Chris Marsh: Fan reaction proves game is going soft

Whether it's talking tactics opinions on management and the players or reliving the glory days of the past, Marsh will be pulling no punches in his column each week.

For a long time now I’ve felt the game is going soft.

So I was delighted to see Walsall battle their way to an excellent point at Portsmouth.

Fratton Park has always been a hard place to go – I never won a game there in my career.

But I think a draw was a very good result for Jon Whitney’s side.

What made me laugh though was the reaction from some Pompey fans to a tackle Adam Chambers made in the first few minutes.

The skip was booked for it but the home supporters seemed to think it was a straight red.

I’ve watched it a few times and it’s never a red – this is football, not netball, and people need to get on with it.

We saw it with Chelsea on the opening day when Gary Cahill got sent off. That was never a red card either.

When you think of the players I played with, people like John Keister wouldn’t make it in today’s game.

Now he was hard. He’d go in two-footed and studs high on his gran if it would win a game of football.

There were times when Chris Nicholl would introduce him just so he could bully the opposition.

But there have been great players like that over the years, like Graeme Souness – and you just can’t see how he’d cope with the way it’s going.

With Chambers, there was no intent to hurt. OK, it was mistimed but it wasn’t reckless.

I’m glad he got away with it and while Walsall were physical on Saturday, the point is they weren’t over physical.

I welcome that, there is nothing wrong with physical – that is what people want to see.

I think it’s really good the team has that option because no team in League One is just going to sit back and let you play pretty football.

Elsewhere this week, it was great to see Mitch Candlin sign his first professional deal with the club.

He made his debut last season at just 16 years old and I hope he’s very proud of that.

I was 17 when I made mine and I still think about today, you always think back to your debut and I’m very proud of mine.

I scored with one of my first touches but Trevor Christie was offside and it was disallowed.

Today that goal would have been given because he wasn’t interfering with play. I was devastated afterwards but it was still a great day.

Mitch has now got the world at his feet but he needs to be eased in and out the side gently.

I was really lucky because Tommy Coakley gave me my debut and he was great at bedding me into the team and then taking me out for a bit.

It’s really important you treat youngsters at that age right.

But Walsall will, it’s a great club to come through the ranks at and the best thing for Mitch is that he will get his chance there.

We all know Walsall aren’t going to go out and pay £500,000 for a striker.

So Candlin will get an opportunity and from everything we have seen so far there is nothing to suggest he won’t take it.

I’d just like to close this column by paying tribute to Duncan Russell who was my physio at Walsall under Ray Graydon and he then went on to manage Mansfield.

Russell died last week aged just 59 after a short battle with cancer. But he was a cracking bloke, ex-army and a fighter.

I’ve spoken to a lot of former Walsall players since his passing because he was so well liked and very well respected in the game.

It’s very sad he’s no longer with us.