Port Vale (H) League One Saturday 30th Nov, 3pm

[BathSaddler]

9 goals overall at The Banks's in 9 games tells its own story. After Peterborough, I thought we had enough strike power from all areas of the pitch to make up for a lack of general potency up front. Only one goal in three games since tells me I was wrong.

Very disappointed today. And to top it all, that's Fail's first win in the League at Walsall since 1947.

[Fray Bentos is God!]

I think PT said that this could be a repeat of the Bradford game. I thought it was more a repeat of the Preston game.

The entire team didn't click today and I don't think that was massively down to Vale. We missed passes that we'd usually find in the dark and we were sloppy all over the pitch. Thought Sawyers had an awful game too. Though he wasn't the only one.

[aaaae]

Aw crap! The joys of supporting a mediocre club...

I thought we'd lose, because whenever you get a good feeling and a nice run of results, they invariably let you down.

[PT]

Been poorly so didn't make it down today and had to suffer Mick and his mate on Saddlerplayerworldthingy. I'm feeling no better as a result.

Playing against us at Bescot is a reasonably straightforward affair. You press and press and press and press. This makes the 20 passes Walsall need to make before creating a chance really hard. Then, if Walsall create a chance they need 20 such chances before scoring a goal. As the visiting team you will be happy with a 0-0 by playing this way but then you know that Walsall are dodgy at set-plays so will always give you a chance. Vale did a Bradford by the sounds of it. That's the blueprint I'm sure every League 1 manager will follow when they come to our place so we need to have a different option.

Not the end of the world but disappointing nevertheless. We do need a striker, but one that fits into our pattern of play AND scores goals will cost a fair wedge. Let's see.

A break from the league now and I've got my train tickets for Orient in the cup next week. If that makes me a "blind loyalist", I'll take that. Being a loyal supporter was once something to be admired and proud of, some on here seem to turn it into an insult. They can fudge off.

Anyway, I'm a man, I'm poorly, Walsall have lost - a combination that makes me really grumpy - back under quilt.

[philthesaddler]

We need a poacher!

It's so obvious!

Westcarr is a back-to-goal kind of striker, and in games where we struggle to breakdown the opposition defence with our normal game, we need the ability to go more direct.

At times today, it was like we were playing without a striker - Baxendale, Taylor, Chambers or Llalkovic get in to a position to cross, but Westcarr is the only man in the box, or there was no one in the box. Or when Sawyers was going forward with the ball, looking to slide someone in, there's no one making that run that a poacher type player would be.

Sawyers had a mare today, and the whole team performs much worse when teams come and press us hard and get stuck in, like Preston and Bradford did.

This is why I dont worry about Smith leaving, because for all the great football we play, we dont win very many games and Smith has yet to achieve anything more than a mid-table finish - and this season doesn't look like turning in to anything more than that.

[BathSaddler]

Attendance 4,909, including 1,165 from Port Vale.

Oddly, that's 600 less home fans [3,744] than for the Monday night game against Posh [4,346].

[wednesburysaddler]

2-0 down 20 mins to go and were playing keep ball in our defence

so I left match early

utter rubbish today end of

[Magic Man Fan]

Boooooo. Worst team in the world.

[rogerem]

Attendance 4,909, including 1,165 from Port Vale.

Oddly, that's 600 less home fans [3,744] than for the Monday night game against Posh [4,346].

Mmmmmmmmmm ...... Exactly. Do I need to spell it out?
PT?....Going away to Orient doesn't make you a"blind loyalist".
I heard a disturbing comment today regarding the trust and backhanders.

[chestersaddler]

Boooooo. Worst team in the world.

:mrgreen:

[sallian]

We need a poacher!

It's so obvious!

Westcarr is a back-to-goal kind of striker, and in games where we struggle to breakdown the opposition defence with our normal game, we need the ability to go more direct.

At times today, it was like we were playing without a striker - Baxendale, Taylor, Chambers or Llalkovic get in to a position to cross, but Westcarr is the only man in the box, or there was no one in the box. Or when Sawyers was going forward with the ball, looking to slide someone in, there's no one making that run that a poacher type player would be.

Sawyers had a mare today, and the whole team performs much worse when teams come and press us hard and get stuck in, like Preston and Bradford did.

This is why I dont worry about Smith leaving, because for all the great football we play, we dont win very many games and Smith has yet to achieve anything more than a mid-table finish - and this season doesn't look like turning in to anything more than that.

Yes I've seen it in games, five players trying to engineer one pass into the box for one player to receive, and if he fails to get the ball....the spare bll is for the opposition. Only one person is needed to deliver the ball...and more are needed to receive it.

[Andy_Petterson]

How are these only 1 point behind us in the league? Have we had points deducted or something? When we played in the league cup they looked an average league 2 side at best.

Easy saddlers win 3-1, else I'll have to re-examine my core understanding of what constitutes a good and bad football team.

:oops: :oops:

Sorry everyone. Pride goes before a fall and that. Looks like I need to re-examine what I think make a good and bad football team.

To be honest though I thought to was a bit of a smash and grab from them, and we were the better team (albeit they were much better than back in August). The key difference to us being that they could FINISH.

It does seem obvious that we need someone else as an alternative to Westcarr as the lone striker. If Bradford and Port Vale can find strikers who can play this role, I don't know why we can't.

ALthough having said that, given our fixtures we can probably get away without signing anyone until late January.

Disappointed for the first time in a long time.

UTS

[IHTC.]

Apart from the result the one thing that really cheesed me off was Smith's pointless substitution bringing on Gray for Bax. We were 2-0 down to one of the worst teams I have seen and he changes like for like, why? We may aswel have lost 4-0 going for it by bringing Hewitt on and going 3 at the back rather than keeping things the same which for Fail was fairly easy to defend against........ANNOYED!

P.S Like I said earlier if O'Donnell had collected the ball that Butler had to put out for a throw in we would have got a point because for the majority of first 15 minutes of the second half they were pinned in their own half but the 2nd goal killed all momentum.

[sallian]

2-0 down 20 mins to go and were playing keep ball in our defence

so I left match early

utter rubbish today end of

They don't understand the aim of the game is to create immediate goal scoring opportunities with passes rather than making an attempt at breaking passes completed records which achieve nothing!

They are very frustrating to watch...as they do some things well but with simple adjustments could be winning a lot more games.

[sallian]

Walsall are so weak in goalscoring that they are likely to struggle against any team in the division, even the ones they totally outplay.

They should be in the play offs...but the weak attack + the failure to recognze the problem (or denying it through tactical pride) will mean a relegation struggle.

[chestersaddler]

2-0 down 20 mins to go and were playing keep ball in our defence

so I left match early

utter rubbish today end of

They don't understand the aim of the game is to create immediate goal scoring opportunities with passes rather than making an attempt at breaking passes completed records which achieve nothing!

They are very frustrating to watch...as they do some things well but with simple adjustments could be winning a lot more games.

Funny how it's "they" when we lose, as opposed to "we" when we win.

[IHTC.]

Football 0 - 2 HOOF

[NEWPORT SADDLERS DAD]

Put Pope upfront for us and we would be right up there.

[rogerem]

Football 0 - 2 HOOF

I would like to point out to the Mods that the poster ihtc used the word "cheesed"....As my children read this and then ask me what this word means I am disgusted. This, especially after I accidentally missed an 's'.
This is not clever 'nor fair.

[chestersaddler]

Put Pope upfront for us and we would be right up there.

As if the Devil Bonser is going to employ someone called Pope :roll:

[Cowshed]

It was good to see mantom and chambers having shots because if I was in this team I wouldn't waste time passing to the forwards either.

I thought vale put on the perfect away team performance packed defence, pressed in midfield and clinical with the chances up front can't complain

Smith needs to show the forwards the video in how to put chances away.

Smith is not stupid he knows where the problem lies but obviously cannot resolve it due to resources. Shame about Hewitt, lalkovic, gray and mcquilkin these are just not good enough and you never hear any of the crowd asking to bring them on if they are subs. Wasted money and quantity not quality.

Last three games have been a reality check in terms of how the season will pan out. We need to get another 23 points ASAP and then look to bring in the kids up front as part of the medium term development of the club.

I thought lee Hughes should have been asked to leave the ground due to incitement and why did his manager allow that to continue should be out of the game for good.

[IHTC.]

Football 0 - 2 HOOF

I would like to point out to the Mods that the poster ihtc used the word "cheesed"....As my children read this and then ask me what this word means I am disgusted. This, especially after I accidentally missed an 's'.
This is not clever 'nor fair.

GO AWAY

I assume you have told them what 'Donald' stands for? But thats ok :roll:

[rogerem]

Football 0 - 2 HOOF

I would like to point out to the Mods that the poster ihtc used the word "cheesed"....As my children read this and then ask me what this word means I am disgusted. This, especially after I accidentally missed an 's'.
This is not clever 'nor fair.

GO AWAY

I assume you have told them what 'Donald' stands for? But thats ok :roll:

This can only mean that ihtc is a mod.
This cannot be acceptable.
Mods?....?

[Sadders]

Whether it was Football 0-2 Hoof or not, people should take the time to discuss our short-comings not abuse the opposition.

Vale bullied us off the pitch, were physically superior and deserved a victory. We were terrible, our passing was slow and predictable and other than Hemmings nobody got on the ball and actively looked to attack. We need a plan B against teams like Vale today, Preston and Bradford and that's something in the last 10 minutes of games to aim at in the box - that's not our captain and Centre back. I love the football style but it's so blindingly obvious that if it's just not going to work in some games then we need someone to retain the ball upfront and get on the end of crosses. We had 15 corners at Colchester, 12 against Shrewsbury and plenty today and did we create a single thing from them? No, nothing. Do we threaten from set pieces? No, we offer nothing. Does our striker get on the end of crosses? No. Do we break the offside trap? No. Do we counter attack? No, because we play slow, cack utter crabby balls across the 18 yard line. How the fudge are we going to put the ball in the net enough to win games?

We NEED a new centre forward. Westcarr's performance today was to be blunt - sickening. Slow, pedestrian, lazy, no ball retention, passing it out of play - utter shambolic pathetic crap that I'm confident I could replicate to a higher standard. He's the worst 9 goal striker I have ever, ever seen enter a football pitch - truly an abomination of a centre forward who shouldn't be playing in this time if we want anything other than mid-table dross. When he put a simple 10 yard pass out of play on the right hand side late on, I nearly had an attack of sorts. At least the old lads in the OAP stand could retain some humour with the ironic MOTM award. His all round game play adds nothing and a respectable striker would be on 15+ by now with the amount of chances this side can create. Baxendale, lightweight, slow, weak, terrible - but is he a winger? No, that's Smiths issue. Lalkovic, can't control a ball, has 1 good game in 10, completes more false step overs per match than he does passes to a team mate - pathetic. Sawyers, very poor today but at least he creates space and drops in for a pass. It's a crying shame we don't have a proper forward to play off Sawyers and ultimately it's what will cost us.

What was noticeable today was how the second Vale press us or work hard and retain a shape our passing is in-effective, slow and predominantly sideways. I forgot Adam Chambers was on the pitch. The defence didn't have it's best afternoon but how can we expect 4 'free' defenders to be inch perfect in 46 games over a season? The problem lies at the other end of the pitch, we are so - so bad.

I disagree with people when they say Smith's getting the best out of his budget - I don't believe he is.

Gray? Utter cack, half-arsed don't look interested bullshine. Conning a wage.
Hewitt? Not good enough, poor record and looks totally innocous on the pitch.
McQuilkin? Sorry, who?
Lalkovic? Might be good in a few years, but not now.
Shane Lewis? Sorry, who?

Hemmings has to start for me, he, Butler, Taylor and James Chambers were our only players to walk away with any sort of respect.

Oh and 4,900? In-exusably diabolical.



Westcarr's performance/MOTM award....

[latviancheese]

Westcarr's performance today was to be blunt - sickening.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[JonnyOwen]

I think you are spot on, but a little harsh on the fringe players like Lewis and Hewitt, who is a back up goalie and a hard working striker that I really damn rate.

[IHTC.]

Football 0 - 2 HOOF

I would like to point out to the Mods that the poster ihtc used the word "cheesed"....As my children read this and then ask me what this word means I am disgusted. This, especially after I accidentally missed an 's'.
This is not clever 'nor fair.

GO AWAY

I assume you have told them what 'Donald' stands for? But thats ok :roll:

This can only mean that ihtc is a mod.
This cannot be acceptable.
Mods?....?

Have you explained what the term 'Donald off' means yet? I don't ever see you complaining against that.

[wfc & chips]

2-0 down 20 mins to go and were playing keep ball in our defence

so I left match early

utter rubbish today end of

They don't understand the aim of the game is to create immediate goal scoring opportunities with passes rather than making an attempt at breaking passes completed records which achieve nothing!

They are very frustrating to watch...as they do some things well but with simple adjustments could be winning a lot more games.

right, professional footballers and coaches don't understand the aim of the game as well as a moonshine on the internet. brillian't.

[rogerem]

I don't have the swear filter switched on (never have). Talk about Walsall please ihct.

[Welsh_Saddler]

I don't have the swear filter switched on (never have). Talk about Walsall please ihct.

Well, in that case please amend your own language. If you "accidentally" missed off an "s" then you obviously meant to print the word with the "s" included. Think about what you're doing and stop offending everyone else with your drivel.