Fleetwood Town (H) Tue 14 Mar, 7.45pm

[Ancient Moaner]

I pop out for half an hour to get back to a mauling, according to the BBC stats they are giving us a footy lesson...lesson one, GET A BLOOMIN STRIKER!

Seems like there is a fat lady singing down at the Bezza, why couldn't we have put up a better display against this lot? :evil:

Specially when all the other results around us are going our way, too late....we're crud! :twisted:

[Welsh_Saddler]

Walsall substitution on 67 minutes........ standard tactic - Bakayoko on for Jackson

Revealing statistic from the BBC - as at 70 minutes we haven't yet had a shot on target :(

Oldham Athletic 2 Oxford Utd 1

Northampton Town 1 Port Vale 1

[Guest]

It sounds like a crap first half from us.

From the stats, the second half is worse.

[Ancient Moaner]

!7 minutes, yes you heard it here first, he's giving Makris 17 whole minutes to pay back his transfer fee!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Diabolical management.

Both Henry & Sawyers currently playing for Brentford against the Dingles. Have to report somat interesting, there's nowt to write home about down at the Bezza! :evil:

[Welsh_Saddler]

Bury 3 Bristol Rovers 0 :shock:

76 minutes, and we've just had our 9th corner ... still nothing on target though

[Guest]

75 minutes and not a shot on target...

[Ancient Moaner]

75 minutes and not a shot on target...

WE don't need a striker now do we! :lol: :lol:

10 corners, and nothing, when other teams get corners it usually means danger, us? may as well give a goal kick for all the good they do.

[EvenFlow]

I pop out for half an hour to get back to a mauling, according to the BBC stats they are giving us a footy lesson...lesson one, GET A BLOOMIN STRIKER!

As this is a recurring theme, Ancient, I have to ask- post January 31st, and pre-end of May, short of unadvisedly throwing Cameron Peters to the wolves, what is Whitney supposed to do differently in this regard?

[Welsh_Saddler]

Makris replaced Dobson, 73 min by the way...

Attendance 3,890


Northampton Town 2 Port Vale 1

Swindon Town 2 Sheffield Utd 4

Scunthorpe Utd 2 Rochdale 1 (90th min)

[Ancient Moaner]

I pop out for half an hour to get back to a mauling, according to the BBC stats they are giving us a footy lesson...lesson one, GET A BLOOMIN STRIKER!

As this is a recurring theme, Ancient, I have to ask- post January 31st, and pre-end of May, short of unadvisedly throwing Cameron Peters to the wolves, what is Whitney supposed to do differently in this regard?

Talking NEXT season, as this one is over! :evil:

[Welsh_Saddler]

We have our 11th corner, in the 95th minute ... all to no avail, full time and it's 0-1.

With not a single shot on target, the Fleetwood Town goalkeeper was literally surplus to requirements !!!

[SoccerHQ]

All over, Fleetwood back up to 2nd. :shock:

Burton and them in the championship, sigh.

[chunkster]

oh well i think any thoughts of us getting into the top 6 have ended tonight :|

[Exile]

I pop out for half an hour to get back to a mauling, according to the BBC stats they are giving us a footy lesson...lesson one, GET A BLOOMIN STRIKER!

As this is a recurring theme, Ancient, I have to ask- post January 31st, and pre-end of May, short of unadvisedly throwing Cameron Peters to the wolves, what is Whitney supposed to do differently in this regard?

Talking NEXT season, as this one is over! :evil:

You've got a right mard on tonight!

This just proves that, whilst we're decent, we're not worthy of top six. Fleetwood are a well-drilled side, and up the top for a reason.

[Ancient Moaner]

We have our 11th corner, in the 95th minute ... all to no avail, full time and it's 0-1.

With not a single shot on target, the Fleetwood Town goalkeeper was literally surplus to requirements !!!

Our shortcomings are obvious.

[Soton Saddler]

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.

[BathSaddler]

Disappointing, but let's face it, we simply don't have a decent forward and we were always going to be found out against a well organised side like Fleetwood. Jackson can toodle off in the summer along with Moussa. Not too bothered if Bakayoko goes either.

A couple of new strikers plus Makris for next season please.

Still, we could be Coventry, Chesterfield, Port Vale or Swindon. There's always a bright side :wink: .

UTS

[Whitters]

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.

What he said.

[Guest]

O'Connell off injured - Matt Preston takes his place (36 min)

Can't resist ... we still have The Dingles to amuse us :lol: :lol:

Not tonight.

[Pedagogue]

Fleetwood deserved their win. They are a big, fit, strong, well-organised team with pace in key areas. Whitney said before the game that they would be a threat at set-pieces and so it proved. Uwe Rösler has done a good job there and the promotion into the Championship of another club even smaller than Walsall looks a distinct possibility after Burton's success, last year.

We lack any players who are really commanding and dominant in the air, although O'Connor does his best. So what do we do? Answer:- pump high balls up to Jackson, who lacks any physical presence, and to Oztumer, who must be the shortest and most lightweight player in the Football League! :evil:

I have to ask - are our players just basically thick (cue saddlerken) - or are they playing to the manager's instructions? I thought that football tactics were about playing to your own side's strengths, NOT to those of your opponents?

In fairness to our much-maligned strikers, our problem lies in our build-up play. It is SO slow. As a result, ground routes for passes are quickly closed off by any hard-working opponents (like tonight) and and we are left with the "route one, hoofball" tactic, totally unsuited to our players.

Finally, can Neil Cutler do something about Etheridge's distribution, please? It is the worst that I have seen from any professional goalkeeper. I don't know about keeping the ball on the pitch, it would be nice if he could keep it in the same postcode!!!

[coop63]

Having missed a few games due to being on holiday I was really looking fwd to this one - what a disappointment though!

We got a footballing lesson in terms of possession and marking - they were a well drilled fit team (team being the key word) and it's that that will probably get them promoted.. Rosler has clearly done a great job with them and deserves credit for it..

We simply couldn't break them down at all and frankly with the exception of a 10 minute spell towards the back end of the game we just never looked like having a decent shot never mind scoring.. as it happens we failed to register a shot on goal and if you have any aspirations of progress in any league that is simply unacceptable and the management of the club really cannot ignore this issue of no credible strike force.... we can only wonder what we could have achieved this season with a proven forward at this level..

Just one note about the ref - he seemed to miss a few clear hand balls and although it's frustrating he seemed to let play go to our disadvantage, at the end of the day, it wasn't down to him that we lost the game... UTS

[Walsallone]

I thought we deserved a draw for our efforts. Fleetwood are a big strong team but at our best we could have beaten them. I t was unfortunate that some of our best players were not on form-the 2 Ozzys in particular and even good players are allowed to have bad games.
Makris made a difference when he came on and perhaps he and Baka can form a partnership if they play together more. UTS

[m&m]

Agreed we could and should have created more. For me a draw would've been a fair result.
As for the ref. He bought everything Fleetwood did. The time wasting, throwing themselves to the ground without being touched and feigning injury.

What a horrible football club with practically no fans. Second in the league and they bring 150.

[kshammer]

Good effort but beaten by a better team. No need to go over the top.

[Cowshed]

Shame about this performance

Given the length of time before the next home game this was a good chance to get a positive result and shift more early bird tickets

Can't see any new takers now and so it will back to the old faithful next season

Pity the Maris fee couldn't have been used to get Rosler in

[leics_saddler]

I didn't go tonight, thankfully. However, when I heard the line up my first thought was 'ponderous'.
I remarked that against Oldham our tempo was about half what it should have been.
It was probably about 10% tonight by the sounds of things.

The problem is this, Dobson, Chambers and Osbourne are clearly good players. The defenders are clearly good.
They are all very solid and dependable. However, this rigid eight has as much forward desire as continental drift.
Taking Morris out of the side and stopping the supply down the flanks, kills our attacking threat stone dead.

The opposition can let the defenders have the ball, knowing that with no other option available, they will lump it.
Unless Bakayoko is on (which he rarely is) there is little chance of winning a lump ball.
This appears to be our only way to get the ball forward quickly and purposefully.

If Morris is unavailable or out of form, it becomes difficult to see who to put there.
We could put Edwards in there and play Laird at LB.
We could (shudder) put Oztumer in there and play two up top.

The playoffs are surely well and truly gone now, so it must be time to try one or two things out.

[Guest]

http://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/teams/walsall/10802397/walsall-0-1-fleetwood

We don't do a lot in those highlights. A good save by Etheridge.

[Whitters]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSi2H5Z1XjU

[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.

[El_Nombre]

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

Yes, I hate watching a team that has something to play for...