W 1-0 vs Tranmere Rovers (H) - League Two - Sat 12th Feb, 3pm

Match Centre Archive Match Centre 21/22
1

Well HMS Piss The League has well and truly capsized hasn’t it?

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Tranmere

Saturday sees us back in action against Tranmere Rovers at The Banks’s Stadium, managerless, winless in 8 games, and worried about what is really going to happen to our club this season.

The visitors head into the game 2nd in League Two and are firmly in the automatic promotion places, with a gap of 6 points already to the play off positions. They are managed by Micky Mellon, who is in his second spell at the club after previously spending 4 years with them from 2016-20.

Looking at their stats, they’ve played 30 games, have 55 points, but perhaps surprisingly they have only scored 35 goals all season, conceding just 20.

The Tranmere squad contains a couple of ex-Saddlers in goalkeeper Joe Murphy and midfielder Kieron Morris, along with a player that opposing fans hate, Jay Spearing. There’s a couple of other standout names in Nicky Maynard and ex-Premier League player Callum McManaman, with their squad being much stronger than ours man for man.

Kieron Morris
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Tranmere Rovers last six games have produced the following results:

15th Jan - Rochdale (H) - Won 2-0
22nd Jan - Crawley Town (A) - Won 1-0
29th Jan - Forest Green Rovers (H) - Lost 4-0
1st Feb - Stevenage (H) - Won 1-0
5th Feb - Barrow (A) - Drew 1-1
8th Feb - Swindon Town (H) - Won 3-0

Onto The Saddlers…

We head into this game on the back of a SEVEN game losing streak, an EIGHT game winless streak, scoring just TWO goals in our last seven outings, and perhaps unsurprisingly without now ex-manager Matt Taylor who was relieved of his duties following defeat to Scunthorpe United on Tuesday evening.

In charge of the team for this game is Mat Sadler and Neil McDonald, seen below for those of you who don’t actually know what he even looks like. Turns out he is real.

McD

Team news as far as we know is that Joss Labadie will start a two-game suspension in this game, for his collection of 10 yellow cards this season, and Rory Holden is definitely out for the season. Jack Earing may or may not appear depending on concussion protocol and him passing a fitness test. Other than that, who knows.

Given the shambles we have become, and the fact we now don’t have Matt Taylor at the helm, it’s no good guessing the starting XI from a preview point of view, so let’s switch it to you guys:

  1. You’re the manager - pick your formation and starting XI based on players we know are available
  2. What style of football are you asking them to play?

I shall be attending this game as part of my already paid for Season Ticket, and I’m sure the players will properly understand the feeling of the fans by the end of the game. Who else will be in attendance?

Not looking forward to this, the next game, or the one after that in any way at all, in fact I think we could end up being in a position where we have lost TEN games in a row - anyone feel the same?

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Walsall vs Tranmere Rovers - Match Result
  • Tranmere Rovers Win
  • Draw
  • Walsall Win

0 voters

2

I reckon we’ll win this. 2-0 to the Super Soaraways. Wilson & Lightbourne with the goals…

3

I remember the last time we were on a long winless streak going into two games against Tranmere and Forest Green last season and won both.

Same again :wink:

4

Can’t see anything other than a convincing Tranmere win unfortunately.

5

Last match for me with my boy for maybe a long time, as he’s off to live/work in LA next week.
Got some great memories with him growing up watching the Saddlers, so I’m hoping we can get a vital 3 points to send him on his way.

More hope than expectation though :frowning:

12 Likes
6

A fresh approach and a good go given, but Tranmere are the wrong team to face at this stage.

1-3

1 Like
7

New boss same as the old boss with the same result seems the likely result, but who knows we always seem to kick-start other teams’ seasons so perhaps Tranmere might do it for us. Not holding my breath though. 3 nil win (Rimmer hat trick).

1 Like
8

Dont want to go… but will.

Team? Who cares
Score? See above
McDonald? Meh
Formation? Bore Bore 2

9

I believe Tranmere are bringing a load down for this one, they will certainly have great momentum.

1-3 Tranmere

10

How often do you see a team lose several games then as soon as the manager is sacked they win the following game with acting managers in charge win a game against all odds? For that reason I’m going for a 1-0 saddlers win.

11

Wonder who will start this game?
I personally never want to see oss and labadie ina Walsall short again even if it means playing kids. They are Both a disgrace

Rusworth
White Mayo monthe Devine
Wilkinson kinsella earing kiernan
Dave ( if fit ) miller

We ain’t got a lot of choice have we

12

Don’t know why but I have this image of Kieron’s mom dancing round her handbag in the stand waving 2 fingers in the direction of Dame Pomlett as her son runs along the homeserve stand with his hands cupped behind his ears after scoring against us.

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13

I’d say Kane Hemmings is their big player. They signed him and have had an excellent record since. Just shows you what can happen when you sign someone worthwhile in the transfer window. We got Rodney - unfit to play and a lot of not very complimentary remarks from Vale fans.

14

Gone for Walsall win same logic as last few games even s**t teams win sometime.

15

Taking a look at at the other teams around us down there around the trapdoor …

Oldham are away at Newport and Scunthorpe are away at Swindon so fingers crossed they both go according to the odds.

Colchester vs Carlisle we could do with being a draw, as also we could Barrow and Stevenage who are facing each other too.

Rochdale are at home against Harrogate.

Slightly above us as it stands, Orient have also hit a wall lately (2 draws and 4 defeats in their last 6 since Otis Khan joined them - BTW his record with us was only 1 win, 3 draws and 6 defats) and are at home to hit and miss Salford; Hartlepool are at away at Crawley.

While it’s not nice being down here, if we can stop the rot now and start bagging a few points (10 behind the ball and go for 3 0-0s in the next 3 games wouldn’t be the worse thing to happen) we can still get out of this. Apart from Shade (who I’m still to see produce anything for us), the others have shown they can play at this level - we just need them all singing from the same hymn sheet at the same time and showing a bit of passion and commitment.

Talking about passion and commitment - the key to this game is the midfield. With Labadie out and perhaps Earing also, how about Kinsella, Bates and Perry as a trio? They are each “one of our own” and played their part in getting us over the line last season - as did Leak.

Up front options are limited, but if Rodney is still not up to it is this too big a game to give Willock (another coming through the ranks) a chance to play in a 2 alongside Miller - or even a 3 by adding in either Kiernan or Wilkinson (but not Shade)?

16

Wow! I thought he was a ‘really’ elderly guy that had died and the management propped him up in the dugout regularly to make it look as if we had a backroom staff!

Can’t see anything other than a good hammering from a much superior squad probably heading into the 3rd Division.

17

This will be my first trip to Bescot since we beat Northampton 3-2 in 2020 and no one had ever heard of this covid thing!

1 Like
18

3-0 win Sadler with one and McDonald with a brace.

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19

7 nil defeat.

20

By my reckoning that means we’ll beat Forest Green 3-0 with Devante Rodney grabbing a hat trick. Some unknown youth team player will make his debut and go in to manage us in 20 years. Just waiting for Rodney to miss a penalty on Saturday.

1 Like