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Bristol City (H) League One 12 Apr, 3.07pm

Reports and reaction from the 2013-2014 season as Walsall finished 13th in League 1
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pumajaguar
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Re: Bristol City (H) League One 12 Apr, 3.07pm

Sun Apr 13, 2014 6:11 pm

As good as Dean Smith has been in the last couple of years our form in 2014 is truly awful. Just look at the statistics.

In our last 14 games we've won only twice and scored two goals in a game just once. For me that's a real cause for concern.

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tinned
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Re: Bristol City (H) League One 12 Apr, 3.07pm

Sun Apr 13, 2014 6:14 pm

Our football tires the opposition out? Really? We hardly move so they don't have to. We are hardly pulling teams this way and that way with our scintillating football. It's much too half-paced.

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Andy_Petterson
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Re: Bristol City (H) League One 12 Apr, 3.07pm

Sun Apr 13, 2014 6:18 pm

We-ARE-Walsall wrote:
Andy_Petterson wrote:We played alright yesterday, anyone with eyes can see we're not far from being a decent team. Yes, I know it's frustrating the lack of goals, but it doesn't really matter for the rest of the season now does it.

The usual suspects on here moaning about the tippy tappy football. If anything we don't do it enough. The whole point is that it tires the opposition out mentally and physically.

Of course if we could mix it with some swift counterattacks that would be even better.

Bakayoko looks promising. There were a couple of times he made runs into the corners similar to what Grigg did last season. Good omens.


Not sure if I am a usual suspect, I do have eyes though.

You say the whole idea is it tires the opposition out, but it's not working. The lack of goals is a problem, it shouldn't be ignored. I don't say throw the whole possession game out of the window, it needs adapting though, enhancing whatever you want to call it.

I agree, Bakayoko looks like he could be a useful player, which begs the question why we even signed Ngoo, he's not as bad as some people say, but he's not great, the game time for Bakayoko would have been far more beneficial to him, and possibly the team, even if it was off the bench.


Hi WaW

I didn't have you in mind as usual suspect :D

I think its the situations where we have the ball in the opposition half but they have 8 or 9 men behind the ball. It's these situations where we need the possession football and to keep recycling it. It will pay off, but it takes patience.

I think we are a poor counter attacking side and when we are say 3v3 or 3v4 in the opponents half that's when the sideways stuff is over done.

Wasn't there a chance with Brandy in the first half yesterday, it looked a good chance and just fizzled out? Happens too often.

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Andy_Petterson
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Re: Bristol City (H) League One 12 Apr, 3.07pm

Sun Apr 13, 2014 6:25 pm

tinned wrote:Our football tires the opposition out? Really? We hardly move so they don't have to. We are hardly pulling teams this way and that way with our scintillating football. It's much too half-paced.


So that's an argument about execution not fundamental style.

We-ARE-Walsall
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Re: Bristol City (H) League One 12 Apr, 3.07pm

Sun Apr 13, 2014 6:40 pm

Andy_Petterson wrote:
We-ARE-Walsall wrote:
Andy_Petterson wrote:We played alright yesterday, anyone with eyes can see we're not far from being a decent team. Yes, I know it's frustrating the lack of goals, but it doesn't really matter for the rest of the season now does it.

The usual suspects on here moaning about the tippy tappy football. If anything we don't do it enough. The whole point is that it tires the opposition out mentally and physically.

Of course if we could mix it with some swift counterattacks that would be even better.

Bakayoko looks promising. There were a couple of times he made runs into the corners similar to what Grigg did last season. Good omens.


Not sure if I am a usual suspect, I do have eyes though.

You say the whole idea is it tires the opposition out, but it's not working. The lack of goals is a problem, it shouldn't be ignored. I don't say throw the whole possession game out of the window, it needs adapting though, enhancing whatever you want to call it.

I agree, Bakayoko looks like he could be a useful player, which begs the question why we even signed Ngoo, he's not as bad as some people say, but he's not great, the game time for Bakayoko would have been far more beneficial to him, and possibly the team, even if it was off the bench.


Hi WaW

I didn't have you in mind as usual suspect :D

I think its the situations where we have the ball in the opposition half but they have 8 or 9 men behind the ball. It's these situations where we need the possession football and to keep recycling it. It will pay off, but it takes patience.

I think we are a poor counter attacking side and when we are say 3v3 or 3v4 in the opponents half that's when the sideways stuff is over done.

Wasn't there a chance with Brandy in the first half yesterday, it looked a good chance and just fizzled out? Happens too often.


I agree, counter attacking is a great way of scoring goals if you get good at it. That's when there are the most gaps, but our tempo is so slow, even more so recently, the whole team is back in position by the time we have decided which way the first pass is going.

I don't mean to put a dampener on what Dean has done, he's done a great job, no doubt about it. You can't keep living on it forever though, we had a great opportunity this season to make the play offs, I believe we had an even better one last season, and we blew it both times.

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Re: Bristol City (H) League One 12 Apr, 3.07pm

Sun Apr 13, 2014 7:52 pm

Andy_Petterson wrote:
We-ARE-Walsall wrote:
Andy_Petterson wrote:We played alright yesterday, anyone with eyes can see we're not far from being a decent team. Yes, I know it's frustrating the lack of goals, but it doesn't really matter for the rest of the season now does it.

The usual suspects on here moaning about the tippy tappy football. If anything we don't do it enough. The whole point is that it tires the opposition out mentally and physically.

Of course if we could mix it with some swift counterattacks that would be even better.

Bakayoko looks promising. There were a couple of times he made runs into the corners similar to what Grigg did last season. Good omens.


Not sure if I am a usual suspect, I do have eyes though.

You say the whole idea is it tires the opposition out, but it's not working. The lack of goals is a problem, it shouldn't be ignored. I don't say throw the whole possession game out of the window, it needs adapting though, enhancing whatever you want to call it.

I agree, Bakayoko looks like he could be a useful player, which begs the question why we even signed Ngoo, he's not as bad as some people say, but he's not great, the game time for Bakayoko would have been far more beneficial to him, and possibly the team, even if it was off the bench.


Hi WaW

I didn't have you in mind as usual suspect :D

I think its the situations where we have the ball in the opposition half but they have 8 or 9 men behind the ball. It's these situations where we need the possession football and to keep recycling it. It will pay off, but it takes patience.

I think we are a poor counter attacking side and when we are say 3v3 or 3v4 in the opponents half that's when the sideways stuff is over done.

Wasn't there a chance with Brandy in the first half yesterday, it looked a good chance and just fizzled out? Happens too often.


More often than not, if one of our players gets the ball in the middle and has a chance to counter they run towards the wing and slow down to allow others to catch up.... this allowing the opposition to catch up as well.

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Re: Bristol City (H) League One 12 Apr, 3.07pm

Sun Apr 13, 2014 9:36 pm

How about a rocket up the Arsenal? That might work. :lol:

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Sadders
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Re: Bristol City (H) League One 12 Apr, 3.07pm

Sun Apr 13, 2014 11:54 pm

WFC_Rob wrote:
Sadders wrote:Playing Baxendale wide right is basically like playing with 2 right backs, as literally all he provides is defensive legs.

How wrong you are - he's one of the least defensive-minded players we have. Problem is, all his best football in a Walsall shirt has come when he's played in the middle - a position Romaine Sawyers seems to have a monopoly on at the moment, despite not really doing enough to keep his place.

To be fair, there have been a number of good posts on this thread since yesterday, when the majority seemed to be very rash and making out we're doomed despite the fact that we'd have each given one of our own limbs to be in this position two years ago. I do agree with those who say Smith's got a big summer ahead of him though. We've managed to chase the top six for most of this season with only one striker capable of playing at this level, and it's not rocket science to realise that better use of his budget in the summer, or a more suitable reinforcement than Ngoo, could have proved the difference.

Smith needs to make better use of his limited budget next season. In hindsight, we probably could have done without Purkiss, Hemmings, McQuilkin & Hewitt this year. I wonder what might have happened if we'd sacrificed their salaries to pay for a capable striker and maybe the odd emergency loan to cover injuries or suspensions.


My point wasn't that he intends to be negative, it's just he's so much NOT a right winger it basically means his only use is to cover the full back with his workrate, which in fairness can't be faulted one bit. Sadly, he just isn't a winger. He has no pace, no REAL trickery or low centre of gravity and just looks to drift in when he can. I can literally only remember one time this season where he got the ball out wide, skinned his full back and whipped a peach in and that was against Sheffield United, which we happened to score from.

It's not really his fault, but he needs a very LONG summer period in the gym eating Steak and drinking protein shakes. He really is one of the physically weakest kids I can remember playing for us, he even bounced of Bakayoko in the corner yesterday.

It's a shame to see a good football brain wasted in a position that limits him so much. But would he hold the ball up and retain possession like Sawyers does? Not sure.

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Aldridge_saddler
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Re: Bristol City (H) League One 12 Apr, 3.07pm

Mon Apr 14, 2014 7:08 am

Well spin me sideways and call me Barbara, it wasn't a penalty. Looked stonewall from where I was sitting it makes the decision look all the worse from the referee's point of view.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5fjedazlJM&list=UUq_5VYwAoOvaL4lyGkwoboQ[/youtube]

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aaaae
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Re: Bristol City (H) League One 12 Apr, 3.07pm

Mon Apr 14, 2014 8:53 am

Aldridge_saddler wrote:Well spin me sideways and call me Barbara, it wasn't a penalty. Looked stonewall from where I was sitting it makes the decision look all the worse from the referee's point of view.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5fjedazlJM&list=UUq_5VYwAoOvaL4lyGkwoboQ[/youtube]

The Bristol player got his toe to the ball before Taylor kicks him IMO.

Main problem is we had two chances to clear the ball before that. League 1 defenders trying to play football across their own box, what could possibly go wrong...

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