Saddlers Social: Walsall fans have their say

Ian Newbold

Things I’ve learnt about being in League Two.

It’s turgid.

There’s many more things, but that’s the overiding finding.

The most successful sides are well organised, disciplined and good at the basics. There’s no rocket science or expansive playing styles to be found anywhere.

It means even the better sides aren’t very good on the eye, and the worst are very difficult to watch without wincing. Especially on the substandard iFollow service.

Sadly – as the manager said himself post Cheltenham – we’re not amongst the good sides in League Two. And currently it looks like the players think that too.

Belief has evaporated and we’re left to ponder just how long this misery continues.

Time for a change.

Rob Harvey

I don’t even know where to begin. The optimism that a lot of us felt in the summer has very quickly vacated the building and in its place is a feeling of wariness and apprehension for what is to come in the months ahead and possibly for the rest of the season.

After our latest defeat it is clear that however talented on paper our squad is, it isn’t quite adding up to what it probably should be on the pitch. Is that Darrell Clarke’s fault? Do the players not care as much as they should? Is the Covid-19 situation playing its part?

Who knows, but whatever it is something needs to change soon before we get stuck in the rut of not winning games because if we end up that way, relegation could be a serious concern and would be much worse than the last one we suffered.

One glimmer of hope for us could be the return of Josh Gordon, which might possibly be in December. It appears that he is the key for us doing anything in this league as we look totally different when he is in the team as it allows Rory Holden to play in his preferred role instead of on the wing. It’s almost as if Darrell Clarke doesn’t trust the rest of the squad to play the way it does when Gordon is in.

Looking ahead to Tuesday we are going to have a tough game against Newport. They’re top of the league, it’s going to be cold and it’s possible one of the most uninspiring places in the world when it’s like that based on my visit last season.

Hopefully the players can fire themselves up and redeem themselves for the last few games. A good result on Tuesday will go some way to papering over the cracks that have started to appear.

Chris Saunders

Football can be a game of fine margins, for example last week we miss a penalty and then a few minutes later concede turning a potential 1-0 win into a 0-1 loss. This week we have a penalty appeal turned down which could give us the lead, the problem is that fine margin is getting wider.

Not only did we not go on to threaten the opposition goal other than Scrimshaw’s effort but we go on to concede three goals, with the first being especially sloppy. This is getting me seriously worried now. Losing games is part and parcel of football but declining confidence is a massive cause for concern.

I feel at this moment in time we have a squad rocking and we need something to turn that round. Inspiration from the manager, one player to grab a game by the scruff of the neck and put in a career-defining performance or even pure luck will do.

Darrell Clarke also seems to be getting desperate and trying too much which doesn’t always help. I hope it comes off for him and we go on a run though, I can’t praise the last few performances and a manager’s job is to get results.

Ultimately he either needs those results or the chop may come but he seems a decent man so I really hope he gets a slice of luck and our form turns round.

Nick Etheridge

Remember the days when we were all moaning about drawing games? I’m sure most of us would do anything for a point at the moment.

Saturday’s game was another example, and there have been many this season, where we’ve put in a decent first half. In truth we probably shaded it, we’re unlucky to see the ball hit the bar, and on another day could have had a penalty. Not that that holds any guarantees for us of course!

The second-half performance was as bad as any this season and when we went a goal down you could see any hope that the players had of getting something from the game disappear as quickly as Dominic Cummings from Number 10.

The team is really lacking in leadership and character and if results continue as they are, we’ll be looking over our shoulders rather than up ahead. You’d imagine that James Clarke will come back into the side for Newport and hopefully he’ll be able to provide a bit of what is lacking.

I’d like to see him partner Zak Jules rather than Dan Scarr, although I suspect Darrell Clarke will go with his preferred, but not trusted pairing. Now, I’m fed up of drab, uninspiring draws but if you offered me one on Tuesday I’d absolutely take it!

Robert Dearn

We all wanted a response after the Southend performance, and we showed signs of it in the first half. But as is the way at the moment, you always feel that not taking advantage of the spells in a game where are on top, will come to bite us on the behind.

I think it’s time to mix the squad up, to get Rory Holden playing in the middle. Emmanuel Osadebe did not look good, and I think that Wes McDonald deserves to return in his place, with Jack Nolan out on the right. He may not have shown his full talents yet, however no-one has, so why not give him a chance.

I would like to see Mat Sadler and Jack Rose play too. Sadler adds a calmness and experience at the back, and we really need it, and I think it is time to let Rose have a spell in goal.

Stuart Cox

Well that was a painful second half. After doing well in the first 45 minutes we pretty much self destructed and gave up.

After a bright start to the season in the first few games I am now wondering whether Darrell Clarke has got everything he can out of this group of players. He hasn’t helped himself really with the constant ‘tinkering’ every week and his insistence on playing one of our brightest prospects (Rory Holden) out of position.

I’ve said it numerous times, we need to have a system that all players understand and play it week in week out. It can’t be any worse than what he’s trying to do at the moment.

Our strike force is poor – they work hard but lack that cutting edge (maybe with the exception of Josh Gordon). Also, there are far too many individual errors still being made which are leaving us chasing games every single week.

Are we in a lull right now? Yes. Would a change of manager help? Possibly. Will the chairman do it? Probably not.

I know that, if fans were in the ground it would be a lot more evident to those at the top how frustratingly bad we are at the moment. I fear a season of mid-table mediocrity is the best we can hope for. Let’s not think about the worst.