or if we do create chances, we need to create around 5-6 decent chances before we can put one away

So Merson wants his own team next season does he? Like Broad? This is a man who last pre-season didn't hesitate in giving our worst 2 players from last season, Bazeley and 'judge me on my goals' Birch new contracts. And what about the crap he has brought in this season? Mckinney, Paston, Murphy, Bewers, Dakinah, Surman, Mcshane, Standing. Even his only decent signing, Kinsella has either struggled or been injured. Can this disastrous season, in which we have lost to a non league team, a division 2 team, teams who have come up (so were 2 leagues below us last season) and vitually every crap team in this division, get any worse. Yes it can!

Lets look at the situation. Only 2 teams in this division r worse than us- Stockport and Peterboro. So that leaves 2 relegation places up for grabs. Lets look at the table. Wrexham (despite losing yesterday) r picking up points, especially at home, they have a great striker in Ugarte and a good manager and will get out of trouble(and lets not forget they were deducted 10 points). We have no chace against Oldham next week. They r crap but have already hit 5 past us this season, and r now picking up points with a great manager Ronnie Moore (my god what a job he cud have done for us if Bonser had had the courage to make the rite deceision) in charge and will get out of it. The Franchise with Dannie Wilson now at the helm r now looking solid but they r drawing rather than winning games and will b competeing for the relegation slots. Torquay too r crap and i don't think good enough to get out of it. So for me the last 2 relegation places r between us, Torquay and the Franchise. The home games against Torquay and Stockport will define this season and the future of this club for seasons to come

[Magic Man Fan]

London - Don't mention so many of Merson's signings. you'll make it look like he has assembled most of this squad. :wink:

[geoffwhiting]

The answer to not having a club challenging for promotion is not to change it's manager.

No of course not Ernie, every football club chairman knows that the best course of action, as their manager :

a) leads a team that continues to show no significant improvement whatsoever (the reverse if anything)
b) leads a team stumbling from one poor result to another, even against the lower teams in the division
c) watches his team plunge headlong down the table with 13 points from 51
d) commits the clubs future finances on sub-standard players (like Wright)
e) commits the clubs future finances on a player (Broad) who isn't even thought of as good enough for the first-team squad, even amongst this bunch of under-performing losers
f) goes on live radio and slates his players to hundreds of thousands of listeners in order, presumably, to motivate them for the final eight matches

..... is to sit back and let him get on with leading us closer to League Two as every week passes.

Get real, we are not just talking here about a club that is not challenging for promotion. If that was the extent of our problem - if we were mid-table and safe in Merson's first full season in charge - it would be a whole lot different. But we're talking here about a potential disastrous relegation for the second season running, and if you can't see that other teams are picking up points while we are quite simply FAILING, week after week, to get points, then I have to wonder what planet you are on. Have a look at the tables this week and three weeks ago and see the difference!

Good God Ernie, you're SO out of touch with reality, and I'm sorry to appear rude, but when it comes to Walsall FC, I have to wonder if you've got anything at all between those ears of yours ?

[S.MURPHY]

why oh why does merse keep shooting himself in the foot.During the first half he berates surnam for losing the ball then every time he has the ball he gives it away.5-4-1 was the system that was eventually working away from home so what do we do play another system that no one looked comfortable in.The midfield 4 did not work hard enough and gave the ball away far to often.The ball was played in the air to fryatt who stuggled against collins who was aboutt 6 inches taller.
Finally in his radio interview merse says he is the best player and for us to wait until he gets his players in.Out of the 16 players on show on saturday

oakes-merse signing
wright-merse signing
aranalde-on his way out
roper-on his way out
bennett-merse signing
wrack-on his way out (but always 1st name on team sheet)
surnam-merse signing
taylor-merse signing
merse-well
fyatt-on his way out
osborn-on his way out
coleman-merse signing
emblem-on his way out
taylor-merse signing
leiteo-on his way out
standing-merse signing

so out of the sixteen players

8 are merson signings
1 is merson
7 have been signed by others

but of these seven roper is a must,cant get rid of fryatt,wrack which means only 4 will leave
take into account kinsella and broad both staying (merse signings) how many signings will he make to make it into HIS SIDE ??

[tinned]

I thought Merson's comments were inspirational. He cares and we know he will be decisive at then end of the season. Look how quickly he dealt with Iffy, McKinney, Paton, Dhakinar, Birch, Brewers and Herivelto. The rest of the dead wood will soon be on their way.

Ignoring the fact that all the above mentioned were either signed or re-signed by Merson. Says a lot for his skills at picking a gem, doesn't it ? It's a bit like how I get when I'm in the cack on Championship Manager. I just blindly buy anybody, in the vain hope that one of them transorms my team. That's one thing me and Merson have got in common - neither of us will make a football manager.

[WarsawPact]

Warsawpact, welcome to the world of watching Walsall away games under Paul Merson. I would hazzard a guess that if your circumstances had permitted a few more away trips this season you might understand better why some of us have been so "negative".

'Twas but a blip.

:wink:

[Geordiesaddler]

Take it that's a "calendar blip".