Notts County (H) League 1 Tuesday 31/1/12.

[Darth Vader]

The best part of the game was went a Walsall fan launched a coffee cup directly towards Hughes once he scored and celebrated in front of the Alsop.

He sadly got chucked out but I bet it felt ace.

[Exile]

The best part of the game was went a Walsall fan launched a coffee cup directly towards Hughes once he scored and celebrated in front of the Alsop.

He sadly got chucked out but I bet it felt ace.

Probably all for the best. At least he missed 87 minutes.

[Bristol Fan]

Terrible tonight for the most part. Very poor in the first half and County were very comfortable defending the lead. We were a bit better in the second half (in the same way that having an eye gouged out is better than having two eyes gouged out).

We have no decent strikers. Smith has signed a load of total dross. We can't even find our own players from throw-ins. The midfield of Paterson - Chambers - Peterlin - Taundry would look embarrassingly poor at virtually any Blue Square Premier side. At least Flo looked OK when he came on (why the hell didn't he start the game?)

We keep playing the same players, the same style, the same formation - and keep getting the same result.

A shame that we have no money to sign anyone because unless we do, it's hard to see anything other than a desperate fight against relegation. We aren't bad defensively but have absolutely nothing going forward.

[Exile]

Report and poll on the front page.

Hover over the bad match thread link for important message :wink:

http://upthesaddlers.com/wp/archives/20 ... gotfercal/

[King Crimson]

Utter bilge.

Why Dean Smith must go:
1) we've won two games in twenty
2) he "bigs up" every team that we play, eroding whatever confidence we have left
3) he has wasted money on rubbish and on players he then doesn't play. E.g. when he played Nicholls - inherited - out right ahead of Gnapka and Halliday - his signings?
4) apologists say he's learning. How exactly? If he plays the same bunch of players week-in week-out who have totally failed to produce results, how has he learned? How can he expect different outcomes from the same inputs?

We have a poor squad, bereft of confidence and skill, a manager who frankly hasn't a plan and hasn't the balls to drop players who continually fail, supporters who are increasingly disengaged from the club and an absentee owner represented by new club executives who talked the talk only to be found wanting when anything tangible is required.

I can't see me renewing my season ticket at this rate.

[Whitti Steve]

Utter bilge.

Why Dean Smith must go:
1) we've won two games in twenty
2) he "bigs up" every team that we play, eroding whatever confidence we have left
3) he has wasted money on rubbish and on players he then doesn't play. E.g. when he played Nicholls - inherited - out right ahead of Gnapka and Halliday - his signings?
4) apologists say he's learning. How exactly? If he plays the same bunch of players week-in week-out who have totally failed to produce results, how has he learned? How can he expect different outcomes from the same inputs?

We have a poor squad, bereft of confidence and skill, a manager who frankly hasn't a plan and hasn't the balls to drop players who continually fail, supporters who are increasingly disengaged from the club and an absentee owner represented by new club executives who talked the talk only to be found wanting when anything tangible is required.

I can't see me renewing my season ticket at this rate.

To use a much loved phrase which is sadly lacking on UTS these days....


I agree :D

[Louise]

Well have just about defrosted having sat through the Match last Night.

Absolute garbage - we should all be refunded our Money for having frozen our gonads watching that crud.
It was awful from start to finish - Lee Hughes may be a scumbag but he knows where the back of the net is and within 2 minutes showed us.
We have no midfield , no creativity , devoid of ideas and tonight I honestly think the Players looked like they really didnt care. The Ref was right to disallow our goal and we are 100% going down with performances like that and we deserve to.
Notts County are not very good but we couldnt beat them so its League Two for def.
Very depressing state of affairs :(

[saddlerken]

3) he has wasted money on rubbish and on players he then doesn't play. E.g. when he played Nicholls - inherited - out right ahead of Gnapka and Halliday - his signings?

This!

90% of the problem are because of his signings

5% because of his tactics

5% because Smith is thick

The reason why his signings are rubbish is because he is thick and his tactics are rubbish because he is thick. After reconsidering after extensive scientific research I can conclude that Smith's problems are:

100% because he is thick

Taundry our exciting right winger :roll:

What an abysmal midfield we have

[swiftyboy]

I honestly think that there is something sinister going on with regards to signings and whether they play or not. It can't be a co-incidence that EVERY manager buys crud, and then loans a decent player, then doesn't play them. Who really makes the decisions?

[leics_saddler]

To think that I nearly went last night to applaud Jimmy.
What a spastic I'd have looked to part with £20 and leave after three minutes.
The bloke who tried to maim [libellous] with hot tea is the only hero left at the club.

I could have spent that time banging away on a hooker.
I'd have nothing to show for it except the smile on my face, which is more than Walsall FC provides.

[philthesaddler]

It's nothing sinister Swifty, it's just we pay peanuts.

Just look at our midfield last night: Taundry, Peterlin, Chambers, Paterson

Taundry has the occasional good game, but is gash the rest of the time. Peterlin is barely league 2 standard, Chambers is supposed to be a senior member of the squad, but hasn't contributed at all this season and Paterson is being heralded as the next big thing, despite IMO being a poor mans Ishmel Demontagnac, with less skill, smaller and less attitude/drive.

Whichever way you look at it, that midfield is terrible. Not one senior winger in sight.

The midfield was so poor and off the pace, it was like watching men against boys, it was quite frankly embarassing.

[PT]

Utter bilge.

Why Dean Smith must go:
1) we've won two games in twenty
2) he "bigs up" every team that we play, eroding whatever confidence we have left
3) he has wasted money on rubbish and on players he then doesn't play. E.g. when he played Nicholls - inherited - out right ahead of Gnapka and Halliday - his signings?
4) apologists say he's learning. How exactly? If he plays the same bunch of players week-in week-out who have totally failed to produce results, how has he learned? How can he expect different outcomes from the same inputs?

We have a poor squad, bereft of confidence and skill, a manager who frankly hasn't a plan and hasn't the balls to drop players who continually fail, supporters who are increasingly disengaged from the club and an absentee owner represented by new club executives who talked the talk only to be found wanting when anything tangible is required.

I can't see me renewing my season ticket at this rate.

I've been in catagory number 4 (an apologist saying he is learning) until last night. I really wanted Smith to do well but after watching last nights dross I'm on the fence but leaning heavily towards the side that says he has to go which makes me sad.

Having watched the new kid in training for two days to be unable to find a starting berth for him in our midfield is laughable.

Lots wrong and unless something dramatic happens we'll go down, which in itself isn't the end of the world but it could be a long long haul back with the club needing radical transformation.

[Codsall Saddler]

Well, having now thawed out and calmed down, I can now post about what was the most depressing evening. Was hoping for a great night for Jim but it turned into the dampest of squibs. Unfortunate that he went off at half time, perhaps due to having warmed up then the celebrations/guard of honour meaning that the 38 year old legs got cold again.

The performance was utterly, shockingly bad. We have a number of players that would not be out of place in the Bloxwich Comb (is it still going?). Beevers and Peterlin are a complete joke - ironic with Harrison and Atthey on the pitch at half time, if only they'd stayed on. Paterson looks like he's believing the hype and Nicholls was starved of service but still managed to blow a decent chance in the second half. Butler looked shaky The new guy made a massive difference, it wasn't hard, and should have started. So much for 'unleashing' him on the opposition. Whilst Bowerman and Paterson are promising, they are not going to keep us up, especially if the hoof tactic persists.

Having been on the fence about Smith, I'm now in the 'must go' camp. If O'Driscoll is available, get him in with O'Kelly because otherwise we are off to Accrington and Morecambe next year being passed by Salop on our way down. County were ugly, time wasting and included the vile scrote that is Lee Hughes. They were, however, organised and had some canny players that were able to cruise through the game. We had none of that.

[Hednesfordred]

Cannot understand why the new man didnt start. I would have thought that anyone would be an improvement on our current midfield. The worrying thing is as well, that if you try to persuade managers from the Premiership or Championship to loan you players (either to get fit or for some experience) and then cant be arsed to play them, they wont be lending you anyone else will they. I dont quite think Smith has the intelligence to work that one out though :shock:

Also, it seems that, having you thoughts as a player splashed all over the Express & Dingle, appears to stop you playing. Nicholls is a case in point. Dont hear from him for months, and he plays reasonably well (marvellous in comparison to recent years efforts). he then starts being the mouthpeice for Walsall FC, and promptly returns to the utter dross that he was previously. Maybe Smith should either tell some of these so-called players to become newspaper men, coz they aye good enough for anything else. He might even like to join them

Rant Over :evil: :evil:

UTS

[Jockey]

I didnt go last night and havent been since October but why did Smith continue with the same dross in midfield?? We had a new bloke that by all accounts changed the game, he should of been on from the start.

I, like alot of people wanted Smith to succeed (im usually the first to call for the managers head) but it just isnt happening and 2 wins in 23 just simply isnt good enough and Smith has to go.

[latviancheese]

The fact Florent Cuvelier did not start last night sums everything up wrong with Dean Smith.

He signed him because we have a crap midfield. So he continues to play the crap midfielders? If the lad is not fully fit so what, we are at home, lethim do some damage and then take him off.

I actually believe he signed Florent Cuvelier just to say he signed someone, not because he thinks we are crap. Which is baffling.

We look half decent when we keep the ball a bit, so why do i keep hearing reports of the old hoofball nonsense? A blind mand could work out it wont work with our strikers.

We dont appear to have any plan other than twerp it, and see what happens. As soon as an organised team comes to us they look like Barcelona.

Our defence is pretty decent, which is why we can scrape draws away. Everything else is the worst we have had for a long long time. Even the rubbish over rated players we have had recently like Mattis and Richards, would walk into this team without breaking sweat.

Adam Chambers should be the first released, a senior player, showing the attitude of "well fudge it, i get paid anyway". Infact just shoot him. We got rid of the biggest donkey ever in Gnakpa its time to get rid of the rest.

Interesting to hear how Bowerman (the saviour) did last night? It was him who had ball in the net wasnt it? Its about time he had a start, if he cant now Macken has broken down again he might aswell leave.

As for Dean Smith learning, thats rubbish he hasnt learned a goddamn thing.

[Bernie]

The decision not to start Cuvelier was fatal. He is clearly two levels above the rest of our midfield. Even if Smith was worried that he was not match fit then he should still have started him and, if necessary, replaced him when he tired.

As for the forwards, let us hope that Macken's hamstring injury is long lasting. Bowerman is not great (someone teach him the offside law), but at least he sometimes turns with the ball so that he is facing the goal - when does Macken ever manage that?

I hope all those who wanted to see more of Alex Nicholls as a striker are now happy. After about 180 appearances some people argued that if only he could have a run in the team as a striker we would see how good he is in that position. Well their wishes were granted and he has now played about 20 games in a row as a striker. Is there anyone left, apart from Dean Smith, who cannot see that he simply not good enough as a striker to play in that position at this level?

[tinned]

Not starting this Florent lad was the tipping point for me and Smith. The midfield has been diabolical all season and I thought at least Smith had realised this (months too late) and had acted upon it. Then, guess what? He sits on hir arse for an hour while we get totally outplayed. Great decision that Smith :roll:

Part of my reasoning for sticking with Smith has been the worry who we're going to bring in with pittance we pay in salary and the frankly pitiful whipround we call a transfer fund. It's getting to a point where a change is needed no matter who we get, continuing with what we've got is obviously leading only one way.

[King Crimson]

It's nothing sinister Swifty, it's just we pay peanuts.

Just look at our midfield last night: Taundry, Peterlin, Chambers, Paterson

Taundry has the occasional good game, but is gash the rest of the time. Peterlin is barely league 2 standard, Chambers is supposed to be a senior member of the squad, but hasn't contributed at all this season and Paterson is being heralded as the next big thing, despite IMO being a poor mans Ishmel Demontagnac, with less skill, smaller and less attitude/drive.

Whichever way you look at it, that midfield is terrible. Not one senior winger in sight.

The midfield was so poor and off the pace, it was like watching men against boys, it was quite frankly embarassing.

If only Matt Richards was still with us, eh? :wink:

[Sadders]

Didnt think I'd ever say this but I legitimately and honestly would rather have a central midfield partnership of Paul Smith & Michael Dobson over Chambers/Peterlin. Our midfield is the worst in the football league, bar non. Little did I also think i'd be dreaming about having last seasons team back halfway through last season. Give me Ledesma, Cook, Gray, Richards back right now and i'd feel like we'd signed Lionel Messi and Co.

For me Culuvier & Hurst have to start in midfield on Saturday. I noticed Scunthorpe, having a bigger budget than we have despite the same gates (presumably the benefits of a couple of promotions in recent years) have brought in 7 players before deadline day! A couple of them quality ones, so dont be surprised to see them battter us on Saturday.

Any positive from last night?

Butler/Smith/Sadler were solid, the funnyest part of the night was seeing Butler look like a brillant striker compared to everyone else on the pitch - what a man he is. If I never see Lee Beevers, Richard Taundry, Anton Peterlin, Adam Chambers, Ryan Jarvis in a Walsall shirt again, my life will be so much happier. The likes of Nicholls, Macken, Paterson etc are NOT far behind.

[Bristol Fan]

Interesting to hear how Bowerman (the saviour) did last night? It was him who had ball in the net wasnt it? Its about time he had a start, if he cant now Macken has broken down again he might aswell leave.

Bowerman was on the pitch for a long time last night - long enough, in fact, to make me realise that not playing him from the start is one of the only decisions Dean Smith has got right in the last few months.

We haven't got a single decent striker. Macken's legs have gone, Nicholls's goalscoring record is only barely better than mine (and I've never played), Jarvis is pathetic, Grigg is - well, I don't know what he is, he's vanished - and that's that. We need a striker else we will not score goals and will not win matches. Not rocket science.

[Wyrley_saddler]

Just came in to say what a breath of fresh air the new bloke was. Been ages since we've seen a player who can actually create something from midfield and pass well. The rest were crud and if Flo doesn't start on saturday Deano deserves a smack round the head.

Oh, and I sat in the family stand last night due to being offered free tickets, can someone teach the morons in block C the offside rule please. I don't think the linesman got one wrong and everytime they were shouting that it wasn't. If the striker comes from behind the (second including keeper) last defender to collect the ball infront of him, he is offside!

[Bristol Fan]

Oh, and I sat in the family stand last night due to being offered free tickets, can someone teach the morons in block C the offside rule please. I don't think the linesman got one wrong and everytime they were shouting that it wasn't. If the striker comes from behind the (second including keeper) last defender to collect the ball infront of him, he is offside!

When doing the teaching, I hope they also teach George Bowerman, who was caught offside more times last night than most players manage in their entire career.

[ToeJoe Jnr]

Chronic.

Notts County were bottom of the form table! We were at home! We signed a creative midfielder and left him on the bench! We lost 2 members of the spine of our team to injury, what do you expect for 34+! Butler looked more of a threat up front than Nicholls! Beevers is shocking!

This time last season I was full of renewed vigour for going to matches. It was obvious we had a clueless manager, but a squad with some quality that needed to be licked into shape. Step forward Dean Smith (with some help from Plymouth) and survival. He more than deserved his chance to take on this season, but the end of the line is nigh. The squad is poorer than the one he inherited. Richards, Gray, Ledesma would all coast into this team. Smith won't be sacked, he should have gone before the window to allow a new manager time to make any changes. A new manager would struggle to get better from this team because they are simply not good enough so there hands would now be tied. We are stuck with him unless someone like Gamble decides to grow a pair and take the necessary action.

Small budget or no budget, Smith is to blame for that. He has simply wasted it on the like of Gnapka (Half a season), Jarvis (Bench Warmer), Halliday (Bench Warmer), Hurst (Injury Prone). His champagne signing of Chambers looks more like a bottle of Blue Nun!! We rely on a 34 year old to link play between midfield and attack, that is when we are no hoofing it aimlessly forward. I understand Smith doesn't know where that 1st half performance came from....I would suggest he has a little look in the mirror for the answer.

He is clueless, we are rubbish and I am bored with it again. Its the 1st of Feb and those early bird offers will soon start dropping on doormats, mine just may be going back with a stern letter of decline!!

[Wyrley_saddler]

Oh, and I sat in the family stand last night due to being offered free tickets, can someone teach the morons in block C the offside rule please. I don't think the linesman got one wrong and everytime they were shouting that it wasn't. If the striker comes from behind the (second including keeper) last defender to collect the ball infront of him, he is offside!

When doing the teaching, I hope they also teach George Bowerman, who was caught offside more times last night than most players manage in their entire career.

According to the bloke behind me he was onside every time!

[Duke]

Utter bilge.

Why Dean Smith must go:
1) we've won two games in twenty
2) he "bigs up" every team that we play, eroding whatever confidence we have left
3) he has wasted money on rubbish and on players he then doesn't play. E.g. when he played Nicholls - inherited - out right ahead of Gnapka and Halliday - his signings?
4) apologists say he's learning. How exactly? If he plays the same bunch of players week-in week-out who have totally failed to produce results, how has he learned? How can he expect different outcomes from the same inputs?

We have a poor squad, bereft of confidence and skill, a manager who frankly hasn't a plan and hasn't the balls to drop players who continually fail, supporters who are increasingly disengaged from the club and an absentee owner represented by new club executives who talked the talk only to be found wanting when anything tangible is required.

I can't see me renewing my season ticket at this rate.

Fact is Smith should have gone months ago ,probably to late now basement football beckons .

[Walsall_Casual]

Still down and totally disillusioned at the state of our football club. Last night was so embarrassing it was frankly laughable. We all know our saviour has virtually killed us but Smith and the players need to have a serious look at themselves.

My opinion of the clowns that didn't turn up:

Wacka: A legend badly let down by his teammates.
Beevers: In the first half he seemed unable to keep possession of the football within the white lines. Second half not much better. North Ferriby United next season.
Sadler: Steady as ever. If we had any ambition we would have already signed him up on a contract extention for at least another year. As we don’t, I guess we won’t. Expect him to move in the summer.
Butler: Won nearly everything and barely put a foot wrong against two slow relatively ineffective (minus the goal) strikers.
Smith: As Butler. Scored a perfectly good goal.
Chambers: Gave away possession like an amateur. Since his first few games his level of performance has dropped to an embarrassing level.
Peterlin: As Chambers. On that performance you can see why Plymouth released him.
Taundry: I know he’ll get criticised but I genuinely thought he did just about OK yesterday. Seemed keen to get involved and get us moving when most of his colleagues didn’t seem interested.
Macken: Can’t recall him touching the ball.
Nicholls: All the talk of broken promises before the game. I think that proves the kid, like all the players, are all talk and no walk. No bottle amongst em!

Bowerman: Didn’t do anything for me. In my opinion he is either not ready or not good enough.
Grof: Looked decent. No doubt he’ll be our number one next season. Wacka would be absolutely mad to stick around and jeopardise his legendary status.
Cuvelier: Showed up his new teammate’s big time. In the 20 minutes he was on it was clear the boy had a bit about him.


League Two for Walsall FC. Blue Square North Premier and Royal Mail at best for the vast majority of the above!

[Exile]

Utter bilge.

Why Dean Smith must go:
1) we've won two games in twenty
2) he "bigs up" every team that we play, eroding whatever confidence we have left
3) he has wasted money on rubbish and on players he then doesn't play. E.g. when he played Nicholls - inherited - out right ahead of Gnapka and Halliday - his signings?
4) apologists say he's learning. How exactly? If he plays the same bunch of players week-in week-out who have totally failed to produce results, how has he learned? How can he expect different outcomes from the same inputs?

We have a poor squad, bereft of confidence and skill, a manager who frankly hasn't a plan and hasn't the balls to drop players who continually fail, supporters who are increasingly disengaged from the club and an absentee owner represented by new club executives who talked the talk only to be found wanting when anything tangible is required.

I can't see me renewing my season ticket at this rate.

Fact is Smith should have gone months ago ,probably to late now basement football beckons .

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. After the "ginger Mourinho" episode last season I think everyone thought he deserved a shot, apart from maybe Sheff. The assumption was that he'd learn as he went. it's now becoming apparent that said learning is slow to non-existent, and all that's happening is that Smith is using up the fans' goodwill rapidly.

[boringteacher]

Last night was one of the more miserable nights I can recall in 35+ years of mainly hurt. We were outclassed by a rubbish team, managed by a worthless excuse for a football manager with the inevitable winner coming from one of the few people in footie who can claim to be a worse "human" being than the current England captain.

The only hope I had during the match was that their centre forward would share a future cell with a John Holmes-esque dingle homosexual rapist who had considerably more penetrative power than our excuse for an attack. As to the assorted excuses for footballers on our "side", I'm beyond words for them. Clueless.

[Ancient Moaner]

Glad to see that at long last I am not alone!
Scunny will muller us with thier string of new signings..who will probably ALL start the game (note to Englands footy Leagues thickest manager!)
My betting friend from Halifax has a Major wad placed that Deano & Mick will lose thier jobs this week, sorry to say he'll lose his money...Mick will go of course, but our spineless gutless 'Board' will hang on to Deano until relegation is confirmed..and then release him 'by mutual consent'
My case for having been a moanin old git for so long is proved MyLud!