Port Vale (H) League One, Sun 20th Dec, 12noon k.o.

[Guest]

Walsall live in Hong Kong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvcK4YBF_Ag&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Guest]

I nearly fell off my seat!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLED1qf59Xo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Mazza01]

Fair play to Cook he came on and changed the game , he gave the Vale defenders a nightmare. That's also 3 goals in our last 4 games for the lad! :shock:

Also a word on our defence absolute quality!

[aaaae]

Hard fought win.

Credit to the new gaffer. After a decent first half an hour we went to pot for the next half an hour so things needed a change. I'd do the mortgage on Smith bringing on Cook but taking off Milan to basically leave us with the same system that hadn't been working. Instead, we went two up top, which left us as bit bare down the right at times as Evans naturally drifted infield but that change in system effectively won us the game as both goals came about by just having more bodies in the box.

We certainly miss Tom and particularly Rico but managed to chisel out a win thanks to a manager/head coach that took a bit of a gamble and saw it pay off.

I will now stare at the table for an hour. :D :D

Agree about Smith and the substitution, when Cook was getting stripped I thought what is the point of swapping him with Milan? Which is what Smith would have done I'm sure. As you say credit to the new gaffer.

[Guest]

Half time analysis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqzYfv91glM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Holbeach Saddler]

According to the Vale site, we were luckey and rubbish. So it has to be SODOFF.

Merry Christmas Walsall FC. I's been a great 1st half of the season. Thank you.

[windowman]

Happy for Cook, have you got your cock out Doffer :lol:

[Mazza01]

According to the Vale site, we were luckey and rubbish. So it has to be SODOFF.

Merry Christmas Walsall FC. I's been a great 1st half of the season. Thank you.

I also read some of their rubbish! We were not great and started without arguably 2 of our best players!

They were dross and offered very little, they should be worried that we beat them playing so averagely.

[Big Dave wfc]

not a spectacular game today, but a massive 3 points.

fair play to sod on changing the formation and going with two upfront, cook had a blinder when he came on.

our two centre backs was top draw along with sawyers, easily head and shoulders above anything on the pitch again.

hopefully we bring in a striker in jan and manage to extend evans till the end of the year.

port vale was everything I expected, ugly, physical and typical of the sides we usually struggle against, but we still relevantly turned them over with ease even with out two of our best players who add a lot more pace to the side.

merry xmas to everyone on the board. UTS

[BathSaddler]

According to the Vale site, we were luckey and rubbish. So it has to be SODOFF.

Merry Christmas Walsall FC. I's been a great 1st half of the season. Thank you.

Absolutely hilarious :lol: . We have had a poor run of results against Port Vale and they're just a bit peeved that 'normal service' between the two clubs has been resumed [i.e. us beating them].

OneValeFan is a top site though, one of the best I've come across.

[Holbeach Saddler]

May I add: Merry Christmas UTS. A few laughs a few arguments and a few idiots (sorry alternative views).
Upwards and onwards and a good new year to us all

[Guest]

Sky Sports website highlights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AghG0DOcrF0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Off on my hols now. To France.

Merry Christmas!

[latviancheese]

To be fair, if you were a clayhead, you would be thinking "these are second?" after todays performance.

[kshammer]

Crap first half performance and it worried me that if a couple of our star men left in Jan then that is what we'd be watching every week. Thought the centre halves were our best players early on - Downing made a couple of cracking blocks today.

SOD did the business though. At half time we'd discussed how isolated Milan was and i'm not sure that ginger bloke we used to have would have reacted so positively. Formation and personnel change and it made all the difference.

Sawyers was his usual cut above and have to say i'm delighted for Cook. I've been a big critic of his for ages - thought he was plain barclays - but today he made a huge difference and that is what I want him to do. His little pass for Forde's one on one was quality too so keep it up Cookaldo.

[Whitters]

We don't give a duck,
we don't give a duck,
we don't give a duck,
cause we got COOK!!!

[Gripper]

To be fair, if you were a clayhead, you would be thinking "these are second?" after todays performance.

Indeed, exactly my thoughts. However no different to when we played Burton and I thought they were also very drab. But it's all about being crap and still winning....They probably can't do it....whereas we've put up a great show today.

[PT]

To be fair, if you were a clayhead, you would be thinking "these are second?" after todays performance.

Indeed, exactly my thoughts. However no different to when we played Burton and I thought they were also very drab. But it's all about being crap and still winning....They probably can't do it....whereas we've put up a great show today.

Much prefer opposition fans reflecting on us beating them wondering how we are so high up than the Swindon scenario where their fans could see why we were top of the league and wondering how they beat us.

[SWS1]

To be fair, if you were a clayhead, you would be thinking "these are second?" after todays performance.

Indeed, exactly my thoughts. However no different to when we played Burton and I thought they were also very drab. But it's all about being crap and still winning....They probably can't do it....whereas we've put up a great show today.

Much prefer opposition fans reflecting on us beating them wondering how we are so high up than the Swindon scenario where their fans could see why we were top of the league and wondering how they beat us.

Wise words, PT. If we'd won just one of the games we've dominated but lost, we'd be top :D However, maybe we've won or drawn the odd one we might have lost, so swings and roundabouts perhaps.
However, great result today WITHOUT two of our star players - and we can still go top if we win our game in hand :D What's not to like about our season so far :D :D :D :D

[canadiansaddler]

always special to beat Vale , one of our traditional rivals - onwards and upwards , this is the year regardless of what happens in January.

Love this team

[ShropsSaddler]

I didn't think it was that bad a performance. It was typical of what we will come up against - a determined, well-organised side who give us no space, get plenty behind the ball and try their best to mark our star player out of the game. In such matches (and there have been plenty this season at home), we have to play the ball around, be patient, make them chase, and wait for the opening. It worked, job done!

We lost momentum in the second part of the first half because our midfield became overrun and wasn't doing its job. Chambers was spot on, as always, but Evans was all over the place, Sawyers had gone missing defensively and Morris and Forde were having no influence on the game. It's in such situations that we really miss Henry as that extra outlet on the left.

Sawyers was probably MotM again, some of his play was sublime, but there is still plenty to work on with him and, in particular, his need to impose himself and make a difference in spells like the one we had before half-time.

[Tom_1992]

I didn't think it was that bad a performance. It was typical of what we will come up against - a determined, well-organised side who give us no space, get plenty behind the ball and try their best to mark our star player out of the game. In such matches (and there have been plenty this season at home), we have to play the ball around, be patient, make them chase, and wait for the opening. It worked, job done!

We lost momentum in the second part of the first half because our midfield became overrun and wasn't doing its job. Chambers was spot on, as always, but Evans was all over the place, Sawyers had gone missing defensively and Morris and Forde were having no influence on the game. It's in such situations that we really miss Henry as that extra outlet on the left.

Sawyers was probably MotM again, some of his play was sublime, but there is still plenty to work on with him and, in particular, his need to impose himself and make a difference in spells like the one we had before half-time.

Sawyers was excellent again, honestly can't think of a bad performance from him this season, although I would be inclined to give MOTM to O'Connor.

It was really refreshing to see us to change the formation in the second half, I think we all expected the change to be made and I think even the players were surprised initially at the change in shape, but it worked really well and we finished the game very strongly and probably could/should have scored another with Forde's chance.

[NEWPORT SADDLERS DAD]

Ironic that Jords(formerly Cook) punch up on the goal line left him in a perfect position to score a few seconds later,if there hadn't been a scrap he may have been running back to his own half.

[Barren Flak]

Agree with a lot on here. Main point being is wasn't necessarily a poor performance, I think Rob Page did an excellent job in setting his team up against us. Pressing really high to the goalie, then defending deep once we'd got the ball out of defence.

The change to 4-1-3-2 was clearly unexpected by Port Vale, and but for a better finish from Forde we'd have been three goals to the good yesterday.

Think that was possibly the best central defensive display this season, and I'd have shared the MOTM between them. 12 cans of Banks's each would have seemed appropriate.

Cook's quality performance, and his other good performance (away at Scunny) have been as part of an attacking two. Encouraging that we can play effectively without our talisman.

But sod playing on a Sunday, and up yours SKY TV. The total unnecessary evil that vies with Sepp Blatter for the 'worst thing to happen to football' trophy.

So six words:

DON'T BUY SKY

UP THE SADDLERS

[PT]

But sod playing on a Sunday, and up yours SKY TV. The total unnecessary evil that vies with Sepp Blatter for the 'worst thing to happen to football' trophy.

So six words:

DON'T BUY SKY

UP THE SADDLERS

The one good thing about playing yesterday was how funny it was seeing a constant stream of disappointed market goers looking bewildered and confused at the thought of the football stadium hosting a football match. The steward on the car park looked well fed up as he explained things to the umpteenth person who then had to do a three-point turn on Ray Graydon Way.

I do hope that the much sort after brown velor tracksuits, Tonky toys and Tommy Hilfinger after shaves are all purchased in time for Christmas.

As for Sky. If the amount of folk I know who have turned it off in the last 12 months are representative then they might be heading for trouble.

[philthesaddler]

Apparently, Radio WM Sport turned up at midday to record a report about the Wolves under-11 girls visiting the market, then they realised there was a game on and reluctantly broadcast it.

[BathSaddler]

As for Sky. If the amount of folk I know who have turned it off in the last 12 months are representative then they might be heading for trouble.

Good :!:

[Barren Flak]

But sod playing on a Sunday, and up yours SKY TV. The total unnecessary evil that vies with Sepp Blatter for the 'worst thing to happen to football' trophy.

So six words:

DON'T BUY SKY

UP THE SADDLERS

The one good thing about playing yesterday was how funny it was seeing a constant stream of disappointed market goers looking bewildered and confused at the thought of the football stadium hosting a football match. The steward on the car park looked well fed up as he explained things to the umpteenth person who then had to do a three-point turn on Ray Graydon Way.

I do hope that the much sort after brown velor tracksuits, Tonky toys and Tommy Hilfinger after shaves are all purchased in time for Christmas.

As for Sky. If the amount of folk I know who have turned it off in the last 12 months are representative then they might be heading for trouble.

I parked on the ground for the first time in an age, it did strike me a little odd that the car park steward asked if we were here for the football. Mind, I do drive a right knacker.

And I believe Sky's most recent price increase has negated their lost subscribers. As in all that remain are paying over 10% more to more than cover those jumping ship.

[aaaae]

I can take the moral high ground on Sky, but if the Saddlers were in the Premier League (ho ho) I'd be sorely tempted.