Bristol Rovers (H) 26th Dec, 3pm

10pts from Play-offs, 10pts from Relegation. Sums up life as a Saddler really.

Ye I get that and Iā€™m totally with you on that , BUT letā€™s not look past the fact that they are poor.

Poor and inconsistent arenā€™t the same thing. Poor insinuates they never perform at thie required level.

They both have particularly this season.

Do they do it often enough to be better than league one mid table full backs? No not for me.

That puts them well ahead of certain aspects of this team for me though.

Not exactly , you can be a poor player because you are inconsistentā€¦ I think youā€™ve got that wrong tbf.

So, after that shambles, Iā€™ll go to the Luton game, and then on New years day Iā€™ll go to the Solihull Moors game. Itā€™s only a tenner if you have a season ticket at one of the West Midlands clubs, which is probably what it costs on fuel from Solihull to Walsall and back. If I prefer it at Solihull Moors (who do seem to have a very ambitious owner) then Luton will be my last game. Iā€™ve had my fill of Walsall and Bonser now. Iā€™ve lived longer outside of Walsall than in Walsall and today just summed up the last 3/4 seasons.

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Deano probably remembers how close we were to relegation last year and so far we only have one more point than whitney did at this stage last year

At this stage last year Whitney had 30 goals for and 31 against compared to Deano with 24 goals for and 37 against

But the stat that gives most concern is that we have accumulated points in the first twelve games at the start of the season but we have only won two in the last twelve

Luton and charlton to come

Given the fee Jeff paid for keates Iā€™m looking to see how he turns this around in January

I donā€™t think I have to be fair. Theyā€™ve performed at levels much better than poor or even average in certain games this season. In fact theyā€™ve been responsible for winning us 4 points in the last three weeks alone.

I wonā€™t deny they are inconsistent. I wonā€™t deny that they are probably mid to low level fullbacks as a result.

But poor is completely unfair. Particularly in the context of a team that contains players that have contributed far less than they have this season.

One of the main points running through the commentary was what a poor game Dobson was having. They seemed genuinely surprised that he got m-o-m!

Certainly no poorer than the majority of the team on that display.

Forget that game how about the whole season.

Are people genuinely suggesting theyā€™ve contributed less than Martin, Fitzwater, Morris. Wilson, Osbourne, Zeli, Dobson even, Ronan, Ferrier, Gordon? I have to get through a few names before I come to Leahy or Devlin personally.

Apparently ā€¦ :no_mouth:

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He was poor but he didnā€™t hide. I say credit to him for that. Some of our players simply disappeared against a very poor side. DK has a big job to do to raise morale and confidence before Saturday. What is so disappointing is that the eleven who played today were the eleven other than Osbourne for Kinsella and Ferrier for Gordon who played so well in the early season wins. I fear we will get a real beating on Saturday unless we sort out our defensive system which was a complete shambles today. One positive point Joe Edwards played for about 20 minutes and gradually improved as he settled into the game. UTS

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For some reason, Leahy and Devlin get a bit of a free ride because they talk to people on social media a bit.

Also, whoā€™s suggesting they are the reason for all the problems? Iā€™m certaintly not, but they are two of the main symptoms.

Full backs are important in the modern game, and time after time opposition managers target those areas. I wonder why? They know theyā€™re the weak links.

The same will happen against Luton.

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Whole club was at fault today.

Players rightfully get stick as they were all different shades of rubbish. Midfield offers no protection to what is an abysmal set of defenders. For me the full backs rightly get criticised but it should be extended out to far more players than just them.

Keates comes across better than Whitney but, our start aside, I see no evidence of improvement at all. We still concede terrible goals, are toothless going forward and no players other than possibly Kinsella have improved.

Fans are bored. What worries me is that teams donā€™t even need to try hard to score. Heck even the Stadium Suite was crap- could barely get a drink.

All in all, they know how to ruin Christmas. Fully agree well be in a relegation fight come March.

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Free Ride?! :joy::joy::joy:

I think itā€™s fair to suggest they are bang average for this level, capable of both the good and the bad within those parameters.

They are no more a symptom of the quality of the team than anyone else. Literally every position ā€˜is important in the modern gameā€™, not sure what the midfield was supposed to be doing today, it seemed dysfunctional.

Someone has already suggested that we need more goals. We didnā€™t create many today.

Dobson was really off form today. We all know he is a better player than we saw today and he got little help from the two ā€œwideā€ men. Kinsella was good in parts but we have seen better. When your 4 midfield players donā€™t perform it is little wonder we struggle defensively and donā€™t create sufficient chances.Anyway lets hope they step up on Saturdayā€¦maybe its time for Edwards and Ronan to play bigger parts.

Dobson was nowhere near his best, but didnā€™t hide and was still full of running at the end. He had more of that ball than anyone, but was playing ludicrously deep at times. Got to give him credit for trying.

But the whole team was awful today, really awful. Disjointed and demotivated.

Keates reminded me of Whitney today, quiet in the technical area and seemed clueless with his subs/tactics.

Ginnelly is off, canā€™t get a drink, canā€™t get a goal and atmosphere is poor, we had ten of us in the OAP stand today, 6 of us former season ticket holders, thatā€™s Ā£240 that wonā€™t be repeated for a while.

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You could put things in perspective and say weā€™ve more points at halfway than most of us predicted. But even putting aside the fact that commercially the club is a shambles,there are at least two worrying aspects on the playing side.

One is that itā€™s getting harder to see progress at the moment ,even allowing for some occasional good performances.

Second, it now means Keates canā€™t plan ahead in the transfer window as much he planned,as heā€™s going to have to look at short term signings to keep us out of a relegation scrap, rather than players who could bed in for next season.

Jeff Bonser runs the club as he does. A stale cash cow. Folks around the club do their best, fans players, managers. But ultimately we are a club aimed at going nowhere because thatā€™s what the owner wants. Everyday that passes he gets (ballpark) a grand richer for doing nothing. Another year, another protest that came to naught, another sacked manager, another 400 regular fans that decided they had something better to do with their Saturday afternoon/Tuesday night, and another 2000 Walsall resident 14-16 year olds that went to watch Villa/Wolves/West Brom and even BRUM!! because it was cheaper easier and better. Make a new year resolution Bonser, take your money and GET OUT OF OUR CLUB you parasite. Youve took enough, and weā€™ve had enough.

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