Keep the faith!

Just been listening to TalkSPORT and they were talking about non league teams in the FA Cup. The presenter fondly recalled an Ashford Town v Walsall game in 1974. They referred to the legend of Alan Buckley who scored two goals in a Saddlers win.

I was born in 1975 but got a bit choked up hearing about my team being mentioned on the radio in such glowing terms.

Regardless of how we express our feelings about the current malaise, 13 1/2 hours in a row without a win is genuinely tough to take but I really hope that Flynn can turn it around.

I really think that we should play a more attacking style and play the likes of Maher and/or Maddox in an advanced role so we’re not relying on DJ feeding off scraps.

Maybe Flynn can do a Clough and take the players 10pin bowling or something just to take their mind off the pressures of their current run.

Bills are through the roof, work is tough (to be polite) and a Walsall victory would really help to lift the gloom.

I trust in Boycott and I am proud to be a Walsall fan. It’s just a bit painful though, isn’t it? :disappointed:

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Were Ashford the faves for that game?

Ironically no, I’m a bit numb to the pain now, it is more just a sense of inevitability.

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He’s also been raving about Rico Henry! Maybe if England lose (with Maguire having a mare), the new England manager can give Rico a chance!

I’m sure we are due £1m. if he gets a full England cap. That would be a game changer because in January, we’re going to need a big man up top and maybe another goal scorer (not sure DJ is going to be around for the whole season)…

Think we won 3-1 at Ashford. The programme is one of the rarer ones for Walsall collectors.

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Surely Rico would replace Luke Shaw, who has played 20 minutes of football in all competitions in the last five weeks due to being dropped.

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Faith is needed full stop.

On an aside. Southgate is a man who needs faith. He knew the issues on the back of Iceland and 2016. He’s built a club mentality which means showing faith in those out of form. It’s that squad mentality has transformed the team who couldn’t beat Iceland in 2016 to the Team who got to a SF and then a Final. Sadly he’s still doubted like he was pre Euro 2021.

These managers aren’t muppets at this level (maybe Dutton was) - they have a vision and a plan. Deserve half a chance !

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Shaw and Maguire don’t deserve to be in the current squad.

Special treatment only works if the rest of the squad can see that an individual brings an X factor (Cantona, Grealish, even Merson!)

Bog standard defenders playing for the mighty Manchester United smacks of the tail wagging the dog for me…

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Yes defenders that shipped goals against Brentford

Who was the presenter? Was it Cascarino, he’s a Man of Kent, and the right age to remember it.
Incidentally he was an opponent who stood out, I thought, back in the early 80s when we played Gillingham. I thought he would have a good career and he did. I must have seen Steve Bruce play for them but can’t remember him, I suppose attackers, keepers and midfielders catch the eye more readily than hairy-arsed defenders.

That Ashford game was played on a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon because the Ashford floodlights were not up to snuff.

I think it was Steve Bunce.

I agree about Cascarino (and Bruce). I was ball-boy against Gillingham, that first season with Coakley too! :slight_smile:

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Always rated Cascarino - would have loved to have seen him down the Saddlers. He was the non-Irish Irishman - he had absolutely no right to play for Ireland at all. By rights, he should have played for England or Italy.

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I think if Wilkinson and McEntee can get fit, we could have a decent Irish spine. I also think Kinsella can come good again, provided that he is allowed to do what he is good at (winning tackles and breaking up play). That’s a strong spine.

If DJ leaves in January, we could do worse than look at someone banging in goals from the Irish league. Before he went to Blackpool, I mentioned Lavery (the good one who started at Everton!) and he’s done quite well in the Championship so there is talent out there.

Kinsella has been a part of several failed Walsall sides now.

Heart effort application never ever in doubt and he’s made his colleagues look like part timers.

But he’s in a part of the pitch where quality wise he offers little and he wouldn’t get in many of this leagues top sides.

Wing back maybe.

But for now he’s the best we got - but symptomatic of where we are

He’s playing without confidence at the moment, but I think that he is being asked to do things that aren’t in his game. Ask Messi to play centre half or Ronaldo to track back, and you get diminished returns.

Obviously not comparing Liam with the above but as a scrapper, he brings something to the team which is noticed and missed when he isn’t playing.

I agree that he shouldn’t be the first player on the team sheet but his stats reveal that he breaks up play, wins tackles and his tenacity would help the likes of Maddox get on the ball and play incisive passes.

No Walsall supporter thinks it’s a good idea to play Kinsella with Comley (neither can pass, drive forward or score goals) and yet our gaffer persists. It’s really frustrating!

I read this from a sports phycologist and I thought it summed up several of our players at the moment and indeed sportsmen and women across the spectrum….

It was in relation to David De Gea comments recently at Man U

“When something goes wrong, people get panicky, it’s difficult. But we have to learn, we have a new manager, some new players, and we need to be more positive and to keep learning and improving.” said De Gea

So let’s exchange the word ‘panicky’ for ‘anxious’…

“When something goes wrong, we start to get anxious”

As players start to experience anxiety so they:-

-reduce awareness (no longer seeing the 360 degree view)

-slow anticipation (due to muscle tightness and a loss of visual cueing)

-atrophy decision-making (as their intelligence becomes foggy, confused, and they forget important game model cues

-reduce coordination (as their muscles tighten)

-effort reduces and.…subtly…so very subtly…positioning suffers.

-commitment to responsibilities atrophy……

-assertiveness wanes…strength reduces……creativity is lost!

Great players….talented players…look less good and less talented.

They look a shadow of themselves. They look average (when they’re not!)

So supporters jeer and cry and protest:

“You’re not fit to wear the shirt”
“You’re not working hard enough”
“Disgraceful attitude…no passion”

So the above I’m starting to hear at games and I’m reading similar comments on here and it generally targets players of a typical ilk…younger, creative players who are generally less experienced and rely more heavily on confidence to produce moments and probably struggle for the tools to generate their own self confidence on the back of years of experience where they’ve learned to trust themselves and know what they can and can’t do.

Players like Hutchinson and Maddox in particular have had bright promising careers at premier league clubs stall a little and in places they show glimpses of class that show they can still have careers but they struggle with consistency and adapting to the hurly burly league 2 that they now need to fight their way out of when it does little in style to allow them to show their best qualities.

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I see no reason at all to criticise individual players. I haven’t seen one who isn’t trying . Some look to be poor signings at the moment but they all need our support.
I agree with those who wonder about the Manager’ s demeanour. I know he has suffered blow after blow on the injury front but leadership is partly about taking on board any knocks and making sure those managed at not affected . A good leader needs to give out positive messages and give comfort in times of distress . I hope that he is capable of doing that from now on because if he doesn’t I fear for our immediate future.

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