The Voice - Match preview #6: Walsall vs Bradford City Saturday 14th September 2024 3:00pm

Were you there?
I'm only asking because from our view in the stand it was never ever a penalty.
He slid in and diverts the ball back towards Walker.
Player for Walsall goes down in a heap before to pressure the ref which he duly bought.

 

Certainly was, right behind the goal about half way up. You can bet your bottom dollar anyone calling it a penalty would have been screaming for it had the roles been reversed. I don't blame the player, he had to go for it but was just split second too late.

 

He's absolute tool who's stealing a wage from us, the payers of the BBC licence fee.

 

I'm not convinced but each to their own.
Not for a second until the ref blew did I think penalty.

 

Agreed, and the reason we scored.

 

Agreed, but surely the ref would have had him sent to the sidelines for treatment and got play back underway?

 

One thing that is doing my head in is the fact that we don't play any dark arts like other teams do.
Why didn't anyone get in front of that free kick late in the match today??
Same with Kelly the other week at Grimsby. As soon as he lost his man, bring him down on the half way line FFS.
This is what winning teams do, win at all costs or at least don't lose at all costs.

 

WE HAVEN'T. THATS THE POINT.

 

Thought it was a decent game tbh, certainly second half regardless of the result. One of those games where no matter the way the game went neither team could have complained. Better than most of the standard fare at this level. On another day we win and say other than a slow 30 minutes at the start we played well against a decent team at this level.

 

Then Walker launches it in to the crowd,play stops and we bring Shepherd on.

 

I would love for GA to explain his logic behind his substitutions today. Specifically:

- Why not take Byrne off when he was clearly injured? Why delay it, causing him to be faced 1 on 1 a couple of minutes later which led to him being flat footed due to his injury, drawing Smallwood in to make the challenge from behind. GA's slow response cost us a goal.

- Why risk doing the exact same mistake with Kelly? It was almost a replica scenario, how have you not learnt from the first time?! Everybody could see he needed to come off ASAP, including the commentators.

- Why is Oliver ahead of Smith and Kav in the pecking order to come on? He brings absolutely nothing, in fact he makes the team worse.

- Why wait until the 80 something minute to bring subs on to affect the game? I'm specifically talking about Pointon (and Oliver if you must). It was 1-1 for a long time before that. They had no time to grow into and affect the match at that point.

 

Our best central defender doesn't exist at VPN anymore, he's on loan at Cheltenham.

We've signed absolute shite and give it a few months and all the happy clappers that didn't believe me will soon start to feel silly.

 

Pattison and Sarcevic deserved to? I'm what context? Even GA said he was just rotating senior players for fitness.

Joking aside though, you've had a nightmare here mate. Calling Walker disinterested is about as daft as I've ever seen on the boards.

 

Personally I think Oliver is more effective than Kav. Smith might have done something. So..we’ve failed playing the first “decent” team we’ve faced. Long season methinks. With the lack of decent defence at the club, can’t really see how GA can change things much. Big feeling of deja vu. Lack of firepower, disjointed midfield, shaky back line. It’s as if the transfer window never happened.

 

It was a decent 2nd half and until we sort actually turning for a FULL game then sadly we are here to stay

 

I don't think Smallwood gets the ball. If he does, it's such a small.contact that it isn't easy to see. It looks like he's slid in and blocked their player from getting to the ball which could be interpreted as a penalty.

These things happen, he tried to do the right thing but didn't execute it well unfortunately. From my perspective there were other problems in the game and many down to GA's decision making.

 

Yeah but we are operating with sustainability and we making sure the main wage budget is spent on players who can be on the pitch.
Oh do not - how wage budget sat in the treatment room comes into the equation - given the number of new signings who are in it - over to you Mr Sharpe.
We were also told the club would be managing the fitness of players better given our past players injury records - over to you Mr Sparkes.

 

Let’s be honest here for a change, many would have a negative opinion on the owners/ managers/ CeO’s / DoF of ANY football club if we or they were 10 points clear at the top, because a way would always be found to be critical.
That’s what social media does.

 

Having slept on yesterday game here's my take, only one team in it first half on the front foot from the kick off Walsall certainly looked impressive, we never got to grips with there movement, great piece of football from Walker to set up Sanderson for the equaliser, which knock Walsall back for the rest of the first half 13 minutes or so.
Pattison on and what looked like 4-4-2 we were in control for most of the second half, I was disappointed with what at best was a soft penalty, the lino on the left was a disgrace, giving a foul to Matt that most attending knew wasn't a foul and made there opinions known to him, Matt didn't help the situation winding us away fans up by winking knowing full well he'd conned the lino, once again any physical challenge on the Walsall player brought a free kick yet Cook was being man handled most of the game and got little from the officials, the so call foul by Oliver was another soft call but credit to Walsall they got it out to the wide lad who put in a great cross which caught us cold.
Overall the second half display deserved some reward but you play to the final whistle. What was more concerning which I've not seen for many years was the antics of 3/4 Walsall players at the end of the game openly goading the traveling fans, even old Bronco went to the front and told the stewards they were out of order, a copper coming over and having a word saying their not worth getting involved with I replied their actions could started a riot the feelings were running that high he never gestured to the Walsall players to stop their antics truly disgraceful.
All in all another Jekyll & Hyde performance but IMO a game we should have got some thing from.

 

Oliver isn't ahead of Kavanagh in the pecking order. Until he was injured Kavanagh was in the starting X1.

Smiths a mystery to me though, he would surely have been the best and most obvious one to replace Sanderson yesterday off the bench