L 3-2 vs Shrewsbury Town (A) - BSM Trophy Group Stage - Tue 14th Nov, 7pm

Match Centre 24/25 Match Centre 23/24
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I have so many thing I want to say that my heads going to explode…or my keyboard will burn up!!

I’ll try and keep it simple….

Are you suggesting it’s ok for any player at a pro football club to simply say “no I don’t ever really wanna run so you’re asking me to do something unreasonable”

What sort of precedent does that set? What happens if Hutch turns round and says, hang on a minute, I’m our most talented player and top scorer, I don’t wanna track back I wanna stay up and get more goals….I shouldnt really need to run!

What if Draper says, “hang on a minute, why is DJ allowed to not have to press defenders….that’s a horrible part of the game, I dont wanna do that either!”

What about if McEntee suddenly says “well hang on a minute DJ, Drapes, Hutch and Knowles aren’t running, I’m not gonna kill myself on my own”!!

It’s a can of worms.

Also, what sort of player do you want at your football club, taking wages and you spending your hard earned cash to watch….who says “I don’t really wanna have to run!”

It’s a thin end of the wedge. Team ethics. Respect for your teammates and the fans and your club.

Football is basically athletics with a ball. Run. Run where you’re asked to run and run as often as you’re expected to run.

DJs role (or Drapers, or DJTs) is to set the traps and initiate the press to help us defend.

Someone, @P.T i think, said this week, defending is about time and space. Limit both and you have a chance. The forwards job is to dictate the direction of the oppositions attacks to allow players behind him to only have to defend half or at worst two thirds of the pitch. He has to press the player on the ball and force him to play in one direction and affect the time he has to play a good or bad pass.

Of course DJ can do it. He hasn’t got to learn a new skill. He’s just got to get fit and make a decision to do it. Choice. Simple as that. I know he can do it and I’ve seen him do it. To say he can’t is making the worst of excuses for him.

Basically it’s either can, can’t or won’t. If it’s either of the last two options he can go and I salute Sadler for trying to build a TEAM that will serve its fans with the most important commodity required, hard work and spirit.

If he can……and does……in this side he will get more goals than last season and we’ll win more games than last season and we may all get a bit happier!!

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Are you suggesting it’s ok for any player at a pro football club to simply say “no I don’t ever really wanna run so you’re asking me to do something unreasonable”

Never said no such thing so waste of my time having a conversation with you based on that ridiculous assumption is that simple enough for you .

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Dont think the boo boys have quite decided yet who there new hater is its a straight toss up between DJT , Knowles and Taylor Allen none of em deserve the amount of hate they get if im honest with you. Knowles yes very very frustrating with his olympic diving routines but does show signs every now and again hes capable of changing a game , but the hate spewed for all three of them nah its uncalled for

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We fielded second teams in pretty much every game

We drew to Forest Green

12 players unavailable last night

7 academy players were in the squad last night

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Reserve keeper and a back 4 that hadn’t played a single game together as they are all squad players (or been injured) so only called on when the first choices aren’t available.

I say back 4 - after Rollin went off (and then McEntee) we only had 1 CH on the pitch and 2 fullbacks playing more as wingbacks.

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I wouldn’t feel too sorry for him mate, he’s picking up the best part of £100k a year and being asked to run a bit more to help his team be successful because the bloke who’s probably on half of that is at risk of losing his job if he doesn’t :+1:

He either can’t or won’t.

I’m pretty damn sure he can.

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Doug wouldn’t have even got the chance DJ scored from last night, just doesn’t have that kind of anticipation or instinct. There are a load of goals DJ has scored not just for us where he is in like a flash anticipating a mistake. Not a knock at DJT at all, just facts. DJT could learn a lot from DJ in my opinion.

Some of the absolutely useless strikers we’ve had, the times we would have given anything for a striker with DJ’s instincts.

May be time to take him off pens though, doesn’t seem to strike them with confidence for some reason, was a bit like the one he missed at Bradford last season.

Seems the bigger problems are at the other end of the pitch anyway. So fragile.

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That bloke at the risk of losing his job is because we’re sitting 17th in the league.and not because DJ can’t or can run

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But I thought it was unanimous that with a fit and firing DJ we wouldn’t be 17th?

If DJ wants to work and play for the team, he, Sadler, Walsall, you, me and many other fans will all be happier :+1:

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I agree.

He is at risk of losing his job because his win percentage at 27% is the same that Taylor had when he was sacked, and worse than that of Keates and Flynn when they were sacked.

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At our level it’s all about compromise though. You aren’t getting the perfect player.
DJ won’t run like a Draper or DJT but he will get you goals.
I don’t believe for a minute that DJ given a run in the team and a bit of belief from the manager won’t rapidly increase his fitness and form and run enough for what he gives in terms of finishing and not be so detrimental to the team that his lack of comparitive athleticism can’t be covered by others.
I can fully understand selecting Draper as he was offering both the press and the goals. But DJ cannot be 3rd or 4th choice in our squad. It is counter productive on all levels in my mind.
Given the fact Draper has been carrying an injury and finally broke down DJ should have had more minutes in rotation anyway and he would have been sharper as a result.

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Nah. I still think not starting DJ Saturday was a poor decision but Draper has played enough games and been more than good enough for DJ not starting to be such a problem. We’ve had plenty of strikers that can run though, ones that score goals are a bit harder to come by.

Goals conceded more of a problem, poor defending crosses, poor starts to some games etc etc. Injuries haven’t helped but I don’t think we can rely on Farq coming back in and sorting it all out, there is more to it than that I reckon.

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Fair post and I agree that, in some areas, DJT can learn a lot from DJ, and that’s exactly what you want in a squad. However if (and it’s a big if, obviously) there is a problem with attitude and application from DJ, then you wouldn’t want younger players looking at him as a role model. This is all speculation of course, but you see enough in games to know that you don’t want DJT or any other youngster to be throwing his arms up in horror and berating his teammates when he does’t get the pass he wanted etc.

If there is a question on application or attitude, then this really is on DJ to decide how he wants it to go. He could be a great asset to the team, a hero to the fans and a role model for the younger players to look up to and learn from. Or he could drift through a second club who have decided that he’s not a good character to have around the place and end up wanting rid - in which case, he may find his future options very limited.

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What’s the point in running people into the ground for us to have one of worst percentages of possession in the league. Work so hard to get the ball only to give it away at a moment’s notice

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I’ll put that another way
If MS wants the team to function and be successful maybe he should fix the problems in defence stop playing players out of position .then DJ you me any may other fans will all be happier

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From what i saw from DJ last night he was guiding RAM. RAM looked a little nervous at times which we can all expect and accept but DJ was always there to give him a thumbs up or a wink if something RAM did didnt work out , this gives the younger players more confidence thab people realise , DJ didnt have to do that he could of stropped off through his arms in the air that speaks volumes to me regarding his professionalism , I think DJ’S problem is with MS and MS alone why ? We will never find out hopefully they can both work it out as grown adults

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We’ve all been up in arms for weeks now….what’s the problem with Sadler and DJ? All we want is Sadler to come out and tell us what the problem is!!

Well he has.

He doesn’t work hard enough out of possession to be a benefit to the team.

There. That’s the end of it. We may or may not agree, but we asked the manager to tell us why and he has. He’s the manager.

Personally I have no problem with it.

I expect Walsall players to run and work. If the manager wants a way of playing that means the CF has to offer the same then that’s great and if any individual player decides he can’t or won’t then I have no issue with him not being selected.

If DJ had done what Clough wanted him to do last season he may have scored a goal every other game for Mansfield and Mansfield may have been promoted and DJ may at 31 be playing league 1 football now.

I repeat……I want a fit and motivated DJ in the side scoring goals so we win more games but if he’s not going to buy into it then it has to be goodbye or risk half a dozen players thinking they can do the same.

Btw……I agree with many others who have pointed out it’s defensively where our problems lie….so what’s the problem with asking that to start with every single player doing a bit more?

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Never had DJ down as a winker.

I think it’s not the first time he’s fell out with a manager, why did he fall out with Clough at Mansfield and why in his career has he never seemed to stay at a club beyond a couple of years?

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Only when Flynn does it :wink:

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That i cant answer without them coming out and telling us what happened behind the scenes which aint gonna happen.

Problem is all good managers you dont even have to be great managers for this can work with staff you get on with and staff you dont like as long as it benefits the team and achieves the greater results all it takes is a manager in any industry to know and appreciate everyones weakness and strength , a few tactical tweaks (in any industry) and you achieve the best results possible