Walsall Match Thread

Quoted from Chrisblor

Yes, because we've been fortunate enough that Eisa's scored 4 screamers which have helped us to win and draw a few games. The point I am making and that you are missing is that he is not going to score from 20+ yards regularly, and unless the rest of the team start creating more goalscoring opportunities than they've done in the first five games this season we're going to start falling further down the table.

I'm not missing your point, but I and others have been shouting out for good No9 for nearly 2 years. Hurst admitted over 12 months ago that we needed one, but we are still waiting.

Quoted from DB

I'm not missing your point, but I and others have been shouting out for good No9 for nearly 2 years. Hurst admitted over 12 months ago that we needed one, but we are still waiting.

It's not that we necessarily need a "no.9", it's that our combined attacking threat, which includes forwards, midfielders and full backs just isn't creating anything like enough goalscoring opportunities. Is that down to the tactics, or is it down to the players? It's difficult to say, but it's a conundrum really Hurst needs to solve.

look my view from today is we deserved no more than a point but once again we throw a lead away , stop sitting deep as & press for a 2nd was obvious a walsall goal was imminent

Quoted from Chrisblor

It's not that we necessarily need a "no.9", it's that our combined attacking threat, which includes forwards, midfielders and full backs just isn't creating anything like enough goalscoring opportunities. Is that down to the tactics, or is it down to the players? It's difficult to say, but it's a conundrum really Hurst needs to solve.

Have to agree with this. We are not making enough good chances and as good a player as Rose is, he's never been prolific, but he will struggle to score more than a handful this season if we don't start making chances for him.

I see Newport, who were complaining about not being able to attract players and were being beaten to signings "by the likes of Grimsby", are knocking in 3's and 4's, with their top scorer already on 6.

It always seems to be the achilles heel of Hurst in that his sides are always competitive, but very rarely do they run away with games.

Hopefully, as the side beds in and settles down, we will start to create the chances we did last season, because we have better players now to take more of them. As you mentioned earlier, our problem last season wasn't chance creation, it was chance taking, so now we have better technicians in the side, we have to create more for them to do their thing.

Quoted from ginnywings

Have to agree with this. We are not making enough good chances and as good a player as Rose is, he's never been prolific, but he will struggle to score more than a handful this season if we don't start making chances for him.

I see Newport, who were complaining about not being able to attract players and were being beaten to signings "by the likes of Grimsby", are knocking in 3's and 4's, with their top scorer already on 6.

It always seems to be the achilles heel of Hurst in that his sides are always competitive, but very rarely do they run away with games.

Hopefully, as the side beds in and settles down, we will start to create the chances we did last season, because we have better players now to take more of them. As you mentioned earlier, our problem last season wasn't chance creation, it was chance taking, so now we have better technicians in the side, we have to create more for them to do their thing.

There seems to me to always be a lot of fluffy rhetoric about ‘getting on the front foot’ and ‘getting the crowd going’ but we never do. I’m not convinced that every attacking player we sign doesn’t listen so surely it’s got to be the message, hasn’t it?

We seem to be wittering on about dropping points from winning positions but we could (and maybe should) have been behind in the three games I’ve seen and it seems like the same should have happened today.

Quoted from fishcake63

look my view from today is we deserved no more than a point but once again we throw a lead away , stop sitting deep as & press for a 2nd was obvious a walsall goal was imminent

After we scored we most definitely did not sit back. Several corners, Eisa hit the bar and Rose was unlucky with a header.

Quoted from Chrisblor

It's not that we necessarily need a "no.9", it's that our combined attacking threat, which includes forwards, midfielders and full backs just isn't creating anything like enough goalscoring opportunities. Is that down to the tactics, or is it down to the players? It's difficult to say, but it's a conundrum really Hurst needs to solve.

I think its a lack of anyone with genuine pace and anyone with any height in our forward line that is the biggest problem, without either of these things its difficult to create much, as we are seeing.

I'm not surprised to see Wimbledon doing quite well, they had that Davison guy up front against us in the first half and he caused our defence a lot of bother and was a good target man, and then they tool him off and brough El Hammadi on who was lightning quick and he also caused us big problems. We've got no one in our front line as good as them two.

Quoted from Roast Em Bobby

I think its a lack of anyone with genuine pace and anyone with any height in our forward line that is the biggest problem, without either of these things its difficult to create much, as we are seeing.

I'm not surprised to see Wimbledon doing quite well, they had that Davison guy up front against us in the first half and he caused our defence a lot of bother and was a good target man, and then they tool him off and brough El Hammadi on who was lightning quick and he also caused us big problems. We've got no one in our front line as good as them two.

Nail on head. We have very little physicality to compete for first and second balls which means we have to rely on good movement and precise passing to have a chance of playing through the thirds. Playing the channels tires our wingers who don't have clever feet to beat a man.

Our subs don't bring an added dimension. It was telling that it was 'Bosch multi tool' Harry who moved across to replace Vernam as we had no target man to aim for and no pace to terrorise their ten men.

Hurst says we need to be able to play in different ways as circumstances demand but has he got the room in his toolbag for some new specialist gear?

Quoted from DB

I'm not missing your point, but I and others have been shouting out for good No9 for nearly 2 years. Hurst admitted over 12 months ago that we needed one, but we are still waiting.

We have a very good number 9 for this league in Rose, what we need is an upgrade on Taylor to make a good number 9 work.

Quoted from TAGG

We have a very good number 9 for this league in Rose, what we need is an upgrade on Taylor to make a good number 9 work.

I think Rose is meant to be playing the taylor role, but we aren't getting any 1 close enough to him.