Huddersfield Town (A) League 1 Saturday 5/11/11.

[bangsection]

Well, what a MASSIVE amount of fun that was.

[chestersaddler]

Been in Swansea all day so didn't listen in to Sadsworld to follow the game. Cracking result, keep the faith :D :D :D :D :D

[PINNACLE]

Half-time, and still 0-0. Whatever happens in the second half, that's quite an achievement. We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway. :D

I have just got back from the game, (have you) you really are a laugh a minute aint ya..... :(
Are Preston still losing ? you seem more interested in what is happening at Charlton... :oops:
It wasn't pretty and we rode our luck for long periods but hey, thats what football is about !
WE PLAYED WELL considering we were under the cosh and most fans expected nothing more than a severe drubbing.
I always laugh though to see the comments posted on here between 3pm and 5....nothing better to do ?

Grof has the makings of a very good player, i will support him all the way.

[chestersaddler]

Half-time, and still 0-0. Whatever happens in the second half, that's quite an achievement. We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway. :D

I have just got back from the game, (have you) you really are a laugh a minute aint ya..... :(
Are Preston still losing ? you seem more interested in what is happening at Charlton... :oops:
It wasn't pretty and we rode our luck for long periods but hey, thats what football is about !
WE PLAYED WELL considering we were under the cosh and most fans expected nothing more than a severe drubbing.
I always laugh though to see the comments posted on here between 3pm and 5....nothing better to do ?

Grof has the makings of a very good player, i will support him all the way.

Hope you were not driving with your alcohol pickled brain

[PINNACLE]

Half-time, and still 0-0. Whatever happens in the second half, that's quite an achievement. We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway. :D

I have just got back from the game, (have you) you really are a laugh a minute aint ya..... :(
Are Preston still losing ? you seem more interested in what is happening at Charlton... :oops:
It wasn't pretty and we rode our luck for long periods but hey, thats what football is about !
WE PLAYED WELL considering we were under the cosh and most fans expected nothing more than a severe drubbing.
I always laugh though to see the comments posted on here between 3pm and 5....nothing better to do ?

Grof has the makings of a very good player, i will support him all the way.

Hope you were not driving with your alcohol pickled brain

Better than having a serious attitude problem, dont comment on my post by all means, just keep on having a cheap dig... :oops:
Sticks and Stones... :lol: :lol: :lol:
I take it that you did not go to the game then.................

[chestersaddler]

Half-time, and still 0-0. Whatever happens in the second half, that's quite an achievement. We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway. :D

I have just got back from the game, (have you) you really are a laugh a minute aint ya..... :(
Are Preston still losing ? you seem more interested in what is happening at Charlton... :oops:
It wasn't pretty and we rode our luck for long periods but hey, thats what football is about !
WE PLAYED WELL considering we were under the cosh and most fans expected nothing more than a severe drubbing.
I always laugh though to see the comments posted on here between 3pm and 5....nothing better to do ?

Grof has the makings of a very good player, i will support him all the way.

Hope you were not driving with your alcohol pickled brain

Better than having a serious attitude problem, dont comment on my post by all means, just keep on having a cheap dig... :oops:
Sticks and Stones... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Attitude problem? Jesus H Corbett.

Why have a go at a bloke who lives in South Wales, who has supported Walsall for 50 odd years for not travelling 200 odd miles to Huddersfield. What's wrong with you?

[PINNACLE]

Half-time, and still 0-0. Whatever happens in the second half, that's quite an achievement. We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway. :D

I have just got back from the game, (have you) you really are a laugh a minute aint ya..... :(
Are Preston still losing ? you seem more interested in what is happening at Charlton... :oops:
It wasn't pretty and we rode our luck for long periods but hey, thats what football is about !
WE PLAYED WELL considering we were under the cosh and most fans expected nothing more than a severe drubbing.
I always laugh though to see the comments posted on here between 3pm and 5....nothing better to do ?

Grof has the makings of a very good player, i will support him all the way.

Hope you were not driving with your alcohol pickled brain

Better than having a serious attitude problem, dont comment on my post by all means, just keep on having a cheap dig... :oops:
Sticks and Stones... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Attitude problem? Jesus H Corbett.

Why have a go at a bloke who lives in South Wales, who has supported Walsall for 50 odd years for not travelling 200 odd miles to Huddersfield. What's wrong with you?

I was having a go at you ? :shock:
Think you need to go back 2 posts to see where the personal abuse began.........sigh

[chestersaddler]

Half-time, and still 0-0. Whatever happens in the second half, that's quite an achievement. We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway. :D

I have just got back from the game, (have you) you really are a laugh a minute aint ya..... :(
Are Preston still losing ? you seem more interested in what is happening at Charlton... :oops:
It wasn't pretty and we rode our luck for long periods but hey, thats what football is about !
WE PLAYED WELL considering we were under the cosh and most fans expected nothing more than a severe drubbing.
I always laugh though to see the comments posted on here between 3pm and 5....nothing better to do ?

Grof has the makings of a very good player, i will support him all the way.

This is the post I was defending.

[WarsawPact]

I don't know about David Grof, sounds more like we had Dino Zoff playing today.

[PINNACLE]

Half-time, and still 0-0. Whatever happens in the second half, that's quite an achievement. We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway. :D

I have just got back from the game, (have you) you really are a laugh a minute aint ya..... :(
Are Preston still losing ? you seem more interested in what is happening at Charlton... :oops:
It wasn't pretty and we rode our luck for long periods but hey, thats what football is about !
WE PLAYED WELL considering we were under the cosh and most fans expected nothing more than a severe drubbing.
I always laugh though to see the comments posted on here between 3pm and 5....nothing better to do ?

Grof has the makings of a very good player, i will support him all the way.

This is the post I was defending.

It is of no interest to me whatsoever where you live, but when you start name calling (a man of your age should know better and grow up a bit) you should also expect people to bite back !
So which post were you actually defending ?...We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway That one or...Grof has the makings of a very good player, i will support him all the way that one
Make your mind up... :roll:

[PINNACLE]

Of all the posters on this thread................have any of you actually been today ?
Any smilies for shock horror........?

I'm going to the pub for a traditional bonfire night evening...................see you all later :D

[kshammer]

Fantastic point today and really pleased that Patterson got the goal. Hope the Smith knockers give him credit for getting a point at one of the hardest places in the league, but unfortunately I doubt they will.

There will be one P'd of bloke in Sheffield tonight. Only 1-0 against Rovers aswell... things are not going well.

[hullsaddler]

That was an excellent spirited performance today. Fair enough we rode our luck a bit in the first half especially, but David Grof was immense. One tip over from underneath the bar was world class. I have always been a great fan of Wacka but it would be a complete injustice if Grof does not start next weekend.
It would have been easy for us to have folded after their goal but we kept going and Paterson's equaliser was definitely top drawer.
I know we are still in a disappointing position in the league, but if we play with the spirit,committment and workrate that we showed today then we will surely be okay!

[chestersaddler]

Half-time, and still 0-0. Whatever happens in the second half, that's quite an achievement. We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway. :D

I have just got back from the game, (have you) you really are a laugh a minute aint ya..... :(
Are Preston still losing ? you seem more interested in what is happening at Charlton... :oops:
It wasn't pretty and we rode our luck for long periods but hey, thats what football is about !
WE PLAYED WELL considering we were under the cosh and most fans expected nothing more than a severe drubbing.
I always laugh though to see the comments posted on here between 3pm and 5....nothing better to do ?

Grof has the makings of a very good player, i will support him all the way.

This is the post I was defending.

It is of no interest to me whatsoever where you live, but when you start name calling (a man of your age should know better and grow up a bit) you should also expect people to bite back !
So which post were you actually defending ?...We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway That one or...Grof has the makings of a very good player, i will support him all the way that one
Make your mind up... :roll:

I am a patient man so I will indulge you.

You were having a go at Welsh Saddler (someone I know personally who, has supported the club for over 50 years and, surprise, surprise lives in South Wales) for having the audacity to take an interest in our team via this website and the BBC text commentary. I responded to your critical post, albeit in a sarcastic way.

So, you have been to Huddersfield today....good on ya, we need all the support we can get. I travel the thick end of 3 hours to a home game and took a flight up to Greenock Morton for a pre season friendly, but I dont come on here slagging my fellow saddlers off for not travelling 400 miles to watch the team play.

I will be in bed when you return from the pub as I have to work in the morning, so if you wish, we can continue the discussion then.

[SWS1]

Half-time, and still 0-0. Whatever happens in the second half, that's quite an achievement. We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway. :D

I have just got back from the game, (have you) you really are a laugh a minute aint ya..... :(
Are Preston still losing ? you seem more interested in what is happening at Charlton... :oops:
It wasn't pretty and we rode our luck for long periods but hey, thats what football is about !
WE PLAYED WELL considering we were under the cosh and most fans expected nothing more than a severe drubbing.
I always laugh though to see the comments posted on here between 3pm and 5....nothing better to do ?

Grof has the makings of a very good player, i will support him all the way.

Hope you were not driving with your alcohol pickled brain

Better than having a serious attitude problem, dont comment on my post by all means, just keep on having a cheap dig... :oops:
Sticks and Stones... :lol: :lol: :lol:
I take it that you did not go to the game then.................

Bliddy hell, Pinny. Don't be so sensitive over a bit of banter. We all take the P a bit on the site and it's all in good part!
:D

[chestersaddler]

There you go Pinnacle, don't mess with the South Wales Walsall mafia :D :wink:

[Cully]

There you go Pinnacle, don't mess with the South Wales Walsall mafia :D :wink:

For what it's worth chester you are getting off lightly in your exchanges with Pinnacle; you would be better off talking to his poodle who normally comes on here after closing time.

Woof Woof!

[chestersaddler]

There you go Pinnacle, don't mess with the South Wales Walsall mafia :D :wink:

For what it's worth chester you are getting off lightly in your exchanges with Pinnacle; you would be better off talking to his poodle who normally comes on here after closing time.

Woof Woof!

Unfortunately, Cully, I have a crisis on at the moment. I am bombarded by Chinese steel imports which is putting the profitability of my business at risk . I need an early night so that I am fit to continue the fight for British jobs in the morning :D

[belgiansaddler]

Fantastic performace today in terms of effort and commitment and no little skill either. We set our stall out and stuck to the game plan. We packed the midfield but even then they had the ability to make space at times. Obviously we rode our luck at times but we got a couple of slices of luck that have been missing in recent weeks. We didn't even have anyone sent off, what's that all about!!

Defended well in the first half without really threatening, Macken had a half chance but that was about it from us going forward but we soaked up their pressure. On the other hand they rarely looked like scoring and when they did Groff made a couple of fantastic saves, one of which was absolutely awesome. You can see why they are a good side, they had an air of patience about them and I had the feeling that eventually that would pay off which it did when they scored, though when it came it was a pretty soft goal. After that we improved going forward and looked dangerous a couple of times. Then on comes Patterson, he gave them a couple of tasters of what he could do and then scored a fantastic goal. This kid really does have the potential to be class. He has skill and pace and is clearly not short of confidence. OK he is still a bit lightweight and it would be unfair to expect him to do things like today consistently as he is stilll young but he is the most exciting player we have got. The goal was class.

After the goal we could of even won it, we attacked them and had them rattled a couple of times. Grigg did really well to capitalise on their centre back being a donkey and almost lobbed the keeper for what would have been a not undeserved winner.

Whole team and management deserve massive credit for todays performance. Groff and the defence were superb. Midfield coped with one of the best teams in the division and even looked creative and threatening going forward on occasions. Macken worked his socks off with little support in the first half. Patterson and Grigg really caused them problems when they came on.

Listening to some of their fans walking back to the car was hilarious.... 'rubbish manager..... never do nowt with him in charge...... doesn't know what he's doing.....' I kid you not :shock: One of the few who actually said anything sensible said they wish they still had Butler rather than the donkeys they have got and I know who I would rather have.

Actually came away a little disappointed we had not won. Anyone who cannot see that this team and Deano have got some potential either did not go today or is a complete moron. Now we really need to take this kind of performance and spirit into the next few games. Proud to be a Saddler tonight.

[Locky]

Got back a little while ago and just read the thread. It does show how difficult it is to get a real impression of a game or more accurately to say performance from just comentary and stats.

This was actually a very good performance.

Deano obviously sent them out to contain and frustrated then break out when we game.

The team pretty much implemented it exactly as instructed.

As others have said yes we rode our luck on occassions, ou're always going to when play away at a teams like this.

Grof was outstanding, one save in particular was world class. Starting to look like a young Jimmy Walker. Could we have the first real challenger for Wacka's crown?

Patty's goal was an outstanding individual goal taken really well with composure.

Ignore the shots ratio whilst still well in there favour a lot of theirs were litterally 10 yards wide.

Very nearly nicked it in injury time when grigg hassled their defender, bussled him out the way and released a first time angled shot that caught out their keeper who just managed to bring it down with his fingernails.

This was a good performance, one from the old days with a walsall team putting in an organised, spirited performance against a much superior, more expensive team away from home and grabbing a point when on paper they had absolutely no right to do so.

Exactly what I go to away games for. Keep it up lads!

[Lone Striker]

Good performance today, players lifting their game to the challenge, defending very well against a good passing team who have the capability to overrun many teams at this level. We set our stall out from the beginning playing our three in central midfield against their two with Gnapka and Nicholls getting behind the ball when they were in possession limiting them to a couple of chances in the first half. Mention here to David Grof who pulled off three great saves in the first half, the one he tipped over the bar was outstanding, his performance today was full of confidence and his handling, kicking and shot stopping was excellent and should give him great confidence and a run in the team.

Well as we defended first half we did look a bit lightweight going forward, none of the central three ever in a position to support Macken who as always played the lone striker better than any other options that we have, attempting to keep possession and link the play.

Second half the game opened up a bit and we needed to be at our best defensively to keep them out. During this spell Butler and Smith were tested but held strong winning all the aerial battles, we replaced Peterlin with Paterson, not sure why it was not Taundry who was replaced as of the two Peterlin was having a bigger influence on the game. Their goal looked like poor defending from a short corner, but apart from that Grof was not really tested.

Our equaliser was a touch of individual skill from Paterson who remained calm in the box, beat a couple of defenders before finding the bottom corner, like Grof his performance was really encouraging and with correct caoching and support we could have a real talent on our hands, he has pace, skill, the ability to beat a man and hopefully an eye for goals, the challenge is to find the best team system to really benefit from his ability.

Summary would be a great point and encouraging performance. Back five played really well, special mention to Lee Beevers who was solid in all aspects of defending, also marking their most influential player Gary Roberts who first half ran the show but became less effective as the game went on.
Midfield was effective, Gnapka having his best game of the season, we need Chambers back to give us a bit more than Taundry does and this may also give Wilson a bit more quality to work with in the central areas.

Lets hope we can kick on from here starting with a cup win next week.

[boringteacher]

Well, what a MASSIVE amount of fun that was.

Congrats to all saddlers present and to Deano and the team on getting a point out of genuinely nothing.

With our tapeworm, we are a 4th division team waiting for relegation from the 3rd. The only way we can avoid it is to show the sort of bollocks the boys showed today. Dogface couldn't have got that from a team full of Messis and Butchers. Look at the table - apart from the bankrupts from the East Mids, the top is dominated by teams with Championship crowds. Like the dongles in the prem, we are fighting to stay up. Do we really want to turn into those inbred mongs as supporters? Give the Ginge a decent run and stop over-reacting please.

[bangsection]

Listen, today was what it's all about.

Turning up at a place where we had NO RIGHT to get a result and offering up a performance which was long on commitment and not short on skill either. Belge has nailed the match report so I'll just throw in some perfunctory player ratings. 10 for Grof (seriously), 9 for the back four (Manny is BACK) 8 for everyone else apart from Paterson who also gets a 9. The boy comes off the bench for one of the biggest away trips of the season, we're 1-0 down and all he wants to do is take the attack to Hudds and scores one of the best goals you will see this season. A player we can genuinely be excited about.

I'll turn Pinnacle's report on its head and say I take no delight in having gone today when others haven't. I just wish every Walsall fan could have been there to see a performance that goes a long way to vindicating Smith's leadership, tactics and team selection.

Sang until I was hoarse. Loved it.

[MILO5]

Udders fans quite complimentary about our defence on their forum... Grof and Smith get honourable mentions.

Smith has been getting stick for his new signings....but Grof, Sadler and Chambers all look decent enough to me .

Geoff Hurst and Gnapkin clearly need to improve... but arent unmitigated disasters a la Marshall / similar who never even got a game.

In Deano we still trust. ( but ffs lets beat Bury)

[Exile]

I'm glad some of our real fans couldn't go. Made for an interesting match thread. :D

Well done the lads.

[MILO5]

...oh forgot eager Beever ...who doesnt appear to be quite as outrageously bad as everyone suggested after his first game or two ( and he's a reserve keeper!)

As long as Deano keeps the spirit, I think we can stay up.

[priestley_saddler]

If I was an Huddersfield fan I'd be coming out of that match saying "How the hell haven't we won that?"

However, I'm not a Huddersfield fan, I'm a Saddler. So I really don't care what they think. We went there with a game plan, stuck to it, amended it where necessary, and got a thoroughly deserved point.

Huddersfield dominated the first half, and peppered our goal. A few flew wide, a good many were blocked by our lads throwing themselves in the way, three were superbly saved by Grof, and one was headed off the line by Nicholls. Worryingly, their three biggest chances came from corners. The first produced an unbelievable save by Grof, the second a point blank save with his knees, and the third one Nicholls headed off the line. Grof made another impressive save at his near post before the first half was out, but that was the only real chance from open play they had. We had one half chance from Macken, but I don't agree with Deano's assessment that it was the best chance of the half.

The second half was a lot more even but their goal, when it eventually came, was directly my fault. They'd had another shot which Butler blocked and went out for a corner when I, in my infinite wisdom, turned to the person next to me and said "It's gonna be one of those days for them today, they're just not gonna score are they?". My Grandad started taking me to matches when I was 8, in 1993, so I've seen enough games to know better. I still don't know why I said it and I apologise to my fellow fans for doing it. Sufficed to say we switched off from the corner, which irritatingly they took short, and 10 seconds later it was in the net. Sorry lads.

We had chances to equalise before we did. Macken played a square ball to Paterson infront of goal, but for some reason he refused to shoot and ended up losing the ball. Still, he made up for it moments later, when a brilliant solo run was ended with a sublime finish to level up at 1-1. I did wonder if he'd handled it in the build up, but given that their fans were shouting for hand ball every time one of our players kicked it, then I assume he didn't. Was a cracking goal.

Then we had the best chance to win it when their defender faffed around wondering what to do, and Grigg tried an opportunistic chip which their keeper just managed to pluck out of the air. Overall a draw was the least we deserved and I hope we can build on this. Its the first time all season we've played for the full 90 minutes and, added to the second half performance last week, means we've now played 3 good halves in a row. With the pressure off at Exeter next week in the cup we MUST build on this now.

Grof - Inspirational, MOTM. Brilliant game and doesn't deserve to lose his place. That said, I personally don't think he deserved to lose it the first time. This man is our new long term number 1.
Beevers - I still think he played better in goal last week!! But, joking aside, Westlake has a battle to get his place back now.
Sadler - His usual solid game.
Smith - His best game for about 2-3 years, was immense.
Butler - Excelled against his old club. Was equally as good as Smith.
Taundry - Did a lot of the dirty work and did it well.
Peterlin - I can only assume he was injured when he came off as I thought he was the pick of the midfielders at the time.
Wilson - Overplayed sometimes but was solid enough, definitely adds to the team.
Gnakpa - He looks like a player you'd expect to be good, and I really really want him to do well...but he just isn't. Still played his part but isn't what I would call a winger.
Nicholls - Not lived up to the heights of recent weeks but he was playing wide left. Still did a job and battled hard. Hope to see him back upfront next week.
Macken - Tried his best to trouble their defence on his own, but was isolated at times. Works better in a front two and I think Nicholls would have been a better lone striker.

Subs

Paterson - Changed the game. Why doesn't Deano start him???
Grigg - Replaced Macken and the team improved as a result. Will be disappointed not to nick a winner.
Jarvis - Came on wide right and made Gnakpa looked like an accomplished winger.

[latviancheese]

Against teams like that, its rare we will match them. So Who cares if they battered us a bit? Held firm, and punched em on the break.

Love it.

[Welsh_Saddler]

Half-time, and still 0-0. Whatever happens in the second half, that's quite an achievement. We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway. :D

I have just got back from the game, (have you) you really are a laugh a minute aint ya..... :(
Are Preston still losing ? you seem more interested in what is happening at Charlton... :oops:
It wasn't pretty and we rode our luck for long periods but hey, thats what football is about !
WE PLAYED WELL considering we were under the cosh and most fans expected nothing more than a severe drubbing.
I always laugh though to see the comments posted on here between 3pm and 5....nothing better to do ?

Grof has the makings of a very good player, i will support him all the way.

I'm sorry you took offence at one of my posts and I would welcome any constructive suggestions - firstly, what did I say?

1. "Half-time and still 0-0"....... surely nothing to snipe at there, just a statement of fact.
2. "Whatever happens in the second half, that's quite an achievement"........in similar vein IMHO.
3. "We'll probably go on to ship five or six, but that would only be what I expected anyway"...... I think that prediction stands up to examination based on the following factors:
(a) All comments throughout the first half had been to the effect that we were very much under the cosh.
(b) The statistics from the BBC website confirmed that - 16 attempts on goal against 2, or something similar.
(c) Coming into the game, Huddersfield had won 5 and drawn 2 out of their home fixtures, we had won 1, drawn 2 and lost 4 of our away games.
(d) Huddersfield's goals scored (all games) were 34 against our 15. They had conceded 13 against our 20.
(e) We were forced into fielding our reserve goalkeeper, whose exposure to ANY league sides had been minimal, let alone a strong side.
(f) League positions - Huddersfield were 2nd, we were 20th.

I put it to you that the possibility of our shipping five or six was real, based on the factors outlined above.

Therefore, what was it that you evidently took exception to? By your text it seems that your problem was that I was an armchair supporter, and I feel I should enlighten you only in the spirit of sharing knowledge in order to prevent any future misunderstandings. As my good friend Chester Saddler says (thanks btw, Neil) I have been supporting Walsall for well over 50 years and continue to do so although certain domestic details prevent my going to more than the odd game:

(a) I live some 150 miles from the Banks's's' - I did manage Southampton and Orient last season when my Uncle and Aunt still lived in Cannock, so I could fit a game in along with attending to their needs (they were then 94 and 93 years of age).
(b) Since the end of last season I now have my 94 year old Aunt living with me. She suffers from very advanced senile dementia or Alzheimer's and needs 24-hour care. I am her legal guardian (Deputy, appointed by The Court of Protection) and consequently my time loyalty is with her.
(c) My wonderful wife works away at all sorts of days and times (recent weeks have included Walsall (!), Birmingham, Clacton-on-Sea, Yeovil, Paignton, Woking, Peckham - I'm sure you get the picture), and I also have two teenage children to attend to.

I hope that the above gives you some idea of the reasons behind my relying on the internet on a Saturday afternoon. If you can make any constructive suggestions as to how I can get round any or all of these obstacles I would welcome them with open arms. Meanwhile I am still hoping to participate in the annual South Wales excursion to Yeovil (next March I think), and I would be glad to buy you a pint - I've already promised one to a man with a green coat!!!

[Ancient Moaner]

Too late in the night to entertain a realistic post, plus the fact that I have been celebrating ALL night with Frosty Jack's imaculate cider...just one word IMMENSE!

The whole team put in a performance which defies belief, Grof is the find of the century, Butler was a brick wall, Nicholls defending was brill, and Paterson..well, put a couple of stone on the lad, and we may well be in receipt of a very large cheque from a 'rich' club before very long!

I said to the wife when I got back home, I've got the bug again, bigtime, bring on the battle to avoid relegation...
WE CAN DO IT!!!

UTS, my life, my club, MY supporters, you were all immense too!! :D :D :D :D :D