The Eric Morecambe of football.
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A rare win away to Barrow
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Care to expand upon that?
Because in the highlights Lakin seems to be a big part of all of our chances. Just like he did at Swindon.
As well as being alert to cover for Hancock in the very early Barrow chance even though he was playing a more advanced role yesterday.
I’m happy to provide screenshots.
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I was going to say similar.
He was involved in almost all of our chances .
With better finishing he could have had 3 or 4 assists in the first half alone.
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Was he not sat on our bench for weeks on end? If he’s in the squad then play him
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So to get this right, as we were going for the play offs ‘things’ were changed that made us worse and cost us the play offs ??? So now we have reverted to what did work we are capable of winning matches again … well that makes a lot of sense !
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I have to admit. That was my immediate response as well.
Makes you wonder if he was told to make changes.
Who knows at Walsall, not a lot makes any sense.
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I’m guessing he rested certain players v Gillingham in the hope that we were still good enough to win what on paper was an easy game, and we then had fresh players to bring in v Swindon for a tougher game.
Didnt really work, although without the defensive calamities in both games, it might have done.
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Maybe. However, we were such long shots for the play offs I think it should have been win or bust every game. Play your strongest 11 and go out to win each game. If we had kept picking up 3 points it would have applied more pressure to the teams above.
All ifs, buts and maybes now. It’s just yet another car crash of a season to add to the previous one.
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The only way I can see it making sense is if he’s referring to the extra matches the play-offs would entail. That he had to manage certain players to get through potentially three extra games. Okeke? It only makes partial sense then. Surely the first priority is to get there.
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Or was he told by Trivela that they didn’t want us to get to the play offs, and potentially promoted, or is that me just being cynical.
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What Byfield has done well is mixing things up a bit. Not advocating him getting the job full time as think we’d see a few Cheltenham results early next season which would immediately put him under huge pressure.
A huge mistake last summer was giving Matt another 12 months. Don’t think he’s made the squad once under Byfield?
I can remember suggesting in January that Kabongo Tshimanga would be a gamble but worth risking based on his general goal return in league two.
12 goals for Barnet since Jan 24th….they rolled the dice on temperamental CF and they are three points off 7th.
If Matt’s wages meant only someone like Loupalo-Bi could be signed in January then that is as damming of Trivela’s overall strategy as you can get.
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Byfield said he was injured so I imagine that has something to do with it.
Is that really a measure of success? Reminds me more of chucking mud at a wall to see how much sticks.
Agree about January, but that is standard Walsall FC. I note on another thread there is talk about budgets, attendances, our ability to compete financially because football is “broken”. If that is truly the case then the last two years will merely be a barnacle on the rock of operating to purely exist.
That’s the problem with prioritising the right character. You rule out a load of potentially useful signings before you even start. And it’s a cop-out. Decent managers should be able to get the best out of a variety of personalities, not just those of a certain type. It didn’t even work. When we needed " character" to get through tough periods, Sadler’s well-vetted signings didn’t have it.
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Byfield hasn’t mixed things up, what he’s done is played his favourites.
Ekeke is a great example of a player that should have played more games. He’s also played Comley every single game, and persisted with Loupi B every week.
Some of his lineups have been really poor, and the performance and results fell In line.
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Wouldn’t the real conspiracy theory have us getting to the final of the play-offs and then losing in the final 
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I wonder whether Jamma will play against Harrogate before announcing that he is leaving at the end of the season. Whether it is retirement or non league (Hednesford?) I think that he probably deserves some kind of send off from the Walsall fans.
In terms of Okeke and the play off picture, I’d guess that Stockport or his new club in Germany wouldn’t have sanctioned the loan being extended into the play offs.
A bit like Alfie Chang, he and Okeke as late January transfer business felt like a ‘last resort’ and have not turned out well at all.
For what it’s worth, I totally understand what Byfield meant when he said that the club were going for wins and rolling the dice instead of playing the ‘long game’ of picking up points, especially at home - Cheltenham being the prime example.
What’s unusual about Walsall is that the playing style has largely dictated better results away than at home. Therefore, good home form and averaging a point on the road constituting a good season is almost reversed. I don’t think that this is sustainable because the home fanbase will not tolerate low risk, low possession, counter attacking football unless it reaps good results and therefore, a higher position in the table.
Hopefully, next season, we can recruit a midfielder who can control the tempo much better than our current crop of ‘dogs of war’ to quote Joe Royle’s Everton team from yesteryear.
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Spot on about the home versus away form.I attended 5 away games four of which we won comfortably and the other (Cheltenham) we should have won and lost to a fluke last minute goal. Contrary to a lot on here I think we have the basis of a promotion squad but it lacks 2 vital ingredients. A really powerful and/or a creative midfielder and 2 decent forwards who can help create and score goals . I hope that at long last the owners will realise that during this Summer and provide the new Coach with those type of players.They will cost money but if we want promotion that is what is needed.
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Spot on, but I’d also include adding some players with character to the list. I was not surprised in the slightest that we won convincingly yesterday. The players are fine when the pressure’s off. Between Notts County and Crewe last season, then all of this, I can’t recall us winning a really meaningful game. That’s something that needs to change
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