Swindon Town (H) League One Fri 26 Dec, 3pm

[Exile]

Disappointed at the extent of that defeat, not surprised given the disparate nature of resources at the two clubs. This is one of those games where I wished I picked Walsall for the prediction league, as backing Swindon was an easy point.

Still, onwards and upwards. Will be a serious challenge at the Mongs. Do we have bouncebackability (copyright Baggie twerp ad nauseam)?

[Wragbyred]

Interesting definition of 'support'.

as opposed to what exactly?

Here is my qualification of 'support'

Attend as many matches home and away as I am able - tick
When attending said games always offer encouragement in the form of cheery comments eg 'well played that man', 'good shot/tackle/pass/header/foul etc' -tick
Never boo, jeer or call any of our players 'lazy' apart from referee, officials, opposition players and manager - tick
Encourage others to attend matches regardless of league position - tick
Use any method ie psychological, torture, imprisonment or bribery to convert others to follow Walsall including forcing offspring and all their friends at school - tick
Actively financially support the club by sponsoring games at least once per season - tick
Buy drinks/food at home games including making polite conversation with club officials -tick
Take the piss out of Stafflers on a regular basis - tick


I'll start your list if you wish

Chant Ginger Mourinho/sexy football/Deano Deano give us a wave at regular intervals during the game - tick

You got a lot of ticks there Cully, you need to get down the chemists and get some powder for that!

[bangsection]

Disappointed at the extent of that defeat, not surprised given the disparate nature of resources at the two clubs.

Not sure that's true anymore. Obviously they get more through the gate than us but I doubt they do better than us commercially. But as our Swindon guest says, they've mossively slashed the budget since Andrew Black stopped chucking money at them. Yes, they've got the Spurs and Norwich connection but we've not done too badly out of our ties with Albion over the last few years and Cain's loan shows that Premier League clubs trust us with their kids too.

I'm a big fan of Cooper - I think he's done a great job there. And there's a lot to like about the way his team play. They're a bit like us but as others have said, they have the ruthlessness we lack in spades this season.

[SaigonSaddler]

Yes, but didn't you state that we were doomed, DOOMED for two consecutive seasons only to witness (in presumeably horror) as Smith extracated the team and now has them both playing well and getting results. And all on one of the lowest wage bills in the division.

Point of note - wage bills have a remarkably close correlation with league position. FACT. :wink:

The simple answer is no to your first point. The wage bill is often quoted as an excuse when we're losing or for our lack of success - no one really knows what it is, just saying it is one of the lowest does not mean it is a fact - merely conjecture in the absence of fact. SMITHOUT is responsible for recruitment, he is responsible for the teams results and any extrication from the low points he has created during his time here. Losing or win less runs, tedious, boring, unenterprising play, winning, playing well and undefeated runs are of course wholly down to him and his management not luck, not injuries, not budget. He has had the benefit of a number of home grown players developed by the club, some, not all, down to him when he was youth team manager for which he should take credit. It appears that a number of fans appear to have a blind side when it comes to judging Smith, ignoring the FACTS comes top by a long chalk.

Final fact - What do teachers know about football and why didn't you let me know you were back in the country? You could have been my honoured guest at the Barnsley game :D

Smith took over from Jimmy Muddle mid-season to rescue us from disaster and rectified a poor run to save us again the following year. I seem to recall that you and others in Smith hate group decided to put those positive results down to the alignment Jupiter in Mars and wrote bitterly about how relegation was guaranteed the following season, and the next ... I suppose if it's stated often enough it will eventually come to pass, but how long do you want? Are we getting relegated again this year?

I would steer you to a critically acclaimed book called 'soccernomics' which details how football actually works, including why Germany succeed, why England fail and how there is a remarkably close correlation between player wages and league position. On that basis, Walsall should be somewhere in the top third of league 2. Obviously the fact that we are not is purely due to Mercury opposing Saturn and the use of quartz crystals to ward off an evil gypsy curse. It's certainly nothing to do with Dean Smith, apparently.

Oh, unless something goes wrong, like a misplaced corner, a midfield slip or another team having access to players of considerable talent outside our wage bill, in which instance Smith assumes immediate and complete responsibility.

In a word: LLL(D)LLL

Anyway, I wasn't back for Swindon (a excellent victory engineered by the transit of Neptune in Leo) but landed on the 20th. I'm also here for McDongs, which won't go to, and Coventry, which certainly will. :wink:

[WFC_Rob]

Another few points worth mentioning following yesterday's game.

- Smith could have quite easily hauled Henry off after an hour for damage limitation, but I'm glad he didn't. Taking him off in front of 5,000 home fans would have damaged his confidence way more than another half an hour's struggle would have done.
- Who cheered the Sawyers substitution? About time those morons were put down.
- Rarely happens, but O'Donnell's positioning for the second goal was about as bad as the defending in front of him.
- On the subject of O'Donnell, the Luongo clash was a 50-50 both players had every right to go for. Never a red card despite the appeals from the crowd, although I wish the ref had got that one wrong as Luongo went on to run the game for them.
- When's Dale Moon going to be given half a chance to actually do his job properly in the Stadium Suite? Yet another cringeworthy microphone debacle yesterday.

[PT]

- Who cheered the Sawyers substitution?

Romaine Sawyers. Looked and played like he wanted off, especially when the snow started.

One thing nobody has mentioned that I was talking about BEFORE yesterday's game was Smith's insistence on trusting the players on Christmas Day and not having them in. Last year against an awful Bristol City team we just didn't show up and this year we were physically better but made loads of unforced errors suggesting we weren't mentally at it.

Smith will reference the Sheff Wed game from the season before but I'm not sure a deflection from Claude Gnapka and a miss-hit from Manny is reason to forever trust blokes between the ages of 17 and 33 with being responsible on a day when everyone around them is gorging themselves on food and ale.

[pumajaguar]

A few people saying Henry should have been take off, but would you trust Benning to do a better job? I'm not sure I would.

Swindon capitalised ruthlessly, and deserved credit for that, but we gave them that game in the first 20 minutes of the second half. No two ways about it.

[saddlerbishoff]

Hard to be very critical after such a solid run of matches and yesterday was a combination of circumstances (poor individual performances, second half snowstorm, very good opposition keeper) and we were well in it in the first half with some missed chances. It's the first time in a long while when the back 4/5 looked so nervous and unsure even in the first half. Was that Christmas pudding or just one of those things?
I have a lot of time for Deano and the football philosophy and his comments after each game are honest and open unlike many managers. Equally his team selections and ability to know when to drop a player are again pretty good.
I do think however that he needs to be more brutal with selection sometimes. For the Swindon game he dropped Baxi – the right decision after his inept performance at Sheffield – but IMO two matches too late. How he could not select Forde over him earlier is strange. At Sheffield we played with 9 men as (once again) Sawyers was poor and the 9 did very well.
Sawyers is an enigma and a waste of a shirt and adds value once in every 8 games or so if the temperature is above 15 degrees and it isn't raining. He can't tackle, can't head a ball, can't close down a player, can't block and his work rate is laughable at this level. He is a luxury that we can't afford and he must be a nightmare to play alongside. He hasn't improved those parts of his game in the last two seasons and probably never will. Flicks and tricks are fine if you are 3-0 up and coasting. Would rather see someone like Flanagan making up the 11 men on the field.
ROD – has made great strides in recent months towards Wacka status but Wacka at his best would have stopped at least one of the second half goals I think. 5.
Purkiss – probably the most improved player in recent months and MOTM for me in many of those games. Yesterday not quite at that level. 5.
Chambers J. - been very good lately but yesterday not at that level. 5.
Downing – worst performance for a long time. A real mare. From the first goal when he was asleep he struggled for the rest. In the first half he was off the pace and gave balls away and gave corners away for no reason. His performance rubbed off onto the others. 2.
Henry – did OK considering everything. I like the way he doesn't dive into a tackle and he is good on the ground. Improved in the second half unlike some of the rest. 6.
Cain – He is classy and works hard. Unlucky not to score on a couple of occasions. Proves that Deano can work the loan market well. 7.
Forde – he does get better and works hard. Just would like him to take his man on more often when going forward before crossing. 6.
Chambers A – always works hard and leads by example. 7.
Cook – has been steadily getting better in recent games and proving he is a very good player at this level. Had some promising positions and chances in the first half that he got wrong and from that point lost his complete confidence. He disappeared in the second half. 5.
Sawyers – waste of a shirt – not just in this game but in most games. The opposition must rub their hands in glee when they see his name on the team sheet. 1.
Bradshaw – a class act and the best signing the club have done in many years. Not just a very good player that causes the opposition a problem but works so hard for the team. His strike rate in front of goal is of the highest class. 9.
Subs
Manset – has played OK once (Sheffield Utd in PaintPot) so far presumably for the cameras. His sub appearances are usually pointless as he makes little impact. Stick him in the reserves until he walks out on his contract. Would far rather see Bakayoko in the squad picking up experience and adding some value.
Grimes – did Ok as he did at Sheffield when he came on for a few minutes. Took his (disallowed) goal well.
We need to get a solid point at MK at least.

[Leatherman]

Apart from letting in the early goal I thought we did pretty well against a team close to the top of the table and playing with confidence. I also expected them to come at us after losing to Doncaster last time out so I wasn't entirely surprised when we went one nil down.

I was really looking forward to the second half and was still optimistic when they when 2-1 up from our corner. I was still not overly worried when they made it 3-1 from Bradshaw taking on their defence near the byline in the 18 yard box as we had looked capable of scoring on a few occasions. However, it wasn't to be and as they grew in confidence we looked disheartened and pretty much gave up.

Other points:
The 50/50 ball that Resulted in a booking for their player was never a sending off. Their player went for it as that's what he should have done and O'Donnell made a brave and successful save which was expected of him - more of this type of commitment for me please.

All things considered, I thought Henry did well. When Smith goes over the DVD with him he will learn from it - looks as keen as mustard.

MoM? The element in the crowd who sang "Where's Richard O'Donnell?" when the snow falling was at it's heaviest. It's hard to laugh when you have your head in your hands. Cheers lads; more at Franchise please.
P.S. I thiought Grimes took his "goal" well. Controversial I know, but I'd give him more time.

[WFC_Rob]

- Who cheered the Sawyers substitution?

Romaine Sawyers. Looked and played like he wanted off, especially when the snow started.

You genuinely think he deserved to be cheered off then? He didn't play very well, but you could say exactly the same for five or six of his teammates.

It doesn't seem right to me that the substitution of Sawyers gets cheered, yet others who've made far less of a contribution prompt nothing other than plain indifference.

Take your point about giving the players Christmas Day off though. Would be interesting to compare Swindon's preparation for yesterday's game.

[Sadsfan]

Yes, but didn't you state that we were doomed, DOOMED for two consecutive seasons only to witness (in presumeably horror) as Smith extracated the team and now has them both playing well and getting results. And all on one of the lowest wage bills in the division.

Point of note - wage bills have a remarkably close correlation with league position. FACT. :wink:

The simple answer is no to your first point. The wage bill is often quoted as an excuse when we're losing or for our lack of success - no one really knows what it is, just saying it is one of the lowest does not mean it is a fact - merely conjecture in the absence of fact. SMITHOUT is responsible for recruitment, he is responsible for the teams results and any extrication from the low points he has created during his time here. Losing or win less runs, tedious, boring, unenterprising play, winning, playing well and undefeated runs are of course wholly down to him and his management not luck, not injuries, not budget. He has had the benefit of a number of home grown players developed by the club, some, not all, down to him when he was youth team manager for which he should take credit. It appears that a number of fans appear to have a blind side when it comes to judging Smith, ignoring the FACTS comes top by a long chalk.

Final fact - What do teachers know about football and why didn't you let me know you were back in the country? You could have been my honoured guest at the Barnsley game :D

Smith took over from Jimmy Muddle mid-season to rescue us from disaster and rectified a poor run to save us again the following year. I seem to recall that you and others in Smith hate group decided to put those positive results down to the alignment Jupiter in Mars and wrote bitterly about how relegation was guaranteed the following season, and the next ... I suppose if it's stated often enough it will eventually come to pass, but how long do you want? Are we getting relegated again this year?

I would steer you to a critically acclaimed book called 'soccernomics' which details how football actually works, including why Germany succeed, why England fail and how there is a remarkably close correlation between player wages and league position. On that basis, Walsall should be somewhere in the top third of league 2. Obviously the fact that we are not is purely due to Mercury opposing Saturn and the use of quartz crystals to ward off an evil gypsy curse. It's certainly nothing to do with Dean Smith, apparently.

Oh, unless something goes wrong, like a misplaced corner, a midfield slip or another team having access to players of considerable talent outside our wage bill, in which instance Smith assumes immediate and complete responsibility.

In a word: LLL(D)LLL

Anyway, I wasn't back for Swindon (a excellent victory engineered by the transit of Neptune in Leo) but landed on the 20th. I'm also here for McDongs, which won't go to, and Coventry, which certainly will. :wink:

Well I'm a teacher and I know that Smith took over from Chrish Hutchings and not Jimmy Muddle. :wink:

[JonnyOwen]

Sawyers – waste of a shirt – not just in this game but in most games. The opposition must rub their hands in glee when they see his name on the team sheet. 1.

Really? I felt he ran the game in the first half and was one of the main reasons we attacked so well and got the equaliser. Second half he was non existent you're right, but waste of a shirt? Not a chance. Poor vs UTD but I felt that was the first poor performance in a while.

[SaigonSaddler]

Yes, but didn't you state that we were doomed, DOOMED for two consecutive seasons only to witness (in presumeably horror) as Smith extracated the team and now has them both playing well and getting results. And all on one of the lowest wage bills in the division.

Point of note - wage bills have a remarkably close correlation with league position. FACT. :wink:

The simple answer is no to your first point. The wage bill is often quoted as an excuse when we're losing or for our lack of success - no one really knows what it is, just saying it is one of the lowest does not mean it is a fact - merely conjecture in the absence of fact. SMITHOUT is responsible for recruitment, he is responsible for the teams results and any extrication from the low points he has created during his time here. Losing or win less runs, tedious, boring, unenterprising play, winning, playing well and undefeated runs are of course wholly down to him and his management not luck, not injuries, not budget. He has had the benefit of a number of home grown players developed by the club, some, not all, down to him when he was youth team manager for which he should take credit. It appears that a number of fans appear to have a blind side when it comes to judging Smith, ignoring the FACTS comes top by a long chalk.

Final fact - What do teachers know about football and why didn't you let me know you were back in the country? You could have been my honoured guest at the Barnsley game :D

Smith took over from Jimmy Muddle mid-season to rescue us from disaster and rectified a poor run to save us again the following year. I seem to recall that you and others in Smith hate group decided to put those positive results down to the alignment Jupiter in Mars and wrote bitterly about how relegation was guaranteed the following season, and the next ... I suppose if it's stated often enough it will eventually come to pass, but how long do you want? Are we getting relegated again this year?

I would steer you to a critically acclaimed book called 'soccernomics' which details how football actually works, including why Germany succeed, why England fail and how there is a remarkably close correlation between player wages and league position. On that basis, Walsall should be somewhere in the top third of league 2. Obviously the fact that we are not is purely due to Mercury opposing Saturn and the use of quartz crystals to ward off an evil gypsy curse. It's certainly nothing to do with Dean Smith, apparently.

Oh, unless something goes wrong, like a misplaced corner, a midfield slip or another team having access to players of considerable talent outside our wage bill, in which instance Smith assumes immediate and complete responsibility.

In a word: LLL(D)LLL

Anyway, I wasn't back for Swindon (a excellent victory engineered by the transit of Neptune in Leo) but landed on the 20th. I'm also here for McDongs, which won't go to, and Coventry, which certainly will. :wink:

Well I'm a teacher and I know that Smith took over from Chrish Hutchings and not Jimmy Muddle. :wink:

Teachers are allowed to deliberate mistakes in order to test their students. 8)


This wasn't one of them. :oops:

[Cooperman]

- Who cheered the Sawyers substitution?

. Would be interesting to compare Swindon's preparation for yesterday's game.

Swindon fan in peace our boys were in for 3 hours on Christmas day . The first half was the most pressure we have been under since MK Dons away if you can replicate that then I think a Play Off spot is not out of the question. Good luck tomorrow against the Dongs hopefully you can get at least a point.

[latviancheese]

Sawyers managed to sum himself up perfectly yesterday.

Ran the game for most of the first half, some of his passing was brilliant. Second half he was shocking. When your playing like crap you need to put some effort in to try and get back in it. He couldnt be arsed, there are no excuses for giving up, think a few others did too. Sawyers was no worse than Forde.

[Ancient Moaner]

Cannot believe that some individuals on here are giving us a chance at the Dongs?
One of the most embarrassing defeats I have witnessed on home soil for years...they just gave up, yeah it was snowin, it was cold, and yesterdays cringle pud was weighing heavy, but at least try to minimise the embarrassment of your fans...pleeease, The conditions were just as difficult for Swindon, but at least they were 'up for it'!
Defence, what defence? the only 'defence' we can contribute against the Dongs tomorrow, is to build breezeblock walls between the sticks....VERY quickly.
Sad day of utter disappointment, I thought these 'players' had more about 'em than to give up without so much as a whimper.
Yes, Swindon are a good side and will probably be 'there or thereabouts' at the end, but that second half was one of the easiest practice matches they have ever encountered. :(

[Jolly Johnny]

- When's Dale Moon going to be given half a chance to actually do his job properly in the Stadium Suite? Yet another cringeworthy microphone debacle yesterday.

Yeah, was a bit of a cock up, that. But he didn't help himself by standing with a wireless mic in front of some speakers - all that does is create a big loop of sound and hence the feedback that he kept experiencing.
When my brother went over to explain this to him and try to help, e.g. by suggesting that he stands on the stage, or just perch against the stage so that he isn't directly in front of speakers, he apparently wouldn't listen, and said that he was told it was due to the video / sky footage being on the same frequency as the microphone and that's why it was interferring (well change the mic freq then!!).

Seems some audio visual training would be useful at the Bonks's's too!

[IHTC.]

Cannot believe that some individuals on here are giving us a chance at the Dongs?
One of the most embarrassing defeats I have witnessed on home soil for years...they just gave up, yeah it was snowin, it was cold, and yesterdays cringle pud was weighing heavy, but at least try to minimise the embarrassment of your fans...pleeease, The conditions were just as difficult for Swindon, but at least they were 'up for it'!
Defence, what defence? the only 'defence' we can contribute against the Dongs tomorrow, is to build breezeblock walls between the sticks....VERY quickly.
Sad day of utter disappointment, I thought these 'players' had more about 'em than to give up without so much as a whimper.
Yes, Swindon are a good side and will probably be 'there or thereabouts' at the end, but that second half was one of the easiest practice matches they have ever encountered. :(

Tomorrow's game is one of those where amateur gamblers will add to every accumulator possible as a home banker, Walsall fans and professional gamblers will know the likes of us and Crewe tend to be coupon busters on a regular occasion

Head says a 2-0 or 3-1 defeat but heart says a battling 1-1 draw.

[Blackheath Saddler]

Its a sign we've lost this thread as had more comments than the Barnsley one and it was only posted christmas eve :lol:

[PT]

- Who cheered the Sawyers substitution?

Romaine Sawyers. Looked and played like he wanted off, especially when the snow started.

You genuinely think he deserved to be cheered off then? He didn't play very well, but you could say exactly the same for five or six of his teammates.

It doesn't seem right to me that the substitution of Sawyers gets cheered, yet others who've made far less of a contribution prompt nothing other than plain indifference.

Take your point about giving the players Christmas Day off though. Would be interesting to compare Swindon's preparation for yesterday's game.

I agree mate. I'd never cheer a substitution like that and never jeer or boo our own players but at the same time wouldn't universally berate those who do. We haven't got enough paying punters to start being picky about how people show their support so long as it doesn't cross certain lines and booing doesn't cross those lines.

You're right about him being no worse than others but he was probably the pick of those who fancied it less and less as the weather deteriorated.

Our Swindon friend tells us above that they did three hours training on Christmas Day. I always hear about how professional sport is about those small advantages and that may have been the 5 - 10 per cent advantage that they gleaned through their festive session while our lads were " relaxing"

[SaigonSaddler]

Cannot believe that some individuals on here are giving us a chance at the Dongs?
One of the most embarrassing defeats I have witnessed on home soil for years...they just gave up, yeah it was snowin, it was cold, and yesterdays cringle pud was weighing heavy, but at least try to minimise the embarrassment of your fans...pleeease, The conditions were just as difficult for Swindon, but at least they were 'up for it'!
Defence, what defence? the only 'defence' we can contribute against the Dongs tomorrow, is to build breezeblock walls between the sticks....VERY quickly.
Sad day of utter disappointment, I thought these 'players' had more about 'em than to give up without so much as a whimper.
Yes, Swindon are a good side and will probably be 'there or thereabouts' at the end, but that second half was one of the easiest practice matches they have ever encountered. :(

Utter
And
Garbage

:lol:

Did you even attend? Football isn't played by robots. Massive amounts of hyperbole in that little tantrum. Awful.

[Big Dave wfc]

Cannot believe that some individuals on here are giving us a chance at the Dongs?
One of the most embarrassing defeats I have witnessed on home soil for years...they just gave up, yeah it was snowin, it was cold, and yesterdays cringle pud was weighing heavy, but at least try to minimise the embarrassment of your fans...pleeease, The conditions were just as difficult for Swindon, but at least they were 'up for it'!
Defence, what defence? the only 'defence' we can contribute against the Dongs tomorrow, is to build breezeblock walls between the sticks....VERY quickly.
Sad day of utter disappointment, I thought these 'players' had more about 'em than to give up without so much as a whimper.
Yes, Swindon are a good side and will probably be 'there or thereabouts' at the end, but that second half was one of the easiest practice matches they have ever encountered. :(

Why don't we stand a chance, who thought Crewe would beat Bristol City?

No wonder the atmosphere is dead at home with that kind of approach

[SaigonSaddler]

Cannot believe that some individuals on here are giving us a chance at the Dongs?
One of the most embarrassing defeats I have witnessed on home soil for years...they just gave up, yeah it was snowin, it was cold, and yesterdays cringle pud was weighing heavy, but at least try to minimise the embarrassment of your fans...pleeease, The conditions were just as difficult for Swindon, but at least they were 'up for it'!
Defence, what defence? the only 'defence' we can contribute against the Dongs tomorrow, is to build breezeblock walls between the sticks....VERY quickly.
Sad day of utter disappointment, I thought these 'players' had more about 'em than to give up without so much as a whimper.
Yes, Swindon are a good side and will probably be 'there or thereabouts' at the end, but that second half was one of the easiest practice matches they have ever encountered. :(

Why don't we stand a chance, who thought Crewe would beat Bristol City?

No wonder the atmosphere is dead at home with that kind of approach

Pass the cyanide ffs. :D

[aaaae]

Our Swindon friend tells us above that they did three hours training on Christmas Day. I always hear about how professional sport is about those small advantages and that may have been the 5 - 10 per cent advantage that they gleaned through their festive session while our lads were " relaxing"

Sport, but particularly football, is packed with perceived wisdoms. Sometimes, rarely, you can go against them and come out on top, but more often than not go against them and you end up looking like a right plonker.

One that springs to mind is never criticise your players in public. When Phil Brown berated his Hull team on the pitch at half time you could tell his days were numbered. There are lots of other examples.

Let's hope Smith doesn't give his players Christmas day off again.

[IHTC.]

Our Swindon friend tells us above that they did three hours training on Christmas Day. I always hear about how professional sport is about those small advantages and that may have been the 5 - 10 per cent advantage that they gleaned through their festive session while our lads were " relaxing"

Sport, but particularly football, is packed with perceived wisdoms. Sometimes, rarely, you can go against them and come out on top, but more often than not go against them and you end up looking like a right plonker.

One that springs to mind is never criticise your players in public. When Phil Brown berated his Hull team on the pitch at half time you could tell his days were numbered. There are lots of other examples.

Let's hope Smith doesn't give his players Christmas day off again.

might be sacked by then

[Blackheath Saddler]

Our Swindon friend tells us above that they did three hours training on Christmas Day. I always hear about how professional sport is about those small advantages and that may have been the 5 - 10 per cent advantage that they gleaned through their festive session while our lads were " relaxing"

Sport, but particularly football, is packed with perceived wisdoms. Sometimes, rarely, you can go against them and come out on top, but more often than not go against them and you end up looking like a right plonker.

One that springs to mind is never criticise your players in public. When Phil Brown berated his Hull team on the pitch at half time you could tell his days were numbered. There are lots of other examples.

Let's hope Smith doesn't give his players Christmas day off again.

Our Swindon friend tells us above that they did three hours training on Christmas Day. I always hear about how professional sport is about those small advantages and that may have been the 5 - 10 per cent advantage that they gleaned through their festive session while our lads were " relaxing"

Sport, but particularly football, is packed with perceived wisdoms. Sometimes, rarely, you can go against them and come out on top, but more often than not go against them and you end up looking like a right plonker.

One that springs to mind is never criticise your players in public. When Phil Brown berated his Hull team on the pitch at half time you could tell his days were numbered. There are lots of other examples.

Let's hope Smith doesn't give his players Christmas day off again.

might be sacked by then

More like signed an 18 month contract by then









:lol:



might be sacked by then

[reedswood sadler]

latvians report excellent agree with every word obviosly went to game unlike some of the moaners who slate smith and the team without actually seeing the games. sawyers will always divide opinion very clever player but can be idle and yesterday was rubbish did not want to know and i am a fan but cannot defend that performance .had to laugh at fans by me who cheered when he was subed only to see grimes come on

[Cully]

Yes, but didn't you state that we were doomed, DOOMED for two consecutive seasons only to witness (in presumeably horror) as Smith extracated the team and now has them both playing well and getting results. And all on one of the lowest wage bills in the division.

Point of note - wage bills have a remarkably close correlation with league position. FACT. :wink:

The simple answer is no to your first point. The wage bill is often quoted as an excuse when we're losing or for our lack of success - no one really knows what it is, just saying it is one of the lowest does not mean it is a fact - merely conjecture in the absence of fact. SMITHOUT is responsible for recruitment, he is responsible for the teams results and any extrication from the low points he has created during his time here. Losing or win less runs, tedious, boring, unenterprising play, winning, playing well and undefeated runs are of course wholly down to him and his management not luck, not injuries, not budget. He has had the benefit of a number of home grown players developed by the club, some, not all, down to him when he was youth team manager for which he should take credit. It appears that a number of fans appear to have a blind side when it comes to judging Smith, ignoring the FACTS comes top by a long chalk.

Final fact - What do teachers know about football and why didn't you let me know you were back in the country? You could have been my honoured guest at the Barnsley game :D

Smith took over from Jimmy Muddle mid-season to rescue us from disaster and rectified a poor run to save us again the following year. I seem to recall that you and others in Smith hate group decided to put those positive results down to the alignment Jupiter in Mars and wrote bitterly about how relegation was guaranteed the following season, and the next ... I suppose if it's stated often enough it will eventually come to pass, but how long do you want? Are we getting relegated again this year?

I would steer you to a critically acclaimed book called 'soccernomics' which details how football actually works, including why Germany succeed, why England fail and how there is a remarkably close correlation between player wages and league position. On that basis, Walsall should be somewhere in the top third of league 2. Obviously the fact that we are not is purely due to Mercury opposing Saturn and the use of quartz crystals to ward off an evil gypsy curse. It's certainly nothing to do with Dean Smith, apparently.

Oh, unless something goes wrong, like a misplaced corner, a midfield slip or another team having access to players of considerable talent outside our wage bill, in which instance Smith assumes immediate and complete responsibility.

In a word: LLL(D)LLL

Anyway, I wasn't back for Swindon (a excellent victory engineered by the transit of Neptune in Leo) but landed on the 20th. I'm also here for McDongs, which won't go to, and Coventry, which certainly will. :wink:

Oh dear, I assume you posted in haste and now regret at leisure :D

No other words necessary apart from changing the steering wheel you've used to navigate your way around understanding the subtleties of a football match.

I recommend using a bag of lucky pigs knuckles for your predictions..........works every time for me :D

See you at the Coventry match, I shall be waving the large SMITHOUT banner just behind the dugout.

[IHTC.]

latvians report excellent agree with every word obviosly went to game unlike some of the moaners who slate smith and the team without actually seeing the games. sawyers will always divide opinion very clever player but can be idle and yesterday was rubbish did not want to know and i am a fan but cannot defend that performance .had to laugh at fans by me who cheered when he was subed only to see grimes come on

Some happy clappers praise the team without even going.

[JonnyOwen]

latvians report excellent agree with every word obviosly went to game unlike some of the moaners who slate smith and the team without actually seeing the games. sawyers will always divide opinion very clever player but can be idle and yesterday was rubbish did not want to know and i am a fan but cannot defend that performance .had to laugh at fans by me who cheered when he was subed only to see grimes come on

Some happy clappers praise the team without even going.

Source?