Midweek match: Rovers vs Walsall

[ComeOnIrene]

A big game for both sides, this. Rovers will see this is a great opportunity to make up some ground in the first of our two games in hand, whilst I'm sure Walsall will be looking to find some form pretty quickly after a poor few results.

I'd like to see a 4-4-2 a little something like this (but I think DC will go 3-5-2 again):

________________ Roos ________________
Roberts ___ Lockyer ____ Hartley ____ Brown
Bodin _____ Lines _____ Boateng __ Montano
_________ Taylor _______ Gaffney ___________

If we are able to win then our start to the season won't look too bad at all.

 

[SaddlerJonny]

Don't have a clue what our team will be since Whitney seems to be constantly chopping and changing thanks to bad performances and a hatload of injuries. I'd hope Jason McCarthy isn't in the team after his awful start to the season.

I would hope that we play:
Etheridge
Edwards - O'Connor (Preston if still injured) - Toner - Laird
Chambers - Dobson
Morris - Oztumer - Makris
Bakayoko

I hope parking at Rovers is easier than City!

 

[Saddlerrad]

Another defeat, could be a landslide, could be a thriller. Pick and you could be right basically. We have a good record at Rovers in recent years but tomorrow night will see that go up in smoke. No doubt, at the moment, we couldn't beat poor Conference sides. No cohesion, no tactic, no passion, barely any players fit and the ones who are playing are either young and shit, inexperienced, not ready or not suited to specific positions.

Easiest home win of the entire season for Rovers, we are on the way down, big time. Diabolical.

Anyone that attends needs therapy.

 

[JJH]

Another defeat, could be a landslide, could be a thriller. Pick and you could be right basically. We have a good record at Rovers in recent years but tomorrow night will see that go up in smoke. No doubt, at the moment, we couldn't beat poor Conference sides. No cohesion, no tactic, no passion, barely any players fit and the ones who are playing are either young and shit, inexperienced, not ready or not suited to specific positions.

Easiest home win of the entire season for Rovers, we are on the way down, big time. Diabolical.

Anyone that attends needs therapy.

You're still a better side on paper than Rovers who haven't had a blistering start either, I think (hope) that you'll get something.

Heard this Colkett lad looked bright in his brief cameo on the weekend Gasheads? Potentially a quality pair of additions including Clarke-Salter as well; not forgetting Boateng who reminds me a bit of Marvin Elliot.

 

[ComeOnIrene]

Don't have a clue what our team will be since Whitney seems to be constantly chopping and changing thanks to bad performances and a hatload of injuries. I'd hope Jason McCarthy isn't in the team after his awful start to the season.

I would hope that we play:
Etheridge
Edwards - O'Connor (Preston if still injured) - Toner - Laird
Chambers - Dobson
Morris - Oztumer - Makris
Bakayoko

I hope parking at Rovers is easier than City!

There are plenty of spaces in the residential areas surrounding the ground, so as long as you arrive in good time you shouldn't have a problem there!

 

[ComeOnIrene]

Another defeat, could be a landslide, could be a thriller. Pick and you could be right basically. We have a good record at Rovers in recent years but tomorrow night will see that go up in smoke. No doubt, at the moment, we couldn't beat poor Conference sides. No cohesion, no tactic, no passion, barely any players fit and the ones who are playing are either young and shit, inexperienced, not ready or not suited to specific positions.

Easiest home win of the entire season for Rovers, we are on the way down, big time. Diabolical.

Anyone that attends needs therapy.

I'm hoping you're right and we get our easiest home win but I doubt it'll be that straightforward! Are you really playing that badly?

You're still a better side on paper than Rovers who haven't had a blistering start either, I think (hope) that you'll get something.

Heard this Colkett lad looked bright in his brief cameo on the weekend Gasheads? Potentially a quality pair of additions including Clarke-Salter as well; not forgetting Boateng who reminds me a bit of Marvin Elliot.

Colkett looked very bright - you could see he was technically a superb little player. I'm not convinced he'll be given a start quite yet but I really am looking forward to seeing him settle into the team. I think he'll be outstanding for us. JCS is still some way off being fit enough to be in contention for us apparently. From what we've heard we should be just as excited by his signing than CC's.

Boateng had a great debut and I think your comparison to Elliot in his prime is a good one JJH. Very good on the ball - to the point where there was no getting it off him! - and he looked like he could bring quality to both our attack and our defence. He isn't near full match fitness yet, so hopefully there's more to come from him in the weeks ahead.

 

[JJH]

I'm hoping you're right and we get our easiest home win but I doubt it'll be that straightforward! Are you really playing that badly?



Colkett looked very bright - you could see he was technically a superb little player. I'm not convinced he'll be given a start quite yet but I really am looking forward to seeing him settle into the team. I think he'll be outstanding for us. JCS is still some way off being fit enough to be in contention for us apparently. From what we've heard we should be just as excited by his signing than CC's.

Boateng had a great debut and I think your comparison to Elliot in his prime is a good one JJH. Very good on the ball - to the point where there was no getting it off him! - and he looked like he could bring quality to both our attack and our defence. He isn't near full match fitness yet, so hopefully there's more to come from him in the weeks ahead.

I saw a few bits of Boateng a few times for Plymouth and he's certainly a tidy player. Your deadline day signings were impressive, no danger of you going down this season but you may struggle incorporating all your best players into one system I feel. Possibly a 3-5-2 with JCS, Hartley, and then Colkett, Lines and Boateng in the middle. Who knows, but at least you have options now!

 

[Indian Dan]

Is it true you've sold 63 tickets for the replayed game next Tuesday?

 

[Gashead]

Is it true you've sold 63 tickets for the replayed game next Tuesday?

A number of people are boycotting, some like myself are just not bothered anymore. The red line for me was the increase on prices from last time, it's taking the pish. Gonna get Northampton tix this week and leave it at that I think.

Put it this way, I'm sure Power will be glad of his loyal ST holders come the night

 

[Gashead]

As for tonight, I'd like to see a return to 4-4-2 to be honest. DC wins us more points than he loses by tinkering about, but I'm not sold on 3-4-3 at all.

I'd like a win, as it gives us a bit of breathing space going into the next few weeks. Walsall are a strong side though, did really well last year and impressed by their additions in the summer.

 

[Saddlerrad]

No Cuvelier and Osbourne again this evening, Whitney will probably make about 8 changes, swapping round useless players to different positions they don't fit in. He has built such an unbalanced squad its unreal. We really favour having a number 10 and have 3 or 4 players who could play their every week in most seasons (Oztumer, Morris, Moussa, Cuvelier) yet we have 3 strikers that could all argue for a starting position, all 3 of which can't play in the lone role upfront, so do we sacrifice the number 10 position and push naturally central players wide, or continue with 1 upfront and look like we are shoe-horning 2 or 3 players into wide positions. We have a natural central midfielder at right back, a right back playing centre back and 3 of our back starting 4 all go back to their parent clubs in January.. what a disgrace!

We really aren't a strong side this year lads, we are relegation fodder, 10 clueless players who are all young or inexperienced, unfit, or are playing in wrong positions that a clueless manager is putting them in. Whitney has until this time next month IMO, when crowds will be back below 3,500 and we will be cast adrift by 3-5 points in 24th. Awful.

Saturday was a top 5 worst Walsall performance I've seen in over 10 years, Northampton were very average and they won without breaking a sweat. We cannot defend and completely fold if a goal goes against us. Mentally and physically out of our depth, with no signs of any cohesion because our best players can't get fit to play together.

It's a long road of misery ahead.

 

[THE LAST WALTZ]

It's being so fucking cheerful that keeps you going Saddlerrad

 

[Bottega Don]

How come this game is tonight?

 

[Saddlerrad]

How come this game is tonight?

International break last weekend, we had players missing so it was postponed.

 

[Pirateer]

Is it true you've sold 63 tickets for the replayed game next Tuesday?

according to a rovers fb page which is quoting the ticket office we have sold around 200 tickets to date.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Giving them a head start for the crack.

 

[Saddlerrad]

See.

The collapse starts in....

 

[Saddlerrad]

Absolute alamo in the second half by all accounts, good point on the face of the game, but it doesn't make me feel anymore positive about anything we are going to do this season. If Rovers could finish they'd have won that by a landslide second half.

 

[miagsygas]

Massive 2 points dropped. Very irritating. Actually played well in the second half but Etheridge decided to have an absolute blinder. Even with all of his saves, his one in the first half was best, low and off the goal line. Getting no luck at the moment but we really need to find our feet soon, that was an extremely winnable game.

Oztumer looked Walsall's main outfield shining light, anything positive for them went through him but he was often fighting for the cause by himself.

 

[SaddlerJonny]

Yep we really battle hard and didn't deserve that point but thanks mainly to Etheridge we did. I felt Etheridge played a 9/10 with Oztumer close behind with a 8, Morris, Toner and Chambers all had a 7 with the rest below that.

Still not good enough. It's a half step in the right direction but we cannot rely on Etheridge to keep us from being battered.

 

[gashead88]

Thought we stepped it up second half, and any other day we would of won apart from a brilliant performance from the keeper.
Your number 10 really impressed me, cracking little player

 

[GasAttacK]

Not quite sure how we didn't win that. I guess it was due to poor finishing and superb goalkeeping but we battered Walsall in the second half and should have been able to get at least a couple of goals.

Nearly twice as many shots, four times as many on target and 15 corners to 4 tell the story. Etheridge made 5 top class saves and looks a very good keeper.

Agree with others above that their #10 looked head and shoulders above the rest of their team. Which is sort of ironic considering he's about 4 foot tall.

2 points dropped for sure. We have to start taking advantage when we're on top in games and turn some of these draws into wins.

 

[AnotherSaddler]

I'm gutted considering the penalty you scored from was a foul committed outside the area.
Apparently we had a "cast iron penalty" appeal rejected two minutes before your penalty as well.

I don't know how to post a photo, but there is one doing the rounds on twitter that clearly shows the foul was outside the area

 

[ComeOnIrene]

I've watched the highlights and to be fair the foul on Bodin is outside the area and I do think the decision that went against you at the other end was harsh. At the time I was convinced it would be given.

However, from that point on we were by far the better team and should have won the game comfortably. Etheridge was in fine form and that, coupled with the fact we didn't get on the end of enough crosses, meant we couldn't get the second goal we deserved. Bodin looked back to his usual standards and Byron Moore had an outstanding debut, which is why I prefer us playing 4-4-2 than any other formation.

Oztumer was superb for Walsall it has to be said, but other than that I didn't think you looked particularly great - just a bit of pace in forward areas. At the final whistle Etheridge demonstrated sheer delight at the fact you'd held on for a 1-1 draw, which says it all.

 

[AnotherSaddler]

I've watched the highlights and to be fair the foul on Bodin is outside the area and I do think the decision that went against you at the other end was harsh. At the time I was convinced it would be given.

However, from that point on we were by far the better team and should have won the game comfortably. Etheridge was in fine form and that, coupled with the fact we didn't get on the end of enough crosses, meant we couldn't get the second goal we deserved. Bodin looked back to his usual standards and Byron Moore had an outstanding debut, which is why I prefer us playing 4-4-2 than any other formation.

Oztumer was superb for Walsall it has to be said, but other than that I didn't think you looked particularly great - just a bit of pace in forward areas. At the final whistle Etheridge demonstrated sheer delight at the fact you'd held on for a 1-1 draw, which says it all.

I didn't go last night, but from the reports I've read Rovers were the better team, especially in the second half.
I'm just greedy for three points, we need them!

Our form is worrying me, we only have one win (at home to Wimbledon on the opening day) and we are definitely not playing well.
Our summer recruitment, Oztumer apart, seems to have been poor.

 

[saddler78]

dubious about makris at the moment and why we broke our record for him.just not seeing why?

 

[AnotherSaddler]

dubious about makris at the moment and why we broke our record for him.just not seeing why?

He's not had much game time yet and hasn't been given a chance in his favoured position - striker.
Too early to judge for me.

 

[saddler_andy]

However, from that point on we were by far the better team and should have won the game comfortably. Etheridge was in fine form and that, coupled with the fact we didn't get on the end of enough crosses, meant we couldn't get the second goal we deserved. Bodin looked back to his usual standards and Byron Moore had an outstanding debut, which is why I prefer us playing 4-4-2 than any other formation.

Says it all.

Whilst I am not going to bemoan the fact that Rovers were well worth their point. Two god awful decisions completely turned the game on its head, 2-0 (obviously assuming we scored the penalty) then you could suggest the outcome would be different.