W 2-0 vs Crewe Alexandra (H) - League Two - Tue 26th Dec, 3pm

Hopefully it is.
About time we beat them.

Over 10 years since we last did.
Depressing. :tired_face:

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This wonā€™t happen as Sadler isnā€™t brave - but Iā€™d go (considering Sadler will play 352)ā€¦

Evans

Foulkes Williams Daniels Farq Gordon

Stirk Earing

Hutch

DJ Draper

I really dislike the 352. You need to have good wing backs, and we have a good full back who has 1 assist all season, and Knowles who is horrendous as a wing back. So much onus on wing backs in this formation - and weā€™ve known this since last season.

Midfield has to change for me - playing McEntee Stirk and Comley is just too flat and negative, especially in front of a back 3.

DJ has to start - itā€™s just ridiculous.

Perfect chance today for us to try and dictate play (as we did against Tranmere), against a team who is in poor form, and has 10 first team players out.

Will we stick to trying to keep the ball or be scared and launch it? I hope Sadler has the bottle to try and play through today.

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If Okagbueā€™s injury was a concussion (after his clash of heads with Knowles in the first half) then heā€™s definitely out this afternoon. So do we stick with 3 at the back and either bring in Williams, or move McEntee back in there like we did at Accrington? Or do we revert to a back 4 and bring in, say, Foulkes at RB?

It was good to see Earing get a few minutes - is he ready for a start? Should RAM get at least a place in the bench (Allen always gets picked in the squad but is hardly ever brought on)? Maybe we need to drop one of the 3 central midfielders to make room for another more attacking/creative player?

Does Hutch start today? Dropped on Saturday and pretty ineffective when he came on (though the conditions didnā€™t help, and he wasnā€™t one on his own in our side).

Up front do we go with a 1, 2 or 3? DJ and Draper together worked well in the reverse fixture, but Matt has been getting better lately. If not all 3, which can play best as the lone striker, and which would be the best partnership? BTW DJT seems to have fallen off the face of the Earth ā€¦

And does Smith keep his place ahead of Evans now that he is fit again?

A lot of decisions to make there. If you were Mat Sadler, what would you do (and I donā€™t mean resign :joy:)?

Have fun everyone who goes today!
Only football match of the year Iā€™m not allowed to go to lol

I like that team. I think McEntee instead of Williams for me but we simply have to have more attacking set ups at home. I donā€™t think for a minute we will see it though!!!

If we start with 4 center halves and 3 defensive midfielders again then we lose, again. Get our best players on the pitch and we have every chance of winning. Crazy how much our performances have changed since the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

Much of the difficulty comes from not having a proper RB or RWB and also losing the left-sided centre-back. That cannot be fixed for a week or two, at best. On the first, I have always felt that Foulkes was worth an extended run but, with a back three, that means no Knowles. And, in a back 4, he and Gordon are both under 6 feet which is a problem in League 2 and set plays.

As for the left-sided CB, with Okagbue needing a rest, there is only really Taylor Allen. DD does not seem happy there, except going forward and TA is at least left-footed.

Hutchinson really should play. I didnā€™t think he was too bad against Stanley when he came on. At least he kept the ball on the deck and had a couple of decent runs.

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Very depressing . Time we beat them. They have become a real bogey team !!!

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We all know that Sadler wont put out a team, tactics and formation to win today, but more of one that is set up not to lose. Despite all his crap in interviews, even Sadler knows that he is on the edge of being pushed by Trivela. At the moment not losing is more important to him than winning. A few draws and he can give it the ā€œonly 1 defeat in 5ā€ or some crap like that.

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Oh yeah! Absolutely! McEntee is our best centre half for me! :joy:

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I meanā€¦ there is another who is really great thereā€¦ :eyes:

Just thought Iā€™d repeat this before things get too miserableā€¦

Anyway hopefully a win today. :crossed_fingers:

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Hard to believe that woke up this morning with ZERO excitement for a Boxing Day home game but instead fearful trepidation, expecting same old tactical cowardice from MS , in game blindness and infuriating post match analysis. When will this 5 year slump show signs of turnaround, IMO never with MS at the helm of a squad that seem so fragile in confidence levels and so unsure of the direction of travel. I live in hope and will get a few pints in to try and build some personal inertia in an attempt to get behind the boys. I am there to be drawn into full vocal backing but the manager and the team will need to do there bit to make sure it doesnā€™t turn into the ā€œnightmare after Christmasā€ that the last few performances would suggest we are more likely to get ā€¦ COYS

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Agree, Mcentee for Williams and that would be my team today.
Zero chance Sadler will pick it though.

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gonna go for a draw, 2-2 with Creweā€™s goal coming in the late stages of the game for a last minute sucker punch present to go home with. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

I appreciate and applaud your positivity, but it is so difficult to be positive at the moment. I canā€™t go to away games this season due to other commitments, so i have only had the luxury of seeing 2 games this season. where i thought we played reasonably well, and those were Stockport and Gillingham. Other than thoae 2, I have come away from pretty much every other home game quite dispondent due to the poor quality of football on show.

I still think we have some good players. The problem is that Sadler cant get them to gel as a team for me.

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Iā€™d forgotten about Allen as a LCB (or LB, LWB, LW or midfield). How many games has he been on the bench now but never used? I know lots of people on here dis him, but I think heā€™s decent enough for an L2 cover player so find it strange that Sadler has stopped giving him minutes (even to the extent of changing formation rather than use him).

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Time for this Walsall side to kick on and show us all what theyā€™re all about. 3 - 0 to the Saddlers with goals from Earing, Daniels and DJ.

Didnā€™t think Crewe were that good when I saw them earlier this season and their recent form is rubbish.

Jackson

Mcentee Farq DD

Gordon Comely Tommy

Stirk Earing

DJ Draper.

Iā€™ll go

Evans
Foulkes daniels priest allen Gordon
Earing stirk
Hutch
Mcentee Johnson

Iā€™m really looking forward to not going. Says it all really.

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