Saddlers V Latics

[4froale]

Have I missed the thread on this or does nobody give a shit?

We will lose this 2-0.

 

[DaveOAFC]

Haha no one cares.

Should be a decent following with a lot in fancy dress .

 

[Saddlerrad]

It's going to have that proper end of season friendly feel to it. Bit shit really. We have scored 9 in 3 games with Bradshaw only getting 1 of those, be nice if we can push on. 7 unbeaten, 6 cleansheets, 5 draws, 2 wins so our form has been decent when it's been called upon late in the season, as it normally is under Smith.

Could go either way really, Oldham were very good at BP earlier in the season, we barely had a kick after going 1-0 up.

2-1 either way.

3,709. (521)

 

[4froale]

ive been Walsall twice, first time we lost 3-0 on a Tuesday night (think it was 2009) but I didn't care because I had a double cheeseburger and the ground and it was amazing. Second time was Feb 2013 when we lost 3-1 and I also had a nice cheeseburger. By the reckoning third time lucky, im due a latics win and a shit cheeseburger.

 

[DaveOAFC]

Been loads of times to the Bescott our record is fairly shit there tbh.

I think they'll be about 800 there, our fans always turn out last away game of the season even if there's nothing to play for which for us is every feckin season

 

[Jonny12]

HE'S BIG AND HE'S HOLDEN AND HE'S NUMBER 5, EVERYONE NEEDS A NUTTER IN THE MIDDLE EVERYONE NEEDS A NUTTER

1-1 draw, Bradders and Polio.

 

[DaveOAFC]

Did you have a bet on 2-0 Walsall?!

 

[SkyBlueElephant]

Dean Smith doing a terrific job again, can't believe the stick he gets season after season.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Dean Smith doing a terrific job again, can't believe the stick he gets season after season.

Until a few weeks back we were atrocious, not having a single shot on target and scoring twice in 9 games...that's why. We've only pulled it out when we needed too gone 7 unbeaten, 7 cleansheets in 8 - he always pulls something out of the bag when it's needed, but that shouldn't keep him from pressure when we are turd. He'd have been sacked at 90% of all other football league clubs twice during the last 4 years. Has he got a lot going for him? For sure. But we'd have made the playoffs this season if he had changed his formation before the last 4-5 games of the season. Since then we have scored 11 goals in 4 games.

Anyway, that was about as regulation a win as possible. Oldham were, frankly, a shadow of the side that smashed us 2-1 at BP earlier in the season. No flare, no leaders, no skill, just very poor. Felt sorry for their fans. They didn't have a single shot on goal. We were worthy of the half time lead. Classy counter attack from Morris and Hiwula before a decent little finish from Super T. Penalty didn't look a penalty, but there was one point where we looked as though we could go forward and create. Second half was a bit of a cruise. Oldham had more possession but didn't do much with it, we headed to the beach. Hiwula and Mantom both missed very good chances to go 3 and 4 up.

Smith has finally stumbled across another formation - a flat 4-3-3 and we look miles better for it. I thought Hiwula was MOTM. Really raw, but there is massive potential in the lad. Only 18/19? Brillant return from him in his time here. Bradshaw ran himself into the ground, down the channels, won free kicks (occasionally from diving) and generally looked a leader. 20 goals now from 29 starts, an impeccable record for a 22 year old centre forward cast out by a team relegated from League 1 last season.

A good end to the home season. But a pitch invasion? Honestly, total embarassment at that.

 

[SkyBlueElephant]

Until a few weeks back we were atrocious, not having a single shot on target and scoring twice in 9 games...that's why. We've only pulled it out when we needed too gone 7 unbeaten, 7 cleansheets in 8 - he always pulls something out of the bag when it's needed, but that shouldn't keep him from pressure when we are turd. He'd have been sacked at 90% of all other football league clubs twice during the last 4 years. Has he got a lot going for him? For sure. But we'd have made the playoffs this season if he had changed his formation before the last 4-5 games of the season. Since then we have scored 11 goals in 4 games.

Anyway, that was about as regulation a win as possible. Oldham were, frankly, a shadow of the side that smashed us 2-1 at BP earlier in the season. No flare, no leaders, no skill, just very poor. Felt sorry for their fans. They didn't have a single shot on goal. We were worthy of the half time lead. Classy counter attack from Morris and Hiwula before a decent little finish from Super T. Penalty didn't look a penalty, but there was one point where we looked as though we could go forward and create. Second half was a bit of a cruise. Oldham had more possession but didn't do much with it, we headed to the beach. Hiwula and Mantom both missed very good chances to go 3 and 4 up.

Smith has finally stumbled across another formation - a flat 4-3-3 and we look miles better for it. I thought Hiwula was MOTM. Really raw, but there is massive potential in the lad. Only 18/19? Brillant return from him in his time here. Bradshaw ran himself into the ground, down the channels, won free kicks (occasionally from diving) and generally looked a leader. 20 goals now from 29 starts, an impeccable record for a 22 year old centre forward cast out by a team relegated from League 1 last season.

A good end to the home season. But a pitch invasion? Honestly, total embarassment at that.

Makes excellent signings every season consistently on a very low budget (few duds as well but to be expected when your budget restricts you to taking gambles) teams always defend very well, tries to play the right way. Gets the best out of players that have looked poor elsewhere, pulls out results against the top clubs for the division, JPT Final. He's had you comfortably mid table last 2 years despite a few Walsall fans trying to make a drama out of nothing by saying you would be relegated, the one year he had a half decent team he almost had you in the play offs and probably would have had the season ended a month later.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Makes excellent signings every season consistently on a very low budget (few duds as well but to be expected when your budget restricts you to taking gambles) teams always defend very well, tries to play the right way. Gets the best out of players that have looked poor elsewhere, pulls out results against the top clubs for the division, JPT Final. He's had you comfortably mid table last 2 years despite a few Walsall fans trying to make a drama out of nothing by saying you would be relegated, the one year he had a half decent team he almost had you in the play offs and probably would have had the season ended a month later.

No, I would agree with you, however, from the outside in, the position we are in and general standard of entertainment - NOT RESULTS, has been woeful for 18 months until the last 6 weeks or so. 22 cleansheets, but once again, a dire points return, 2 goals in 9 games a few weeks ago? Any set of fans gets frustrated about that. Fortunately, he seems to have stumbled across a new formation, that will bring a few extra goals. If we can extend Bradshaw's contract, get a full pre-season behind Cook/Forde/Sawyers and try to get Hiwula back, we could have a decent attack next season.

I go to matches to be entertained, don't care if we lose to a decent side 4-3, but I want to be out of my chair. That hasn't happened in the last 18 months and it begins to grate on people, naturally.

 

[DaveOAFC]

We are exactly that a shadow of the team that beat you earlier on in the season. Our manager fuckin off and leaving us in the shit hasn't helped and I think the players are hiding behind that.

How many did we bring?

 

[4froale]

Didn't back the 2-0 unfortunately.

We were hopeless, can't remember us working the keeper, walsall were a tidy outfit and I was fairly impressed with them.

 

[AnthonyOAFC]

Piss poor. Holden is a top chap and all that stuff. However, he hasn't got what it takes to be a manager.

 

[Saddlerrad]

We are exactly that a shadow of the team that beat you earlier on in the season. Our manager fuckin off and leaving us in the shit hasn't helped and I think the players are hiding behind that.

How many did we bring?

I'd say about 6-700 mate, decent following with a good selection of fancy dress, some of them made me laugh. Fans were ok in terms of noise, started well but faded at 2-0, the teams performance won't have helped matters at all.

 

[DaveOAFC]

Another season of implosion starting with trying to sign a certain striker then our manager fuckin off depressing.

At least we'll have 4 stands next season.