Fleetwood Town (H) Tue 14 Mar, 7.45pm

[scott_powell]

Thank god for that, at least people can stop waffling on about the play offs now!

For me a big clear out is needed in the Summer, realistically I only see 4-5 players in the current squad worth keeping. We have no chance of keeping any of the loans (maybe Laird).

In all fairness to JW he has done a great job of motivating and getting the best out of the team in this second half of the season. He would of learnt a lot which should set him up nicely for next.

P.S getting sick of watching Etheridge now , despite a couple of good saves his body language is terrible. He really doesn't want to be here.

Such a ridiculous statement :lol:

[Ancient Moaner]

Please don't engage Ancient Moaner. Clearly takes pleasure from being a troll.

Think it'll be tough to reach the playoffs now but I think Whitney's done well in his first season as a manager. Bit of excitement at the end of the season big plus. Shame Bakayoko and Jackson haven't managed to get as many goals as Whitney and others would have thought (me included). I love the commentary on this page. Why didn't he go out and get a 20 + striker - as if it is that easy... He did replace nigh on a whole team, fend off relegation with 10 games to go, decent shot at the playoffs, beat the best team in this division 3 times.... oh but hey - we don't look like getting promoted, why not fire him..... The guy loves the club, is passionate, seems to have a fair bit of nouse based on this first season but some want to pitchfork him outta here.

Get a grip, get behind the club and wake up.

I suggest you take a quick glance at some of the comments of the supporters that were at the match, and some others like you and me who weren't, and reassess your criticism. To call me a troll is showing a disgusting attitude towards someone who is passionate about his club and longs for success, and hates to lose. So if you can't 'engage' in normal banter on here...if you can't play nice, go away and haunt somewhere else.

[reedswood sadler]

Bye Bye playoffs this game showed the difference between a real playoff(at least) and a team of pretenders perhaps now all the hype about playoffs will stop and we can start to plan for next season.
Fleetwood attacked with pace and purpose, never used 6 passes when 1 was enough while we either hoofed it up to Jackson or Ozzy to out jump big defenders or got into the penalty area and played passy passy instead of shooting.The Fleetwood goalie did not make a save all game.
Every time they had a set piece there was danger we never got ball past first man.

[Well-bRed]

Bye Bye playoffs this game showed the difference between a real playoff(at least) and a team of pretenders perhaps now all the hype about playoffs will stop and we can start to plan for next season.
Fleetwood attacked with pace and purpose, never used 6 passes when 1 was enough while we either hoofed it up to Jackson or Ozzy to out jump big defenders or got into the penalty area and played passy passy instead of shooting.The Fleetwood goalie did not make a save all game.
Every time they had a set piece there was danger we never got ball past first man.

Here, here!
Therein lies a massive problem. Score from a near post corner the week before (for the first time in years) then waste at least half a dozen corners yesterday trying to recreate said goal. I like Whitney but if he thinks a team in 2nd place hasn't done its homework on our set pieces, he's still got a hell of a lot to learn...

[aaaae]

I do wonder if we will ever replace Andy Butler. We haven't been able to defend crosses for nearly 3 years now and the club management seem to be blissfully unaware. Shame all our opponents cottoned on about 2 3/4 years ago....

[Mazza01]

Thank god for that, at least people can stop waffling on about the play offs now!

For me a big clear out is needed in the Summer, realistically I only see 4-5 players in the current squad worth keeping. We have no chance of keeping any of the loans (maybe Laird).

In all fairness to JW he has done a great job of motivating and getting the best out of the team in this second half of the season. He would of learnt a lot which should set him up nicely for next.

P.S getting sick of watching Etheridge now , despite a couple of good saves his body language is terrible. He really doesn't want to be here.

Such a ridiculous statement :lol:

Why? please explain.

[philthesaddler]

I do wonder if we will ever replace Andy Butler. We haven't been able to defend crosses for nearly 3 years now and the club management seem to be blissfully unaware. Shame all our opponents cottoned on about 2 3/4 years ago....

First step to defending crosses is to stop them coming in.

Whitney's Walsall is the worst Walsall I've ever seen at stopping crosses coming in.

[scott_powell]

Thank god for that, at least people can stop waffling on about the play offs now!

For me a big clear out is needed in the Summer, realistically I only see 4-5 players in the current squad worth keeping. We have no chance of keeping any of the loans (maybe Laird).

In all fairness to JW he has done a great job of motivating and getting the best out of the team in this second half of the season. He would of learnt a lot which should set him up nicely for next.

P.S getting sick of watching Etheridge now , despite a couple of good saves his body language is terrible. He really doesn't want to be here.

Such a ridiculous statement :lol:

Why? please explain.

You're talking like our faint play off hopes were a burden!! They are over in my eyes but we were in a decent position to sneak in so why shouldn't have people "waffled" on about them?

[scott_powell]

Please don't engage Ancient Moaner. Clearly takes pleasure from being a troll.

Think it'll be tough to reach the playoffs now but I think Whitney's done well in his first season as a manager. Bit of excitement at the end of the season big plus. Shame Bakayoko and Jackson haven't managed to get as many goals as Whitney and others would have thought (me included). I love the commentary on this page. Why didn't he go out and get a 20 + striker - as if it is that easy... He did replace nigh on a whole team, fend off relegation with 10 games to go, decent shot at the playoffs, beat the best team in this division 3 times.... oh but hey - we don't look like getting promoted, why not fire him..... The guy loves the club, is passionate, seems to have a fair bit of nouse based on this first season but some want to pitchfork him outta here.

Get a grip, get behind the club and wake up.

I suggest you take a quick glance at some of the comments of the supporters that were at the match, and some others like you and me who weren't, and reassess your criticism. To call me a troll is showing a disgusting attitude towards someone who is passionate about his club and longs for success, and hates to lose. So if you can't 'engage' in normal banter on here...if you can't play nice, go away and haunt somewhere else.

Soton Saddler,

I didn't get AM at first. His ramblings used to baffle me and occasionally still do, but the bloke wears his heart on his sleeve and he loves the club. He's not a troll. With AM, the lows are very low and the highs are very high! It's very black and white with him and I find it quite endearing and funny to read. AM is a great personality on here and his ramblings entertain me!! Take it with a pinch of salt. AM is a great poster on here and very passionate about this club.

[Mazza01]

Thank god for that, at least people can stop waffling on about the play offs now!

For me a big clear out is needed in the Summer, realistically I only see 4-5 players in the current squad worth keeping. We have no chance of keeping any of the loans (maybe Laird).

In all fairness to JW he has done a great job of motivating and getting the best out of the team in this second half of the season. He would of learnt a lot which should set him up nicely for next.

P.S getting sick of watching Etheridge now , despite a couple of good saves his body language is terrible. He really doesn't want to be here.

Such a ridiculous statement :lol:

Why? please explain.

You're talking like our faint play off hopes were a burden!! They are over in my eyes but we were in a decent position to sneak in so why shouldn't have people "waffled" on about them?

yes its was great to of had that faint chance agreed, my problem is off the back of that people had unrealistic expectations.

Lots of criticism now after last nights defeat especially on social media.

[aaaae]

I do wonder if we will ever replace Andy Butler. We haven't been able to defend crosses for nearly 3 years now and the club management seem to be blissfully unaware. Shame all our opponents cottoned on about 2 3/4 years ago....

First step to defending crosses is to stop them coming in.

Whitney's Walsall is the worst Walsall I've ever seen at stopping crosses coming in.

Difficult to do that with corners though... :wink:

[Walsallone]

Oh come on aaaae you should know that phil is a great expert on the game and if he were our Manager we would never concede or never fail to score!!! Actually defence is not our biggest problem...that lies from midfield forward where we lack players who can score on a regular basis. The rebuilding in the Summer needs to reflect that fact.

[chriss5471]

Looking at our team investment in the summer needs to come in the form of:

A marauding right back to replace Jason McCarthy when he goes back, unless we are going for Edwards on the right and Laird on the left if he signs? A centre back who can play the ball out of defence like O'Connell does, a midfielder to replace Osbourne who I am sure will be off, I also think Dobson will sign to replace Chambers who will either be off or very much bit part next season. The problem then lies in going forward, if we stick with Ozzy it makes us very one dimensional and needing a striker who can feed off scraps as he won't have much support up front. Doesn't need to be a massive goalscorer as the goals can come from around him but we have lacked the hold up play this season.

Finally a new keeper will be needed and I fear we don't currently have trust in the Mac and Roberts seems to be too young. Some of the talk about mass recruitment is silly if we keep the core of the team as it is. O'Connor, Preston, Roberts, Vassell fighting for two places with a ball playing defender and Chambers, Dobson (if as I believe he signs), Butterfield, Morris, Flanagan, Kouhyar, Flo fighting for places in the middle looks healthy but one more driving forward player is required especially if Flo leaves. Ozzy is nailed on to play in the hole/up front and Baka is a perfect squad player. Makris could well come good but I do fear having him and Ozzy in the same team is very lightweight. Jackson is still going to be here as he is on a 2 year contract as well giving lots of stability.

Also we only have to look at the success of the development squad this season and hopefully some of these players can step up and bolster the first team squad. Therefore I reckon we only need a few shrewd additions this close season and that will help the squad build momentum unlike the usual wholesale changes!

[chunkster]

Please don't engage Ancient Moaner. Clearly takes pleasure from being a troll.

Think it'll be tough to reach the playoffs now but I think Whitney's done well in his first season as a manager. Bit of excitement at the end of the season big plus. Shame Bakayoko and Jackson haven't managed to get as many goals as Whitney and others would have thought (me included). I love the commentary on this page. Why didn't he go out and get a 20 + striker - as if it is that easy... He did replace nigh on a whole team, fend off relegation with 10 games to go, decent shot at the playoffs, beat the best team in this division 3 times.... oh but hey - we don't look like getting promoted, why not fire him..... The guy loves the club, is passionate, seems to have a fair bit of nouse based on this first season but some want to pitchfork him outta here.

Get a grip, get behind the club and wake up.

I suggest you take a quick glance at some of the comments of the supporters that were at the match, and some others like you and me who weren't, and reassess your criticism. To call me a troll is showing a disgusting attitude towards someone who is passionate about his club and longs for success, and hates to lose. So if you can't 'engage' in normal banter on here...if you can't play nice, go away and haunt somewhere else.

Soton Saddler,

I didn't get AM at first. His ramblings used to baffle me and occasionally still do, but the bloke wears his heart on his sleeve and he loves the club. He's not a troll. With AM, the lows are very low and the highs are very high! It's very black and white with him and I find it quite endearing and funny to read. AM is a great personality on here and his ramblings entertain me!! Take it with a pinch of salt. AM is a great poster on here and very passionate about this club.

Well said scott :wink: AM is probably one of the most passionate fans on here. and has earned the right to his rant's after putting up with the super saddlers for probably 50 odd years :mrgreen:

[seventies_saddler]

Agree with other posters. I thought that last night brought it home that we're a middling third division side at the moment - not quite good enough to challenge for the play offs. We're solid and hard working with a few decent players but better sides like Fleetwood will expose our weaknesses - especially,as aaae says, our weakness in defending crosses which we've had since Andy Butler left. Cannot understand why successive managers haven't remedied this obvious problem! And as many others have said we have a fundamentally unbalanced squad. We play with one up front but we don't have anyone who is effective in the lone striker role. Jackson is wasted in that role and Bakka isn't the finished article yet. But if we play 2 up front in theory we should do better - I personally think Jackson is a pretty good player who could get lots of goals if we could play to his strengths - but then if we py 4 in midfield we are ineffective because we don't have the right players for that system.

I feel Whitney deserves credit for getting us to mid table safety after losing so many of our best players in the summer - and I like that we are solid, well organised and hard working - but he buggered up his recruitment in my opinion. He's new to management and hopefully he's learned from this and will put it right over the summer.

[Ancient Moaner]

Many, many, thanks Chunkster & Scott, yes I can get passionate, and sometimes do rant on a bit....it's an age thing.
But, as you so rightly point out I love my Saddlers, breaks my heart that I can't get to as many matches as I would like.
S'ton saddler seems quite knowledgeable about the realities of the situation down at the Bescot, but to call me a 'troll' was a little 'below the belt' and it hurt. I was 13 when I went to my first match at the hallowed turf that was Fellows Park, 56 years later I still love the Saddlers, and get distressed beyond belief when things don't go right (so I've been more than a little distressed over the years!! :lol: :lol: ) Most of us on here love the Saddlers, we all want success, we all like to see our team win.

UTS always...................

[Whitters]

Yes, the troll thing was a bit too much, but what's your plan Oh Ancient One?
You constantly call for new managers.
What do you think success for WFC is - win every game from now until eternity and go on to glory in the Champions League?
What's WFC's level in your opinion?
Is it higher than our current 9th position in the 3rd tier?
Why?
What number of games is it reasonable to win each season?
What are the names of the managers who are better than the one we already have?
Why are they better than the one we currently have?
How did the best managers in the world get their start and what was their win percentage in their first season?
How can you build a DNA and a philosophy if you sack a manager after he's lost a couple of games?

[SWS11]

Many, many, thanks Chunkster & Scott, yes I can get passionate, and sometimes do rant on a bit....it's an age thing.
But, as you so rightly point out I love my Saddlers, breaks my heart that I can't get to as many matches as I would like.
S'ton saddler seems quite knowledgeable about the realities of the situation down at the Bescot, but to call me a 'troll' was a little 'below the belt' and it hurt. I was 13 when I went to my first match at the hallowed turf that was Fellows Park, 56 years later I still love the Saddlers, and get distressed beyond belief when things don't go right (so I've been more than a little distressed over the years!! :lol: :lol: ) Most of us on here love the Saddlers, we all want success, we all like to see our team win.

UTS always...................

Are you really only 69, AM? :shock:
I really thought you were older than me :mrgreen:
If you don't count when my Dad used to take me as a toddler and hold me on his shoulders or sit me on the wall, I reckon my first game was in about 1953 :shock: .

[reedswood sadler]

As another oldie who has supported/suffered for 50+ years my plan is always the same
Hope for promotion.
Fear relegation breathe sigh of relief when get 50 points.
Have to accept mid table .

[Ancient Moaner]

Yes, the troll thing was a bit too much, but what's your plan Oh Ancient One?
You constantly call for new managers.
What do you think success for WFC is - win every game from now until eternity and go on to glory in the Champions League?
What's WFC's level in your opinion?
Is it higher than our current 9th position in the 3rd tier?
Why?
What number of games is it reasonable to win each season?
What are the names of the managers who are better than the one we already have?
Why are they better than the one we currently have?
How did the best managers in the world get their start and what was their win percentage in their first season?
How can you build a DNA and a philosophy if you sack a manager after he's lost a couple of games?

NOBODY expects the Spanish inquisition!!! :wink:

Can I cut and Paste the above post from Reedswood Saddler?

I did my thesis on the mighty Saddlers for my ONC Business Studies at Wednesbury Tech in the seventies! (still have it in the loft!).

Far too many 'deep' questions for an old fart, I repeat....... I just want the occasional success, some excitement, some cup runs wouldn't go amiss, and a yearning for us to have a player capable of scoring goals regularly. End.

[Cully]

Nothing wrong with the progress we have made under Whitney especially after the meltdown of some posters last year when apparently we were a 'club in decline' :lol:

Fleetwood are yet another Maidstone, Rushden, Scarborough, Darlington....it's only a matter of time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-no ... e-39106992