I am amazed.....by all you long distance Saddlers fans

I got banned by the Facebook police after suggesting a friend who bought a caravan was turning into a pikey. Apparently that’s not allowed, so be careful if we ever get Shrewsbury in a cup tie…

Your 5 minutes down the road from me then! Did you go to the festival at the airport over the weekend?

Love that part of the island, your very lucky to live there :+1:t2:

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I was born in Walsall Manor, I grew up in Bloxwich and now living in Cannock. Few friends around my area are Villa and Wolves fans. My work place is full of villa and wolves fans too. Family wise my dad is a Walsall fan as well majority of my mom’s side despite my cousin is baggies. Last Saturday at Tranmere especially the atmosphere and being with people you know is the reason why I wouldn’t change it for the world. Proud to be a saddler.

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I am until I want to watch the football … messing around on boats in November at 6am & hoping they’re still running when I get home at 10/11 o’clock …

Born in Bloxwich, brought up in Blakenhall & then on the Birmingham Rd. A Saddler from birth like my entire immediate family. Dad a season ticket holder took me at aged 6, I was an ST holder at 9.

I chose Bristol for Uni, simply because we were in same league as Rovers & City and it guaranteed games. Pretty much stayed in the South West since then, with spells in France & USA. I even left one of my Uni finals early so I could dash up the motorway for a playoff game.

I worked on a campsite in France & before the days of the t’internet, I used to phone me dad at 5’ish every Saturday and put football scores on a big blackboard outside main reception, I used to write up all First Division games, but got random looks & odd funny comment when Walsall’s score would be at top and if we’d won in massive letters.

Now live in Wiltshire, so it’s a 200 mile round trip to the Bescot. There are a few Saddlers locally, bizarrely including the deputy head teacher of my kids secondary school.

Worst game I ever made the Bescot for was in the Championship versus Sheff Wed, we’d be on poor run of games and we’re 3-0 up at HT (I think) lost 3-4 and when driving home my car broke down. Spent 3 hours sat in rain on the M5 waiting for the AA. :man_facepalming:t2:

UTS!

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I lived in Rowde for 7 years. The locals were all Swindon fans which made drinking inThe Cross Keys interesting especially if I was sporting the colours after a win.

On a side note; one of the landlords of the Cross Keys used to draw Roy of the Rovers. A bloke called Tully.

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I like the “worst game” idea. I drove all the way to Gillingham for the Tuesday night match which was postponed because of fog and had to drive all the way back in near-zero visibility. But the one that takes it for me has to be the Barnsley second-leg play-off. I left home in the early hours on matchday, drove 8 hours to get to Walsall. Went to the match…we lost! Got straight in the car to drive home overnight…traffic queues at Stoke at 10pm on a Tuesday evening! Finally got home at something like 6am the next morning.

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Born in Walsall, moved to Gloucester in 1985. Drove up the M5 regularly for games and many of the more local away games (and occasionally went to see Glos City when I couldn’t afford the fuel for a home game). Moved to New Jersey USA in 2009 (I picked up a bit of the Glors’ twang but haven’t picked up the US accent thankfully). I watched the Tranmere game on my phone on the beach at Cape May on Saturday, couldn’t quite make out the Saddlers in their green kit due to a little glare, and ended up keying in on our lads’ boots :). Soon as all this silly stuff is over and travel gets easier I’ll be over for a game.

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I’m not sure he really captured just how damned good-looking I am. :grin:

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Difficult in widescreen format?

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Paternal Grandfather and Dad were Blues fans my Mom was from Sheldon and her sisters were Blues ST holders who took me to St Andrews for my first ever game . Then My Mom and Dad took me Walsall v Hereford at Fellows Park and it Stuck. Didn’t know any Walsall fans at the time then found out I lived 2 doors up from one

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I see the “smart” motorway debate has reared again.

They are definitely more dangerous - there’s no logical way of describing them as otherwise. I can foresee another decade of roadworks on the M6 whereby either more refuge areas are created (needs at least one per mile but probably more like two per mile) or indeed there is the re-introduction of a hard shoulder.

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I think it will be the latter, i find it amazing that the scheme went ahead at all? seeing as the yanks had declared it dangerous before we had even started building them.

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They’re currently doing the M1 stretch between Northampton and MK.

Driving up and back from games has been a pain for the last 5-6 years or so as various stretches of both the M6 and M1 have had roadworks for these smart motorways.

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If anyone was held up at Junction 10 M6 on the southbound exit slip road, on Sunday morning, it was me! I got rear-ended at the traffic lights and I now have a considerabley shorter Mazda 3 written off on my drive!

If any of you were one of the many comedians that wound down the window to offer a comical comment…:fu:

It was interesting that the AA wouldn’t pick me or my car up because I wasn’t in a safe place for them to attend ie a hard shoulder. The Traffic Wombles arranged for a low loader and I was dumped in the Village carpark for 9 hours until the AA could pick me and the car up to take me home.

It seems the AA won’t be able to help people unless they are in a safety place. What are the current chances of conveniently breaking down next to one of them?

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The M6 has been the same for probably 7 years as they’ve “smarted” various sections. Think March 2022 will mark the completion of the latest bit.

One thing with smart motorways is the extra speed cameras. I’m sure they are trying to pay for the work with extra revenue. I’m not anti speed camera per se, especially in urban environments but if you’re going to be really “smart” then the flex in limit shouldn’t be just built around congestion or works. Driving conditions should also play a part. So if it is lashing it down or snowing or icey or foggy then 70mph is far too high. If it is clear then I’d say with modern cars 80mph wouldn’t be daft.

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The French motorways have different speed limits depending on the weather conditions. It’s 130km/h and 110km/h.

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My brother and I always used to get the train up and back on Saturdays. Midweek games were different as the train times meant we’d have to leave early to make the last connection back to MK so I’d drive up for those.

Then about 18 months prior to the pandemic I couldn’t be bothered to renew our railcard so started driving up. Still driving up now as the train prices are ridiculous even with a railcard and buying in advance. Being stuck in a 50mph zone between the M6 and Northampton for half hour in the evening got annoying so I generally switched to the A5 for the 2nd half of the journey.

On speed cameras I got caught in a 50mph average speed limit around J4 of the M6. Was after a midweek game at around 11pm when the SMART roadworks were still there end of 2019.
Was doing 58mph when the cameras apparently trigger on 57mph. There was only 1 other car on the road and predictably at that time of night no actual work going on.

Yes the French roads do have different speed limits. I was done once and you have to pay the fine on the spot. They offered to take me to a cash point when I said, Je n’ai ni argent ni carte de crédit or similar
The road tolls were expensive but they pay no road tax and it is obligatory to have cert of insurance displayed.
I lived there from 2004 to 2012 (86120). I used to come back for the odd game but been a season ticket holder since 2013
I was French Saddler in a previous life lol