Most liked posts in thread: Peterborough replay

Gutted but no shame in that performance.

 

Most entertaining game i’ve seen for a long time. Have to go back a long way to remember an attacking display as good as that. Our front and middle six last night all played well as did Caddis. L O’B and Payne were 9 out of 10s and Akpan had his best game so far. Miller cause problems for both centre backs because we went down the line and turned the centre backs rather than allowing them to physically dominate. Mellor also had a goid game in a different role, something to look at again in other games.

 

Speedy recovery for your wife Dave
Hope she's ok

 

One important factor to come out of the game is the "not knowing when your beaten" attitude. That's twice we've been two goals down against one of the top teams and come back fighting.

What a difference from earlier in the season!

 

You can’t see where Wilson is when Toney hits it, but as the ball’s near halfway I’d imagine he was near the edge of his area, which would be reasonable positioning. Toney then strikes it perfectly and it goes just under the bar.

Easy to criticise Wilson, but if I’m him I’d be going nuts at Akpan - at pro level in particular you’d gave every right to expect your team to ‘slow down’ the taking of it.

As it was, Akpan pretty much handed him the ball and then stood out of the way. I think all Wilson’s guilty of is not anticipating Toney would shoot, which given where the ball was would be a reasonable assumption!

Bear in mind better keepers than Wilson have been done from that sort of range (or longer). Courtois by Charlie Adam springs to mind, Beckham’s goal v Sullivan etc. Keepers shouldn’t get beaten from there, but it’s not as if he was stood on his line when it happened.

I saw Wilson also got some pelters on here for the 3rd goal which, having now seen it, I can’t believe. Makes a good reaction save to the flick at goal and then no one’s marking Maddison for the rebound. It was described as a ‘clanger’. How, exactly?

I’m not proclaiming Wilson as the second coming, but I do think he got targeted a bit unfairly last night for what was a great bit of quick thinking - that should either have been prevented or pulled back for wrong place/moving ball - and then a good save?

 

I thought the full strength team and the fringe players were one and the same, that's been the complaint so far this season anyway.

 

Get that defence sorted in January, and we have every chance of staying up.

 

A bizarre evening. Lots of positives, oddly enough, but that defence!

And to say Henry's legs have gone is an understatement, shocking. In fact the substitutions generally seemed to weaken us.

Far and away Miller's best game, excellent stuff from LOB and Payne too.

 

Well I thought despite getting knocked out, it was a fantastic game. 4-4 after 90 mins with us having nearly 30 shots before the final whistle.

Even at half time with the score 1-3, I was pleased with how we’d played. Peterborough’s second two goals were well worked. Toney and Dembele are great players.

However we played really well going forward and looked very dangerous. Peterborough put bodies on the line in the last 10 mins and despite conceding 4, credit to them for that.

They missed two golden opportunities in extra time.

Overall thrilling stuff and the game was a pleasure to watch.

 

Dont get that playing extra time will have an effect on the players on Saturday. If they cannot recover between Tuesday night and Saturday afternoon, then they are in the wrong job, and as for a 3 hour bus journey being very knackering for Walsall players, deary me

 

Being facetious, forgive me. In all seriousness we don't want to be chopping and changing, barring injuries play your full team in my opinion.

 

Just listened to the Hopkin press conference and was amazed that the players Christmas do was the first time they’d done anything together since Hopkin arrived. He even said they’d started talking to each other now ! Absolutely staggering indictment of the poor recruitment over the summer.No thought whatsoever as to whether they’d all bond. Played like strangers and are strangers on and off the pitch. Hopefully the names on the back of the shirts helps.

 

I would go and see your doctor mate.

 

No mate looking after the wife just come out of hospital last night.

 

You can't keep playing O'Donnell all season. It's a cup game and Hopkin needs to know what he's like in case he needs to replace him.

People need to stop bleating at every decision the manager makes. Let's get some players in and see where we are then.

 

Thought Miller deserves special mention for tonight's performance. He ran his socks off and got his goal. Chicksen and Wilson were below the standard required but the others deserved a win from that.

 

Thanks mate yes just a matter of time.

 

What a mad game. Thoroughly enjoyed it and the overriding feeling is that if we can take that performance into the league then we should be ok. Still huge improvements needed in defence though.

The subs certainly weakened us. Henry didn't get into the game at all but I still think there's an influential figure there for us. Colville struggled showing a few moments of inexperience. Doyle was a downgrade on the excellent George Miller. Miller had their defenders really worried with his movement, surely the front three picks itself with Payne, Miller & Ball (worth noting that worryingly all three of these are loanees).

I thought Kelvin Mellor played well in that role on the right wing. It was better for the team to have an outlet to aim for and he caused problems both in the air and with the ball at his feet. It'll be interesting to see if Hopkin sticks with that.

Bring on Saturday.

 

We have to go for it in the Cup in my opinion, absolutely nothing else will suffice. This team needs to get into the habit of winning matches and an insipid display in the replay will be of no benefit to anyone - so play the best team DH can put out

 

Mellor has been playing in an advanced role, has played well. We can’t defend but we’ve played really well tonight, best team on the night.