Walsall Match Thread
- Thread starter Belvedere to Charlton and back again!
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Huddersfield losing at B'mouth. How did we lose to them when they then go on to lose to everybody else? Notts County again!!
well done to charlton today,at least i have my bet still intact ,as for wycombe we are down ,a disgraceful performance today,maybe when i visit your ground in a couple of weeks time and we suffer a hiding i can at least walk away knowing my 800 quid winnings is safe.
I am sure it makes you feel better to know that Hayes is not even appearing on our bench.well done to charlton today,at least i have my bet still intact ,as for wycombe we are down ,a disgraceful performance today,maybe when i visit your ground in a couple of weeks time and we suffer a hiding i can at least walk away knowing my 800 quid winnings is safe.
Just got back from the game. Delighted with the three points, not sure about some aspects of the performance, but at this end of the season it's the ugly 1-0 wins that count. Comments about a few of the players today- Solly had a great game but in my opinion should've been sent off in the second half, his tackle was far worse than Hollands'. Centre backs were great, despite the nerves, nothing really looked like going past them in that second half. Pritchard was pretty poor in the first half but turned it around in the second, I think the fact that he didn't start on Saturday shone through, he won a fair few tackles, and looked pretty energetic. However he may only have looked energetic as he was next to Stephens, who looked very, very tired in the second half. His passes weren't reaching the man far too often and he never really showed any aggression and never looked like he wanted to win the ball back. Wright-Phillips was very poor, never wins a header and there was one miss in particular that was just dreadful. Special mention to Kermorgant, who got his fair share of knocks but just kept plugging away and kept winning just about every header. So so so happy with the win though, almost there now!
Thanks Jeffers. Your comments exactly confirm the impressions I got from the radio commentary but always great to hear from fans who were there. Except that you call it an "ugly" win. Obviously it was a close shave, but it didn't sound "ugly" like some of our other matches where both teams slogged it out in a crowded midfield for 90 minutes. It sounded rather open and entertaining as the total of shots on target would suggest. What was your view on that, because a good radio commentator can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear?
Giving Stephens so much defensive responsibility worries me, especially without Wagstaff on the pitch who does help out in defence.
Those whingeing about the red cards we have received should consider we are lucky not to be without Solly for three matches. He is normally a very careful tackler (only two yellows all season before today) so I put that error down to tiredness, same as Hollands'. They have both played nearly every minute of the season.
We started really well and though the bright start fizzled out never really looked like conceeding..Leon top quality solly what can you say he just gets better.
I thought Pritchard was excellent in the 2nd half.
Yes it ws a bit nervy can see why walsall have lost 1 in 10 or something like that another 3 points closer dont you feel srry for wednesday keep on winning for nothing.
I didnt think anyone played badly today to be honest..n even if they did who cares we won n I love being at the valley when we win
I thought Pritchard was excellent in the 2nd half.
Yes it ws a bit nervy can see why walsall have lost 1 in 10 or something like that another 3 points closer dont you feel srry for wednesday keep on winning for nothing.
I didnt think anyone played badly today to be honest..n even if they did who cares we won n I love being at the valley when we win
I called it an ugly win as the second half performance was poor, and we were purely relying on the centre backs to hoof everything away and up to Kermorgant, rather than how we played very early on in the first half, which reminded me of the way we were playing at the start of the season. Hughes should've been playing in Stephens' place in my opinion, as the two playing in the middle are both relatively inexperienced and attack minded. I would agree that Solly's error was down to tiredness, he still played very well though. I think the referee may have treated his tackle lightly due to the slippery surface as well.
That was the most nervy 10 minutes I have felt in a long long time. Hamer has so much luck it's unreal, not going to start the Ben Hamer bashing here but he got very lucky today. 2 big moments,
1. He called for a cross, Solly left it, hopefully because he heard the call rather then he decided to leave it, Hamer caught the cross by some miracle, Macken must have been inches away from it if that, some how he missed it.
2. Hamer slipped over in the 93rd minute going to claim a through ball and somehow got it first, as the guy behind me said that was "a finger tip catch!"
But rather have a lucky keeper then an unlucky one
Scrappy win, but sign of a good side winning when playing well. Again please don't think I'm Hamer bashing because I'm not, just pointing out the sheer luck, on the plus side until the last 5 mins a very very good referee, controlled the game well and even made free kicks were taken from where they should have been.
1. He called for a cross, Solly left it, hopefully because he heard the call rather then he decided to leave it, Hamer caught the cross by some miracle, Macken must have been inches away from it if that, some how he missed it.
2. Hamer slipped over in the 93rd minute going to claim a through ball and somehow got it first, as the guy behind me said that was "a finger tip catch!"
But rather have a lucky keeper then an unlucky one
Scrappy win, but sign of a good side winning when playing well. Again please don't think I'm Hamer bashing because I'm not, just pointing out the sheer luck, on the plus side until the last 5 mins a very very good referee, controlled the game well and even made free kicks were taken from where they should have been.
Evening all. Just got back. A massively huge 3 points yet again. Nearly there now. Not a vintage performance by any means but then again how many of those have we had this season? First half was generally good although Walsall looked dangerous more often than was desirable. Second half was pretty dismal. Some of that I will put down to tiredness, some maybe to the pressure of the situation. Player marks as follows. Some of these may be controversial but its how I saw it:
Hamer - 7. had a few good saves and was generally dependable. Still signs of some confidence issues between him and Morro but much better than a few weeks ago. Nearly slipped at a crucial moment late on which would have been a disaster.
Solly - 9. Great performance. But lucky to be on the pitch for a very badly timed tackle in the second half that, amazingly, went unpunished. What goes around comes around I guess!
Morro - 7. Heaps of work but not as assured as earlier. Threatened to let his temper get the better of him after some poor refereeing decisions. His relationship with Hamer is a worry.
Cort - 8. A rock. Continued his recent level of performance. My mate disagreed. Thought he was shaky. Just shows that we all see things differently!
Wiggins - 8. Good game defensively and a power of work in attack. Began to link up with JJ again and we've missed that. Again, very lucky not to be at least booked for a very reckless and deliberate clear out tackle on an opponent in the second half.
Pritchard - 7 Curate's egg. Got an early booking which meant he coiuldn't tackle for the rest of the game but still managed to be an utter pest and break up their play. Did a lot of good things but did a lot of careless/bad things too, but can't be faulted for effort. Not a long term solution in the next league up IMHO but a good shift today.
Stephens - 3. Is seriously beginning to worry/annoy me. I was screaming at him in frustration today. Can't/won't tackle and when he does he cocks it up. Distribution was awful. Persists in passing backwards without looking. Total luxury that we can barely afford at the moment. I persist in my view that he will be a better player in the championship, but he nearly cost us the game today.
N'Guessan - 8. I freely admit that I was wrong about him when I compared him to Leon Clarke. Immense first half. Invaluable goal. Powerful, direct and a real handful. Went totally missing in the second half - a trait that I have been warned about by a Millwall supporting friend (yes I am that cosmopolitan!). I don't think we will ever get 90 minutes out of him, but we will forever thank him for his goals in recent games. Standing ovation when substituted. Deserved it.
Jackson - 6. Easing his way back to fitness. Some lovely link up with Wiggy. Couldn't make up his mind whether he was playing left side or in the middle. I blame Stephens for that. Tired noticeably. Over elaborated when in a scoring position in first half. Good to have him back.
Kermorgant - 9. This guy is a warrior. How he got through 90 minutes I will never know. He was screaming in agony after an ankle injury right in front of us after half an hour and could barely walk. Chose the wrong option when on the ball now and again but that was as much to do with BWP's incompetence as anything else.
BWP - 3. I'll get shouted down for this but I thought he was complete and utter shyte. Even worse that against Orient. Didn't even look as though he was trying today. If we get an offer for him I'd accept it. Sorry, but that's how I feel at the moment.
Haynes - 7. Great cameo. Gave us a much needed option up front. If he'd been on at half time I think we'd have scored a few.
Taylor and Cook - Didn't have long enough for marks but did what they had to do.
Mr Baldy Bonce Referee. Not as bad as the last two. But still lamentable. At least he was just generally bad as opposed to bad against us. Wiggins and Solly both very fortunate.
I may be being a little harsh given the crucial stage we are at. I have come home relieved and pleased that we are nearly there. I would love to be just that little bit more jubilant about the performance but maybe there is time for that when we have it done and dusted.
Hamer - 7. had a few good saves and was generally dependable. Still signs of some confidence issues between him and Morro but much better than a few weeks ago. Nearly slipped at a crucial moment late on which would have been a disaster.
Solly - 9. Great performance. But lucky to be on the pitch for a very badly timed tackle in the second half that, amazingly, went unpunished. What goes around comes around I guess!
Morro - 7. Heaps of work but not as assured as earlier. Threatened to let his temper get the better of him after some poor refereeing decisions. His relationship with Hamer is a worry.
Cort - 8. A rock. Continued his recent level of performance. My mate disagreed. Thought he was shaky. Just shows that we all see things differently!
Wiggins - 8. Good game defensively and a power of work in attack. Began to link up with JJ again and we've missed that. Again, very lucky not to be at least booked for a very reckless and deliberate clear out tackle on an opponent in the second half.
Pritchard - 7 Curate's egg. Got an early booking which meant he coiuldn't tackle for the rest of the game but still managed to be an utter pest and break up their play. Did a lot of good things but did a lot of careless/bad things too, but can't be faulted for effort. Not a long term solution in the next league up IMHO but a good shift today.
Stephens - 3. Is seriously beginning to worry/annoy me. I was screaming at him in frustration today. Can't/won't tackle and when he does he cocks it up. Distribution was awful. Persists in passing backwards without looking. Total luxury that we can barely afford at the moment. I persist in my view that he will be a better player in the championship, but he nearly cost us the game today.
N'Guessan - 8. I freely admit that I was wrong about him when I compared him to Leon Clarke. Immense first half. Invaluable goal. Powerful, direct and a real handful. Went totally missing in the second half - a trait that I have been warned about by a Millwall supporting friend (yes I am that cosmopolitan!). I don't think we will ever get 90 minutes out of him, but we will forever thank him for his goals in recent games. Standing ovation when substituted. Deserved it.
Jackson - 6. Easing his way back to fitness. Some lovely link up with Wiggy. Couldn't make up his mind whether he was playing left side or in the middle. I blame Stephens for that. Tired noticeably. Over elaborated when in a scoring position in first half. Good to have him back.
Kermorgant - 9. This guy is a warrior. How he got through 90 minutes I will never know. He was screaming in agony after an ankle injury right in front of us after half an hour and could barely walk. Chose the wrong option when on the ball now and again but that was as much to do with BWP's incompetence as anything else.
BWP - 3. I'll get shouted down for this but I thought he was complete and utter shyte. Even worse that against Orient. Didn't even look as though he was trying today. If we get an offer for him I'd accept it. Sorry, but that's how I feel at the moment.
Haynes - 7. Great cameo. Gave us a much needed option up front. If he'd been on at half time I think we'd have scored a few.
Taylor and Cook - Didn't have long enough for marks but did what they had to do.
Mr Baldy Bonce Referee. Not as bad as the last two. But still lamentable. At least he was just generally bad as opposed to bad against us. Wiggins and Solly both very fortunate.
I may be being a little harsh given the crucial stage we are at. I have come home relieved and pleased that we are nearly there. I would love to be just that little bit more jubilant about the performance but maybe there is time for that when we have it done and dusted.