Gillingham (H)- 19.11.16- League One.

[El_Nombre]

Load of crap and for me there is currently no enjoyment watching this crop of players..

The team is currently managed by a Physio come manager and a No2 that is relatively new to coaching. It doesn't surprise meone bit that our tactics/substitutions are clueless.

End the season now I want to get off.

You got no enjoyment out of that performance? End to end, chances, 2 clearances of the line albeit in defeat. The worst type of fan is the one that only sings when you are winning.

Cool, stay away and we won't have to read your moaning every bloody week.

Ha ha piss off you key board Warrior

Keyboard Warrior? I didn't threaten you? Lol

[clawtheolder]

I`m f***ing angry.

[Mazza01]

Load of crap and for me there is currently no enjoyment watching this crop of players..

The team is currently managed by a Physio come manager and a No2 that is relatively new to coaching. It doesn't surprise meone bit that our tactics/substitutions are clueless.

End the season now I want to get off.

You got no enjoyment out of that performance? End to end, chances, 2 clearances of the line albeit in defeat. The worst type of fan is the one that only sings when you are winning.

Cool, stay away and we won't have to read your moaning every bloody week.

Ha ha piss off you key board Warrior

Keyboard Warrior? I didn't threaten you? Lol

That's how you come across I'm afraid.

[IHTC.]

You're kidding yourself if you think we were "unlucky".[/quote]
They had a free kick that hit their centre halve on the arse and went in from their only dangerous attack of the half, i'd say that's pretty lucky. :lol:[/quote]

You are right to an extent but scratch off that goal and the end result is a draw against a poor team on a dreadful run of form.

Centre midfield doesn't inspire much confidence or inspiration either.

What really concerns is all season we have had a coaching team with 2 ex defenders. Yet week in week out we fail to stop crosses and back off until we are practically on our own goal line. If you are the away team you can attack us down the wings and have a free cross or attack down the middle and watch us part like the Red Sea!

Whitney talked about chances in his interview, were these the countless shots off target. I think we have scored 21 goals in 17 games. We can't defend so we will either draw a lot or lose a lot.

I'm getting bored of going at the moment.[/quote]

Jesus, and you were happy to sit and watch the middle 2 seasons of the Smith era? :roll:[/quote]

Not sure where you get that from as I have gone over my post and can't see Smith named anywhere or a direct comparison to previous seasons?[/quote]

I never said you did I was just pointing out that today's game was far more enjoyable than 75% of the games we suffered during that period under Smith yet this side is boring you which I find strange.

Morris Ginnelly and Ozthumer all prepared to run at defences compared to Mantom, Featherstone and Baxendale fannying about passing sideways.

[reedswood sadler]

Same game as last week at MK for most of the game the better side, had plenty of chances to finish game in second half and failed to take any. Poor in middle of defence and towards end of match back off,defend deeper and make silly mistake ending in a goal and points lost.
We had enough chances to win this game twice over but have nobody able to score.Jackson will run all day but will not win balls in air against 6 footers.Teams have become aware of Ozy and are now doubling up on him and cut down his danger.The only other player scoring goals (Baka) cannot get a game.

[IHTC.]

Jackson not good enough, Bakayoko should be first choice.

[Cowshed]

last 3 games against 2 teams in poor form and non league yet they all scored against us,

ozzy is being man marked and so coming too deep leaving Jackson isolated

so letting goals in and not scoring enough

why were oconnor and Bakayoko on the bench??

[Sadsfan]

Do you think that it is written into Whitney 's contract that he has to play 4231? He needs to grow a pair and come up with his own formation and tactics rather than being an identikit Smith.

[Wragbyred]

I prefer to look at the positives

We have found (by mistake) a damn good midfielder in Edwards, and Ginnely Was very good. Not on the fringes like I last saw him, but more confident, involved player, be good to keep him after January.
I agree with most posters, that the substitutions should have been made earlier, considering they were warming up straight after half time - then again it was cold!

Relegation this season? Not a hope.

[SoccerHQ]

Do you think that it is written into Whitney 's contract that he has to play 4231? He needs to grow a pair and come up with his own formation and tactics rather than being an identikit Smith.

Depends if key players agree.

Oztumer has won majority of points this season.....would he be as happy or effective in a 4-4-2?

Adam Chambers has defied gravity last few seasons with his performances...given his age I'm not sure he'll function at all well in a 4-4-2 with more ground to cover.

I do agree it's probably time to give Bakayoko a proper chance at CF...even Markis has had games up there so I don't see an issue given he's scoring regularly in the trophy we dare not mention.

Edit: Someone like Morris is a miss atm I feel...he can always pop up with a goal out of nowhere. Anyone know how long he'll be out injured for?

[Super Gabor]

Thought we played some decent football today. Ginnelly looks like he's staking a good claim for a place. McCarthy made some blistering attacking runs. Laird impressed again No-one had a poor game.

If anything we looked the likely winners up until their late free kick.

Only criticism is Jackson up front alone doesn't work.

[Guest]

Heartening for Gills as Saddlers go belly up

https://youtu.be/5wPzV3xwuTM

[Neuromantic]

I'll sum this game up with one phrase:

Abysmal management.

[El_Nombre]

Load of crap and for me there is currently no enjoyment watching this crop of players..

The team is currently managed by a Physio come manager and a No2 that is relatively new to coaching. It doesn't surprise meone bit that our tactics/substitutions are clueless.

End the season now I want to get off.

You got no enjoyment out of that performance? End to end, chances, 2 clearances of the line albeit in defeat. The worst type of fan is the one that only sings when you are winning.

Cool, stay away and we won't have to read your moaning every bloody week.

Ha ha piss off you key board Warrior

Keyboard Warrior? I didn't threaten you? Lol

That's how you come across I'm afraid.

If you have zero reading comprehension...

[Sadsfan]

Do you think that it is written into Whitney 's contract that he has to play 4231? He needs to grow a pair and come up with his own formation and tactics rather than being an identikit Smith.

Depends if key players agree.

Oztumer has won majority of points this season.....would he be as happy or effective in a 4-4-2?

Adam Chambers has defied gravity last few seasons with his performances...given his age I'm not sure he'll function at all well in a 4-4-2 with more ground to cover.

I do agree it's probably time to give Bakayoko a proper chance at CF...even Markis has had games up there so I don't see an issue given he's scoring regularly in the trophy we dare not mention.

Edit: Someone like Morris is a miss atm I feel...he can always pop up with a goal out of nowhere. Anyone know how long he'll be out injured for?

A good point about players, but he could play 4-3-2-1 or 3-4-1-2 as well as4-4-2. Just mixing it up now and again makes it more difficult for the opposition to know what to expect.

[IHTC.]

Do you think that it is written into Whitney 's contract that he has to play 4231? He needs to grow a pair and come up with his own formation and tactics rather than being an identikit Smith.

Depends if key players agree.

Oztumer has won majority of points this season.....would he be as happy or effective in a 4-4-2?

Adam Chambers has defied gravity last few seasons with his performances...given his age I'm not sure he'll function at all well in a 4-4-2 with more ground to cover.

I do agree it's probably time to give Bakayoko a proper chance at CF...even Markis has had games up there so I don't see an issue given he's scoring regularly in the trophy we dare not mention.

Edit: Someone like Morris is a miss atm I feel...he can always pop up with a goal out of nowhere. Anyone know how long he'll be out injured for?

A good point about players, but he could play 4-3-2-1 or 3-4-1-2 as well as4-4-2. Just mixing it up now and again makes it more difficult for the opposition to know what to expect.

For the last 6 years all opposition managers had to do was look at the week/months/years previous as to how we will set up. There must be some rubbish managers about who cannot come up with a plan/set up well in advance to beat us.

[Leatherman]

Not the result I was hoping for or, to be perfectly honest, expecting. :cry:

Overall I thought we were pretty good but just couldn't find the killer pass.

Ozzie'S radar was malfunctioning and Ginnelly's crosses and corners were good, but just not quite good enough.

I didn't think that there was a poor performance from anyone yesterday, especially once Toner decided it worked best to keep the ball on the pitch rather than in the crowd.

Perhaps if Chambers had run with the ball into the space in front of him rather than pass it to someone who was in a weaker position than himself, we could have put them under a bit more pressure and forced them into mistakes.

All little things really, but they didn't half frustrate the fudge out of me.

But! We played good attacking football; movement off the ball was better; defensively (from crosses anyway) we looked more secure.

For me, I thought Ginnelly was MotM, although the sponsors choice of Preston was an excellent one too - I don't think Preston missed a header all match and his cross field passes went straight to feet.

Whitney is doing a decent job and And this talk of sacking him is ridiculous.

But! Why, oh why did he leave those subs. until the last ten minutes? We weren't playing badly, however it did need a different approach and personnel as early as the 55 minute and certainly no later than the 70th.

Shows a lot of promise - not bad on your half term school report, but you wouldn't want it on your headstone.

[Sadsfan]

Do you think that it is written into Whitney 's contract that he has to play 4231? He needs to grow a pair and come up with his own formation and tactics rather than being an identikit Smith.

Depends if key players agree.

Oztumer has won majority of points this season.....would he be as happy or effective in a 4-4-2?

Adam Chambers has defied gravity last few seasons with his performances...given his age I'm not sure he'll function at all well in a 4-4-2 with more ground to cover.

I do agree it's probably time to give Bakayoko a proper chance at CF...even Markis has had games up there so I don't see an issue given he's scoring regularly in the trophy we dare not mention.

Edit: Someone like Morris is a miss atm I feel...he can always pop up with a goal out of nowhere. Anyone know how long he'll be out injured for?

A good point about players, but he could play 4-3-2-1 or 3-4-1-2 as well as4-4-2. Just mixing it up now and again makes it more difficult for the opposition to know what to expect.

For the last 6 years all opposition managers had to do was look at the week/months/years previous as to how we will set up. There must be some rubbish managers about who cannot come up with a plan/set up well in advance to beat us.

This ^ That's what sets a really good manager apart from the mediocre ones - the ability to adapt, be flexible and outwit the opposition's manager.

[aaaae]

Boring statto note - if we had averaged the points per game we have got from the last 10 league games over the whole season so far, we'd have 27.2 points and be in the play off spots.

[scott_powell]

Glad I didn't go now. Can't be bothered with them.

[Super Gabor]

Glad I didn't go now.

So that's why the atmosphere was quite poor considering 5k home fans.

[DonningtonSaddler]

Not the result I was hoping for or, to be perfectly honest, expecting. :cry:

Overall I thought we were pretty good but just couldn't find the killer pass.

Ozzie'S radar was malfunctioning and Ginnelly's crosses and corners were good, but just not quite good enough.

I didn't think that there was a poor performance from anyone yesterday, especially once Toner decided it worked best to keep the ball on the pitch rather than in the crowd.

Perhaps if Chambers had run with the ball into the space in front of him rather than pass it to someone who was in a weaker position than himself, we could have put them under a bit more pressure and forced them into mistakes.

All little things really, but they didn't half frustrate the fudge out of me.

But! We played good attacking football; movement off the ball was better; defensively (from crosses anyway) we looked more secure.

For me, I thought Ginnelly was MotM, although the sponsors choice of Preston was an excellent one too - I don't think Preston missed a header all match and his cross field passes went straight to feet.

Whitney is doing a decent job and And this talk of sacking him is ridiculous.

But! Why, oh why did he leave those subs. until the last ten minutes? We weren't playing badly, however it did need a different approach and personnel as early as the 55 minute and certainly no later than the 70th.

Shows a lot of promise - not bad on your half term school report, but you wouldn't want it on your headstone.

This is pretty much as I saw it too. The subs were too late and it was a bit of mystery why it was thought Flo could be a game changer after being out for so long. Maybe Moussa had a niggle? Personally, I would have put on Bakayoko for Ozzy and Osbourne/Osborne/Osborn for Chambers and switched to 442 and played more direct.

[scott_powell]

Glad I didn't go now.

So that's why the atmosphere was quite poor considering 5k home fans.

Not sure if thats a dig or not

[Super Gabor]

Glad I didn't go now.

So that's why the atmosphere was quite poor considering 5k home fans.

Not sure if thats a dig or not

Not at all Scott. It was a compliment.

It seemed rather quiet for most the match in the Walsall end.

[SaddlerSteve]

Glad I didn't go now.

So that's why the atmosphere was quite poor considering 5k home fans.

Not sure if thats a dig or not

Not at all Scott. It was a compliment.

It seemed rather quiet for most the match in the Walsall end.

It was rather noticeable that the majority of the "Upper the Saddlers" seemed to be absent.

[tinned]

Glad I didn't go now.

So that's why the atmosphere was quite poor considering 5k home fans.

Not sure if thats a dig or not

Not at all Scott. It was a compliment.

It seemed rather quiet for most the match in the Walsall end.

It was rather noticeable that the majority of the "Upper the Saddlers" seemed to be absent.

Not knocking the lads that tried this at all, but my son and my mates son sat with us yesterday, instead of their usual place with the singers, saying that "it was boring and quiet up there now".

It was a valiant effort, but it appears getting modern fans to sing is a thankless task.

[SoccerHQ]

Last season was very close to being a special year.....so there was an added occasion to most of the games and so the atmosphere upstairs fed off that....I sat up there for a few games and thought it was pretty good so kudos for the lads for getting something going.

This year is just going to be more low key...you could make arguments either way but where Walsall currently are in the table is where I expect them to finish although hopefully a few places higher...but essentially mid table.

So more difficult to get things going although there have been some entertaining games already at home. Dosen't help that two of the more interesting home games in Sloppies and Coventry have already been played.

[Jolly Johnny]

Do you think that it is written into Whitney 's contract that he has to play 4231? He needs to grow a pair and come up with his own formation and tactics rather than being an identikit Smith.

Depends if key players agree.

Oztumer has won majority of points this season.....would he be as happy or effective in a 4-4-2?

Adam Chambers has defied gravity last few seasons with his performances...given his age I'm not sure he'll function at all well in a 4-4-2 with more ground to cover.

I do agree it's probably time to give Bakayoko a proper chance at CF...even Markis has had games up there so I don't see an issue given he's scoring regularly in the trophy we dare not mention.

Edit: Someone like Morris is a miss atm I feel...he can always pop up with a goal out of nowhere. Anyone know how long he'll be out injured for?

A good point about players, but he could play 4-3-2-1 or 3-4-1-2 as well as4-4-2. Just mixing it up now and again makes it more difficult for the opposition to know what to expect.

Another option is 4-1-3-2. This would get the second striker on and help us hold the ball up as well as meet crosses in the box. I guess it leaves chambers a bit more exposed as the only holding CM and maybe that is what concerns Whitney.