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Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Reports and reaction from the 2014-2015 season as Walsall finished 3rd in League 1
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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Thu Aug 20, 2015 12:59 pm

Walsallone wrote:I hope you have calmed down this am. AM...all this excitement cannot be good for you :D . I still think we need 2 players to ensure the squad is strong enough to sustain this start. A CH and a CM...the latter being an absolute must because Chambers won't play every game.UTS


Wellll, in the cold light of day, and minus a few glasses of Frosty Jack's........
We were great, we were brilliant, fantastic! It's been a long time since I've said things like that about a Walsall performance....when you compare it to the dire depressing failures of Barnsley/Swindon/Scunthorpe/Wembley....... Tuesday night was like a breath of fresh air. They attacked, with flair, with enthusiasm, with ideas that were not always sideways/backwards. Sure Rochdale were no pushovers, remember they had seen some great results beforehand...and were indeed top (although a bit previous after 2 matches) of the League at the time. They gave us a hard time towards the last nervous 10 minutes or so, after their 'no goal' freebie. But we held firm, as with my previous post I was well impressed with Rico, he held the line against an aggressively minded forward line, despite his early years and somewhat minute frame!
Those who were not impressed by that performance? give up gewin to footy. yow obviously can't get excited by owt! :mrgreen:
Roll on Blackpool & Morecambe!

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Thu Aug 20, 2015 1:00 pm

Very fair report from a young Rochdale fan here

http://questforthe92.weebly.com/home/rochdale-vs-walsall-match-report

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Thu Aug 20, 2015 1:40 pm

philthesaddler wrote:Great start to the season, and I hope it continues.

Smith appears to have found a plan B, so well done to him - shame it took him 2 seasons since people first started point this out, but hey ho.

My worry now is that it's still very early days, his new formation may get found out by scouts, and we'll revert to the same old problems. There are encouraging signs though - more goals, more attacking intent.

As ever, let's give it 10 games - then we'll judge. At the moment, my opinion is that I think he'll get found out again, he's just a bit thick, he doesn't react and doesn't see the value of having strong physical players. Simply playing a new formation with a similar squad make-up wont change that.


And you are ignorant or daft! You obviously think just by changing a formation this middle of League One club will become Barcelona! All these clever football managers on here eh, remind me why you work a 9-5 again?!

I suggest you read MMF's post and think about the infrastructure of the club and where we were heading before Smith took over. It's not just about formations and Saturday afternoons, especially at a club like Walsall.

Other than a very small minority of posters on here, everyone else - media, other clubs fans, other clubs staff, majority of Walsall fans etc etc - seem to think he has done pretty well. Does it never cross your mind that it might be you that is 'thick'?

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Thu Aug 20, 2015 3:28 pm

Blimey AM....what is wrong with you? I am not too sure I can put up with all this enthusiasm :D :D :D :D
Seriously tho' glad you enjoyed our performance...lets hope for another on Saturday.

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Thu Aug 20, 2015 7:02 pm

Walsallone wrote:Blimey AM....what is wrong with you? I am not too sure I can put up with all this enthusiasm :D :D :D :D
Seriously tho' glad you enjoyed our performance...lets hope for another on Saturday.


If you ever get to any 'northern' away performances, introduce yourself my friend, we'll have good chinwag, and I'll buy you a pint, to prove that I am not really a miserable old git at all, just a front for the forum! If you know Belg/PT/MMF they will point me out. :D :D
Hope we can meet soon. In the meantime lets scag Coventry, and then go cheer Blackpool up with a red & white invasion as Table toppers!!

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Thu Aug 20, 2015 8:25 pm

Magic Man Fan wrote:
philthesaddler wrote:Great start to the season, and I hope it continues.

Smith appears to have found a plan B, so well done to him - shame it took him 2 seasons since people first started point this out, but hey ho.


It didn't take him 2 years to find a plan B, it took him that long to repalce the dross squad he was left with and gradually improve it, with no budget, whilst still having to sell his best players. You can't change a squad wholesale when you have no budget, and when you're stuck with the likes of Taundry, Brain etc it's tough.

Smith has made mistakes, and will continue to do so. Like everyone involved at this level, player, manager or coach, they're not going to be perfect, and if they are they move on pretty quickly. The whole infrastructure of the club has improved under Smith compared the shambles that preceeded it. That shouldn't be underestimated. That is now set up, so the results have to follow, especially at home if we want more fans regularly returning.

He was unlucky last season in that Mantom would have been a key player for us, like he has been so far, because he gets forward and gets shots in, which either go in, or rebound for others to follow up. If he'd played most of the season, and we'd got another half a dozen games out of the play offs, we would have been within a gnats knacker of the play off places, if not in them. Smith can't be faulted for losing one of his best players to injury for a season, when the budget isn't big enough to have quality back up. Flanagan's improvement means we have got decent back up now, and is many other positions, and it's showing so far.


Great Post

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Thu Aug 20, 2015 8:51 pm

Thanks AM...I don't go to many away games these days but if I do I will let you know. I realised some time ago you were just being provocative but played along because its a bit of fun for us older fans. All the best..I will look forward to your next report from the northern extremities.

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Fri Aug 21, 2015 3:13 pm

funk_hits_the_fan wrote:
philthesaddler wrote:Great start to the season, and I hope it continues.

Smith appears to have found a plan B, so well done to him - shame it took him 2 seasons since people first started point this out, but hey ho.

My worry now is that it's still very early days, his new formation may get found out by scouts, and we'll revert to the same old problems. There are encouraging signs though - more goals, more attacking intent.

As ever, let's give it 10 games - then we'll judge. At the moment, my opinion is that I think he'll get found out again, he's just a bit thick, he doesn't react and doesn't see the value of having strong physical players. Simply playing a new formation with a similar squad make-up wont change that.


And you are ignorant or daft! You obviously think just by changing a formation this middle of League One club will become Barcelona! All these clever football managers on here eh, remind me why you work a 9-5 again?!

I suggest you read MMF's post and think about the infrastructure of the club and where we were heading before Smith took over. It's not just about formations and Saturday afternoons, especially at a club like Walsall.

Other than a very small minority of posters on here, everyone else - media, other clubs fans, other clubs staff, majority of Walsall fans etc etc - seem to think he has done pretty well. Does it never cross your mind that it might be you that is 'thick'?


LOL, 2 league wins and suddenly the dross of the past 18 months is forgotten? How fickle.

MMF's post is plain wrong. He's had no opportunity to rebuild the squad? Lets just list all of Smith's permanent signings:

Tom Williams
Anton Peterlin
Matt Sadler
Kevan Hurst
Ryan Jarvis
Adam Chambers
Claude Gnakpa
Lee Beevers
David Grof
Ashley Hemmings
Dean Holden
Febian Brandy
Paul Downing
Connor Taylor
James Chambers
James Baxendale
Ben Purkiss
Nicky Featherstone
Andy Taylor
Sam Mantom
Craig Westcarr
Troy Hewitt
Richard O'Donnell
Romaine Sawyers
James McQuilkin
Craig MacGillivray
Tom Bradshaw
James O'Connor
Jordan Cook
Ashley Grimes
Billy Clifford
Anthony Forde
Mathieu Manset

...Not forgetting all the loan signings:

Cuvelier, Martin, Wilson, Halliday, Darlow, McCarey, McLoughlin, Johnstone, Ngoo, Cain...to name but a few.

So he's signed ~34 players permanently and >10 on loan, but it...

MMF wrote:...took him that long to replace the dross squad he was left with and gradually improve it, with no budget


Come off it. If you're going to make fickle pro-Smith arguments, at least back them up with fact.

Like I said in my OP, it's great to see an upturn, let's see if it lasts - my hunch is that it wont, because he'll get found out like he has done half a dozen times, and he's too thick to pre-empt the issues that this will cause, but thats just my opinion.

And to answer your question, I don't work 9-5, I run my own business so I work what hours I like :mrgreen:

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Fri Aug 21, 2015 3:16 pm

Magic Man Fan wrote:
philthesaddler wrote:Great start to the season, and I hope it continues.

Smith appears to have found a plan B, so well done to him - shame it took him 2 seasons since people first started point this out, but hey ho.


It didn't take him 2 years to find a plan B, it took him that long to repalce the dross squad he was left with and gradually improve it, with no budget, whilst still having to sell his best players. You can't change a squad wholesale when you have no budget, and when you're stuck with the likes of Taundry, Brain etc it's tough.

Smith has made mistakes, and will continue to do so. Like everyone involved at this level, player, manager or coach, they're not going to be perfect, and if they are they move on pretty quickly. The whole infrastructure of the club has improved under Smith compared the shambles that preceeded it. That shouldn't be underestimated. That is now set up, so the results have to follow, especially at home if we want more fans regularly returning.

He was unlucky last season in that Mantom would have been a key player for us, like he has been so far, because he gets forward and gets shots in, which either go in, or rebound for others to follow up. If he'd played most of the season, and we'd got another half a dozen games out of the play offs, we would have been within a gnats knacker of the play off places, if not in them. Smith can't be faulted for losing one of his best players to injury for a season, when the budget isn't big enough to have quality back up. Flanagan's improvement means we have got decent back up now, and is many other positions, and it's showing so far.

Actually can't believe how fans can look at last season and not consider how much we missed Mantom.

Still, fits some peoples' agendas, especially if they're ignorant...

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Fri Aug 21, 2015 5:39 pm

I know it's early in the season and things are going well for the New Super Soar away Saddlers but let's play 'Excuses Snap' to explain why we have made such an outstanding start compared with our previous seasons.

Dross squad, no budget, it's tough, mistakes, not perfect, shambles infrastructure, unlucky, if, then = play offs, budget...............SNAP!

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Fri Aug 21, 2015 9:38 pm

philthesaddler wrote:
funk_hits_the_fan wrote:
philthesaddler wrote:Great start to the season, and I hope it continues.

Smith appears to have found a plan B, so well done to him - shame it took him 2 seasons since people first started point this out, but hey ho.

My worry now is that it's still very early days, his new formation may get found out by scouts, and we'll revert to the same old problems. There are encouraging signs though - more goals, more attacking intent.

As ever, let's give it 10 games - then we'll judge. At the moment, my opinion is that I think he'll get found out again, he's just a bit thick, he doesn't react and doesn't see the value of having strong physical players. Simply playing a new formation with a similar squad make-up wont change that.


And you are ignorant or daft! You obviously think just by changing a formation this middle of League One club will become Barcelona! All these clever football managers on here eh, remind me why you work a 9-5 again?!

I suggest you read MMF's post and think about the infrastructure of the club and where we were heading before Smith took over. It's not just about formations and Saturday afternoons, especially at a club like Walsall.

Other than a very small minority of posters on here, everyone else - media, other clubs fans, other clubs staff, majority of Walsall fans etc etc - seem to think he has done pretty well. Does it never cross your mind that it might be you that is 'thick'?


LOL, 2 league wins and suddenly the dross of the past 18 months is forgotten? How fickle.


You surprised Phil? Last season Funky was dismissing 1.5 seasons of shite performances after every 10 mins of decent play :lol:

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:03 am

If you think we have had 1.5 seasons of rubbish performances its a good job you didn't watch us when Kenny Hibbitt was Manager when we had 4 seasons of very poor football. I would describe the last 2 seasons as inconsistent but I have to say we have always competed. We have just not had the players to maintain a consistent run of results. Lets hope this season will be different!

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Sat Aug 22, 2015 5:50 pm

Walsallone wrote:If you think we have had 1.5 seasons of rubbish performances its a good job you didn't watch us when Kenny Hibbitt was Manager when we had 4 seasons of very poor football. I would describe the last 2 seasons as inconsistent but I have to say we have always competed. We have just not had the players to maintain a consistent run of results. Lets hope this season will be different!


I watched the Hibbitt years. They were bad. Some of the last two years were bad too. Look at the home stats for proof.

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Re: Rochdale (A) League One, Tue 18th August, 7.45pm

Sat Aug 22, 2015 9:10 pm

tinned wrote:
Walsallone wrote:If you think we have had 1.5 seasons of rubbish performances its a good job you didn't watch us when Kenny Hibbitt was Manager when we had 4 seasons of very poor football. I would describe the last 2 seasons as inconsistent but I have to say we have always competed. We have just not had the players to maintain a consistent run of results. Lets hope this season will be different!


I watched the Hibbitt years. They were bad. Some of the last two years were bad too. Look at the home stats for proof.

I know that I'm a Saddler
And my club I hold so dear
I know that I'm a hostage
To all their hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told them in the Hibbitt years

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