Match Thread City v Walsall| League 2 | 20 October

Going to Aberdeen

 

We should take into account that most teams in league two have strengths and weaknesses. In our case I think we have struck gold with Elliot Watt in midfield but Cooke is proving a major disappointment DMH has never really been good enough down the right but we seem to be well stocked at right back with French and Hosannah.Wallsall defend very well Which is why they are eleven matches unbeaten and I think that our performances in the main show that we can be up there challenging the top 7. I am a little disappointed that we didn’t see Samuel for the last twenty minutes to try and get behind them

 

Agreed on your point on Cooke. I want to see much more from him in terms of attacking intent. Where's this box to box goalscoring midfielder we were promised last year?

Thought the performance of DMH was ok in the first half when he was linking with Hosannah then dropped in the second half. He's basically bang average and would hope he'll be no more than bench filler this year.

 

It must be hard for Cooke though playing in an unbalanced midfield with no natural left sided player outside him, a forward line that's pretty static and has no pace and the ball being constantly hoofed over his head. Some of it is down to him but also some of it is down to others around him and the general tactics overall.

 

Very strange decision not to throw him on instead of an out of form low on confidence etc etc Guthrie Samuel is supposed to have pace (the final piece of the jig saw) something sadly lacking last night
Stuart's reaction when questioned about it last night tells me there is more too it than meets the eye

 

With regards to Watt, I think the lad looks a class above. There were 3 around him last night, did one little step to take 2 of them out and passed it around the third for good measure. Just a shame the rest of the team can’t keep hold of the ball like him. Realistically him, Wood and Staunton are probably the only ones in the squad who will be able to progress to where we as a club want to get to. Even if we went up a major rebuild would be needed to be competitive at the right end of the table.

 

Seen a few comments about McCall’s interview. I’ve just had chance to listen to it this morning. Absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Some good questions again by Jamie Raynor, and Stuart does right to rebuff some comments about Guthrie and not wanting to make him a scapegoat. That’s the last thing Guthrie needs and it’s good management.

Overall I think he’s right to say he’s disappointed not to win. We had the better chances overall, but personally I think a draw was a fair result.

The steady start to the season continues. Not spectacular, not a car crash, just steady away. Onwards to the Newport game.

 

I think Tyler French looks a decent player he was a bit unlucky to lose his place and I think he impressed again second half

 

I think Watt is wasted spraying the ball around, he's got the talent and the game to play further forward and hurt teams. There is no doubt he will play at a higher level than league 2. I see a lot of the traits that Cullen and Obrien had in his game, wouldn't be surprised to see him in the championship in the future.

 

Offers more of an assist threat than anything else we have on the right side. Him and Hosanah like to get forward.

 

I thought Frenchs crossing is decent I just don't like it when he has the ball in our third, he's always got his hands out looking for pass and resorts to hoofing, not sure if it's McCall telling him to do it or just genuinely nothing on for him. Bryce did a good job of looking after the ball in the first half, if French is going to be a full back I think he needs to improve that side of his game.

 

Looks like he is lacking some confidence to me. A couple of sloppy passes and his passage of play after was very conservative. But he did bang in good crosses and get up the line, reasonably well.

 

I can only imagine Guthrie was sent on with the intention of getting the ball to 'stick' up top, with KG height and in fairness he can hold up the ball, just his distribution is horrible. Not sure Samuel's offers this.

 

He's a good instinctive crosser of the ball and but needs work on other aspects of his game. I'm not sure right back is his best position. Only judging on 45 minutes but I would say Hosannah should keep that spot.

This might sound really harsh but for me the fact that French is anywhere near the first team shows the level we're at!

 

If we don't strengthen,then success
Will depend more on how much
worse other teams are than us,
because we are a very ordinary team.

 

I don’t mind him at times, then other times he frustrates. I just don’t know his best position yet. He’s good at crossing but poor out of the back, maybe he’d make a good right mid I don’t know, but he’s built like a centre back just his distribution out from the back is very erratic. He’s a maybe for me, the rest I mentioned I think will all go onto play at a higher level, with(hopefully) or without us.

 

I thought Cooke had a decent game last night.
Pushed on higher than normal.
Bad miss last week though against Harrogate.
Might have been a different result had that gone in

 

Thought our application and movement, particularly in the first half was poor. Walsall were nearly always first to the ball particularly so as our passing was very poor. Very disappointed in Pritchard, always thought of him as a good intelligent footballer who could control play and play decent passes. Last night he never looked to get into the game and when he did get hold of the ball made poor use of it. Cooke also disappointed think there is another 25% to his game than what he showed last night. More control both of the ball and game management needed throughout the team, Saturdays game will be another stern test how we come through it could well be defining for the season.

 

Our passing was dreadful, We continually gave the ball away cheaply, Some of the control was just as bad, More work needed in training