Gills v Walsall

[joethegill]

Pretty massive this. Win, and we go back to 3rd, 5 points off Burton in 2nd. Seeing as we still have to play Burton, and they also have to play Wigan, that's not insurmountable. Need to beat Walsall first though, which won't be easy.

The squad is looking healthier by the week, and the tactical switch in recent weeks has made us very hard to score against, albeit at the expense of our attacking threat. Don't know what the latest with Samuel is, but I'd be surprised if he were involved. Could see a return to the starting line up for a few who've been on the bench of late.

I'd go:

Nelson
Jackson - Egan - Oshilaja - Garmston
Wright
Crofts - Hessenthaler
Dack
Norris - McDonald
​

Bench from G.Morris, A.Morris, Dickenson, El-Abd, Ehmer, Osadebe, Donnelly, McGlashan, Williams. Really hard to only pick 7 out of them!

I think we'll win 2-0, only to then fuck up on saturday against Vale.

 

[SaddlerJonny]

If James O'Connor is still out: 3-0 Gills.

If James O'Connor is back: anything

 

[Atticus Finch]

Joe - you'd drop Ehmer and El-Abd? arguably our two best players in the last two games

Big call!

 

[joethegill]

Joe - you'd drop Ehmer and El-Abd? arguably our two best players in the last two games

Big call!

I think this is very much a game we have to win, so I'd drop the 3-5-2 as I don't think we create enough with it. Trouble with NOT dropping either El-Abd or Ehmer is that you have Egan sitting on the bench when he's the best of the lot. I think you need to try and find a way to get your best players into the side in a position that suits them best. Therefore, Dack at the point of the diamond where he's most effective, Wright in front of the back 4, and buckets of energy with the other two in midfield. I also think the full backs are far better in a 4 than they have been as wing-backs. There's a reason we've done so well playing that formation for most of the season.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Some questions to be asked in this one..

1) Will we have a shot on target?
2) Will we take more than 100 fans?
3) Will Cook look like a professional footballer in Bradshaw's absence?
4) Will Sawyers play a forward pass across the halfway line?
5) Can Downing notch up 100 hoofs over 90 minutes?
6) How many minutes will Etheridge waste whilst we are losing to arrange his 'kicking position'? I'll go with 12.

The fact this is away matters not any longer...we have gone, bottled, lost the plot, lost confidence, got no fluency, no motivation, nothing.

3-0 Gills.

 

[JoshBCFC]

Joe - you'd drop Ehmer and El-Abd? arguably our two best players in the last two games

Big call!

El-Abd? Being good? Jesus, how have you done it?

 

[SaddlerJonny]

Some questions to be asked in this one..

1) Will we have a shot on target?
2) Will we take more than 100 fans?
3) Will Cook look like a professional footballer in Bradshaw's absence?
4) Will Sawyers play a forward pass across the halfway line?
5) Can Downing notch up 100 hoofs over 90 minutes?
6) How many minutes will Etheridge waste whilst we are losing to arrange his 'kicking position'? I'll go with 12.

The fact this is away matters not any longer...we have gone, bottled, lost the plot, lost confidence, got no fluency, no motivation, nothing.

3-0 Gills.

7) Will Rico Henry be allowed off the bench?
8) Will Downing pass to a player in red?
9) Will Mantom actually appear?
10) Will Adam Chambers manage an accurate pass?
11) Will Kieron Morris actually play?
12) Will Jordi Hiwula manage to get a shot on target? Or even somewhat near the goal?

 

[GFC4EVA]

Massive game and a must win if we seriously want to catch burton,

Hopefully dack will start as most of our creativity flows through him

2-0 Gillingham
Norris and Dack to score

 

[Mighty_Bantam]

Please Walsall, at least grind out a draw.

 

[Geosaddler]

3-0 gills. We've massively bottled this at the wrong time. On a positive note I predict we will muster an impressive 1 shot on target and 1 off in the 90 minutes. Quite a spectacle for the 100 away fans.

 

[Saddlerrad]

No O'Connor, Bradshaw not in the 16. Pennington and Downing vs Dack and McDonald is a scary thought.

I'd say we need to watch out for goal difference in this one, but to be honest, it really doesn't mean anything when you finish 8th.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Etheridge saves a penalty and keeps one out from Dack. Could be a couple down already.

 

[Saddlerrad]

What minute are we going for the Gillingham winner? I'll go 88 to dent our confidence further and rub salt in the wounds with Barnsley winning again.

Edit - 22/1 for the Gillingham comeback..printing cash

Edit x2 - It's very annoying supporting a Football club where you don't feel remotely comfortable with 12 minutes to play that you will hold onto your lead. What happened in the reverse fixture makes me very nervous too.

 

[JJH]

Printing cash, eh?

 

[Walkley_Owl]

No O'Connor, Bradshaw not in the 16. Pennington and Downing vs Dack and McDonald is a scary thought.

I'd say we need to watch out for goal difference in this one, but to be honest, it really doesn't mean anything when you finish 8th.

Has Rammy bummed his negativity into you?

 

[Saddlerrad]

Has Rammy bummed his negativity into you?

You haven't had the mis-fortune of watching our last 3 games.

Edit - My other 2 co-supporters agreed with me too

 

[Hurrikeen]

Has Rammy bummed his negativity into you?

He doesn't need any negativity pushed up his balloon knot - he's permanently constipated with negativity.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Get in, what a result that is. Superb lads.

However, what a weird team, weird fucking league. You mays well pull sticks on results/form/performances.

Exceptional without Bradshaw and O'Connor though. Tonight was like immense home record vs one of the best away records in Europe and we have marginally come out on top. After a shaky start with Etheridge saving a penalty and Gills pressure, it appears we grew into the game and looked very lively on the counter in the second half.

Shame Barnsley got a late goal, but that's a win that makes me feel a lot more comfortable about the top 6.

 

[blademan89]

Saddlerrad and Rammy are fucking unbelievable I've never known 2 people like it.

 

[Saddlerrad]

No surprise..Sawyers plays poorly..we don't tick...'Sawyers applauded off by the Gillingham fans' according to Radio WM tonight and shock..we win.

 

[blademan89]

No surprise..Sawyers plays poorly..we don't tick...'Sawyers applauded off by the Gillingham fans' according to Radio WM tonight and shock..we win.

You reckon you'll nick 2nd? In fact your not the man to ask you probably still think you'll come 7th

 

[joethegill]

That was an absolutely disgusting performance.

 

[GFC4EVA]

the penalty miss changed the game, we were by far the better team up until then,

Why Norris took the pen when dack and McDonald were on the pitch is still baffling me

Second half walsall come out a totally different team.

Autos now gone, we need to improve or we'll lose out play off place

 

[JJH]

Get in, what a result that is. Superb lads.

However, what a weird team, weird fucking league. You mays well pull sticks on results/form/performances.

Exceptional without Bradshaw and O'Connor though. Tonight was like immense home record vs one of the best away records in Europe and we have marginally come out on top. After a shaky start with Etheridge saving a penalty and Gills pressure, it appears we grew into the game and looked very lively on the counter in the second half.

Shame Barnsley got a late goal, but that's a win that makes me feel a lot more comfortable about the top 6.

Comfortable about the top six? You bloody well could squeeze into the top two!

 

[SaddlerJonny]

We were proper dodgy in the first half and Etheridge kept us in it with some fantastic saves. Gills really should have taken their chances.

Second half we were a completely different team. Romaine Sawyers put in probably his best half of football in a Walsall shirt, his passing was sublime and we looked a threat on the counter every single time we got on the ball. Milan was excellent linking up with Rico... who was actually playing at LB!

What a fucking win. Let's give Burton a run for their money!

P.S Downing is still fucking shite.

 

[Andrewboom]

We took a real gamble starting 2 non match fit players and it did not pay off. I don't think Walsall could have complained much if we had gone in 2-0 up, but we failed to take out chances (and the keeper played well).

We pressed high up the pitch and made Walsall go long which is not their game. Mcdonald was busy on his return, and was causing the number 6 all sorts of problems.

The penalty miss was key and we had been all over them leading up to it. But a good save from a Deji header, and a fantastic one from a Dack volley also kept them in it.

Walsall offered very little apart from a freekick which struck the bar.

2nd half we did not show up. El Abd went off injured, so Egan was brought on meaning we had 3 players on the pitch that had not played in months. At the same time Sawyer was moved upfront from his deeper role. He had not had a kick first half, but found loads of space and started moving the ball about with some nice one touch passes.

We switched to 442 from 532 to try and get back in the game but immediately let in a goal. Dack on the edge of the box tried to free Jackson down the right but played a poor pass. He really should have fouled and taken a booking but Lalkovic got by him, and finished very well into the far corner.

Walsall then started popping the ball around for fun and we never really got back going. The 2nd goal we had a shot blocked on the edge and did not have enough players back on the counter.

Norris finished well in injury time after Walsall defenders missed a Jackson throw for the first time in the match, and he hooked home as the ball bounced across the area.

 

[Saddlerrad]

You reckon you'll nick 2nd? In fact your not the man to ask you probably still think you'll come 7th

We could finish 7th or 2nd to be honest, weird team, weird league, weird results. We barely muster a chance vs Colchester, Oldham and Sheffield United, then go and beat Gillingham at home with one of the best home records in the division and some of their key players back in after injury.

We would need to win all of our remaining games bar maybe 1 if we are to finish in the top 2 and hope Burton slip up. If we lose Saturday and Barnsley, Gills, Millwall win etc - all of a sudden finishing 6th looks at risk again. It'll be a roller coaster, but my gut feeling is as ever, we won't win enough home games to do enough to push Burton. We needed to get a win from Sheffield United/Oldham to be in with a real chance.

 

[THE LAST WALTZ]

The second half was the worst we have played all season.
Absolute dogshit.
If we play like that for the rest of the season we wont make the play offs.
Let's just hope we get back to somewhere near our best, and soon.
I really couldn't believe what I was watching!

 

[Rammy]

Saddlerrad and Rammy are fucking unbelievable I've never known 2 people like it.

No idea what you're talking about. We're winning the playoffs!