Milton Keynes Dons (A) League 1 Wednesday 26/12/12;

[Cully]

I almost forgot...........................

LLLLDLDDLLLDDDLDW W

Smith out :D

[chestersaddler]

I almost forgot...........................

DDDLDW W


Smith out :D

:D

[JonnyOwen]

Grigg contract extension!

[clawtheolder]

Can we play them every week.

[Walsall_Casual]

Superb! Well done boys!!!

[saddlertd]

What an absolute numpty Smith is playing both Grigg AND Paterson! Great result for the lads and Deano - perhaps we ay that bad after all. C'mon you Reds, let's have a 16 match unbeaten run now.

[chestersaddler]

2-0 to Franchise

Optimist! I fear another Coventry scoreline, but please not a 'Villa' scoreline! we aye that bad surely!

If he plays Grigg and Paterson again, the Ginger one trully IS a numpty.

I take it Saddlertd, you are referring to this little gem :lol:

[SaddlerSteve]

Back from the game and had a nice Boxing Day dinner courtesy of the old man and his wife. :D

Fantastic 4 goals from us, definitely worth a watch on the telly tonight.
Good job we put away our chances though as defence is still shocking and we were let off on a number of occasions.
At times the whole defence just stood there like statues with the Mongers swarming around them.
There was also a tendency to give the ball straight back to the opposition and then back off to the edge of our own area.

Started to get tense near the end as it felt like they were working up to an equaliser.

4th goal was a peach though. 5 mins injury time was announced then we got a free kick down in the corner.
Quick conversation over the ball then the Mongers were fooled into thinking we were going to play time down in the corner.
Lovely flick through and a burst into the area before Patterson curled it into the far corner.
Cue hundreds of Mongers heading for the exits! :mrgreen:

Merry Xmas :mrgreen:

[Exile]

Fantastic Christmas pressie. Well done the lads, and Deano.

[Finch]

I stand to be corrected on this, but I believe that is the first time we have scored 4 goals away from home since Swindon in August of 2000!

The way statistics can be twisted is interesting:
One defeat in 7 overall
One defeat in 7 away

[Exile]

I'm guessing everyone is out getting lagered up after this. Waiting on a coherent match report with a bit more substance than Steve's (sorry!) for the front page...

[Tracker34]

Like you say, a few celebratory drinks were in order after that one!

4 shots on target - 4 goals!!

Certainly unexpected but well deserved - keep it going to Orient!

McCarey 6: Felt he could have done better with the second goal and wasn't too commanding of his area today, may have been down to the wet and breezey conditions, but still not convinced he is anything better than Grof.

Purkiss 7: When Taundry was in I think we all knew that Purkiss was a superior player however I'd forgotten just how much better. Willing to get forward, able to catch defenders trying to run past him down the wing. I'll even forgive the odd HOOF!
Butler 7: As you'd expect, won a few headers, liked a tackle, took a booking for the team...
Downing 7: You don't really notice him on the pitch, doesn't get much wrong which for a young defender in the early matches of his career is ok with me!
Taylor 8: Few strong tackles, few good bursts forward and some great defensive work especially considering that he had little help from Paterson infront of him.

Mantom 6: Good running performance but didn't really do too much. A bit hesitant in closing players down in first half but improved
Chambers 8: Another great performance. I wasn't the biggest fan of his return to the first team but has certainly justified it these last two games. Got stuck in.
Patterson 6: Don't get me wrong it was a great finish for the goal and don't mind a few misplaced/overhit passes on a day like this but he was unfortunately the worst in a Walsall shirt today. Certainly needs to harden up and also find a way of getting some defensive nous.
Westcarr 7: Looks like he's starting to get a good link with Brandy going. Best I've seen him play for us.

Brandy 9: He seems to terrify teams, also seems to win 90% of our free kicks. Good running all game typified by his burst and trickery at the end of the game to win the free kick leading to Patersons goal. Can do a mean somersault too - worth watching the highlights for!
Grigg 9: Well he's an international striker isn't he!! Looked stronger today, looked confident. Didn't see his second too well but great turn and finish for his first. Keep it up!


Cuvelier 7: Came on, looked classy when he got the ball, will be great to have him for a full 90 mins!!

Just a quick one on MK - I like the place, I like the facilities, I like the set-up, the stewards are friendly, they sell bacon rolls. It's such a shame they are an odious club of the highest order.

[DYSaddler]

What a flippin result - I was absolutely cacking myself when 5 minutes went up but the boys did it and added a goal in injury time. Full report to follow from me tomorrow but now time for a few boys. Mid-table here we come :mrgreen: UTS!

[Darth Vader]

Liked it, though I was coughing my guts up. Need to keep this up anyway, Orient and Stevenage next, 4 points please. :D

[Exile]

Thanks Tracker34 - you're on the front page!

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

Full report to follow from me tomorrow but now time for a few boys.

Jimmy Savile in disguise? :D

[bangsection]

Full report to follow from me tomorrow but now time for a few boys.

How you celebrate a win is up to you but I would advise against publicising it on the board.

:shock: :shock: :shock:

[SaddlerSteve]

...Waiting on a coherent match report with a bit more substance than Steve's (sorry!) for the front page...

Merry Xmas to you too! :mrgreen:

[Exile]

...Waiting on a coherent match report with a bit more substance than Steve's (sorry!) for the front page...

Merry Xmas to you too! :mrgreen:

..and a happy new year!

I just noticed, it's awfully quiet in Sheffield after a Walsall win. :D

[DYSaddler]

Full report to follow from me tomorrow but now time for a few boys.

How you celebrate a win is up to you but I would advise against publicising it on the board.

:shock: :shock: :shock:

*beers :oops:

[DYSaddler]

354 saddlers at stadium MK today

[philthesaddler]

Full report to follow from me tomorrow but now time for a few boys.

How you celebrate a win is up to you but I would advise against publicising it on the board.

:shock: :shock: :shock:

Post of the... ever!

[DYSaddler]

What a game, we have waited 17 games for a victory and then 2 in the space of 4 days, and it doesn't get much better than against the Franchise. Me and the other 353 saddlers must have been thinking it was going to be a long afternoon when Ryan Lowe headed in after 5 minutes, looked miles offside at first glance but having watched the replay on SSN it looked like either Downing or Butler was playing him on. We responded brilliantly with some neat football and good teamwork and never really let MK get on top despite their early lead. We deservedly got back on level terms when Brandy, who has been a revelation, bustled through their backline and fired an unstoppable shot past Martin. Our second was an absolute peach - long ball from Paterson superbly controlled by the international superstar himself and placed his shot to perfection from about 20 yards out. Their equalizer was sloppy - a) I thought Downing could have done better initially, b) McCarey really should have saved it. The never say die attitude that we saw at the start of the season came through again when Westcarr crossed for Grigg to finish neatly. 5 minutes added time seemed like an eternity especially after a couple of lucky escapes via our crossbar but nerves were settled when Paterson's shot deflected in off the post. Player ratings:

McCarey 6 - As mentioned he could have done better with the 2nd goal but apart from that had a fairly quiet game, made a cracking save in the first half. Still maintain he is the best keeper that has been on show so far this season and should remain no 1.
Purkiss 7 - Very solid game, attacked with purpose, made some important tackles and his distribution generally effective
Butler 7 - Same old solid performance from the skipper.
Downing 7 - Despite him potentially doing better in the lead up to their 2nd goal, I think this lad has the potential to be a class center half - he is winning more headers now and his distribution is very good.
Taylor 8 - Continuing his impressive run of form - good interceptions made and didn't give their winger much of a sniff all game.
Chambers 8 - High quality performance yet again, hard in the tackle, breaks up play well and his distribution is also improving, i'd say this is his best spell in a Walsall shirt for a long time. Keep it up Chambo.
Mantom 6 Another quiet game again for me, didn't do much wrong but nothing really caught the eye, I still think he is a top player though.
Paterson 7 - Can't deny the lads confidence to shoot from distance and today it paid off. See a great deal of potential in the lad but he needs to identify that he must track back and help the back 4 out at times. IMO could easily get 10-15 goals this season.
Westcarr 7 - Played well again, his link up play with Brandy and Grigg is becoming more effective as the games go on, adds a bit of presence and wins the occasional header.
Grigg 9 - MOTM for me, worked his socks off all game and was credited with a brace (1st goal an absolute peach). He needs to keep up this level of performance, if he does he will score more than he misses. Looked a lot stronger today aswell, held the ball up well.
Brandy 9 - Absolute revelation. Has the hunger that is needed at this level. Has pace, trickery and can cause the best defenders in this league a lot of problems on his day. Another goal to his name and another top performance. Like I said before - first name on the teamsheet for me.

Subs:
Cuvelier 7 - Need to keep hold of him. Only on for 20 minutes but the quality he brings to the squad is there for all to see.

A top notch result - 2 wins in 2 games, I still see 12-14th as a realistic target this season if not more. I think the horrific winless spell is now behind us and the team is playing with more confidence and belief like the start of the season. Top stuff today. UTS

[canadiansaddler]

With a young side there are going to be results like today , just like there will be scores like Coventry - some congrats are ion order to Deano and the team for appearing to get things back in order - great result - onwards and upwards

Brandy - get the lad signed to a long term deal now.

[Bristol Fan]

Patterson 6: Don't get me wrong it was a great finish for the goal and don't mind a few misplaced/overhit passes on a day like this but he was unfortunately the worst in a Walsall shirt today. Certainly needs to harden up and also find a way of getting some defensive nous.

He's completely powderpuff defensively and Taylor needs to be everywhere because he gets so little support so I understand your comment, but Paterson got one goal and one assist today, so saying his was the worst performance is rather harsh. There can't be many Walsall players who can claim a goal and an assist in the same away game this season - he was pivotal to the win. And what a wonderful win it was, a day when everything clicked and we faced an opposition whose defence offered almost no resistance at all.

[We-ARE-Walsall]

A great performance. I think a few of the match reports are over rating some of our defenders though, thought we defended pretty poorly throughout the game. To many times we were flat footed, standing ball watching and generally leaving players unmarked.

Anyway, that's the negative stuff, I still thought we deserved to win the game. Brandy ran them ragged, Chambers had possibly his best game for us. Flo only had a short time on the pitch, but we instantly improved the second he came on, such a great player, shame we are losing him shortly, we will miss him, like we have so badly while he has been injured.

[Hairy Saddlebags]

Anyone got a link to the goals/highlights?

[WFC_Rob]

Has a Walsall side ever been so wildly inconsistent? As much as Smith's tactics were truly horrendous against Yeovil, he seems to have picked things up and turned us around since then, so credit where it's due.

What's just as pleasing is that ever since Karl Robinson's "we should beat Walsall easily - it'll be a good warm-up for the play-offs" comment last May, we've taken nine points off them. Lovely jubbly.

If we can keep a settled back four and keep today's goalscorers hungry, we should be more than OK. Touch wood and all that, but I reckon three of the four relegation spots are currently occupied by teams that'll end up being relegated.

[WFC_Rob]

Anyone got a link to the goals/highlights?

Should be on the Sky Sports website by this time tomorrow.

[Exile]

If we can keep a settled back four and keep today's goalscorers hungry, we should be more than OK. Touch wood and all that, but I reckon three of the four relegation spots are currently occupied by teams that'll end up being relegated.

Agree. Barring miracles, Hartlepool are definites, Scunthorpe close behind with that home form, and once Portsmouth get their deduction they're toast down there. I sincerely hope the Sloppies step up to the plate of loserdom and join them. it's between them Bury and Carlisle for the last spot, I think.

[We-ARE-Walsall]

What is actually depressing, is after destroying one of the better sides in the division on their own patch, all we really have to talk about is not taking up the 4th relegation spot.

Anyway, this side shouldn't get relegated now, although that's not a certain just yet, hopefully Smith can guide us to a comfortable finish this season, and should already be working on his plans for next season, who he would like to keep, and what areas and type of players he should be looking for in the summer to make us better.