Aye, when he’s through on goal I usually nip to the bog.
Personally I thought her points were reasonable. The comparison of lower league players being out of contract as opposed to a higher level earners does highlight the gap between the levels as well.
As already mentioned, I suspect TK may end up back with Flynn who signed him in the first place.
As for us, I would just like to see where our intentions are going to be, because L2 will not be any easier to get out of than in the previous 5 seasons if we don’t get our recruitment right.
UTS
More or less mirrored my teens
Walsall council put me through 3 years of city and guilds in plumbing, then decided that after completing that i was still useless, and sent me to Brooklyn college in Great bar to do advanced craft in my own time, which made me wake up, i eventually came out of it being the most advanced qualified plumber they ever had
But i was still acting like a tit, so after getting caught out by a manager doing a foreigner next door to his house, while in works time, in uniform using works van and materials, while he and his wife watched me they punished me by taking the van off me, and the only job i could then do was gas service engineer, because they only used their own vehicles, which gave me even more freedom to do and go where i wanted
But as an added punishment, they sent me to Walsall college to do 3 years gas city and guilds again in my own time, which by this time had started to sink in, and after passing with flying colours with distinctions and credits, they said to me that the thinking at the time, was if they gave me enough rope
And i lasted 42 years, by the skin of my teeth and the rest is history
I actually assumed Knowles was from the South West but he actually came through at Cambridge. Had EIGHT different loan spells in just three seasons so interesting what happened there, seems if he wasn’t playing the loan spell was terminated. They were all within an hour-ninety minutes of Cambridge.
Then he ends up at Yeovil so I assume that’s where his partner’s frustration is if they were together at the time. Having to move right across the country so like high rents/house prices delays things like starting a family etc especially with far shorter contracts at league 2 level.
What’s most amusing about this is how football reporting’s going to change in next 10 years with videos like that…it won’t be “my Mate heard down the pub Walsall signing…” It will be instead “so I was watching this video on Tiktok…”
You are right! Knowles is not a wing back, nor was he recruited by us as one. We are playing him out of position.
I disagree regarding Foulkes. He has a lot of potential. We should keep him.
Speaking as someone that has travelled over 200 miles in total to work a shift, the “locality” can be quite encompassing you know🙄
The issues of playing Knowles as a RWB and also Osin as a CDM, perfectly exemplifies my frustration with Sadler. His decision to play Knowles as a RWB diminishes not only Knowles strength’s but also that of the team. If Sadler wants someone with evergy and pace up front to run the channels then Knowles is a perfect fit for that role. And unlike Gordon, he will undoubtedly manage more than 1 goal a season.
Similarly with Osin, whilst relatively effective as a midfielder, surely having the ability of a ball-playing CB like him would be another benefit to the side.
Sadler seems to want to fit square pegs in round holes irrespective if that is getting the best out of a player, or what is best for the team. He is very blinkered in his thinking at times. Hope he learns for nexy season.
I should imagine that Knowles will be one of the first players Flynn signs if nothing is agreed with us.
Spot on.
Please no more project attempts with players next season. McEntee back in the back 3 and if Knowles re-signs then back in the forward areas and sign an actual RWB.
McEntee hardly played as CDM. I can think of Harrogate at home but not another game
But Knowles defending was actually very good. It was his attacking output that was poor.
Seems to me that once (some) Walsall fans have it in their head a certain player plays in a certain position they are forevermore to be played in that position irrespective of other factors like the opposition or other injuries in the side
The sides best form came when Knowles played RWB. In effect playing him there gives an extra forward when we attack and an extra defender when we defend, although as mentioned earlier his attacking output was poor
And we’d have arguably been a better side had we not signed Josh Gordon, signed a specialist RWB instead, and put Knowles up front. Knowles is not a RWB, he’s a left winger or a second striker, although I’m not saying he excels in either of those roles.
Sometimes we have to acknowledge that even our heros make mistakes
The square pegs in round holes accusation is nothing new. Seems to apply to every manager we’ve had in the last few years from the posts on here.
Just a modern game thing I think, due to having more options than in the past.
McEntee mainly played as an 8.
Which was mad.
I’m sure I read on here last season that it was RO’K who was keen on McEntee in midfield.
On the whole, I don’t think he performed too bad and his numbers were decent when he played. That being said, I’d much prefer to see him play in his preferred position at CB and get someone else in to play CM.
In the modern game you need a fullback to be good past the halfway line. I’m not expecting the top level stuff like a starting full back to be linking play in the middle of the pitch but no good having Matt and DJ out there if Knowles can’t get decent crosses in.
At least having him in final third means he can run at people and get free kicks which will remain important next season.
Just have credible options like on the left side with a natural LWB like Gordon and I think we’ll see Taylor Allen also play there a bit (I assume he’s signing/signed a new deal now?)
I bet it was at all these college’s you were sent to was were you met all those drugs taking party weird people that led a young impressionable innocent lad astray .
https://www.saddlers.co.uk/news/2024/may/club-statement---released-and-retained-list/
The Club will be exercising options on Taylor Allen, Douglas James-Taylor and Harry Williams.
I know what you are saying in terms of his geographical location on the pitch, but don’t think it helps further the debate to describe him as an ‘8’ when he was played higher up the pitch against the likes of Salford, Bradford and Notts county.
I agree there’s no point having him if he can’t get crosses in especially if we are playing Matt, and Knowles needs to improve there, although I don’t think his crosses were quite as bad as people make out last season
But he was doing that by and large in the RWB role. I just don’t get why you want to stop him doing his very good defensive work. Doesnt make any sense to me.
Or he makes them stand up when they try to catch the ball in the stands!!