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Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Reports and reaction from the 2016-17 season as Walsall finished 14th in League 1
Welsh_Saddler
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Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Thu Jun 02, 2016 7:30 pm

This won't be much of a preview as we've only had the one pre-season game so far. For this game I'll be concentrating more on the post-match report, as I will be attending - well, at £6.00 to see us against the mighty Bluenoses it's a snip!!

Although Jon Whitney put out virtually two separate teams against Solihull (one in each half) I would imagine this fixture will be a lot nearer to a standard game - 11 to start, with maybe 5 or 6 substitutes as the game goes on. Theoretically it should be more of a test than Saturday was, but again that depends on how near the Birmingham City line-up is to their strongest available side.

If we assume starting places for Etheridge, Edwards, Henry, Chambers, Dobson, O'Connor, Cuvelier, Oztuma and Bakayoko that makes nine. Add to that Osbourne and Moussa (if fit), with a strong rumour of a striker being signed in time for the game.

Interesting times....and if Blues do put a strong team out I would be happy with a 1-1 draw.

Welsh_Saddler
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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Mon Jul 18, 2016 6:59 am

So.....who can I expect to see in the Tile Choice end? :D

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Derbyshire Saddler
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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Mon Jul 18, 2016 9:43 am

I'll be there in lower 4.

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Mon Jul 18, 2016 12:09 pm

Blues beat Solihull 3-1 we beat them 5-0

Schoolyard rules - Walsall win

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WarsawPact
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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Mon Jul 18, 2016 2:30 pm

Blues are playing Shrews on the same night.

Welsh_Saddler
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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:13 am

Weather forecast for Walsall tonight is (for us) extremely hot, with a temperature of around 31 degrees c. Oddly enough there is also the prediction of light rain showers between 6pm and 9pm, but at that temperature I'm not bringing an umbrella!!

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 9:04 am

Welsh_Saddler wrote:Weather forecast for Walsall tonight is (for us) extremely hot, with a temperature of around 31 degrees c. Oddly enough there is also the prediction of light rain showers between 6pm and 9pm, but at that temperature I'm not bringing an umbrella!!


Why not a compromise?

Take a parasol. Suit you,sir.

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WarsawPact
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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 7:01 pm

No Etheridge
No Moussa
No Jackson

Hmmm?

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:09 pm

WarsawPact wrote:No Etheridge
No Moussa
No Jackson

Hmmm?


There probably being sold. Should have got them on longer contracts!

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WarsawPact
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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:11 pm

Avagogo scores with another penalty!

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chunkster
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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:18 pm

WarsawPact wrote:Avagogo scores with another penalty!
bloody hell. he is turning into the next will grigg :P

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:26 pm

According to the match feed from the Brum Post, lava has erupted from Mount Etna.
Not sure if you can see that from the Bonks's, but I understand that Portsmouth is being evacuated as a precautionary measure.

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WarsawPact
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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:30 pm

Blues equalise. :(

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:39 pm

Looks like MacGillivray, Preston and Kinsella were the senior pros on the pitch for the last part of the game, when Blues equalised, so can't get at all disheartened by that :D

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:39 pm

Finishes 1-1

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:42 pm

WarsawPact wrote:Finishes 1-1
not a bad result considering :)

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Whitters
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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:43 pm

Wasn't impressed with the keeping for their goal.

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 9:11 pm

Ozzy had another stormer I hear....

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Tue Jul 19, 2016 9:34 pm

Very solid defensive display.

McCarthy is a big upgrade on Downing IMO, actually looked to tackle the opposition. Edwards was also very solid, put in a couple of meaty challenges and also looked dangerous when he drove into the box from the byline.

Osbourne was steady, Cuvelier looked tired but Oztumer is just an absolute gem of a player.

MacGillivray and Bakayoko has solid games, but the former could have done better with the free kick. To be fair I have seen a clip of it afterwards and he could have been put off by one of our lads almost getting a boot to it, still could have done better though. Baka slotted yet another penalty.

Also can I be the first to say that Maz Kouyhar looks fantastic, reminds me of how composed and at home Rico looked in his first appearances. No first team nerves.

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Wed Jul 20, 2016 6:38 am

Oztumer is more than a replacement for Sawyers,never slows things down and always goes in the right direction.Great footballer.

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Wed Jul 20, 2016 6:56 am

A better all round test will come next Tuesday and next Sat IMO.

Sign Osbourne up, his power when on the ball is something I've not seen for years at Walsall.

Turkish Messi - Very talented and hope he can turn up every game...he will be a gem if so.

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Wed Jul 20, 2016 7:12 pm

Osbourne, best player on the pitch last night, beast of a man and something we've needed for years
Oztumer, class,class act, his first touch in the second minute was sublime
Rico, great battle with their very good right winger, learning all the time
McCarthy, damn good player that is calm under pressure
Bakayoko, surprisingly good, for a young player on his own against 2 centre halves. Knows how to take a penalty as well
Surprised at the quality of the young kids especially Sangha, calm and reassured

With Moussa and Jackson to come in, excited!!!

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Wed Jul 20, 2016 8:03 pm

A very entertaining game, and an opportunity for this long-distance supporter to match performances with new names. Considering the background temperature was above 30 degrees (c) for most of the game it was played at quite a lively pace - a good deal more lively than many of the offerings under Deano.

Oztumer.....What a livewire!! About the same height as Dean Keates, but buzzing around all over the place. It was his aggression that earned the penalty, he's a chaser of both available and lost causes. He looked as though he was playing for a contract, not having just signed one...to the extent that when a Walsall attack broke down it was Oztumer that chased back at Usain Bolt speed, snapping at the heels of opposition players (a) to try and win the ball back, or (b) just to put them off.

Bakayoko.....Hasn't he beefed up? A proper big lad now, who did cause problems in the City defence. His movement prior to receiving the ball was good to watch, and he won a number of headers in our attacks. I wasn't that impressed with his penalty to be honest, it was quite a gentle shot slightly to the right of centre (seen from behind the goal), but the City goalkeeper had by then despairingly dived for his left-hand post - perhaps it was all in the deception!!

Edwards.....Definitely a no-nonsense right-back, who did occasionally do a Demetriou and charge off down the right wing to cross the ball. Big snag there was that if it didn't come to anything and City cleared the ball down their left-hand side there was precious little cover because Joe was out of position. My only other worry was that he's going to be a candidate for bookings and sendings-off.......twice he lunged in with what you might call reckless tackles - reckless enough that the referee spent some time with him on a one-to-one basis. One free kick he conceded was too near the penalty area for comfort, but MacGillivray had it covered.

Osbourne.....As has been said, a real beast who, if really match-fit will give us a dimension we have been sadly lacking over the past two or three seasons.

Henry...... Had a good game - always alert to block opposition passing movements and crosses, yet still very keen to let rip down the left wing. His wing play reminds me so much of Scott Houghton!

MacGillivray.....Did what little he had to do with composure, with the one exception of the City equaliser. It was a free kick given by an otherwise competent referee after two players had tangled on the edge of our area. The high ball in was only won by the City player after he'd pushed his opponent (with both hands, think of opening a double glass door) thus ensuring he would win the header. There was a predictable reaction, and a free kick was the result. Now...either the "wall" was badly located, or MacGillivray failed to see how much of a gap there was to his right, and when the shot came in neither he nor the wall were anywhere near it. The only caveat I would add is that my account is what I saw from the other end of the pitch, and perhaps my eyesight ain't what it used to be !!

In general terms it has to be admitted that this Walsall team had the appearance of having been together as a unit for months and months, rather than a week or two. The passing, the movement, the skills, they were all there. Additionally there was quite a lot of "chat" going on - in a positive rather than a negative sense, and I reckon it bodes well for the season to come.

UTS !!!!!! :D

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Wed Jul 20, 2016 9:09 pm


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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Wed Jul 20, 2016 9:12 pm

It begs the question with all these rave reports about Isaiah - would we have gone up with ease if he had been fully fit last season?

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Wed Jul 20, 2016 9:57 pm

if i am being honest. i think we look a bit tasty after watching that. ok we looked a bit suspect at the back a few times where blues could have scored. but all in all i think we have a decent team and i am feeling OPTIMISTIC :wink: just to add. i remember us playing villa in a friendly a couple of years ago. and i was overawed by the pace and sheer brutality of the way gabby and benteke ploughed through our defense. and it looks like we could have the same threat if we sign osbourne :)

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Wed Jul 20, 2016 10:07 pm

Whitters wrote:It begs the question with all these rave reports about Isaiah - would we have gone up with ease if he had been fully fit last season?


Difficult to say as Chambers barely missed a game and him and Osbourne might've been a bit too defensive as a combo.

Could've done with him fit when Evans went back though.

I see no harm in giving him a deal though even if it's just until January. Chambers won't go on forever and I doubt other clubs are beating down Osbourne's door given he's not played for a year.

Suits both parties imo to give him at least a 6 month contract or more likely a year.

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Wed Jul 20, 2016 10:33 pm

For a friendly played in high temperatures in a team almost entirely newly assembled it was surprisingly good, I hope the big ozzy gets a contract and I'm glad we have the little one. One thing he doesn't have that sawyers had and it seems an ego always smiling seems to be happy to just play the game, full of energy.
I'm not sure to be excited or not because surely players such as him so far must have a down side or they wouldn't be here. One pass was from the centre of the pitch was perfectly to the icy placed on bakidontknows toe. Only down side he wasn't in the box for his own cross

All in all looking forward to seeing the others and whoever else comes in. Ironically(with the shirt) I have a feeling this season the same as big fat jans season exciting I just hope jw can create a more solid base than him then we're on to a winner

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Thu Jul 21, 2016 7:23 am

There looks to be some cause for optimism which is great. There is a degree of gamble in the squad assembled but then there has to be. On our budget we will never sign finished articles who don't have either an injury or form issue.

If Whitney can weave his medical magic and keep the likes of Flo, Moussa, Ozzy, Jackson et al fit and firing then we look really strong. If two or three of those are out for big chunks then it could be a struggle, especially given the new loan rules.

As ever, I'm really looking forward to it all starting again and with the exception of Tom, I'm probably more excited than I would have been had all of the old lot re-signed.

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Re: Birmingham City (H) Tuesday 19th July (friendly)

Thu Jul 21, 2016 10:20 am

Wragbyred wrote:Osbourne, best player on the pitch last night, beast of a man and something we've needed for years
Oztumer, class,class act, his first touch in the second minute was sublime
Rico, great battle with their very good right winger, learning all the time
McCarthy, damn good player that is calm under pressure
Bakayoko, surprisingly good, for a young player on his own against 2 centre halves. Knows how to take a penalty as well
Surprised at the quality of the young kids especially Sangha, calm and reassured

With Moussa and Jackson to come in, excited!!!


Any news on why those 2 haven't featured yet? And also, we know Vassell has gone out on loan as seen as "one for the future" rather than this season, but we've not seen Butterfield or Flanagan so far either. Are they injured or not seen as good enough to even play a few minutes in a friendly when we've given other youngsters a run out?

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