Sadlers persistance in playing Matt is not helping our cause either. It’s painful trying to watch him press running like he is stuck in mud . He needs dropping for cameo roles of the bench for the next 5 games .
Stirk for me also been terrible for a while could Lakin not do that role ?
I’d be going Harrison and Levi up top as first choice .
Jellis aswell a shadow of the player up until January .
I honestly think Sadler has burnt these players out and not rotating .
All of this is on Sadler for pig headed stubbornness in not trying something different . Teams have sussed us out yet he persists in rinse and repeat formation and tactics .
We must be a joy to play against as you know exactly how we are going to play !
I’m so pissed off . Only Walsall could blow the position. We had in January
I’ve calmed down enough to be more objective about the game today.
Vale were excellent. Man for man, compare them to our side and they have a better squad. Stockley and Tolaj are a fabulous pairing at this level. I felt like we were playing a championship team. We lost individual battles all over the park.
First 20 minutes though we matched them. We’re not a dead luck based on that 20 minutes. We’re a good side. What happened after was horrible though. We sat back too much. Ref didn’t help as most of our challenges seem to upset him.
Sadler should have seen what was happening and adopted a dogs of war approach. Bring on Comely or Chang. How did he not see we might need that sort of player?
I’ve been wanting see Wheatley back as a sub but this just wasn’t the game for him.
Think I get why Harry has been dropped but rate DD above Dave and Osh. Easy with hindsight to say but I think the signs have been there these last few months.
Need to back Sadler to the end if the season but if we screw this up he should go.
It’s not over but I’m already thinking play offs rather than autos.
In an alternative universe somewhere, Walsall started the season poorly and had 22 points by the end of November.
Fans are ruing the loss of their player of the year and moaning that he was never replaced, accusing the club of taking the cheap option, by thinking players from non league and relegated Sutton Utd, were capable of stepping up, whilst constantly moaning about the fact “we’re bloody 14th AGAIN”
From November onwards we go on a magical run of form where the players who we signed in the summer find their form and adjust to the level and on the 4th April with just 5 games to go we have 72 points and are in the automatic promotion places just a point off the leaders……fans are wild with excitement and ecstatic with what they’re seeing talking about Sadler as being up there with Graydon as their best ever manager as the possibility of automatic promotion is within their grasp!!
A little tongue in cheek, but come on…these players were never going to win the league by 12 points……the squad was never THAT good….its not ALL Sadlers fault, the players are culpable in some form or other……
Stick together, win games v Harrogate, Newport and Accrington and its league 1 football next season!
The journey is what it is….the end result is on 46 games in May.
Another concern is Fortress Bescot ftom start of seasion has gone and teams srent scared of playing us,think we will end needing a win at Crewe for auto
Think we can beat Harrogate and Accrington
Lose next weekend ,beat Newport hopefully enough to keep us in top 3 for last fame
Choosing to bury your head in the sand does not make a problem go away. Life lesson for you there.
“Spouting off” yeah.
@bramble very true. Only one team in the top 10 worse defensivly that Sadlers Walsall.
I get what you are saying. But professional
Players - full time pros. Someone made a great post. We thought it would take 3 wins in 12, then 3 in 8, now it’s 3 in 5. A bit like you see the game out at 2/0 up … you see the season out with what you need result wise, target games. Use your squad. Use your signings. It’s Mis-management. Pure and Simple.
Good post, but this is 2 wins in 16. it’s relegation form.
As you know mate, my main gripe with Sadler is the style of football. We have been worked out - and there’s been no attempt to change the shape or dynamic in the team. We can’t play any other way. I think that’s what is winding me up the most to be honest.
Well folks, the dream has turned into a nightmare.How can this be?
The decline in form has been, quite frankly, frightening. It has basically been the same side, without Lowe, in he second half of the season, it just goes to show how important he was to us.
Is it over? No it’s not, yet. If we can (somehow) recapture our form we have a chance of an automatic place
What has gone so horribly wrong? Our failure to adequately replace Lowe in January. Replacing tired players who clearly needed a rest. The manager’s refusal to play DJ and the loan players brought into the club, his utter stubbornness and his insistence on playing favorites leaving talented players on the bench to use.
Trivela has to take some responsibility for this calamity, they should have had some foresight and put the brakes on. We could all see the slide happening
We don’t what goes on behind the scenes (boy, would we all like to), but right now it’s got to be a shit storm in the dressing room.
We’re devoid of confidence, Sadler has five games to save his job and his dignity.
Bring Sir Ray in to give this squad the lift that it needs, he knows the euphoria of winning the play offs and other important games.
Should we remain in L2 at the end of the season, it would be terrible for the club. Fans would leave in their droves and never return which would leave the club in a painful financial situation they may never get out of…back to those awful Bonser days!
I apologize for the rant ladies and gentlemen, I’m really down for the first time this season. In truth, I can’t see us winning the next three games (or any imho) to make it to the promised land, not the way we’re playing.
Pray for a miracle.
I agree with most of that but MS has played players who are struggling in some games. Actually we played well at Doncaster and most of the away draws we have had recently could easily have been wins . It is at home where we have played so poorly in the last few weeks. I think that has a lot to do with the inexperience of the team. There is certainly a case for bringing DD back to add some calmness to our defence.
If you think I and many others will stop coming next season think again !! I posted earlier I have enjoyed this season as a whole and the club is on the right track. We were very poor today though mainly because most of the midfield were poor. MS has a big job to put that right before next week. I hope he can as I am getting on and would love us to be promoted but if we don’t make it I will be there supporting my club.
All that you say is correct of course and one look at the table proves we are still in with a chance but the team you talk about in your scenario is one with form, momentum, confidence and belief. We have none of those. Today we lost the most important one of those - belief.
We had no belief we were getting back in that game. I haven’t had that feeing from the players in any game all season. They look like they don’t believe in themselves or what Sadler is setting them up to do.
They look shot mentally as well as physically.
Find it funny that people think the final 5 are going to be a piece of piss, and starting at Barrow we’ll go on a mini run against teams “on the beach”.
So I’ll remind them, Barrow won 3-0 today, against a team in a similar vein of form to us, and even worse, we’ve not won at Holker Street (and also only once at all v Barrow), since 1970!
fan u are. I have no idea y u bother.