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Torquay United (h) - League - 2nd April 2005

Reports and reaction from the 2004-05 season as Walsall finished 14th in League 1
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Neil Ravenscroft
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Torquay United (h) - League - 2nd April 2005

Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:16 am

Preview on line. 3 - 1 to us!

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PerStener
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Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:25 am

Superb preview Neil...

I agree, 3-1 to Saddlers.

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geoffwhiting
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Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:34 am

Get on that aeroplane Per, your club needs you tomorrow, don't miss this opportunity ! :D

Agreed, good article Neil.

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PerStener
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Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:47 am

geoffwhiting wrote:Get on that aeroplane Per, your club needs you tomorrow, don't miss this opportunity ! :D

Agreed, good article Neil.


I would make the crowd go quiet if I showed my face there :D

If I would be there if I could. If I only owned a privat jet and had some cash I would come and take a pint tonight.

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saddlerken
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Fri Apr 01, 2005 2:55 pm

Paul Merson is a terrible manager. If we lose this I would say he's the worst manager in the country including pub football and childrens football

3-0 to us

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YGA Saddler
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Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:07 pm

we better win, or im hunting merse down. 2-0.

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geoffwhiting
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Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:23 pm

We'll win, trust me ! I'm feeling cool about this. 8)

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Neil Ravenscroft
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Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:47 pm

Cool!!! COOOLLLLL!!!!!! Watch out, Geoff's hit his second childhood!

Off to see Chicago at the Alex tonight, so I can stop fretting about tomorrow for a couple of hours!

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derbysaddler
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Fri Apr 01, 2005 5:26 pm

2 - 1 to us, with plenty of nervous moments for our defence I suspect.

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WSOne
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Fri Apr 01, 2005 5:33 pm

3-0. Two for Joachim and the other from Merson.

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Fri Apr 01, 2005 6:40 pm

3-1. Joachim, Wrack and Fryatt.

Operation Red Hot to be our key player.

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geoffwhiting
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Fri Apr 01, 2005 7:15 pm

We're finally gonna get lucky, 3-1 to us, Joachim, Jorge, and one in on the rebound off the ref's arse ! I have had a sign. :lol:

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Fri Apr 01, 2005 7:55 pm

Chicago Neil? As in Peter Cetera/If you leave me now/ Hard habit to break etc..or the Musical Chicago??

Prediction..2-2

i Have had the faith sucked out of me in the last 2-3 weeks...i cant see us winning. :cry:

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Fri Apr 01, 2005 8:06 pm

after watching the team in the past few weeks i cant see us winning either and i think that we are going to lose, much as i hate to say it. 3-1 or 3-2 torquay

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Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:04 pm

4-1 to the Saddlers. Torquay will score early but thereafter Merson will pull us level before Joachim gets a hat trick (with three Merson assists). I'm never wrong about these things.

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Sat Apr 02, 2005 10:29 pm

What a shower of sh!t

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Sat Apr 02, 2005 10:34 pm

Back on line at last! Well what is there to say that has not already been said? PM is 'relieved' with a point. That says it all. Even with Wrexham losing and MK and Oldham drawing, we are still in the thick of it. I can't see where next win is coming from.

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SheffieldSaddler
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Sat Apr 02, 2005 11:30 pm

Well we should have been dead and buried by half time.
What a joke PM as turned this football club into.
Torquay showed more passion in 90 minutes then Walsall have showed all season.
MERSON OUT.
Please.

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Sun Apr 03, 2005 12:00 am

I genuinly feel sorry for Torquay United. They was robbed. They had more heart, more passion and deserved a lot more than what they got today.

It saddens me to say this but there are only two words to describe Walsall football club right now - FUKING PATHETIC.

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Sun Apr 03, 2005 7:36 am

Worst 90 minutes i have seen for ages.
Its the first time i have seen Pead and what a load of rubbish he was.
If Merson is picking these players and honestly believes that they are better than what we already had the we wre doomed :oops:

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cal's a saddler
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Sun Apr 03, 2005 7:59 am

Well I can't say I feel any better about what I saw yesterday having slept on it!!
Merson asked for the fans support to rally the team! We did it! We handed out balloons! We sang! We cheered! What did the team give? Nothing!! They lacked passion, they lacked fight, they lack fitness! SOme of those players don't want anything other than a pay packet at the end of the week!
Merson claims he's the best player we have! We need a player who will chase and run at the opposition not some one who once he's lost the ball stands round for 5 mins with hands on hips!! We coped well enough without him being a player, we will cope when he's gone Just wish he'd go now!
I know theres only a few games left but he has no idea what he's doing and even if he had his "own players" he still wouldnt have a clue! So just get rid now! I'm sure we'd be more motivated with him gone!

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Neil Ravenscroft
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Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:21 am

Match report now on line. Believe it or not, I actually wrote that this morniong AFTER calming down. That was the most possibly the most inept performace I have ever seen from a Walsall team and probably the worst from a Walsall player in the large shape of Merson. He wasn't fit and should not have been on the pitch, as we were playing with ten men - sorry make that nine, as Pead was in midfield, apparantly.

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Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:31 am

Yesterday's performance was absolutely appalling. Merson called for the fans to rally aorund the cause, which they did, and then the team managed to show no passion at all for at least the first 70 minutes!!

Absolutely ridiculous team selection but then that's typical of Merson. We needed players who were prepared to fight for their lives and instead we got Pead, Wrack, Merson, Leitao, Perpetuini.

We lined up against a Torquay team who had one striker and five midfielders and who played with width. So what did we do? Played 4 defenders against the one striker, played 3 midfielders with no width against their 5 (I don't include Merson in the midfielders because as far as I'm concerned, a midfielder should be involved in the offensive and defensive aspects of the game!).

When we finally made the substitutions, we brought on someone to provide width and suddenly looked a better team - well who would have thought it!!!

As for Merson's great signings - I would replace either of our starting strikers with their big "donkey" centre forward. Someone with fight, agression, someone who's positive about going for goal.

Torquay were robbed. They deserved for win. I would say "time for Merson to go" but in fact it's long, long overdue.

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Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:33 am

Can anybody tell me why Merson wasn't sacked or didn't resign last night?

That was quite easily the worst home performance of the season, it wasn't the worst as it was only outdone by Slough, Orient and Colchester. Absolutely atrocious.

Our 4 easy home matches vs MK Dons, Wrexham, Oldham and Torquay have resulted in a massive 3 points.

What does Merson have to do to get the sack or choose to resign?

Fortunately, it looks like you won't need 50pts to stop up as I can't see where they are coming from for Wrexham and Torquay. If Torquay couldn't beat us 3/4 yesterday, then they're definitely going down.

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Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:39 am

I am fuming..... There was no pride, passion, belief, motivation, interest...... I can go on and on.

This club is now a shambles.

Paul "It will get better next week" Merson must now look himself in the mirror and say to himself that he his not cut out for a job in management.

If this was one of his many "cup finals" then we shouldnt bother entering the FA cup next season. We will have no chance.

Go Now Merson (Slough was probably the right time.) :evil: :evil: :evil:

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Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:42 am

As for player by player comments;

Oakes - a couple of superb saves which Paston, McKinney and Murphy would not have made. One stupid moment for the goal although am I alone in wanting Roper to have done more?
Gerrard - MoM but I wish we didn't have to play a centre-half as our right back. Offered nothing going forward.
Perpetuini - bring back Aranalde. Defensively ok and one very important tackle. Offers nothing going forward
Roper - tough game against a tough oponnent. See above, think he could have taken more responsibility for the goal
Emblen - looks a shadow of the player he was. Suspect that's down to his relationship with Merson. Let's face it, he knows he won't be here next year.
Wrack - excellent ball through for the goal. One superb run took him from the halfway line into the box and then he proceeded to pass the ball out to Merson on the wing. Sums him up really. Flashes of what we know he can do but most of the time he hides and takes the easy option (always pass to Merson, it keeps you in the team)
Pead - less said the better. Takes you back to the days of Russell Musker!
Osborn - not one of his better games but I'm still baffled by the venom directed towards him. The only midfielder to show and passion for the game. How I would like to see some of the others kick someone up in the air occasionally as Osborn did
Merson - we played with 10 men. Why does he look tired towards the end? He runs far less than any other player on the pitch. Until he's out of the team and we are playing with 11 players, we will not compete against hardworking teams like Torquay. If other teams are "desperate" to have Merson in their side, let him go.
Leitao - this truly is the end of Leitao. No danger to the opposition goal at all
Joachim - a few good touches but no real service
Fryatt - our top goalscorer,our best striker. Gets 12 minutes at the end. Immediately scores. What does that tell you about team selection?
Wright - provided the width we'd needed all game. Sorry anti-Wright people but he adds something to the side that we desperately miss without him.
Standing - why did he not replace the useless Merson?
Taylor - where was he when we needed players with some fight and aggression? Up in the stands. Just about sums up Merson's managerial and tactical prowess (or lack of it!)

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Neil Ravenscroft
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Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:43 am

I'll agree with virtually all of that - except, if playing 4 4 2, it's Surman I'd have brought on for Merson.

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Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:01 am

Oakes - made some good saves (that you'd expect any professional goalkeeper to make), gifted Torquay a goal, nearly gifted them another one when he came rushing out a few minutes later, kicking was appalling - worse than Murphy on this performance (but he has been better in the others)
Gerrard - never a right back, completely bizarre selection - at least he can tackle but his passing is poor and he's never going to get forward
Emblen - past it, finished
Roper - our best defender and frankly pretty much the same he's always been, but he thrives when he has good players around him, which he just hasn't got
Perpetuini - not half the player Aranalde was
Wrack - a joke - the midfield equivalent of Leitao - runs around like a headless chicken with no end product - though in fairness he did have involvement in our goal
Pead - another joke - this guy gets picked ahead of Standing, Kris Taylor? Even Broad played better than that during his brief flirtations with first team football
Osborn - our MOTM but only on the basis of being the only possible contender (except Fryatt) - he still wasn't great, but made more tackles and passed the ball to Walsall players more often than his three fellow midfielders added together
Merson - oh dear oh dear oh dear - this sublimely talented player is finishing his career in the worst possible way - he says he'd easily get a playing contract next season at another club but they must be mad if so - this was the weakest yet but he's been poor for a long time - his own lack of apparent commitment and willingness to show hard work simply must rub off on the other players - now he's not only a liability as manager, he's a liability as player - and his lack of tactical awareness couldn't have been highlighted better than when he had to shout across to Mick Halsall to find out where he should stand for a Torquay corner
Leitao - finished - the memories of the good years he gave us are now completely being washed away by the disgrace he's been this season
Joachim - useless - didn't look fit, didn't look bothered - I know it must have been depressing for him to keep receiving long balls all the time but really, he did nothing

Subs
Wright - instantly offered us something Merson and Wrack had failed to offer, which was the ability to run past the full back with great pace and deliver the cross - he should have started the game
Fryatt - instantly offered us something Leitao and Joachim had failed to offer, which was the ability to run into the box at pace and not be scared to shoot - he should have started the game

Our two best players were the two subs. Our best player from the 11 that started was Osborn. Only really Roper or Gerrard could otherwise have been pleased with their performances.

Most important game of the season, arguably the most important game for several seasons. It was a disgrace. No passion, no fight from the players. I said after last weekend that getting rid of Merson now would be a mistake because we're too close to the end of the season but now I'm not so sure. We'll struggle to do anything but get beaten at Swindon and then we go to Peterborough for what now becomes the biggest game of the season. They'll flood the midfield and we won't know how to play against it again, unless we have a proper manager by then. (And after that we're playing Hull! Jesus Christ.)

ShropsSaddler
 

Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:39 am

Bristol, you have brought out the particularly relevant point about Merson - his attitude has rubbed off on other players. Good managers lead by example - whether in football or in business. Never ask someone under your control to do anything you wouldn't do yourself - I think that shows us why the team plays as it does and shows such a lack of commitment. Why bother to work hard, track back and tackle when the manager doesn't. Which of the 11 players was noticeable by his absence from the pre-match warm-up routines? This is a man who admits he finds the stress of the game on his body tough to take these days and yet he doesn't warm up properly. Great example to the rest of the players.

We desperately need a good tough manager in as soon as possible to develop some reasonably talented youngsters in the right way otherwise the likes of Wright, Bennett, Taylor, Atieno, Taylor and Williams will all be playing in lower non-league sides within 3 years and Walsall will be an "established" Division 3 side.

To have gone from such a tight-knit bunch of players who achieved "greatness" under Mr Graydon and Colin Lee to such a shambles and sucha disjointed group of players in such a short space of time says all we need to know about Merson's time as manager.

To take up this point that Merson has made, which clubs would happily have him in their side? Do they really want to play with 10 men? In my dreams, Wolves would make him their star signing for next season and change their style of play to accommodate him thereby ensuring a battle against relegation. Any chance? Or am I clutching at straws? Anything to put a smile on my face this morning.

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Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:59 am

Stu wrote:Can anybody tell me why Merson wasn't sacked or didn't resign last night?

That was quite easily the worst home performance of the season, it wasn't the worst as it was only outdone by Slough, Orient and Colchester. Absolutely atrocious.

Our 4 easy home matches vs MK Dons, Wrexham, Oldham and Torquay have resulted in a massive 3 points.

What does Merson have to do to get the sack or choose to resign?

Fortunately, it looks like you won't need 50pts to stop up as I can't see where they are coming from for Wrexham and Torquay. If Torquay couldn't beat us 3/4 yesterday, then they're definitely going down.


It's a good question stu, but the answer is not a surprise.

Why didn't he go last night?

Well, He's obviously not going to get sacked is he? If he was going to get the sack, I think it would have happened before now. In fact, there has been sufficient reasoning to sack him after the last 7 matches. SO... He's not going to get sacked is he?

So... what does this say about the people above him? they're obviously supporting/putting up with him to the end of the season.

If merson is receiving this kind of support from his superiors, and given he's already had one resignation rebuffed, he's not going to resign, even after 3 wins in the last 16 [is that the stat?]

I'm afraid he's here till the end of the season, whether we like it or not.

Bonser is the person who should take the flak now. He appointed him, he didnt let him go when he offered to resign, and even after losing 5 in a row, he stays. I think that says a lot about the way the club is run, and the man who runs it.

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