An excellent post. The only thing i wonder about is your comments about mentality and getting rid of players. He named the following players on Saturday - White, Daniels and Kinsella.
Whatever some want to say about White, he’s been an incredibly important part of an excellent defence and has also been tasked with getting forward. He’s put his body on the line plenty of times and shown grit and determination. As such, I’d be very surprised if he isn’t one of the first names on Flynn’s teamsheet more often than not.
Daniels has been an excellent signing and had a superb season, not just as an individual player but also in setting an example to his teammates and communicating with them throughout the game.
Kinsella, whatever his faults, has an excellent attitude, works hard for the team and, again, is trusted by flynn to do so.
So the players who made the mistakes on saturday are unlikely to be moved on and all display tremendous attitude.
To be honest, as someone else said, I see Saturday as one of those freak one-off matches that happens to us all from time to time. Take the positives, address the negatives and move on.
I still maintain the only players that would be good enough for a promotion tilt are Evans, Monthe, Daniels, Knowles and Hutch. The rest are average L2 players.
Though you need to have some of them in your squad over the course of a season (and without an unlimited budget) - I think we currently have too many of these bog standard players. Kinsella is a prime example there. As I have always said, I would have him in the squad, but if he is an integral part of a midfield - then I honestly don’t see promotion, happening (amongst (many) other reasons of course).
Common sense also dictates that Flynn has also been hampered massively by injuries to Wilko, Labadie, Riley and Earing - I reckon that is a severe dent in the playing budget. It will be really interesting to see whether we release and replace them with players of genuine quality (assuming Wilko, Labadie and Earing are released).
The summer will be interesting. I think the midfield needs a complete overhaul, with Hutch being the only mainstay. Flynn seems pretty intent on 3 at the back. I think we need to recruit attacking wing backs, and try our best to secure DJ and (if possible) Stevens too.
I’d suggest, as with any topic of discussion on UTS, that the nature, longevity and language of argument taken from those with one viewpoint is only relative to those expressing an opposing opinion.
Given the criticism of Kinsella has been more sustained and forensic than any other player, it’s understandable that the defence would be the same, and vice versa.
For what it’s worth my son’s father in law is a long standing Vale season ticket holder and a quiet sensible bloke , he reckons the football there is average at best and the fans are very indifferent to DC
I would add Maddox to that list and Riley.However teams at this level are always a mixture and some “bog standard” players as you call them can still do a job. If we had found and played 2 players who can score regularly we would easily be in the top 7 with our defence.
I pretty much agree with all you have written there. I would say that a defensive 3 of White-Daniels-Monthe is good enough for a promotion push. They’ve pretty much proved that this season. But I’d very much agree that wing backs are a key. I think Gordon will be fine. He’s had some really good games for us but I think the season has caught up with him, both physically and mentally, after what he must have gone through in the summer. That leaves the RWB position.
In midfield, I think Flynn will want Kinsella. Like WalsallOne, I think Maddox could be a very important player. Add Hutchison into the mix and what we need are a couple of more options, not just fillers. Riley looked excellent in his recent cameo, so I have high hopes for him.
The question this poses for me is where it leaves Knowles. I like him, he has something about him. But he just doesn’t fit in this line-up.
Agree regards Saturday it was something of a freak I mean more about 6 draws in a row and 7 of 8 when I talk about mentality. None of those games were particularly ‘good’ points (perhaps I am being a little harsh and you can count Northampton and Leyton Orient) where we had our backs against the wall and showed some character to come away with a point when we might well have lost. A lot of these were frustrating draws where we were playing what I believe to b e inferior opposition and/or we were in front, I think then you can rightly question the character of some players and desire to be winners which we need more of to compete at the top of the league and not just accept relative mediocrity.
Clarke just like O’Driscoll. Everything about his CV and experience suggests he’d have been an excellent Walsall manager, it’s only the part of his career where he was Walsall manager that demonstrates otherwise.
I chose those words has Kinsella hasnt got up to stupid mode yet. White continually makes mistakes week in week out . Hes been bailed out having Bennett and Knowles by him on so many occasions. I will admit that hes improved a lot over the last few months and it was frustrating that he went into self destruct mode. It gave them impetus when i reckon we couldve got more goals .
Except that impetus changed because we scored a 3rd goal. And that was where we needed cool heads and people doing their jobs in order to see out an easy 3-1 win…until one player does something really “stupid”, losing the man he’s meant to be marking and then tripping him up from behind when he didn’t need to. And that’s where the 2 points were lost.
I’m fine with that. Does us all good to read and hear different opinions and accept them as an opportunity for reflection.
I do hear what funk says. Of course Walsall have declined and it does coincide with Gamble and Mole being there and, undoubtedly, some of the on-the-ground operational decisions have been poor at times and they should be accountable for those. But the overall strategy and the big decisions on budget, managers etc have always been taken by Bonsor, then Pomlett, then Trivela and so you cannot hold those people accountable for the overall decline.
Agree with both points. On the second FUNK does have a point and I urged him sometime back to feed his ideas into the Club. I don’t know Mole but have had dealings with Gamble who I have found to be honest and professional.
