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Stevenage (H) League 1 Saturday 24/3/12.

Reports and reaction from the 2011-2012 season as Walsall finished 19th in League 1
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Darth Vader
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Re: Stevenage (H) League 1 Saturday 24/3/12.

Sun Mar 25, 2012 2:06 pm

Lies.

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WFC_Rob
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Re: Stevenage (H) League 1 Saturday 24/3/12.

Sun Mar 25, 2012 8:16 pm

Couldn't make it to the game yesterday - I didn't miss much then?!

Tactically, Dean Smith is weak. He has been ever since the start of this season. He succeeded last year thanks to being a good motivator and having a better calibre of player at his disposal, but now he has his own squad, he doesn't know how to get the best out of them.

It frustrates me that Smith keeps Cuvelier locked in this rigid position in the middle of a 4-4-2 when he's by far our most creative player. He's the only player in our squad who has the ability to single-handedly damage teams in the final third, yet because Smith spends his whole time worrying about our opposition more than our own team, Cuvelier ends up stifled.

People have said it already, but the management of Ledesma has been a bit of a joke too. Paterson and Hurst have done nothing for weeks, yet Ledesma finds himself on the bench, then as a striker - again, working within this horribly predictable 4-4-2. This is a guy Smith has already said he wants to sign for next year, yet he won't play him ahead of Nicholls, Paterson and Hurst - what message does that send out?

I'm not surprised to hear Macken was poor yesterday - he always is when we take an aimless long ball approach. Yet funnily enough, he showed just ten days previously just how effective he'll be when we keep the ball on the floor - against far superior opposition to Stevenage. To fail to get the best out of Macken in a home game is absolutely criminal.

It pains me to say it, but based on the performance of our manager this season, we deserve to go down. I just hope the players have enough about them to scratch together the points we need to stay up in spite of tactical naivety and poor team selection.

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Re: Stevenage (H) League 1 Saturday 24/3/12.

Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:44 pm

As you say Rob - the most frustrating thing for me is why we don't play the ball on the ground more often - when we do we look really good!! I got moaned at a few weeks ago for being furious because I thought we lost points because of the hoof ball tactics.

I noticed yesterday though, that a lot of people who were getting annoyed when we were playing rubbish were shouting things about the hoofing and to 'get it on the ground' etc. So it seems the collective are noticing too.

I wish there would be a meet the manager evening or one of those mysterious fans focus meetings...

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Re: Stevenage (H) League 1 Saturday 24/3/12.

Mon Mar 26, 2012 7:00 am

Saarland Saddler wrote:As you say Rob - the most frustrating thing for me is why we don't play the ball on the ground more often - when we do we look really good!! I got moaned at a few weeks ago for being furious because I thought we lost points because of the hoof ball tactics.

I noticed yesterday though, that a lot of people who were getting annoyed when we were playing rubbish were shouting things about the hoofing and to 'get it on the ground' etc. So it seems the collective are noticing too.

I wish there would be a meet the manager evening or one of those mysterious fans focus meetings...



It frustrates me, however I can see why we play good football agains the Sheff Utd's and Sheff Wed's of this league and not against people like Stevenage. The key word here is SPACE! Sheff Utd and Sheff Wed are actively looking to attack so will push more men up, leaving space at the back, whereas you have a Stevenage whom close up this space and choke this space thus frustrating us and causing us to hoof it up field.

Now I am saying we need to divise a player to sit deep and recieve balls from the back four and simply lay it off any direction. Now the only player I have seen who can do this is Peterlin, but I think either his confidence is low or he isn't quick enough to get play moving.

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Re: Stevenage (H) League 1 Saturday 24/3/12.

Mon Mar 26, 2012 7:21 am

Aldridge_saddler wrote:
Saarland Saddler wrote:As you say Rob - the most frustrating thing for me is why we don't play the ball on the ground more often - when we do we look really good!! I got moaned at a few weeks ago for being furious because I thought we lost points because of the hoof ball tactics.

I noticed yesterday though, that a lot of people who were getting annoyed when we were playing rubbish were shouting things about the hoofing and to 'get it on the ground' etc. So it seems the collective are noticing too.

I wish there would be a meet the manager evening or one of those mysterious fans focus meetings...



It frustrates me, however I can see why we play good football agains the Sheff Utd's and Sheff Wed's of this league and not against people like Stevenage. The key word here is SPACE! Sheff Utd and Sheff Wed are actively looking to attack so will push more men up, leaving space at the back, whereas you have a Stevenage whom close up this space and choke this space thus frustrating us and causing us to hoof it up field.

Now I am saying we need to divise a player to sit deep and recieve balls from the back four and simply lay it off any direction. Now the only player I have seen who can do this is Peterlin, but I think either his confidence is low or he isn't quick enough to get play moving.


Having a playmaker sit deep isn't the way you beat teams that park the bus. It's all about off the ball movement, making the ptich as wide as possible. Problem is, our wide players are pap.

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Stevenage (H) League 1 Saturday 24/3/12.

Mon Mar 26, 2012 7:23 am

Blazing_Saddler wrote:
Aldridge_saddler wrote:
Saarland Saddler wrote:As you say Rob - the most frustrating thing for me is why we don't play the ball on the ground more often - when we do we look really good!! I got moaned at a few weeks ago for being furious because I thought we lost points because of the hoof ball tactics.

I noticed yesterday though, that a lot of people who were getting annoyed when we were playing rubbish were shouting things about the hoofing and to 'get it on the ground' etc. So it seems the collective are noticing too.

I wish there would be a meet the manager evening or one of those mysterious fans focus meetings...



It frustrates me, however I can see why we play good football agains the Sheff Utd's and Sheff Wed's of this league and not against people like Stevenage. The key word here is SPACE! Sheff Utd and Sheff Wed are actively looking to attack so will push more men up, leaving space at the back, whereas you have a Stevenage whom close up this space and choke this space thus frustrating us and causing us to hoof it up field.

Now I am saying we need to divise a player to sit deep and recieve balls from the back four and simply lay it off any direction. Now the only player I have seen who can do this is Peterlin, but I think either his confidence is low or he isn't quick enough to get play moving.


Having a playmaker sit deep isn't the way you beat teams that park the bus. It's all about off the ball movement, making the ptich as wide as possible. Problem is, our wide players are pap.


I agree. Had we got wide and been any good there, we'd have cack them. The times we did it, we made chances.

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Re: Stevenage (H) League 1 Saturday 24/3/12.

Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:00 am

WFC_Rob wrote:Couldn't make it to the game yesterday - I didn't miss much then?!

Tactically, Dean Smith is weak. He has been ever since the start of this season. He succeeded last year thanks to being a good motivator and having a better calibre of player at his disposal, but now he has his own squad, he doesn't know how to get the best out of them.

It frustrates me that Smith keeps Cuvelier locked in this rigid position in the middle of a 4-4-2 when he's by far our most creative player. He's the only player in our squad who has the ability to single-handedly damage teams in the final third, yet because Smith spends his whole time worrying about our opposition more than our own team, Cuvelier ends up stifled.

People have said it already, but the management of Ledesma has been a bit of a joke too. Paterson and Hurst have done nothing for weeks, yet Ledesma finds himself on the bench, then as a striker - again, working within this horribly predictable 4-4-2. This is a guy Smith has already said he wants to sign for next year, yet he won't play him ahead of Nicholls, Paterson and Hurst - what message does that send out?

I'm not surprised to hear Macken was poor yesterday - he always is when we take an aimless long ball approach. Yet funnily enough, he showed just ten days previously just how effective he'll be when we keep the ball on the floor - against far superior opposition to Stevenage. To fail to get the best out of Macken in a home game is absolutely criminal.

It pains me to say it, but based on the performance of our manager this season, we deserve to go down. I just hope the players have enough about them to scratch together the points we need to stay up in spite of tactical naivety and poor team selection.


First off, lets not forget one thing, the main reason we didnt go down last year was Plymouth Argyle's 10 point deduction, without that, Dean wouldn't have been a saviour, merely someone "who did his best".

We need a striker to stretch the game, Nicholls simply isn't good enough. He has one good game in 6, and the rest of the time he is just woeful.

Dont see the point of Smith signing Ledesma unless he's going to play 4-5-1, and he's never going to play 4-5-1 with this team, because we simply havent got a striker good enough of playing the lone role upfront.

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Re: Stevenage (H) League 1 Saturday 24/3/12.

Mon Mar 26, 2012 2:40 pm

philthesaddler wrote:Dont see the point of Smith signing Ledesma unless he's going to play 4-5-1, and he's never going to play 4-5-1 with this team, because we simply havent got a striker good enough of playing the lone role upfront.

To be honest, Phil, I don't think that's where our failing lies at all. Macken can play the lone role up front IF, as is essential when playing 4-5-1, we have the likes of Cuvelier and Ledesma playing off him. He holds the ball up well enough for us not to need another striker alongside him - but we need quality playing off him, and that's where we've been struggling.

Having said that, 4-5-1 also arguably requires two half decent wingers. Where will we find them?

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