MK Dons (A) League One Sunday 28 Dec, 3pm

[SoccerHQ]

Two pages, where there thousands at Franchise today or something?! :lol:

Brilliant result, loved it when Walsall smash that fraud of a club. Going to be an interesting second half of the season methinks as long as Bradshaw stays fit.

Edit: Anything you want to say Ancient Moaner? :wink:

[Welsh_Saddler]

Unbelievable scoreline :D :shock: :lol:

I would imagine the SMITHOUT brigade might be somewhat restrained tonight......

Bumpety-bump.

[SoccerHQ]

Unbelievable scoreline :D :shock: :lol:

I would imagine the SMITHOUT brigade might be somewhat restrained tonight......

Won't see them to the 0-1 defeat to Coventry methinks. :D

[Welsh_Saddler]

A reminder that the Football League Show is at 11.55pm tonight, on BBC1. :D

[boringteacher]

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..


bet there's no 6 pages of fudge cack tonight.


Well done boys :D :D :D :D

[SaigonSaddler]

Unbelievable scoreline :D :shock: :lol:

I would imagine the SMITHOUT brigade might be somewhat restrained tonight......

Won't see them to the 0-1 defeat to Coventry methinks. :D

Can you hear the moaners moan?
No, nooo
Can you hear the moaners moan?
No, nooooo

:D :D :D

[IHTC.]

Unbelievable scoreline :D :shock: :lol:

I would imagine the SMITHOUT brigade might be somewhat restrained tonight......

Bumpety-bump.

Walsall won so regardless whether you want Smith in/out everyone should be happy.

3 points off Playoffs, 2 games from Wembley, I definately stick by my Smithout thread at the time as 4 wins in 34 (or thereabouts and questions needed to be asked) was shocking but recently things have improved alot so Smith obviously has to stay.

I do worry about what will happen if Bradshaw gets injured again, Manset and Grimes are simply not good enough.

[Cooperman]

Well done I don't know why but I had a feeling you would do the dongs today, I still think you could grab a play off spot good luck for the rest of the season except 21st March :wink:

[bigbadsad]

Well done I don't know why but I had a feeling you would do the dongs today, I still think you could grab a play off spot good luck for the rest of the season except 21st March :wink:

cheers mate though we wont be playing on the 21st of march as we are att Wembley that weekend :wink:

[MILO5]

We don't play on March 21 st .

We play on March 22 . AT WEMBLEY .

[Tom_1992]

I was really pessimistic before the game today, but what a performance!

We rode our luck a bit at the start of the second half but in the end I think it was 3 very well deserved points!!

O'Donnell: Solid, dealt with what he had to confortably.

O'Connor: One slip at the start of the second half but other than that very solid, be interesting to see who Smith starts against Coventry.

Downing and J.Chambers: Back to their best, comfortable in possession and cometely nullified the threat of Grigg.

Taylor: Rico has done great since he came in, but I think we look a lot more solid with Taylor in the team.

Forde: Lively, hope he kicks on from here and cements his place in the team.

A.Chambers: My man of the match, absolutley superb! Dominated probably the best midfield in the league and even ventured forward a few times aswell!

Cain: Solid again and very good on the ball, it says a lot that we haven't really missed last year's player of the season...

Cook: Another good game, I think after missing pre-season we are seeing the best of him. ( And to think some people were saying he's a League Two player at best...)

Sawyers: Wasn't really in the game during the first half and should have played a better pass through to Bradshaw on one occasion, but he grew in confidence and showed what a good player he is at this level.

Bradshaw: What can you say, he is just brilliant! Fair play to Smith for letting Westcarr go and bringing Tommy in, what a masterstroke!

Roll on the Rent Dodgers!

[Cowshed]

Disappointed I couldn't go today as the family are up in Edinburgh

Saw both pandas awake today at the zoo something not enjoyed by 90 per cent of visitors

Pandas are a symbol of good luck in china

2 shocks today pandas are actually smaller than I thought and the Saddlers big away win

Car mone

[aaaae]

We could have won by 6 today. Great performance. I'm guessing that Smith had them in for training yesterday....

[Neuromantic]

Well I hope people certainly don't think I am in the Smithout camp. Whilst I did think his time may have been up in September (4 wins out of 36 or whatever it was) - what he has done since has been fantastic. However... whilst it's a great turn around, I hate to say that I predict a downfall again due to some of his tactical errors and in-game management. I really don't hope that is true but it's just my estimation/prediction.

I can't speak for others, but as I have said countless times before - Smith is one of us and I want him to to get better and improve us. If he continues to do that then superb! Why would I or anyone else want us to fail? It makes no sense.

I am currently in Edinburgh and when I heard the result, I was shouting, heads were turning and we are the greatest team in the world.

UTS

[Neuromantic]

We could have won by 6 today. Great performance. I'm guessing that Smith had them in for training yesterday....

:mrgreen: Most certainly yes :mrgreen:

[philthesaddler]

Good performance, with a hefty slice of luck in the 4th minute which played right in to our hands.

From then on all we had to do was soak up the pressure and hit them on the break. For the rest of the first half they had a lot of the ball, but we stood firm. Grigg rarely threatened, nor did bowditch thanks to the fact that our two excellent fullbacks starved their forwards of any decent service.

2nd half they started well as expected, but we stood firm, and as their desperation grew, they left huge gaps at the back, again playing in to our hands and allowing us to hit them on the break. Aside from Bradshaws two goals, Cook came very close twice and Forde was guilty of wasting another couple of good breaks.

Smash and grab? Yes, but mk dons were surprisingly poor.

If we'd not got that early goal, we'd have struggled, but it gave us a platform to play to our strength away from home.

I thought o'Connor was superb, barely put a foot wrong, same for Taylor and the Chambers brothers.

Cook and Forde enjoyed the large pitch with space to run, and Sawyers, after a poor first half, started to find space in the 2nd and improved.

Cain was solid without being spectacular and Bradshaw was in the right place at the right time, and nearly had a 3rd.

Don't understand why their keeper wasn't sent off as we scored our second, he deliberately handled the ball outside the area trying to prevent a goal scoring opportunity, thankfully Bradshaw still scored, but the keeper was only given a yellow card. The ref was generally poor, showing a lot of inconsistency.

A word for the stadium, it is excellent, probably the best I've ever been to. Roomy, comfortable, great views, and when more than a quarter full, the atmosphere must be great. How I wish we had a ground like that, and such a shame that a club that shouldn't exist has a ground like that.

[philthesaddler]

Well I hope people certainly don't think I am in the Smithout camp. Whilst I did think his time may have been up in September (4 wins out of 36 or whatever it was) - what he has done since has been fantastic. However... whilst it's a great turn around, I hate to say that I predict a downfall again due to some of his tactical errors and in-game management. I really don't hope that is true but it's just my estimation/prediction.

I can't speak for others, but as I have said countless times before - Smith is one of us and I want him to to get better and improve us. If he continues to do that then superb! Why would I or anyone else want us to fail? It makes no sense.

I am currently in Edinburgh and when I heard the result, I was shouting, heads were turning and we are the greatest team in the world.

UTS

Why the need for polarisation?

Personally, I don't think Smith will ever amount to anything more than an average manager, and will never get us anywhere near the playoffs.

For every good performance, there is an equally dire one, and what's left is bore draws.

If we'd have been 6th or 7th going in to the Boxing Day game that result would have been a massive disappointment but because we're mediocre, and that mediocrity is accepted, the result was accepted with a shrug.

[SoccerHQ]

Well I hope people certainly don't think I am in the Smithout camp. Whilst I did think his time may have been up in September (4 wins out of 36 or whatever it was) - what he has done since has been fantastic. However... whilst it's a great turn around, I hate to say that I predict a downfall again due to some of his tactical errors and in-game management. I really don't hope that is true but it's just my estimation/prediction.

I can't speak for others, but as I have said countless times before - Smith is one of us and I want him to to get better and improve us. If he continues to do that then superb! Why would I or anyone else want us to fail? It makes no sense.

I am currently in Edinburgh and when I heard the result, I was shouting, heads were turning and we are the greatest team in the world.

UTS

To me it always seems logical to judge a manager mid season. Of course there are exceptions like Irvine at WBA who you knew was a terrible appointment from the word go and now results are reflecting it on a weekly basis.

But yeah September is September. Many teams look rubbish then and get things together as the months go on.

I do remember saying with the lack of goals which was a justifiable criticism of the team and manager- judge it when Cook, Sawyers and Bradshaw are the front trio. At the time Bradshaw was having one of his spells out and Cook hadn't played a minute. Now they're all fit and there are at last goals in this time.

Would be so much better if Mantom can get some luck and play a bit in the second half of the season. Worth noting we're at the halfway point of the season, 3 points off the play offs without one of the best box to box midfielders in the division hardly playing a game so far.

[aaaae]

Good performance, with a hefty slice of luck in the 4th minute which played right in to our hands.

From then on all we had to do was soak up the pressure and hit them on the break. For the rest of the first half they had a lot of the ball, but we stood firm. Grigg rarely threatened, nor did bowditch thanks to the fact that our two excellent fullbacks starved their forwards of any decent service.

2nd half they started well as expected, but we stood firm, and as their desperation grew, they left huge gaps at the back, again playing in to our hands and allowing us to hit them on the break. Aside from Bradshaws two goals, Cook came very close twice and Forde was guilty of wasting another couple of good breaks.

Smash and grab? Yes, but mk dons were surprisingly poor.

If we'd not got that early goal, we'd have struggled, but it gave us a platform to play to our strength away from home.

I thought o'Connor was superb, barely put a foot wrong, same for Taylor and the Chambers brothers.

Cook and Forde enjoyed the large pitch with space to run, and Sawyers, after a poor first half, started to find space in the 2nd and improved.

Cain was solid without being spectacular and Bradshaw was in the right place at the right time, and nearly had a 3rd.

Don't understand why their keeper wasn't sent off as we scored our second, he deliberately handled the ball outside the area trying to prevent a goal scoring opportunity, thankfully Bradshaw still scored, but the keeper was only given a yellow card. The ref was generally poor, showing a lot of inconsistency.

A word for the stadium, it is excellent, probably the best I've ever been to. Roomy, comfortable, great views, and when more than a quarter full, the atmosphere must be great. How I wish we had a ground like that, and such a shame that a club that shouldn't exist has a ground like that.

We need teams to come at us to be at our best and MK played just the way that suits us. Grigg was a big disappointment today I thought. Our defenders had him in their pockets. If I was their manager I'd have taken him off.

The ground is great, but in the first half it was like watching football in a library.

[SaigonSaddler]

We could have won by 6 today. Great performance. I'm guessing that Smith had them in for training yesterday....

:mrgreen: Most certainly yes :mrgreen:

Heard it was mince pies all round, taking a leaf out of the Swindon manual for training and playing football good. Could have been more but they stopped at a Tesco Express and they'd sold out of everything but Battenburg, so just the 3.

:D

[bleed_red_n_white]

Well I hope people certainly don't think I am in the Smithout camp. Whilst I did think his time may have been up in September (4 wins out of 36 or whatever it was) - what he has done since has been fantastic. However... whilst it's a great turn around, I hate to say that I predict a downfall again due to some of his tactical errors and in-game management. I really don't hope that is true but it's just my estimation/prediction.

I can't speak for others, but as I have said countless times before - Smith is one of us and I want him to to get better and improve us. If he continues to do that then superb! Why would I or anyone else want us to fail? It makes no sense.

I am currently in Edinburgh and when I heard the result, I was shouting, heads were turning and we are the greatest team in the world.

UTS

Why the need for polarisation?

Personally, I don't think Smith will ever amount to anything more than an average manager, and will never get us anywhere near the playoffs.

For every good performance, there is an equally dire one, and what's left is bore draws.

If we'd have been 6th or 7th going in to the Boxing Day game that result would have been a massive disappointment but because we're mediocre, and that mediocrity is accepted, the result was accepted with a shrug.

I'm sorry but what an aboslutely ridiculous statement, your entitled to your view as anyone else but how you can come up with that judgement is ludicrous to say the very least!

We are his first managerial position, he is a very young manager with admittedly still alot to learn. He has never had any money to spend, infact correct me if I'm wrong but his budget has been cut every season he's been here!

We are well known for playing the most attractive football in the league and are currently 2 games from Wembley.

He could potentially go down in history and the first manager to take Walsall to wembley and even put some silverware in the cabinet.

What Smith could do with abit money to spend I would love to see.

What do you expect, free flowing football with top draw players battering teams week in week out?

My only gripe with Dean Smith is he is sometimes a little tactically nieve, sometimes I wish we would just go all out in games. Sheff UTD away being a great example we went there for point but we could of took all 3 with ease if we had just gone out and attacked them from the off.

[The Grunge]

Well done Chaps. Our manager (Mark Cooper/Swindon) said some complimentary things about your first half performance on Boxing Day, so it's good to see you doing that for 90 minutes against the hated Franchise. Always had a soft spot for Warsaw…

[SaigonSaddler]

Well I hope people certainly don't think I am in the Smithout camp. Whilst I did think his time may have been up in September (4 wins out of 36 or whatever it was) - what he has done since has been fantastic. However... whilst it's a great turn around, I hate to say that I predict a downfall again due to some of his tactical errors and in-game management. I really don't hope that is true but it's just my estimation/prediction.

I can't speak for others, but as I have said countless times before - Smith is one of us and I want him to to get better and improve us. If he continues to do that then superb! Why would I or anyone else want us to fail? It makes no sense.

I am currently in Edinburgh and when I heard the result, I was shouting, heads were turning and we are the greatest team in the world.

UTS

Why the need for polarisation?

Personally, I don't think Smith will ever amount to anything more than an average manager, and will never get us anywhere near the playoffs.

For every good performance, there is an equally dire one, and what's left is bore draws.

If we'd have been 6th or 7th going in to the Boxing Day game that result would have been a massive disappointment but because we're mediocre, and that mediocrity is accepted, the result was accepted with a shrug.

I'm sorry but what an aboslutely ridiculous statement, your entitled to your view as anyone else but how you can come up with that judgement is ludicrous to say the very least!

We are his first managerial position, he is a very young manager with admittedly still alot to learn. He has never had any money to spend, infact correct me if I'm wrong but his budget has been cut every season he's been here!

We are well now for playing the most attractive football in the league and are currently 2 games from Wembley.

He could potentially go down in history and the first manager to take Walsall to wembley and even put some silverware in the cabinet.

What Smith could do with abit money to spend I would love to see.

What do you expect, free flowing football with top draw players battering teams week in week out?

My only gripe with Dean Smith is he is sometimes a little tactically nieve, sometimes I wish we would just go all out in games. Sheff UTD away being a great example we went there for point but we could of took all 3 with ease if we had just gone out and attacked them from the off.

Don't forget our 'lucky' early goal enabling us to easily hit on the break, yet all the goals vs Swindon were Smith's fault...

Plea for consistency here.

[IHTC.]

Well done Chaps. Our manager (Mark Cooper/Swindon) said some complimentary things about your first half performance on Boxing Day, so it's good to see you doing that for 90 minutes against the hated Franchise. Always had a soft spot for Warsaw…

I should not bite but it was not funny on cackAM 10 years ago and it's not funny now.

[wednesburysaddler]

very proud of the team today
was every bit as good today as it was poor on Friday.
you wouldn't believe it was almost the same football team.

we look so much better when we are on the counter away from home and today we had pace from edge of our box and ran straight at them down the middle which gave us much more options to either pass wide or to an overlapping player.
less tippy tappy footbal and passing it 2 yards and standing like statues and more running and attacking please as this will be the key to success
forget the top 4 theyre away and gone this league starting at 5th is anybodys and all we need to do is finish in top 2 which isn't beyond any team in this division.

[Whitters]

Well I hope people certainly don't think I am in the Smithout camp.

We would never think that.
Particularly after your comments for the Swindon game:

Utterly unacceptable and unprofessional.
Why was Rico Henry not subbed at half time? Why did we not make any substitutions until we were 4-1 down?
Really annoyed today. I can take losing, but what I cannot take is losing because a lack of heart, bottling it and general mismanagement.

[Sadders]

Well done Chaps. Our manager (Mark Cooper/Swindon) said some complimentary things about your first half performance on Boxing Day, so it's good to see you doing that for 90 minutes against the hated Franchise. Always had a soft spot for Warsaw…

Thanks for the kind words! Thought Swindon looked very handy themselves. Quick, direct and tricky with a good balance of ball players and a couple of big lads up top to get on the end of the wing play. Providing you get through January with your 2 lads missing and don't sell anyone, then I'd be surprised at anything bar a top 4 finish.

[Neuromantic]

Well I hope people certainly don't think I am in the Smithout camp.

We would never think that.
Particularly after your comments for the Swindon game:

Utterly unacceptable and unprofessional.
Why was Rico Henry not subbed at half time? Why did we not make any substitutions until we were 4-1 down?
Really annoyed today. I can take losing, but what I cannot take is losing because a lack of heart, bottling it and general mismanagement.

..... ? I don't see your point?

[Sadsfan]

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..


bet there's no 6 pages of fudge cack tonight.


Well done boys :D :D :D :D

I presume that you are talking about the Swindon thread, where it took until quarter to 12 - 2 days after the game to reach 6 pages, but don't let that fact get in the way of your petty point scoring. Great result today, and we'll done to the players for their response to Fridays defeat.

[Pedagogue]

Great to see such a positive reaction to the Boxing Day shambles. Not surprised to see Henry taken out of the firing line but he has done well, though. I was, however, surprised to see Purkiss relegated to the bench. He was one of the few to emerge with any credit against Swindon.

MK Scabs enjoyed more possession and more scoring chances. That said, it is hard to recollect O'Donnell being really tested. The back four in front of him looked generally comfortable. It was good to see O'Connor settle back in quickly. Even more reassuring was to see Downing put his appalling Boxing Day performance behind him. The much-vaunted MK forward line was well shackled.

My views on Cain remain the same - good in possession, anonymous when not. As for Sawyers - he continues to be an enigma. In the first half, we saw all of his regular faults, bone-idle, half-hearted, chickening out of challenges, careless in possession, etc. After the interval, while still carefully avoiding the physical hard work aspect of the game, he, nevertheless, produced some sublime through balls to penetrate the MK defence. Invariably, it was only Bradshaw who was interested in running on to them. We really need Cook and Forde to be looking to get on the end of these.

It really was good to hear our fans able to sing the songs and chants that the Swindon fans did to us, two days previously. A thoroughly enjoyable end to 2014. Bring on the Sky Blues!