Paul Merson has given the PFA site, gimmefootball.com, a revealing interview following Saturday’s game.

On the Doncaster result, he said that “the lads worked very hard for the result, and if they can keep playing with that enthusiasm and work rate they can live with anyone”.

He was also asked about the disquiet amongst the fans before the game and said: “I believe the only reason this is happening is because I am manager. If I wasn’t then I don’t believe anyone would be under that much supposed pressure. Some people are saying that we need a manager in charge with experience, but I talk to fans and, in my opinion, I still think the majority of them are behind me. I would rather the fans that are going to demonstrate come and sit outside my house after the game. That sort of thing doesn’t help the players. We need to win games but I’d rather supporters were digging at me – even though it’s not nice – than digging at the players. However, football changes quickly”.

On the pressure of Management: “It is hard to talk about what constitutes pressure. I know it sounds corny but pressure is putting dinner on the table for the kids, however I think the tide will change with a bit of luck here and there. I have to keep a cool head because if I start showing signs of pressure then that will relay to the players and god knows what will happen? I have told them not to panic, as it will come right. If I am running round like a blue-arsed fly, panicking and starting to go grey, that isn’t going to look good for the lads. I have to give them confidence. If, god forbid, anyone else came in they would want five players all around 30 years of age. Not many people play kids under so-called pressure. I don’t think other people would play the kids like I have.”

On Ian Roper: “Cometh the hour cometh the man. Ian Roper was different class. I had picked him by last Saturday night after our result at Huddersfield last week. I couldn’t wait any longer for him. He will run through a brick wall for you, so I am going to play him and he will have to get his fitness back the hard way. He is well liked here and if he performs well then he is going to get a good crowd for his testimonial game. He never lost a header or a tackle and was outstanding”.

Walsall gave the fans and under pressure Manager Paul Merson a much needed boost of three points yesterday, courtesy of this season’s “forgotten man”.

Merson rang the changes again, yesterday, but this time it was the ones most of the fans had been asking for, as Ian Roper replaced the injured and out of form Chris Westwood, Simon Osborn returned from suspension, to join Kris Taylor in central midfield and Dario Larrossa came in for Jorge Leitao. As expected, Murphy replaced Ruddy, due to return to Everton after the game.

First of all the basic facts. Walsall kept a clean sheet at last and Jorge Leitao scored half way through the second half with his first touch, after replacing Larossa, following a superb cross from mark Wright. Apart from that, this was a very curious game.

Merson had chosen to go with two out and out wingers, in the shape of Wright and Demontagnac, yet the play in the first half especially was compressed into the centre of the park, much to Merson’ own frustration, as he was continually signalling for the team to stretch the game. This is despite the fact that both players, when they were given possession, produced some scintillating play, full of promise.

Equally, the match will be remembered for some superb defending from Roper especially and Bennett, yet the reason they had to keep throwing their bodies on the line was the fact that Doncaster were opening us up at will throughout the first half and for a fair proportion of the second. Indeed, it is fortunate that Rovers had not brought their shooting boots with them, as they shot straight at Murphy from excellent positions no fewer than five times, whereas the oddly named Jan Budtz, despite looking in trouble every time a cross came over, didn’t have a real save to make until the Saddlers scored, other than one at the near post from Pead that any ‘keeper should really have dealt with, given the narrow angle.

The reason? The Saddlers’ strength this season has been, without a doubt, the central midfield, but the whole unit went AWOL yesterday. Osborn and Taylor weren’t really in the game in the first half and the replacement of Osborn by Standing (Osborn was having hamstring problems) didn’t make much difference until the goal went in and the team started to play with a little more confidence. Why it’s difficult to say. They were outnumbered some of the time, but it’s true to say that all the creativity came from the flanks and we should be working on getting the wingers into the game more often, as Merson himself obviously realised, rather than continually trying to play the “glory ball”, something Taylor was very guilty of. Doncaster themselves gave the perfect example of this, as their left winger gave Craig Pead a really torrid afternoon and the midfielders wove some lovely patterns with their “triangles”.

Man of the Match? The sponsors gave it to Murphy, presumably for his shouting at the defence to organise themselves properly, but the saves he made were all straight at him. For me, the player on the day had to be the magnificent Ian Roper, who showed how much we have missed him. A word too for the impressive Bennett and for Matty Fryatt, for ignoring the mindless booing from a section of the crowd in the last five minutes and continuing to do eactly what he should have done and take the ball into the corner to kill the time off.

Credit where credit’s due also to Paul Merson, for deciding again to do the right thing towards the end and killing the game off by bringing on Gerrard and going five at the back, to counter Penney throwing on three forwards.

All in all, then, a welcome three points, but, if Merson is to be a success as a Manager, he desperately needs to get someone in who can coach the whole team to defend properly and not leave it to the individual efforts of the two centre backs. On another day, this game could easily have gone the other way.

“I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees
I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees
Asked the Lord above, have mercy now,
Save me, if you please”.

I said before the last home game versus the Franchise that Paul Merson’s Walsall had reached a crossroads in the season. After scraping a point, with an injury time equaliser in that game and then losing the next away at high flying Huddersfield, this Saturday sees what may well turn out to be the crossroads for Merson, as he reaches a defining moment in his managerial career. There is unrest on the terraces and wins and performances are vital.

“You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown
That I got the crossroad blues this mornin’”.

So, what shape are the Saddlers in? It’s difficult to say. Goalkeeper John Ruddy has been despatched back to Everton, seemingly for his part in last week’s defeat, and back comes loanee Joe Murphy. Westwood is out with injury, so Roper will start, according to Merson, and Gerrard will most likely be fit, so we have the option of dropping Bennett, at fault in all three goals last week, and using the partnership that was so successful at the end of last season.

In midfield, of last week’s starters, Broad and Kinsella have picked up injuries, but the return of player of the season so far Simon Osborn will balance that out, Standing and Wright are fit and there is at least a possibility that Larossa will get his chance up front, at last.

“Standin’ at the crossroads, tried to hitch a ride
Standin’ at the crossroads, tried to hitch a ride
Didn’t nobody seem to know me, everybody pass me by”.

So what of Donny? Ay first glance, this is a very winnable game. A team at home, just three places and one point ahead of us? Surely a chance to make up ground? Uinfortunately, of course, appearances can be deceptive. Rovers are on a run of three straight league wins, having recovered from a poor start, beat high flyers Southend 2 – 0 last week and, on Tuesday, made 11 changes, went to Barnsley (who had only made four) in the LDV and won 5 – 2. They have also dispensed with Manchester City in the League Cup. No mugs, it would appear, although their away record isn’t all it should be.

Old friends and acquaintances at Belle Vue include the always awkward Leo Fortune West, but he’s unlikely to start, and, of course, Jermaine McSporran, but he’s usually injured, having played only 15 League games in total for them. The main danger man is probably Jonathan Forte, on loan from Sheffield United (just how many strikers has Warnock got?), who has scored 4 in 5 games.

They do not seem to have any major injury worries, according to their official site.

“Standin’ at the crossroads, watch the sun go down
Standin’ at the crossroads, watch the sun go down
I believe to my soul now, po’ Bob is sinkin’ down”.

Predictions? Walsall’s alarming slide just has to be halted, before they are dragged, like it or not, into yet another relegation scrap. The Division is still tight enough that a decent run will keep the team in touch with the leaders, but there has been little sign of it of late. Who knows, though, the letters in the press, the phone calls to the radio stations and the unrest on the terraces might just engender the “siege mentality” that could help them along. Certainly, circumstances have forced Merson into most likely playing what many would see as his best partnership in the centre of defence tomorrow and the last time he was forced into a corner by injuries was when we went on the run at the end of last season. I don’t think Rovers can be as good as their current record and fancy a 2 – 1 home win tomorrow.

Lyrics: From “Crossroads” by Bob Johnson, courtesy of Cream.

Paul Merson has decided against extending Everton under 19 International ‘keeper John Ruddy’s spell at Walsall and has, instead, taken Joe Murphy back on loan from Sunderland.

Merson said “Joe should be back today and he will play on Saturday”.

He said that the ‘keeper’s biggest asset was that “he’s got guts” and was a presence in the dressing room and on the pitch and would not be afraid to tell those in front of him when they were making mistakes.

He also confirmed that Ian Roper will start on Saturday.

Skipper Chris Westwood will more than likely be missing for Saturday’s crunch encounter at Bescot.

Westwood picked up a hamstring injury in training and is likely to be replaced in the side by either Ian Roper, or Anthony Gerrard, who is reportedly fit again. Of course, Merson may decide to play both, resurrecting the successful centre back partnership from the end of last season.

Meanwhile, ‘Keeper Andy Oakes is still suffering from a great deal of discomfort with his wrist injury, which is not clearing up. Oakes has had similar problems before, whilst at Derby, and that led to him losing his place in the starting line up there. He has decided to see the same consultant who treated him on the last occasion, at the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary.

The news about Oakes means that Everton’s England under 19 International Ruddy is likely to be here a while longer yet.

Young Johnny Harkness is off on his travels again.

In an attempt to get much needed frist team experience for the promising left back/centre back, he has gone to Halesowen Town on a month’s loan.

At least he won’t have so far to travel as on his last excursion to Conference side Cambridge!

Harkness is yet another of our current crop of very promising home grown youngsters.

In his column in the Express and Star, Merson has again blamed the players’ individual mistakes for the team’s current plight, saying that they aren’t putting into practice what he says on the training ground, but he also goes one step further.

He says that he’s asking that, “when we play Doncaster on Saturday the supporters wait until the final whistle before they judge the game. There have been several examples recently where fans have begun to criticise during the game and it has not helped the team”

The siege mentality may be appearing here, which may have a positive effect, but can also work the other way. Time will tell.

I wrote after the game on Saturday that Saturday 15 October 2005

“This was a game no one expected anything from, with a trip to the team lying in second place in the table, but this defeat just puts more and more pressure on the side. Walsall now have a mere 17 points from 14 games and that is relegation form. In fact, if you take the first two games out of the equation, the Saddlers have taken only 11 points from the last 36. Like it or not, the run of bad form is becoming a dangerous slide and a home win next week is imperative. Whether that’s possible, when Swindon’s goalless draw means we now have the worst defensive record in the Division and only ex Saddler Karl Hawley’s goal against Mansfield prevented us from going bottom of the entire heap, defensively, remains to be seen”.

Since then, events seemed to have moved on even further, with protests being organised on the message boards and the local press inundated with letters calling for the manager to go.

Saturday’s game is looking more and more like a “must win” for the Saddlers’ under pressure management team, if only to try and win back that proportion of the fans that they are rapidly losing.

Report from the ground and the Fat Controller.

The second half, for some reason, soon degenerated into a somewhat dour midfield battle. Whether this was because Huddersfield took their foot off the gas, or Walsall were competing better, it’s difficult to say, but chances were very, very few and far between.

Certainly the lads were getting stuck in more and managed to get forward more, but the attacks were generally too tentative.

Kinsella had to go off and was replaced by youth team striker McDermott, who had a reasonable chance, but put it far too close to the keeper.

Eventually, Huddersfield took a long throw and Bennett was easily beaten by Pavel Abbott after Westwood was again given problems by Booth on the near post.

Well, this was a game no one expected anything from, with a trip to the team lying in second place in the table, but this defeat just puts more and more pressure on the side. Walsall now have a mere 17 points from 14 games and that is relegation form. In fact, if you take the first two games out of the equation, the Saddlers have taken only 11 points from the last 36. Like it or not, the run of bad form is becoming a dangerous slide and a home win next week is imperative. Whether that’s possible, when Swindon’s goalless draw means we now have the worst defensive record in the Division and only ex Saddler Karl Hawley’s goal against Mansfield prevented us from going bottom of the entire heap, defensively, remains to be seen.

On top of that, the Bag Ladies beat Arsenal, Chelsea got five in the second half and Manchester United three. Perfect day.

Huddersfield Town 2 Walsall 1 - Direct from the ground and the Fat Controller.

Player Manager Paul Merson, despite his injury problems, turned out an eleven at the Galpharm this afternoon that actually had more experience and a higher average age than last week’s team.

The line up was 4 5 1 and consisted of:-

Ruddy, Pead, Westwood, Bennett, Fox, Leitao, Smith, Kinsella, Broad, Demontagnac and Fryatt.

The line up didn’t seem to make much difference, however, as high flying Huddersfield dominated possession. The Saddlers were defending well, however, and kept the home side at bay, despite Worthington hitting the post. That was all to change on fifteen minutes, when Westwood misjudged a ball under pressure from Abbott and the ball broke to Booth, who Bennett had left completely unmarked and the big man smacked it into the corner, as Ruddy also hesitated when he might have come out to clear the danger. A complete rick all round.

Walsall did manage to get a goal back, however, when a superbly taken free kick from Kinsella found the head of Paul Smith, whose looping header found the bottom corner.

Leitao had the Saddler’s other chance in the half, but shot into the side netting and the defence again decided to go walk about three minutes later, when Fox was skinned like a rabbit down the flank and Pawel Abbott managed to get to the front of the very long unmarked queue to score his 50th career League goal.

Larossa came on to replace Fryatt as the lone striker, as Matty was injured. The Fat Controller says that he did not look particularly interested anyway.

The only bright spot at half time is that the weather is getting better in Huddersfield and Chelsea are losing at home.