Walsall (H)

[Tonge moor green jacket]

9 minutes ago, Mr Grey said:

I'm not sure we will, maybe under Allardyce or that shyster Parkinson when we actually ventured into the opposition half, different era now fella, frustrating but we have to get used it, we are winning with the type of football we are playing.

Saying that, it does seem pointless sending 2 centre backs up, or maybe that's to confuse the opposition, anyway in Brand Evatt we trust.

Possession based or whatever, teams will always get set pieces. Definitely could improve ours.

[desperado]

1 hour ago, RONNIE PHILLIPS said:

We all have opinions on how we feel about changes & formations & I get your point but tbf whilst we are racking up points more often than not we are far from convincing therefore there is room for improvement. 

For instance I feel that as long as we play a high tempo we are well equipped to beat any team in this league, however, I think that Delfounso hampers us trying to do this so I would like to see someone who displays a bit more pace & urgency replace him. Doesn't mean I'm right but I'm not necessarily wrong either. 

   

Don’t get me wrong if I was an in-game poster based on the comments I was shouting out to my lads you could add me to the list. Corners, free kicks, certain players not performing to their potential.... I passed negative verbal comments at times. I keep waiting for us to to put 4/5 past somebody, I thought today could be the day.

But like I said it does make me smile when I read back, we get so emotionally involved and sometimes expect utopia when really another 3 points and continuing this amazing run, no matter how the victory comes, is all that matters. And IE seems to have the right combination of consistency, goals, defensive solidity, rotation of team/subs to get a result every game at the moment. He seems to know what he’s doing, long may that continue.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

6 minutes ago, Alf Hartigan said:

No, the main pitch, never lost on it though.

Home advantage, even at school.

 

[Dr. Feelgood]

I'm not proposing we play for free kicks just that when we get one we shoukd have a plan ... a practised plan ... for how to use it. At present it's like we simpky punt it in with no plan, & precious little hope.

Corners. I long for the days of Walker, Stubbs, McGinley when we had a plan to aim for the player at the near post who flick headed it to the back post & in came McGinley

[Johnnyrotten]

2 hours ago, Biggish Dave said:

The one the really pisses me off is our free kicks from 25 yards out. Have we put one on target yet this season? They are hopeless

Agreed, its so poor.  Fact is we are part of a league that can't do free kicks.  If any have been scored against us, or even hit woodwork or forced a good save, I've forgotten it.  For the last 40 odd years that I've been going I've never known a season of free kicks not resulting in goals, at both ends. 

And we've never gone so long without a headed goal from a centre back.  Its like we're playing with one hand tied behind our back, not having the easy set piece goals to fall back on every now and again.

[Johnnyrotten]

2 hours ago, Mr Grey said:

Never change a winning team, Dapo was indifferent today, but he works his bollox off, dropping him could do him more harm than good.

He will get goals, he's just trying to hard in the last third, once he breaks his duck in front of goal, he will hit a purple patch, the lad is class for this league, I'm hoping he signs for us, he will only get better.

I've never understood that.  Play your best team.  At some point Santos and John, and maybe Gilks, will miss a game through injury.  I want them back in the week after, asap, even if we've won 2-1 without them with a dodgy pen and an even dodgier sending off.  Just play our best team available every week.

Agree on Dapo though, he's a breath of fresh air, stick with him, his close control is different class and I like that he shoots, too many of our players don't have a shot in them.

[Rudy]

It’s league 2 for a reason FFS 

[woolli]

9 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Agreed, its so poor.  Fact is we are part of a league that can't do free kicks.  If any have been scored against us, or even hit woodwork or forced a good save, I've forgotten it.  For the last 40 odd years that I've been going I've never known a season of free kicks not resulting in goals, at both ends. 

And we've never gone so long without a headed goal from a centre back.  Its like we're playing with one hand tied behind our back, not having the easy set piece goals to fall back on every now and again.

Orient scored two in the first 10 mins against us! It was Crellin though!

 

[superjohnmcginlay]

24 minutes ago, Traf said:

My main issue is still the lack of quality when crossing. So many of our crosses are very poor.

 

Isgrove in particular, he adds a better final ball to his game and everyone’s a winner. 

[glennboltw]

27 minutes ago, Cheese said:

🤍🤍🤍

 

 

Some Portuguese accent that. 

[Ani]

3 minutes ago, Rudy said:

It’s league 2 for a reason FFS 

32 from 36 is the only fact that matters. 

[Biggish Dave]

5 minutes ago, glennboltw said:

Some Portuguese accent that. 

Said that to my Mrs, this is our Portuguese defender.

Aye alright, he's a cockney

[ianofcleveleys]

When Sarcevic has been out previously I haven't thought we'd particularly missed him but we did today, a pity that, after taking a long time, he was finding his best form last three games and knitting things together well around and just off Doyle. 

Another tight game, most of the rest will be too, good win in the end on an off-ish day for a few too many of us. Take away from it for Evatt and the squad, can't afford to start that slowly and end up shipping a goal for them to cling onto. Miles off the tempo v Cambridge today, however hard working Walsall were. 

Crossing is poor as many have said, sometimes it's not easy as there's only Doyle in there and he's a bit particular about how / where he wants it, but two or three times today we cooked the box and cross didn't beat first man

[Rudy]

8 minutes ago, Ani said:

32 from 36 is the only fact that matters. 

Exactly. Look at the percentage of dead ball free kicks and corners resulting in a goal in the PL

Then reduce the quality league by league

[Cheese]

5 minutes ago, Biggish Dave said:

Said that to my Mrs, this is our Portuguese defender.

Aye alright, he's a cockney

Born in Almada, Portugal. 

[Johnnyrotten]

14 minutes ago, woolli said:

Orient scored two in the first 10 mins against us! It was Crellin though!

 

Yeah fair point, 2 decent free kicks there, wouldn't even blame Crellin for them (and his pen save was good too!).

[Johnnyrotten]

17 minutes ago, Mr Grey said:

He is playing his best team imo.

Jones/Brockbank or Delf /Thomasson (if Sarc isn't fit), not much in it.

Not disagreeing with that (although its Arthur before 3 or 4 others for me, but that's just an opinion).  I just meant I would change a winning team every time, if I was bringing in a better player who might not have been available the week before.

[Johnnyrotten]

10 minutes ago, Mr Grey said:

Fair points, Local lad does look better as an impact sub, but he has come on leaps n bounds from earlier on this season, hopefully one of this season's success stories.

He's only started 4 games and he put in one of the crosses of the season in one of them at Barrow, cant recall the other 3 but I'd be surprised if his performance level was lower than when Fonz starts a game?  Anyway, not arguing about it, its just my opinion, no problem with others preferring Fonz or Isgrove.

[FrancisFogarty]

2 hours ago, Zico said:

Watching on ifollow mobile in the car, walsall goal alert came up 30 second before they scored

30 seconds ? mine were easily a couple of minutes. I got the alert that Doyle had scored (not saying it was a penalty) long before the penalty had even been given.

[RUREADY2ROLL]

3 minutes ago, Francis Fogarty said:

30 seconds ? mine were easily a couple of minutes. I got the alert that Doyle had scored (not saying it was a penalty) long before the penalty had even been given.

At least 2 minutes before our equaliser the I follow alert for me

[Leyther_Matt]

I’ve resorted to leaving my phone upstairs. Long since got in the habit of muting Flash Scores updates, but checking the game on the bookies websites is still far too tempting. Kills the moment when we actually score though I already know that it is going to happen. Thankfully won’t have any of that on Sky next week. 

[Alf Hartigan]

1 minute ago, Leyther_Matt said:

I’ve resorted to leaving my phone upstairs. Long since got in the habit of muting Flash Scores updates, but checking the game on the bookies websites is still far too tempting. Kills the moment when we actually score though I already know that it is going to happen. Thankfully won’t have any of that on Sky next week. 

worked fine for me you bunch of

[Leyther_Matt]

4 minutes ago, Alf Hartigan said:

worked fine for me you bunch of

Doesn’t buffer or anything, I’ve got used to it not being HD and I’ve even become curiously endeared to the jock commentating. It just naturally runs behind as a stream compared to a live broadcast. Same thing happens if you watch Sky Sports through Now TV. 

[FrancisFogarty]

3 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

Doesn’t buffer or anything, I’ve got used to it not being HD and I’ve even become curiously endeared to the jock commentating. It just naturally runs behind as a stream compared to a live broadcast. Same thing happens if you watch Sky Sports through Now TV. 

I agree, it's my own fault for not leaving my phone off. Or in the car.

[marple whites]

Overall dogged display against opponents who worked really hard.

thought the ref was overly fussy, although might have give a pen late on and thought the sending off was soft.

their goal was bad goalkeeping and slow closing down for me.

another win and given results of 3 of the top 4 was a must.

lot of head to heads in the last 10 games.

8 wins will do it