Thetownend.com

It would be easiest for me to simply repost my match thoughts from Tranmere, such was the overwhelming familiarity of the game from start to finish.

Once again today proved that the 4-5-1 formation simply does not suit our players, there's no point playing Fallon up front if he's working his bollocks off and winning balls when there's nobody there to support him, just as it was against Tranmere. Throughout the game we played good passing football, used the width available and created plenty of half-chances but simply couldn't find the final ball.

I have to wonder whether this no away goals scored issue is playing on the player's minds as much as it is mine, I was driving up there this morning expecting not to score again despite not knowing the formation, what players would start and suchlike. I'm hesitant to look further back than the Barnsley game as we have so many new players but for those who were here at the end of last season, the lack of any goals away from home must be even more frustrating. Disappointingly, King seems oblivious to this and once again played a system which was negative and looked for a draw, something we will NEVER be able to do with the players at the club.

Another similarity to the Tranmere game was the performance of the players, everyone played to an acceptable standard at the very least and most played quite well. Shakes in particular was dangerous and apparently he did a Cruyff turn in the first half, I must have missed it  :D His crossing needs to improve though.

The defence were solid, Jerel didn't make any glaring mistakes other than slip over in our box in the first half and make a tackle on a Walsall player that was so late, I expect British Rail will be using it as promotion material soon. Fortunately it was on the edge of the Walsall box otherwise he'd probably have been sent off.

Pook played well again and Stef is looking back to his old self but Whalley didn't seem quite there today, he was a bit slow and cumbersome at times and couldn't see some simple passes and ended up losing the ball. I feel that for the Southend game we must go back to 4-4-2 and sacrifice Whalley, playing Pook and Stef in the centre of midfield.

Other random observations -

I must have shouted myself hoarse with screams of 'wiiiiiide!!' and 'to Heath!!', the amount of times the wide players had huge amounts of space but the ball just got bogged down in the centre of the park was absurd. We need to utilize width better (shock horror).

The ref was fucking useless, I've never seen anyone so home biased in my life.

Matt Fryatt is a diving cunt.

The Walsall fans were crap.

I was disgusted that the players got booed off at the end.

Overall, same as Tranmere - we didn't deserve to lose, a draw would have been fair and we could have won it. However, this time King is solely to blame.

Bring on Sarfend!

Matty Fryatt didnt dive, he fell over....he didnt even try to claim a penalty.

The Walsall fans were indeed shit, so was our formation and its alright using the width, but again not many decent crosses.

Our wingers are finding the space, they just cant cross for toffee at the moment.

PLAY TO FUCKING WIN

He's a falling over cunt then.

It's not just crossing that we need to use width for, it's to stretch the game and give us more space in the centre, otherwise the opposition just crowds us out totally.

no one can cross it anyway 8)

SUMMERBEE COULD!

David Duke could cross also!

Never have I seen a game which deserved 0-0 more than this one.

If King cannot see that this 4-5-1 will not work then I I'm not sure what he must be doing in the dugout.

We don't score away from home, and we don't keep clean sheets - the only way we are going to get an away win is by playing attacking football and a formation better suited to us, otherwise we will go on losing 1-0 away from home.

We had all the posession but alas had no cutting edge whatsoever.

One last point, the Walsall fans are bollocks - give us a fucking song!

We'll never score, you'll never sing....

Good to get eye witness reports again.

The radio commentary confused me. Phil King said the formation doesn't really matter if they all play well, and if the midfield is really fit to get up and down the field in support. He later said all did play well, and he could not pick a bad player.
However, he admitted that Fallon was usually isolated and looked tired with little service. He expected that many fans would be criticising 4-5-1.

As I said after Tranmere, us playing for draws is stupid, three draws equals one win, even if we could get draws.

Id rather win 4-2 ala Yeovil than play for a 0-0

When Christian Roberts came on, he can cross well by the way, whenever he had the ball he made a good pass to another player. Every ball went to a Swindon player, but he only touched it a minor number of times. Why does Gurney have the urge to hoof the ball down the centre of the park to an imaginary Sam Parkin figure?

I dont usually bother going into the ins and outs of what went wrong. But I cant resist on this one. Our players simply did not get forward enough. One player in the box for the entire first half, that simply isnt going to win games. Walsall were absolutely unbelievably dire. They are shit. They are so fucking shit its driving me mad that we went and lost there. There are no good teams in this league. Its dross upon dross and if our lot were to show some passion, belief and form we could be at the top of it. They named that Pead as MOTM and he was shit too!

Heath was shite on the wing. Showed no initiative to get forward, go no pace. Should have played Nicolau. Shakes played well, but snatched at his chances. Pook had an excellent game, and I believe should start instead of Whalley who looks short on confidence (hes still a top player for this league though). Ifil looked good, Collins looked competant for a change.

I think we were unlucky. But the problem is 1) Walsall are crap 2) The entertainment served up for the travelling fans was so poor that even the hardcore are getting very pissed off.

Indeed. It's just all too predictable. The club is at a standstill in playing terms, I believe we do have enough talented players to actually get promoted, mainly being that the league standard is just that bad. However with King it's far too stale and stagnant. A change is needed, yes he can find a player but his crap tactics and leadership will get us nowhere.

Sonic & co, Phil & Ed weren't happy with the free kick that led to Walsall's goal, what did you make of it?

The players need to ask themselves

DO THEY WANT TO PLAY LEAGUE ONE FOOTBALL OR BE PLAYING IN THE CHAMPPIONSHIP!!!!!

I think that the number one priority right now is to stick within our limits and not stretch beyond our means. Once a future for the club is secured in the form of a stadium redevelopment, we can start to push the boat out and move forward again.

For the time being, we just need to plod along and make sure we don't get relegated. I think the board realise that King is capable of doing that and I'd agree with them.

It's not an ideal situation but you have to face reality, without the stadium being redveloped we stand a very good chance of not having a football club in a few years time. Relegation would undoubtedly mean the end of STFC as we know it.

Jus back from a family break in Dudley.

The free kick that lead to the goal simply wasn't one. But that isn't the reason we let the goal in, it was just a keeper error, plain and simple. He is young but he will learn.

Walsall has to have the quietest fanbase in the entire world, ever.

4-5-1, we played quite well in the second half, dominating posession. On another day  we could have drawn or nicked it. But I don't like the tactic, it is just too cosy for their defenders, I'd rather give it a go than  have one option all the time (Fallon).

Can somebody tell me what happened after I thought Ifil had given away a penalty. Seemed to be a goalkick or free kick for offside instead??

I think the ref gave a free kick for diving, or simulation, or because Fryatt was a dirty cheating cunt.

Despite all that about our financial position and fears over relegation, I have to say that man for man we are still a far superior team to the likes of Walsall. And hence we should be taking the game to them.

Their team was rubbish. They hadnt won for 5 games. Their fans were quiet. It should have been like pissing on a pack of cards.

Walsall lost their last game 5-2 to Swansea, Merson would have said before the game. First 20 minutes, do everything simple, play the way your facing, keep switched on....then once they got through 20 minutes at 0-0 they would have grown in confidence and kicked on

Maybe Im just a clueless idiot, but if I were Andy King I would have said....last game they got beat 5-2 that will be playing on their minds, esp the first 20 so dont do anything stupid but attack them, then if we get an early goal that will really shit them up

Really? theres a fucking idea :disapprove:

  Walsall have lost one game this season....are undefeated away from home, in  Leitao and Fryatt have  a dangeroius pairing up front....Merson still has class.

 Don't forget Walsall could attract Paul Smith by offering better terms than us, so at this point in time are likely to be a superior team, which they proved by winning, which they have done in all matches v STFC with Merson in charge.

 We need to find 4 clubs who are likely to be worse than us, Walsall wont be one of them.

Bristol City Yeovil and Forest?Would be nice!