Crewe Alexandra (H) League One, Sat 18 Oct, 3pm

[IHTC.]

We were out-thought, out-muscled and generally out-enthused by a Crewe side that looked nothing like their bottom-of-the-table position implied.

I thought Crewe were poor and looked very much like a struggling team. The only reason they didn't look like their bottom-of-the-table position was because there was a team worse than them on the pitch, but they are no great shakes. Crewe, Walsall, Colchester and Scunthorpe look like the bottom four to me. Obviously being up against the big budgets of those three means that we're doing really well just to be competing.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Sadders]

Scunthorpe are being bankrolled, in the words of their own chairman 'this is the largest budget we've ever had in league one' and named it as being a reason why Wilcox was sacked. Otherwise, no defence for this result. Awful, against an awful team who will either be relegated or need to final few weeks to avoid it.

Sort it out Dean and sharpish.

[tinned]

Obviously being up against the big budgets of those three means that we're doing really well just to be competing.

:mrgreen: We can't possibly expect to live in such exalted company. In fact we should bow down and tug our forelock and apologise for even presuming to do so.

[Cheesebag]

We were out-thought, out-muscled and generally out-enthused by a Crewe side that looked nothing like their bottom-of-the-table position implied.

I thought Crewe were poor and looked very much like a struggling team. The only reason they didn't look like their bottom-of-the-table position was because there was a team worse than them on the pitch, but they are no great shakes. Crewe, Walsall, Colchester and Scunthorpe look like the bottom four to me. Obviously being up against the big budgets of those three means that we're doing really well just to be competing.

Nothing like their bottom of the table position implied!!!!! they were fudge awful

[tinned]

Gotta agree. We made a piss poor side look almost decent in comparison to the utter drivel we tried to pass off as football.

[philthesaddler]

How on earth Purkiss got MOTM, I do not know.

He was part of a defence that looked shakey against the bottom team in the league, and couldn't cross a bridge.

At one point in the second half he had what was effectively a dead ball in the corner, only to tamely lob it in to the keepers hands (in fact, it nearly went out of play it was that bad). It's a telling sign of the apathy that Walsall fans have that the chap next to me said "you can't expect a right back to be able to cross the ball"...Well, considering our effin full backs are the only people to cross the ball in our team, you'd expect it's pretty much a prerequisite!

As others have said, strange team selection.

Cook is finally fit, so rather than play him in his preferred position (inside forward, right), he plays him upfront on his own, while he keeps another of his signings (Manset, a forward) on the bench. Then to top it off, he plays Benning at the inside left forward position - a position he has never played adequately in, nor shown any aptitude to play in.

At the start, we had 4, yes, 4 full backs on the pitch (Purkiss, Chambers, Taylor, Benning).

Flanagan, clearly isn't ready - looks ok, but he was just shrugged off the ball too often.

This is all down to Smith, not enough quality, not enough balance in the squad.

I'll put my money where my mouth is now - I'll have a £20 bet with anyone who cares to take it, that Smith wont last the season, he's lost the plot, and by the looks of the performances on Saturday and the gesticulations at the final whistle, he's losing the dressing room.