Millwall (H) League One, 6 Feb 3pm

[Ancient Moaner]

[quote="Leatherman"]Thought we played well yesterday and the decision to kick towards the home end at the start was the right one.
I expected to see more shots, curling crosses and generally play that worked their keeper using the weather I.e. Constant rain and a blustery wind at our backs, to our advantage.

Moving on...

I thought Henry had a good game and skinned their 27 brilliantly in the first half, only for him to get the 'reducer' treatment a few minutes later by the same player resulting in a yellow card.

I was constantly frustrated by our seemingly inability to find our own players from excellent wing work from Demitreou and Henry. Playing the ball to Bradshaw's feet when his back's to goal isn't playing to his strengths. He's a goal poacher; an opportunist not a fudge traditional Centre fudge Foward!

Having got this far, I hope we don't blow it now. We are due a sticky patch, every team in our position will go through one. It's how long it lasts and the reasons why it's happening that will be of concern.

Remember the sticky patch we had in our last promotion season when we were 10 points clear at one stage and only ended up winning the title on the last day?

It's all well and good O'Driscoll being 'honest' and telling us 'as it is'. What I, and I'm sure a few others want to know is, what he is going to do about it.[/quote]

It's obvious to us all, play our most effective attack minded players Lalk & Morris, (instead of bench warming) and actually introducing Morris mark2, (instead of bench warming) to replace Mantom who doesn't appear to be at the races anymore.
Replace Taylor, who's plodding pace is being targeted by every team we play. Put Rico in the full back position, where he is best at attacking the opposition. And for the believers in fairy tales amongst us, bring in a new striker. Still, what do we
know, we have no idea what's going on in the background (nothing) do we? :evil:

[Sadders]

The more and more the season goes on, the more I can see Smith's departure costing us. SOD's is getting it wrong consistently.

Our success at the beginning of the season was based on...
A) Playing wingbacks away from home to try and remain solid at the back but provide Tom/Romaine with attacking threat.
B) Playing Milan and Morris at home to get at teams and give us that extra attacking weight at home.

Currently, I'd like to ask SOD the following..

A) Why aren't Milan and particularly Morris featuring in EVERY HOME game.
B) Why has Morris been culled? The lad must think he will never make it at WFC.
C) Why does Taylor consistently play just to fit Rico into a poisition he looks uncomfortable in?

There's a simple formula here.

Current form > Struggle to finish 6th.

- Play 2 wingers at home and attack, without being brainless and leaving ourselves open.
- Don't be afraid to play without Sawyers.
- STOP, shoehorning Rico into being a left winger. Drop Taylor, or play him as a third centre back and have Rico as a LEFT BACK.

The club need to put their hands into their pocket if Tom is injured for more than a game. Cook isn't good enough and you simply HAVE to keep winning at the top or else you quickly fall away. The next 2-3 weeks will make or break whether the remainder of this season is about clinging onto 6th, or whether we are real about Challenging Wigan/Burton for the top 2.

It's simple really, deploy your best team in its best formation and we can be promoted in May, don't and we won't.

[Ancient Moaner]

The more and more the season goes on, the more I can see Smith's departure costing us. SOD's is getting it wrong consistently.

Our success at the beginning of the season was based on...
A) Playing wingbacks away from home to try and remain solid at the back but provide Tom/Romaine with attacking threat.
B) Playing Milan and Morris at home to get at teams and give us that extra attacking weight at home.

Currently, I'd like to ask SOD the following..

A) Why aren't Milan and particularly Morris featuring in EVERY HOME game.
B) Why has Morris been culled? The lad must think he will never make it at WFC.
C) Why does Taylor consistently play just to fit Rico into a poisition he looks uncomfortable in?

There's a simple formula here.

Current form > Struggle to finish 6th.

- Play 2 wingers at home and attack, without being brainless and leaving ourselves open.
- Don't be afraid to play without Sawyers.
- STOP, shoehorning Rico into being a left winger. Drop Taylor, or play him as a third centre back and have Rico as a LEFT BACK.

The club need to put their hands into their pocket if Tom is injured for more than a game. Cook isn't good enough and you simply HAVE to keep winning at the top or else you quickly fall away. The next 2-3 weeks will make or break whether the remainder of this season is about clinging onto 6th, or whether we are real about Challenging Wigan/Burton for the top 2.

It's simple really, deploy your best team in its best formation and we can be promoted in May, don't and we won't.

Well said Sadders, the optimists on here presume that all is well and things will be OK, especially when the management strengthen the team....utter claptrap, it won't happen, we WILL have to make do with what we have, which means SOD will have to earn his crust, re-instil that confidence we had when Dean was in charge earlier, or we are looking at a drop down the League.............other teams won't step aside and 'let us win' by playing our own brand of flowing footy, just because we are in the to two!

[Salop Saddler]

No need to panic. Conditions made it a bit of a lottery. That's about it.

[layzeedude]

Not panicking but nervous as hell.

As Ancient says, we were due a bad patch sooner or later. Better now than during the run in to the end of the season. Deano's ruts were lengthy to say the least. Guess we get to see how SOD deals with his first slump in form.

Makes the Crewe game all the more important. We need to be going into the Wigan game with confidence to stand a chance of saving February. SOD stands at P11 W6 D2 L3. Not exactly relegation form.

[philthesaddler]

Personally, I don't think we played too badly. You could argue that we were the better side over the 90 minutes - but crucially Millwall had 3 chances, and took all 3.

We, on the other hand, missed or fluffed our lines several times, with a pinch of bad luck thrown in to the mix. I think Sawyers and Cook managed to miss an easy header just before they scored.

I do apportion some blame to SOD for this defeat - as others have said, our success was built on Smiths more attacking approach this season, with Milan and Morris being used more often. SOD seems to have reverted this and uses Henry/Taylor and Forde, creating a very ineffective front line, and making Bradshaw look increasingly isolated.

[philthesaddler]

I thought Henry had a good game and skinned their 27 brilliantly in the first half, only for him to get the 'reducer' treatment a few minutes later by the same player resulting in a yellow card.

Henry was noticeably different after that challenge, didn't fancy taking him on again.

In the conditions, and given the nature of the challenge, it was borderline red card. Was it out of control? Yes. Was it dangerous? Yes.

[Tom_1992]

I thought Henry had a good game and skinned their 27 brilliantly in the first half, only for him to get the 'reducer' treatment a few minutes later by the same player resulting in a yellow card.

Henry was noticeably different after that challenge, didn't fancy taking him on again.

In the conditions, and given the nature of the challenge, it was borderline red card. Was it out of control? Yes. Was it dangerous? Yes.

That challenge was a lot worse than the one that saw Wanyama sent off for Southampton imo.

[philthesaddler]

I thought Henry had a good game and skinned their 27 brilliantly in the first half, only for him to get the 'reducer' treatment a few minutes later by the same player resulting in a yellow card.

Henry was noticeably different after that challenge, didn't fancy taking him on again.

In the conditions, and given the nature of the challenge, it was borderline red card. Was it out of control? Yes. Was it dangerous? Yes.

That challenge was a lot worse than the one that saw Wanyama sent off for Southampton imo.

The premier league is almost a different sport now because of the difference in the application of the rules of the game. What is a red card in the Premier League is a yellow elsewhere.

[sallian]

Not panicking but nervous as hell.

As Ancient says, we were due a bad patch sooner or later. Better now than during the run in to the end of the season. Deano's ruts were lengthy to say the least. Guess we get to see how SOD deals with his first slump in form.

Makes the Crewe game all the more important. We need to be going into the Wigan game with confidence to stand a chance of saving February. SOD stands at P11 W6 D2 L3. Not exactly relegation form.

errrr no, as 2nd in table we were due a win over a team we already beat at their place and who are below us.....we have already had bad patches and defeats

[aaaae]

That's such an overly simplistic post Salian. Childlike.

[sallian]

That's such an overly simplistic post Salian. Childlike.

I'm glad you have the intelligence to realize it was inconsistent with my intellectual standing, even the delivery was unlike mine...maybe I am possessed by a spirit from this forum :)

However in my defence, I would say....our expectations are a bit low....and I think the ambitions of the manager and players are not where they should be, they should have more confidence....and really try and thrash teams in a methodical way, then we might get somewhere near achieving it in reality. It seems we are gradually talking and thinking ourselves down into mediocrity... Winners usually have a winning mentality.

I am a big believer in the role of psychology, thought, inward drive and expectation on outward results... Walsall always seem to to accept their position, and there is no need to....regardless of budgets, crowd size etc.... Our results against bigger teams, our position in the league...show we are capable....it is 11 versus 11 at the end of the day, not invalids versus supermen... We should be looking to improve all the time.

The real roots of the club are the fans, supporters....everything else is transient, disloyal, movable...I think if the expectation, drive and ambition is not present in the fans....we can't really expect it to ever manifest in the owners, management and players

Apart from that philosophy....tactically we need to be more direct (more shots, earlier shots, earlier breaks, more forward runs, earlier crosses and through balls)

[aaaae]

It's akin to saying that we should be winning every game 5-0 and storming to the title with 138 points and a +230 goal difference.

I think the players have already proved that there is nothing wrong with their ambition.

[sallian]

It's akin to saying that we should be winning every game 5-0 and storming to the title with 138 points and a +230 goal difference.

I think the players have already proved that there is nothing wrong with their ambition.

Now you are saying silly things!

They don't have enough ambition on the pitch and before the game, I think a good sports psychologist or Mr Motivator would get 25% more out of them.

[chunkster]

It's akin to saying that we should be winning every game 5-0 and storming to the title with 138 points and a +230 goal difference.

I think the players have already proved that there is nothing wrong with their ambition.

Now you are saying silly things!

They don't have enough ambition on the pitch and before the game, I think a good sports psychologist or Mr Motivator would get 25% more out of them.

nows your chance then. I will see if I can get you in the dressing room before the Crewe game :lol:

[saddla]

It's akin to saying that we should be winning every game 5-0 and storming to the title with 138 points and a +230 goal difference.

I think the players have already proved that there is nothing wrong with their ambition.

Now you are saying silly things!

They don't have enough ambition on the pitch and before the game, I think a good sports psychologist or Mr Motivator would get 25% more out of them.

nows your chance then. I will see if I can get you in the dressing room before the Crewe game :lol:

The motivator in the coaching setup is Whitney. And I don't think you can get a better one.

[sallian]

It's akin to saying that we should be winning every game 5-0 and storming to the title with 138 points and a +230 goal difference.

I think the players have already proved that there is nothing wrong with their ambition.

Now you are saying silly things!

They don't have enough ambition on the pitch and before the game, I think a good sports psychologist or Mr Motivator would get 25% more out of them.

nows your chance then. I will see if I can get you in the dressing room before the Crewe game :lol:

The motivator in the coaching setup is Whitney. And I don't think you can get a better one.

He may have done a good job and may do many other things well at the club, but the personal bars of all players need to be set much higher...... You aim much higher, then you achieve more...as long as the methodology is tied to reality and not fantasy.

How many press ups can you do? 20? Now tell yourself out loud, I will do 100....and go for it with determination and belief....and see what happens, you may not do 100 but you may well do 50, 60 or 70....

This positive self drilling does work.....in almost all sports and in applied to all sorts of targets, but it seems only about 1% of athletes employ it, as the rest expect that it is nonsense or only go about it half-heartedly.

This team should be creating a lot more chances, taking many more shots and scoring a lot more goals.....it is well within their capability....and it is not only about tactics, formation, style and team selection.... a lot of it is connected to mentality and drive. We especially get nowhere near enough out of players like Lalkovic, who is capable of much greater productive output....he is a massively wasted player. His own improved output would have a positive impact on Bradshaw and Cook's output too.

[Guest]

Lalkovic can't do much if he's only given the freedom of the bench.

[chunkster]

Lalkovic can't do much if he's only given the freedom of the bench.

after reading s o'd comments in the E&S the reason milan can't get into the side is because he prefers henry there? why not put henry at left back and milan on the left wing? then we have the best of both worlds :wink:

[saddla]

Lalkovic can't do much if he's only given the freedom of the bench.

after reading s o'd comments in the E&S the reason milan can't get into the side is because he prefers henry there? why not put henry at left back and milan on the left wing? then we have the best of both worlds :wink:

If you read what he says then he doesn't want to put Rico at left back because he's only 18 and makes errors of judgement. Those errors are much more important at left back than in midfield because they almost inevitably lead to goals. And he doesn't want to crush Rico's confidence.

I'm much more inclined to go with the opinion of professionals who work with the player almost every day than with fans who see him for 90 mins or so on a Saturday afternoon.

if you read SO'D's comments about Rico following the Doncaster game you will see that he dropped him from that game because he didn't want to burn him out by playing too many games. there are reasons not to play your best players every game, particularly when they're young. But the fans were lambasting SOD because he dropped Rico.

[sallian]

Lalkovic can't do much if he's only given the freedom of the bench.

after reading s o'd comments in the E&S the reason milan can't get into the side is because he prefers henry there? why not put henry at left back and milan on the left wing? then we have the best of both worlds :wink:

If you read what he says then he doesn't want to put Rico at left back because he's only 18 and makes errors of judgement. Those errors are much more important at left back than in midfield because they almost inevitably lead to goals. And he doesn't want to crush Rico's confidence.

I'm much more inclined to go with the opinion of professionals who work with the player almost every day than with fans who see him for 90 mins or so on a Saturday afternoon.

if you read SO'D's comments about Rico following the Doncaster game you will see that he dropped him from that game because he didn't want to burn him out by playing too many games. there are reasons not to play your best players every game, particularly when they're young. But the fans were lambasting SOD because he dropped Rico.

The main aim of the Walsall manager isn't to develop one player at the cost of the rest of the team and the club's success...

When I read the article I thought it was ridiculous reasoning, he should be developed in reserves and as a sub if he can't be trusted in key positions.... Our attack and results are suffering in order to develop one player...who may at the end of the day not even be up to the billing that has been alluded to.