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Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Reports and reaction from the 2013-2014 season as Walsall finished 13th in League 1
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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:10 pm

I flippin love it when we beat Poo Alexandra.

Greg Oxley
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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:25 pm

Second half we were fantastic, sexy football or what!? Great atmosphere fair play Saddlers!! Fans and players building a real rapport. Love it. UTS forever.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:30 pm

Great result. Couldn't get commentary working as away on holiday. Hoping it will work on Tuesday. Anyone any ideas to get it working abroad?

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sallian
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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:44 pm

Very good result, may give them confidence for the very difficult fixtures ahead...this division looks very strong this year, very few weak teams and many big and strong ones!...Wolves (3rd), Rotherham (4th), Leyto Orient (1st)....Still need to work on creating more chances quicker and more shots on goal.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 5:20 pm

sallian wrote:very few weak teams


We played one today. Fortunately, played them off the park. Dominated the first half without creating enough chances; clinical in the second.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 5:41 pm

Just got back from what has to be one of my most enjoyable away performances as a 'Saddler'. Every player was immense today and played their part individually and most importantly gelling together substantially as a team and it was an all round fantastic team performance.

So how did the game pan out?

First half was a case of working the opposition out, both teams managed to hold their own without really troubling one another, we did however seemed the more competent on the ball and looked the team most likely to win the game. Deano obviously recognised this and second half we were a lot more positive and had a lot more belief in the final third of the pitch. We really started to dominate proceedings and created a few very decent chances before finally scrambling the ball home after a bit of a goal mouth scramble!

What pleased me the most was how we carried on pressing and harrying the opposition throughout the game right up until the final whistle. This was evident in our second goal as we managed to force the error from Crewes defender which Westcarr gratefully pounced on and was brought down in the box for a stonewall penalty as he beat the defender to the ball.

As for the players...

O'Donnell- Very little work to do in all honesty, made one meaningful save all afternoon from my recollection, A 30 yard strike down his throat in which he palmed it away, thankfully not falling to a Crewe attacker waiting to pounce on the loose ball.

James Chambers- Very solid game from James today, got forward well, tidy and composed on the ball and defended with great aplomb all afternoon.

A Taylor (MOM)- For me this was his best game in a Walsall shirt, from what I have seen at least. Didn't allow anything to get passed him all afternoon, positional wise he was extremely sound all afternoon and pressed on to win some key sliding tackles which were timed to perfection.

Butler/Downing- Can't really separate these two as they both dealt with everything which Crewe through at them. Hope these pair keep fit as they could really be a tidy partnership for us at the back!

Mantom/Featherstone- Both showed real quality on the ball, showing great ability to retain the ball with a nice range of passing from both parties. Both could have maybe got on the score sheet with good chances, especially the latter who had his shot from the edge of the area tipped onto the cross bar to deny us a 4th in the closing stages!

Chambers- Real professional display today, mr consistency showing that he is one of the best players in this league at what he does in my opinion. Holds his position expertly, constantly closes down and helps link up play a great deal.

Westcarr- Had the last laugh when a guy had a mini-debate with me at half time trying to tell me Westcarr is useless and also having to put up with some moronic supporters slating Westcarr at every given opportunity. I personally feel that he had a great first half and did his best to hold the ball up and try and bring others into play. The problem in the first half was that he was fairly isolated as we were rightly cautious in the early stages of the game. The second half would be his time to shine as he had a lot more support from the midfield which allowed him to push on and took his goals very well.

Hewitt- I was very pleased to see Hewitt start today, as we all know we have been crying out for a striker, however I don't feel we have much to worry about just yet. Troy's movement is actually a joy to watch, we have been craving a striker like him to play off the shoulder of the last defender and look to use his pace to get in behind defenders. He didn't always get the final ball to him but what impressed me most was his endeavor and willingness to keep working and giving the defenders a hard time. Don't want to speak to soon but we may have a gem on our hands with this lad. He was also unlucky not to get on the score sheet as the ball broke to him around 5 yards out only for the GK to adequately smother the shot quickly.

Overall i'm a very happy saddler today and should give us a lot of confidence going into Tuesdays game at Wolves. Hopefully we will start with the same team and use Sawyers if needed.

Final note on our support today. The small group of us to the right of our stand made for a consistent and pretty vocal support throughout. In terms of numbers, i seemed to me like there was more than the 500 or so quoted above, i'd have guessed at least 750-800? Having said that, over estimating our support is something I think I have a habit of doing.

Pizza and a few bevvies tonight is on the cards for tonight and lets just pray we get something from our encounter in Wolverhampton on Tuesday! UTS! :D
Last edited by Bee_Leevers on Sat Sep 14, 2013 5:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

latviancheese
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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 5:43 pm

Some still hating on Westcarr on the likes of twitter and Facebook.

twerp.


Great result.
Uts

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Andy_Petterson
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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 5:51 pm

Nicky featherstone man of the match

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:08 pm

Fantastic afternoon in the sun at Crewe.
Both teams played on the ground football in the first half without really looking very threatening in front of goal
Fantastic second half from us when we pushed Mantom and Featherstone further forward. Mantom can really carry a big threat if he continues to carry the ball forwards.

When Butler missed a sitter in the move for the first goal it looked like one of those days but it spurred us on to really take the game to Crewe. In the end 4 or 5 would not have flattered us. The keepers save from Featrherstones screamer was superb.

It certainly felt like more than 550 saddlers there today. 7-800 would be more realistic.Shame it wasn't more but with Wolves on Tuesaday I guess it gets quite expensive. £21 for Crewe is daylight robbery imo.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:19 pm

Very close for the first 60 minutes, I'm not sure whether we can work as a 4-3-3 without Sawyers whether we won 3-0 or not, there was just absolutely no cohesion between midfield and the forward for the opening hour and I won't let that be missed in what turned out to be a very, very impressive win. The last half an hour was a different story, 3-0 probably flattered them in that period. Right time and place from Westcarr for the first, not long after Butler should have scored. Penalty definetely was a penalty and it was nicely dispatched. Not long after that Westcarr had a volley that would have been world class had it gone in, Mantom had a shot turned round the post, we had a 5 on 3 attack, Hewitt blazed wide and over and the Crwho keeper pulled out a save from the top drawer to tip Featherstone's rasper onto the bar. Lovely finish from Baxendale late on, he nicked the ball round the last defender, cut inside and stuck it beautifully under the keeper.

What pleases me about this side is the fact we look so solid at the back for the most part and even if we aren't clicking going forward we never seem to be out of games before we do click into gear. There's going to be a lot of frustrations along the way, today for example we spent the opening hour going backwards and sidewards, strolling and jogging around, no pace to the football and no cohesion between Mantom/Featherstone/Chambers and the front 3.

Everyone played okay, though I thought Adam Chambers second half performance and Featherstone's creativity were outstanding, Butler takes MOTM though - ANOTHER class performance, he didn't lose a header, covered well and made several important tackles - for all the singing about Jimmy Walker at one point, Butler is more of a legend in my eyes, purely as he didn't completely take the piss out of the club at any point like Walker did the second time round.

Big pick me up for Tuesday, hopefully we can get at them. Crewe are relegation fodder on todays performance and we shouldn't kid ourselves that Tuesday won't require all of our 11 to be at their best, lots of luck and the Wolves to have 3-4 players having an off night.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:31 pm

Almost forgot the volley from the edge of the box from Westcarr. It couldn't have been far away and would not only have been a second half hatrick but already goal of the season.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 7:31 pm

latviancheese wrote:Some still hating on Westcarr on the likes of twitter and Facebook.

pregnant fish.


Great result.
Uts

Do me a favour cheesesquad....Without turning the filter off, what does pregnant fish mean? Can't work that one out mate. :?

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 7:38 pm

rogerem wrote:
latviancheese wrote:Some still hating on Westcarr on the likes of twitter and Facebook.

pregnant fish.


Great result.
Uts

Do me a favour cheesesquad....Without turning the filter off, what does pregnant fish mean? Can't work that one out mate. :?


I was always led to believe that "twerp" was the correct term for a pregnant goldfish.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 7:45 pm

Westcarr flacked lots of niggly comments in the first half and answered them correctly, that being said he was turd again for a lot of the game, specifically until half time.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 7:58 pm

I think today we were very poor for the first half without being really threatened. Sometimes our passing doesn't seem to have any real purpose and we look much better when we hit teams on the break and get forward in fewer passes. They probably know that and I thought Crewe played really deep today to cancel us out.

Second half I thought Deano made a change to our tactics and got us pressing much higher up the pitch which worked much better. It won us the corner for the first goal and the pen for the second. After that we relaxed and could have notched more. For baxos goal, once he broke free there was no doubt it was going to be a goal.

Despite winning 3-0 I still wasn't sure about team selection. I'd rather see another attacking midfielder in the team because Hewitt looked isolated and even though he got two, Westcarr didn't do much. Had his volley gone in I think I'd have been on the pitch it would have been that good!

Last 20 mins we were comfortable. I think we have got a very good side. Back four is unflappable, and you could play 5 from 8 midfielders and be happy and I think Hewitt will come good given time.

Someone asked me on the way home who my favourite player is and it's been a long time since I can't decide from the players we've got. Both Chambers will always give 100%, so will Mantom who will get box to box, (and he hates dingles), Baxo is my man crush, Sawyers is that good he always has time on the ball and should start more. Butler and Taylor are steady and I think downing is as good as Dann was. I'd been a long time since I've been this enthusiastic about a Walsall team and trying to get relatives to believe they should come watch. I think today is the first time I've seen us beat Crewe in about 10 goes! I have faith we will be up there come May. UTS!

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 8:14 pm

Westcarr is obviously cack for not getting a hatrick and Bax's goal only warranted a 6 month contract extension.

Just joshing... fudge get in lads. Cracking win.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 8:15 pm

Westcarr out!! Should have been a hat trick.

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Evo Boozy Saddler
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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sat Sep 14, 2013 9:43 pm

The one time I dont go we dick the bastards. Well chuffed though.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:08 am

Great sunny afternoon in crewe

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sun Sep 15, 2013 11:31 am

Funny old forum this....get mullered at home 3-0 and there are 5 pages of whinges...
Stroll past Crewe 3-0 away from 'um and we get three pages of..."yeah we won, but it cud'of been better, dingaling was crud, shortbottom was eartha" The perils of being a Saddlers supporter!!!

Incidentally, can anyone remember the last time we won 3-0 away? Sunderland after that 17 match losing streak....since then?

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sun Sep 15, 2013 11:39 am

I think we won 3-0 at Northampton in the game before the play-offs in 2001, though I'm not sure if there's another one in between.

What I like about this victory is that although the first half was a little uninspiring and disjointed, it was identified and addressed by the management team. Deano may have made some poor substitutions and tactical changes at home in recent games, but we must say he's got it dead right both at Molineux and Gresty Road.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sun Sep 15, 2013 11:44 am

It was February when we beat Carlisle 3-0 I think.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sun Sep 15, 2013 12:06 pm

3-0 at swindon .lee holmes master class

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sun Sep 15, 2013 12:18 pm

The grigg hatrick against Carlisle last season

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sun Sep 15, 2013 12:49 pm

Swindon/Carlisle and didn't we beat Carlisle 3-1 with their goal coming with the last kick not long after Smith had taken over as well? I read a table of the last 5 seasons a few days ago and it's clear that our away form is actually pretty good over time. We've drawn/won in a combination more than we've lost away in that period, which is pretty impressive considering our form of the last few years previous to the last 9 months.

With regards to the comment above, we won and it was a fantastic win. We looked mostly in control for the entire 90 minutes but there's no mistake about it, until about the hour mark our own fans around me were moaning at Westcarr, sighing as we passed like it was a friendly across the defensive midfield zone, with no penetration, nothing clicking, no creativity upfront and just a lack of attacking 'willingness' and were singing for Romaine Sawyers on 3 or 4 occasions. I'm not going to forget 2/3's of a 90 minute match just because the last 30 minutes were epic. The first goal was huge, as soon as we scored it could have been 5 or 6-0 but in my mind Smith doesn't know his best XI or best formation yet and I can tell you as a fact against better opposition we will struggle frequently playing 4-3-3 with Westcarr as a wide player, 2 goals or not he was again mostly useless and at one point in the first half had a pop at one of our fans when he couldn't control a simple 8 yard pass. There was absolutely no cohesion from midfield to front line in the opening 65 minutes and that's precisely why Sawyers - NEEDS to play every week, even if he has frustrating afternoons.

There's a pattern emerging for this season already. Beat Oldham, Tranmere, Crewe and drew with Notts County all in the bottom half, lost against Brentford and Preston and have a good chance of taking a couple of defeats in the next 4 weeks as we play all of the top 4. As far as I'm concerned that'l do me just nicely. Beat the teams below us and hope for the best against the top 6, doing all of that on the worst budget in the division and playing lovely football (most of the time) along the way.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sun Sep 15, 2013 1:43 pm

Sadders wrote:The first goal was huge, as soon as we scored it could have been 5 or 6-0 but in my mind Smith doesn't know his best XI or best formation yet and I can tell you as a fact against better opposition we will struggle frequently playing 4-3-3 with Westcarr as a wide player, 2 goals or not he was again mostly useless and at one point in the first half had a pop at one of our fans when he couldn't control a simple 8 yard pass.


Ridiculous comment. Just enjoy the day and worry about having to play better opposition when it happens.

Fed up with the Westcarr bashing. Ok he's not Lionel Messi and does seem prone to making a bad touch more than others, but he always seems to try his best and thats good enough for me. At least with him things seem to 'happen' up front. The penalty was entirely due to him pressing the Crewe defence. You can't just single out the bad and ignore the good.

Also good bit of banter with crowd at 0-2 when we were singing "Westcarr what's the score?' and he stuck two fingers up (that's sounds bad, it wasn't) :D . He's alright, just support him when he's on the pitch and let Dean Smith worry about whether he can play better or not.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sun Sep 15, 2013 2:05 pm

If you read my match report I said 'everyone' played 'Okay' and then pin-pointed the best players, of which he wasn't. My point with Westcarr is, that as 'alright' as he may be at times, with even a slightly better or more traditional player with pace in his position we would be so much better going forward for all the game and not just 25 minutes. His lazy and languid style does my head in, specifically when he can't control the ball frequently either. So whilst he may not be the worst player in the FL, he holds us back frequently and it's annoying. My Granded thought precisely the same of Berbatov at United and he won the golden boot. It's nothing personal, I just think he's a league two forward player who has good but more frequently very, very bad days, who frequently can't control the ball and often looks the slowest player on the entire pitch.

FWIW I moaned twice at him yesterday once when he made no effort to move and another time when he couldn't control the ball from a simple 8 yard pass 3 inches to his left hand side. On another note, If his volley had gone in, even I would have ran on and kissed him. :lol:

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sun Sep 15, 2013 6:19 pm

Sadders wrote:We looked mostly in control for the entire 90 minutes but there's no mistake about it, until about the hour mark our own fans around me were moaning at Westcarr, sighing as we passed like it was a friendly across the defensive midfield zone, with no penetration, nothing clicking, no creativity upfront and just a lack of attacking 'willingness' and were singing for Romaine Sawyers on 3 or 4 occasions. I'm not going to forget 2/3's of a 90 minute match just because the last 30 minutes were epic.

I'm not quite sure what you're expecting from the League One team you support, to be honest. We controlled a third of the game and won convincingly, yet you're suggesting we should be more concerned about the first hour than we are pleased about the last half an hour. By that argument, you'll only ever come away frm a game satisfied when we give someone a real hiding from start to finish. Rarely happens unless you're sat a Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge, I'm afraid.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sun Sep 15, 2013 6:31 pm

Fray Bentos is God! wrote:
King Crimson wrote:Westcarr!!!!!!!


[leathermanmode] no it isn't [leathermanmode]


Oh :mrgreen: yes it was.

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Re: Crewe Alexandra (A) League One Sat 14 Sept, 3pm

Sun Sep 15, 2013 6:33 pm

Fray Bentos is God! wrote:
King Crimson wrote:And again.

Boom!!!! WESTCARR! You mutha!!!!


[leathermanmode] It was only a penalty. And he's a fatha [leathermanmode]


I bet it went in off his arse.

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