Leicester City (A) League 1 Tuesday 21/10/08.

[Winston Smith]

Just got back home....More of two points dropped than a point gained.

Crud defending....played too deep for most of the 1st half.

[NOTORIOUS_VIP]

still think the weakest leak in the defence is roberts! he ws beat to headers by fryatt! and looks shakey at times!

[geoffwhiting]

A great (if very unexpected) point. Shame we couldn't hold on to all three, but I wouldn't criticise that tonight at surely one of the hardest places we'll have to go all season.

All very perplexing though, how can we get results like Brighton and Leicester away, yet throw away all three points at home vs Hartlepool? :?

I guess this gives some hope for Saturday at Leeds, though I still (sadly) think they'll be too strong for us.

We've got decent performances after all of our setbacks this season (even if the one on Saturday wasn't sustained for 90 minutes). I don't think there's any doubt that JM is a fine motivator (possibly that was the reason results picked up when he came in last season - after all, we all know RM could be a bit more spiky!) - and the effect of that is only going to be emphasized when our backs are up against the wall in big away games like today or when we're down to nine like against Brighton (although I never expect to see that repeated).

We've had the look of an inconsistent side from the start of the season - so I don't think that you're going to get any less perplexed by our results in the next six months or so! :wink:

I'll certainly go with that last comment PH. :(

[ShropsSaddler]

Obviously most (all?) are happy with the point. I suppose it depends if you just take that and look no deeper. From what I hear the marking at corners was non-existant, the midfield were way too deep and provided no support to the front and Mullen appeared hesitant about making substitutions. Can't you be happy about the result but still recognise some worrying trends for the future?

I understand that you weren't there tinned and are just relaying those comments, but let me take each in turn;

i) The marking at corners was non-existent.

Not quite true but, to be fair, it certainly was for the first goal. Even then though, there's no way a header from that distance should have gone in. There appeared to be some confusion on the line between Ince and the defender (Boertien?) and I certainly felt that one of them should have cleared it. The marking was there for the 2nd goal...it's just that Ince had a rush of blood to the head and came for a ball he had no hope of getting

ii) The midfield were way too deep

Your view on this depends on whether you think we should have attacked Leicester more or whether you think Mr Mullen was a master tactician tonight. The plan was clear, sit deep and stifle the Leicester midfield and wide men. Stop them playing.And it worked to be honest. Their goals were both from defensive mistakes. In open play, they caused us little danger and both their players and their fans were getting very frustrated. In that respect, the plan worked perfectly, however bizarre it was to see Ricketts playing just in front of the back four!

iii) Mullen appeared hesitant about making subs

Absolutely. He seems to have a problem with this. Taundry was knackered. He'd run his little heart out. And Bradley was stood up ready for at least 5 mins, during which we had opportunities to get him on. The manager and his assistant need to look at this.

To be honest, it wasn't pretty tonight at times. To watch us sitting really deep and then knock the ball forward hoping Ibehre could conjure up some magic, only for it to come straight back at us...well, it wasn't pure football!! But in terms of having a plan and giving 100% to a performance, nobody could be faulted this evening.

Special mentions for;

Roberts and Gerrard - fantastic at the heart of the defence against two very difficult opponents. Tremendous goal-line clearance from Roberts to save a certain goal from another poor Ince error
Nicholls - scored one, crossed beautifully for the other
Ricketts - a very disciplined performance. As an attacking force, he offered nothing for 90% of the game. But he showed great maturity in holding his position in deep midfield and frustrating the opposition.

It was interesting to note (after Saturday's "you don't know what you're doing" chant at the Hartlepool manager) how many Walsall fans were saying "we should just attack them", "we should bring Ishy on and go for it".....when clearly our manager had identified Leicester's strengths and weaknesses. We gave their centre-halves the freedom of the pitch but they hadn't got a clue how to play football. Their creative players we closed down and gave no space or opportunity to. It worked. Well done Mr Mullen this evening.

[Pedro]

Top post Shrops. Just hope we can do the same again Saturday.

[Exile]

It was interesting to note (after Saturday's "you don't know what you're doing" chant at the Hartlepool manager) how many Walsall fans were saying "we should just attack them", "we should bring Ishy on and go for it".....when clearly our manager had identified Leicester's strengths and weaknesses. We gave their centre-halves the freedom of the pitch but they hadn't got a clue how to play football. Their creative players we closed down and gave no space or opportunity to. It worked. Well done Mr Mullen this evening.

The fans aren't the manager, but at the same time it doesn't make their views worthy of disparagement.

It may well be that Jimmy Mullen had done his homework on Leicester but a point away, as valuable and precious as tonight's was, does not make up for the three point throw-away that occurred at home last Saturday afternoon. Great that we got the point, don't mistake me, but this result does not and should not excuse the dross served up only three days earlier which gave the chimp-chokers three very undeserved points at our expense.

Perhaps the monkey manager had done a better job on us than Pearson, but if we'd played properly on Saturday we'd now be 6th on the table. Those three thrown points may well come back to bite us on the bum later this season (and this comment is a measure of how much I believe in this side and it's manager, rather than how badly some posters might think I want us to fail, which I do not).

All of the above is only my humble opinion, by the way. Like Big Bazz, I was not there.

[Saddlerofjoy]

Jesus Christ some people are never happy.

And why do the mods feel it necessary to lock threads that talk about an excellent performance from the lads? is it really such a crime to talk about it away from the match threads. I suggest the mods stop being the little hitlers that they are, because it seems to me they encourage the doom and gloom threads but lock the threads that praise the team/manager.

Pathectic from the stay away mods.

[King Crimson]

Jesus Christ some people are never happy..

I agree.

And why do the mods feel it necessary to lock threads that talk about an excellent performance from the lads? is it really such a crime to talk about it away from the match threads. I suggest the mods stop being the little hitlers that they are, because it seems to me they encourage the doom and gloom threads but lock the threads that praise the team/manager.

Pathectic from the stay away mods.

There are many years of precedent for attempting to contain direct feedback from individual matches to threads on the Season forum, Saddlerofjoy. This is quite simply so that opinions, and counter-opinions, can be discussed in one place, with people neither having to repeat their post on a number of different threads in different forums or missing posts from others that they would enjoy or value reading. There's certainly nothing sinister about 'positive' threads being locked. Threads saying how dire we played are also locked so that the 'match' thread contained a complete picture of all views (for example, this one : viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27823 ). Most posters seem to appreciate this, and so stick to posting their views on the game on the match thread in the Season forum.

Your comments on mods are noted.

Welcome to the board.

x

[Magic Man Fan]

Welcome to the board.

You reckon? His last line suggests he's a previously banned member being an idiot....of which there are plenty to choose from.

[Magic Man Fan]

Just got back home....More of two points dropped than a point gained

Thanks for that Cowshed. Your post suggests that at no point did we go for a point, as others think, or else we'd have never looked like getting 3 points.

[ShropsSaddler]

Just got back home....More of two points dropped than a point gained

Thanks for that Cowshed. Your post suggests that at no point did we go for a point, as others think, or else we'd have never looked like getting 3 points.

I would actually say that we didn't go for a point. What we did do was go with a specific game plan to stifle Leicester and hit them on the break. It worked! We scored two goals on the break. Before last night, Leicester had let in 6 goals all season!

[Magic Man Fan]

Just got back home....More of two points dropped than a point gained

Thanks for that Cowshed. Your post suggests that at no point did we go for a point, as others think, or else we'd have never looked like getting 3 points.

I would actually say that we didn't go for a point. What we did do was go with a specific game plan to stifle Leicester and hit them on the break. It worked! We scored two goals on the break. Before last night, Leicester had let in 6 goals all season!

That would imply we had a game plan, tactics and didn't go to play hoof ball and defend and fluke a win. That can't be right can it? That would mean plenty of negative people are wrong and can't even be satisfied when we get a decent result.

[ShropsSaddler]

Just got back home....More of two points dropped than a point gained

Thanks for that Cowshed. Your post suggests that at no point did we go for a point, as others think, or else we'd have never looked like getting 3 points.

I would actually say that we didn't go for a point. What we did do was go with a specific game plan to stifle Leicester and hit them on the break. It worked! We scored two goals on the break. Before last night, Leicester had let in 6 goals all season!

That would imply we had a game plan, tactics and didn't go to play hoof ball and defend and fluke a win. That can't be right can it? That would mean plenty of negative people are wrong and can't even be satisfied when we get a decent result.

:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

As I said, that was what really made me chuckle last night....the number of fans I heard saying "we should attack them", "we should play 2/3/4/5/6/7/8 up front"! When we did go 4-4-2 for a short period, we did indeed score the 2nd goal and looked a little more lively attacking-wise...but conversely they ripped us apart a couple of times because we had one less man in the middle. So Mr Mullen reverted to 4-5-1 and got Ricketts to drop back again. And I don't think they'd have scored if it hadn't been for Clayton's madness.

[Magic Man Fan]

I don't think they'd have scored if it hadn't been for Clayton's madness.

Clown. Sell him to Swansea. :D

[ShropsSaddler]

I don't think they'd have scored if it hadn't been for Clayton's madness.

Clown. Sell him to Swansea. :D

Gilmartin wouldn't have let either goal in last night :wink:

[Magic Man Fan]

I don't think they'd have scored if it hadn't been for Clayton's madness.

Clown. Sell him to Swansea. :D

Gilmartin wouldn't have let either goal in last night :wink:

But ALWAYS fumbles crosses so we have to get rid of him as well. Get McKeown back.

[larryhaggler]

Ince looked at fault for both goals to me. Need to watch the virgin highlights.
Taudry and Jabo covered every blade of grass and were super, along with Nicholls and Gerrard.
I agree that Roberts looks shaky, but a great goal line clearence first half when we sat so deep we barley crossed the half way line.
2 efforts on goal 2 goals, and as an attacking force that was it. We looked poor at defending crosses / corners all night, thanks to Steve Howard missing a absolute sitter with 5 mins left !
However, diciplined performance, hard working and a point I would have settled for before the game.

[Exile]

Jesus Christ some people are never happy.

And why do the mods feel it necessary to lock threads that talk about an excellent performance from the lads? is it really such a crime to talk about it away from the match threads. I suggest the mods stop being the little hitlers that they are, because it seems to me they encourage the doom and gloom threads but lock the threads that praise the team/manager.

Pathectic from the stay away mods.

..and why do "new" posters feel they have to take it on themselves to try and prove a non-existent point? Is it really too much to expect that most people using the site know damn well there's a match thread to praise an excellent performance from the lads? :roll:

I suggest people who've only joined in the last couple of days learn how the site works before spouting off and pretending their own POV is in any way shape or form connected with reality.

[Duke]

For those that question Ricketts, that his 6 goals from 9+1 including tonight. That's pretty impressive.

Have you noticed most of his goals have come from close range headers where he's been left totally unmarked.
Fans moaned about Butler and Leitao running around like headless chickens chasing lost causes , fans moan because Ricketts doesnt do enough running , thats not his game give me the goals anytime lets others do the donkey work.

That makes it 4 games unbeaten away from home , wonder if there's anything in that .

[ShropsSaddler]

Taudry and Jabo covered every blade of grass and were super, along with Nicholls and Gerrard.
I agree that Roberts looks shaky, but a great goal line clearence first half when we sat so deep we barley crossed the half way line.
2 efforts on goal 2 goals, and as an attacking force that was it. We looked poor at defending crosses / corners all night, thanks to Steve Howard missing a absolute sitter with 5 mins left !
However, diciplined performance, hard working and a point I would have settled for before the game.

:shock: :shock:

I was at a different game!

The central defenders were immense last night. Superb display from Roberts in particular. We have to ask him to do the right job...for example, late on in the game, Palmer took a throw in and threw it straight to Roberts who had a man bearing down on him. Roberts is not a good enough footballer to cope with this. He's a stopped who gets his foot in where it matters.

I think people are judging him against the wrong standards. He's no Scott Dann, and he's no Gerrard either. When he goes walkabout he makes mistakes, but as others pointed out previously, he has to go walkabout at times because of the poor defending on the right side of defence.

Last night we came up against 2 forwards as good as you'll find in this league. And, apart from those occasions when Deeney failed to track back allowing their full-back or winger a free cross, we were never in any danger.

[leics_saddler]

Well I ought to have been first here with a match report after my 8-mile epic trip but I'm afraid I just had to go to the pub and have some banter with the locals - the resident Dingle was a bonus!

Anyway, I need to take back some of what I've said previously about this team now having seen them. They really have set the bar for themselves tonight after a superb performance that deserved more than a point. Leicester feel that they got out of jail a bit tonight and were nothing but complimentary towards Walsall, which is nice to hear.

Walsall played with a tremendous discipline and workrate this evening and stifled Leicester at every turn, only letting them have time at the back where their distribution was poor. Leicester were rarely able to get the ball at pace to their tricky wide men and became penned in and frustrated as a result. To compound their frustration, Walsall's retention was absolutely superb, the players showing nice touches and calm distribution. Walsall wont play like this every week, but these 11 players have shown they can do it and that is worth a lot.

Walsall 4-4-1-1 - I'd say:

Ince - A real David James performance tonight. His random walkabouts and erratic kicking matched by some excellent handling (usually requiring at least two goes) and one superb double save. Certainly at fault for the second goal.

Palmer - Played soundly enough, but that more due to Leicester's woeful underuse of Dyer's abilities than anything else. He got turned inside out a few times but stuck to his task and played some clever passes. The system enabled him to produce the performance he did.
Boertien - A similar but better perforamce than Palmer probably. Put in some good tackles and used the ball well more than not, but also got turned inside out and gave the ball away in dangerous areas a couple of times.
Roberts - Superb performance. Made a number of vital interceptions and tackles, including one superb piece of aniticiptation to clear off the line when Clayton went wandering.
Gerrard - Ditto Roberts, without the goal line clearance. Superb performance. The defence kept Howard and Fryatt very quiet, with the only threat coming from wide.

Deeney - Good performance. He is stunningly naive at times, but produced the workrate we know he can and more suprisingly some real flashes of skill and intelligent use of the ball. Much credit is due.
Nicholls - Outstanding comeback in an odd position. His performance was similar to Deeney's but with the added involvement in both goals - an excellent pull down and finish for the first and a pinpoint cross for the second. This was the best possible way to return.
Taundry - Whatever, he's been doing in previous games, this was a performance back to his Stig Tofting-esque best of last season. He ran all over and tackled well which is no surprise but his intelligent use of the ball was vital.
Mattis - Slightly subdued by normal standards, but sound nonetheless.

Ricketts - If he chooses six things to do a match, he chose the right six tonight. The goal was vital but much more pleasing was his good work in midfield, often playing as a link man and then helping out as holding player. He almost had a free role tonight and deployed himself with great effectiveness. He is actually more like Rooney than Heskey for me, though you understand this due to effectiveness in dropping back!

Ibehre - Immense. He attracts the ball like a magnet and holds onto it like an electromagnet. His workrate was outstanding and his holding up the ball was even better. On one occasion when he was second best to the ball, he won it and bounced around off four opponents, managing to retain possession and lay it off for Taundry. This was a colossal performance of Heskey-esque proportions.

Goals:
1-0: Huge cross from the right (Ricketts?) evades a wandering fullback and Nicholls does superbly to take the ball down with snow on it and finish.
1-1: Defence produces a sterling effort of man-marking on a left sided cross to the back corner of the area, where everyone had forgotten about King.
2-1: Nice touches in a counter-attack lead to Nicholls appearing on the left to send over a delightful cross to Ricketts, who had slipped unnoticed into the area in the style of the Ark Royal, for the most free of free headers he'll ever score.
2-2: Ince comes for a corner he probably won't get and them blames Mattis for obstructing him or failing to stop Tunchev - whichever!

All four goals were quite soft really, resulting from poor organisation or marking.

This system was highly effective and provided protection to our fullback areas which have been exposed. JM should take great credit in organising this and the players also for their effectiveness in carrying out the task in hand. His team selections do remain baffling at times though, Nicholls at wide left is an odd choice which came off.

A word about substitutions and obviously, Ishmel. At the time I did call for him to come on in the second half, but this was based on the expectation that Dyer would be used far more by Leicester, freeing up some space in advanced left sided areas. JM expertly wasted some time in his subsitutions and set his stall out to hold for a 2-2. Ishmel might have been an outlet very late on and there is always the chance he can spark some sort of counter attack to win the game, conversely it could have ended up 2-3. JM obviously thought it would do these players more good to come out with a 2-2, which understand but don't necessarily agree with.

[King Crimson]

Welcome to the board.

You reckon? His last line suggests he's a previously banned member being an idiot....of which there are plenty to choose from.

Just being friendly, like.






I don't want to be regarded as a 'Hitler mod' - I'm more of a Goebbels man, myself.
:wink:

[saddlerken]

Thanks for the report leics

Re Mattis

Isn't that just the norm?

[ShropsSaddler]

Thanks for the report leics

Re Mattis

Isn't that just the norm?

I agree.

A bit like Hughes :wink: I'm happy if I don't notice Mattis but I also don't notice us being opened up through the middle! The fact that the Leicester midfield was totally frustrated says to me that he did the job.

[ShropsSaddler]

[quote="leics_saddler"]Walsall played with a tremendous discipline and workrate this evening and stifled Leicester at every turn, only letting them have time at the back where their distribution was poor.

And wasn't THAT the key LS? And Mullen's tactical genius?

If either of the centre-halves had had anything about them, or indeed if the Leicester manager had had any tactical nous, one of the centre-halves would have stepped up and pushed forward. They were the spare men. They had the potential to either walk straight through our defence or draw men to them, creating space for others. And yet, all game, they passed 5 yard balls to a midfielder who then, invariably, had to pass it straight back.

[H]

I don t agree about Roberts whatsoever.

I am asking him to be dominate in the air and solid. He is neither of these. I m not suggesting he should be spraying passes around the pitch or indeed have the pace to match the better centre forwards in League.

He does nt do the basics well enough. As I said in another thread we need a Richard Green - not the best centre half in the world but good at the things that are important in League 1.

[ShropsSaddler]

H, you missed all the important interceptions he made last night then? You missed the fact that every time Fryatt/Howard got the ball, he was right at the back of them not allowing them to turn. You missed the tremendous blocks he made, the headers he won against someone bigger than himself? You missed the awareness that he had for the goalline clearance?

I'm not saying he's the best centre-half we've ever had by any stretch of the imagination. But he's a very competent one, suitable for a team looking at the play-offs at least. Ask the Doncaster fans. He hasn't changed in one close-season I'm sure.

[leics_saddler]

Shrops,

I agree with your points.

1. I'm quite happy to let Leicester have the ball with their centre halves all night if we're in front.
2. Mattis was effective, indeed all the players should take credit for frustrating a good side, even if some stood out more than others. Mattis has set a high standard for himself and the fact that this might be regarded as a subdued performance says more about other matches he has starred in and how the other players raised themselves for this game.
3. Roberts had an outstanding game last night, but we do need another option at centre back.

However, if players can change very quickly then step forward Steve Howard who can't do a thing right at the moment for Leicester, from having an excellent record at a number of other clubs.

[Winston Smith]

Just got back home....More of two points dropped than a point gained

Thanks for that Cowshed. Your post suggests that at no point did we go for a point, as others think, or else we'd have never looked like getting 3 points.

No problem.

[Winston Smith]

Just got back home....More of two points dropped than a point gained

Thanks for that Cowshed. Your post suggests that at no point did we go for a point, as others think, or else we'd have never looked like getting 3 points.

Also if you hadn't sold your ticket, you could have gone and enjoyed the game. :twisted: :twisted: