Wed 30th September - Reading

Eight minutes into the second half, we’re 1-0 down and Darren Wrack is one on one with their keeper.

He hits the post.

If he hits the inside of the post the ball will go in and we’ll go on and win this game comfortably.  If he hits the outside of the post then we should call time and go home there and then.

He hit the outside. It was one of those nights.

Reading arrived on the back of 14 consecutive away defeats and somewhat inevitably left with a 2-0 win and all three points. The boys played fairly OK but when the chances came we didn’t take them. We needed a lift from somewhere and Wrack had that chance. An equaliser at that point would have undoubtedly changed the game but it was not to be.

Rammell had a quiet game, Brissett and Simpson were relatively anonymous and the absent Pointon left a not so fab back four. Reading stifled the midfield and we ended up lumping long balls to the front two. This method doesn’t suit us one bit and we will have to find a way around teams who employ such a tactic. If we don’t then the word will so be around about us.

Wednesday is becoming a bit of a bogey to us. Played four, lost three (QPR, Man City and Reading) and won one (Sheffield Wednesday....sorry). This was the first time the team has gone backwards under Uncle Ray and although it was always going to come at some inappropriate time, did it really have to be night when we could have gone second? Still if I had been offered 19 points at the end of September I’d have taken them and should I really bemoaning the fact that we’re sixth in the table?

Tue 29th September

Queens Park Rangers - darlings, each and every one of them – well all apart from their v-sign spouting fuckwit keeper, Steve ‘I won it’ Slade and Completecock. No away wins in over a year, until tonight that is. And where did that run end? Where else but the Golden Graveyard!

The wulfs defending resembled the opening titles to the Banana Splits as they donate two early goals to the make all Walsall fans laugh fund. They then then play like arses for eighty minutes and Muggy gets plenty of stick at the end. I can sense a parting of the ways here which, whilst being very funny, would be somewhat unfortunate given the job he’s doing.

Albion get hammered 3 - 0 at Oxford with an abysmal display but Supermart (aka O’Connor) fires the winner for the Blues at Pompey.

In Europe, the Vile turn over the poorest side I have ever seen at this level with their charmless record transfer purchase bagging a hat-trick. He apparently gave Johnsen a particularly painful night with his strength and power. This news worried me for a while, so it was a huge relief when I realised the reporter was referring to his marker for the fixture Erland (ex Chelsea) and not Ulrika.

Mon 28th September

It turns out that Rammell had the snip last week and still managed to put in a performance like that at Luton. Perhaps, with the swelling that (apparently) goes with this op, we should refer to him as Big Andy from now.  Neil Pointon lost his father during last week and not only played on Saturday but was man of the match. This is a credit to both of them as professional footballers. Being at Walsall is obviously a step backwards on the career path for both of them but for both to turn out in such circumstances says a hell of a lot about the pair of them. Indeed, if only there were more of them.

It looks as if they’re going to throw the book at ref pusher Paulo Di Canio. But will it be the jottings of Hoddle, Adams or Doug Ellis? Maybe they could throw Paul Dirkin’s notebook at Paulo and see if he needs to take take thirty seven paces backwards before doing a Klinsmann. I reckon Dirkin lost balance after having the chip on his shoulder dislodged. Nob.

Sat 27th September - Luton Town

That was something special.  In fact it was really special. Indeed it’s been a seriously long time since we produced a performance of that quality in a league game.

In many ways it matched the 7-0 win at Macclesfield last season but I would have to go back to Stockport in early ‘96 or more probably Doncaster in the spring of ‘95 for a better league performance. The movement all over the pitch was impressive, the midfield sharp going forward and tight in defence and the back four disciplined, superbly organised and watertight.

Marsh was back in the right back spot, replacing Wayne Evans and clearly had a point to prove to Uncle Ray. The two centre halves look and played like they are supposed to and Pointon at left back probably had his best game in a Walsall shirt. Keates has reacted brilliantly to his early substitution vs York and the new Icelandic loaner fitted in better than anyone could have expected.

Wrack and Simpson caused problems all game and the front two are beginning to know each others traits.  Brissett shows movement that hasn’t been seen since Kevin Wilson left and Rammell has become the absolute darling of the fans.

Luton created little all afternoon, persisted with an offside trap we were killing and never got behind the Walsall defence all game. As the game progressed the boys took more and more of the possession, continually pushed the Hatters onto the back foot and consistently found possession behind the home side.

Wrack missed three nailed on chances and it looked like we were going to have to settle for a very creditable nil-nil draw until Rammell glanced in a peach of a Wrack cross inside the last five minutes.

Both the away end and the players went fucking barmy as the ball crossed the line. Rammell took the plaudits for the goal, and rightly so, but fair dues to Wrack because it would have been easy to hide following his earlier misses. He didn’t, he amended those mistakes with a fine delivery and we won.

Everyone knew this was a top performance and the late goal finished the afternoon off perfectly. Luton were unbeaten at home since January and had done Ipswich during the week in the Worthington Cup.

Away wins at clubs in the top three are a good sign and I think that the fans can see that we are on the verge of achieving something here, it’s just a question of how hard we push and how badly we want it. UR and the boys were elated after the game and justifiably so. I don’t think it is going to be all downhill from here but if it is then it has been a great ride.

Whatever happens from here onwards, yesterday was a landmark game and performance. We were that good.

Tue 22nd September

To Ray Harford and all at QPR.  Thank you. Had you not managed to knock us out of the Worthy Cup, I’d have been at a match last night. If this was the case then I would have been unable to watch Bournemouth put their boot into Muggy’s lot via the teletext. Mark Stein notched twice as the Cherries pile the pressure on Muggy.  Robbie scored for the dastardly ones but it was all in vain. Apparently the problem was the missing Bully. This either means (a) he wasn’t playing or (b) has he rediscovered last season’s form….

Sun 20th September

Not quite as funny as yesterday but still worth noting as Lee Mills, former Walsall triallist who impressed before jumping into Ron Jukes car and signing for wolves, notches twice in the opening quarter hour to give Bradford three points at the Hawthorns. No matter how bad we could have been on Friday, we couldn’t have embarrassed ourselves as much as Albion did in the Sunday TV game.

Sat 19th September

Oh my life, I can’t stop laughing.  Golden bollocks equalises in injury time at Huddersfield as the Golden Shower threaten to take a point off the league leaders. Then in the fifth minute of added time Ben Thornley snatches the winner and the bananamen slide to another defeat. Oops.

Fri 18th September - Notts County

Friday night football, live on Sky TV.  Obviously when the brains at Murdoch Ltd. looked at the fixture lists this one stood out as a must see! Indeed, if this is one of the games of the weekend then I pity those forking out their hard earned for tomorrow’s matches.  The use of the words Limited, Murdoch and brains in the same sentence is also noteworthy as well as probably right.

Notts County and more significantly Sam Allardyce feature in tonight’s weekend aperitif. Sam, our old pal Sam. Two summers ago, just after being fired from his job at Blackpool, Mr Allardyce sat on the O’Connor and Houghton tribunal that stitched us up big time. Sir Martin left for just short of half of his proper value and Houghton was valued at little more than a bag of lego. As manager of Blackpool, Sam would have been fully aware of the qualities possesed by two of the best atatcking players in their division at least as well as anyone else on the panel. As I recall, they’d just done him in the race for automatic promotion.

Uncle Ray included loan signing Paul Simpson on the left wing and relegated Marshy to the players lounge. A tad harsh on the Marsh but UR clearly calls the shots around here and we all nod in agreement these days. Simpson is on loan for a month from the dark side, so I hope he doesn’t miss very often.

I saw the kick off for the second home game running, albeit this time from the comfort of the Saddlers Club lounge (live footie on tv and an alcohol addiction can seriously damage your liver).
 
County had the better of the opening exchanges and, apart from their daft kit, looked pretty useful. Saddlers came back well and snatched the lead when debutante Simpson slotted home rather neatly.

Half time came and went and with it followed any semblance of rhythm we had. The visitors scored two goals in six minutes shortly after the break and to be honest we looked like a beaten side coasting into defeat.

Then Rammell came to the rescue as the heroic front-man first levelled and then fed Brissett for the winner. Darren Wrack then sent himself the wrong way from the penalty spot but we’d done enough to increase our points tally to a barely believable seventeen points from eight starts.

Into Walsall after the game for some additional refuelling and a late night kebab. Top night all round and I came to the drunken conclusion that Friday night football is the future.

Wed 16th September

The reserves go down 3 - 1 at Carlisle.  A Dutch winger on trial is hoping for a contract after this performance.  Don’t hold your breath sunshine.

Tue 15th September

At 9pm it was looking top banana again.  The forces of darkness were a goal down at Bournemouth and the reasons to be glad at not being a brummie were two down at home to Strømsgodset - a Norwegian version of SaddleSore FC reserves.

At 9.30 it wasn’t so funny.

Darren Ferguson had levelled for the dark ones and some smart arse kid called Darius had scored twice to help Villa to a 3 - 2 win. Three goals for Villa in the last eight minutes was a major blow. With two goal clever dick and Merson available at the weekend this probably leaves the ever charming Stanley a date with the stiffs next Wednesday.  Hopefully he won’t beat them up but as they are all males they’re probably safe anyway.

Sat 12th September - Chesterfield

A real tough one today. Saltergate and a visit to the pain in the arse that was, is and for ever shall be Chesterfield.

A good home side with an irritatingly solid and passionate following that like to refer to themselves as “the famous CFC”.  I take their optimism but surely the most famous CFC’s are those shitty gasses you get from fridges and stuff that shag the ozone layer? CFC’s are also real pain in the arse – which is an irrelevant but wonderfully apt coincidence.  

This is also the same CFC that caused untold problems during the spring of 1995. With only two automatic promotion places available from the despair that was Nationwide Division Three and everyone requiring snookers to catch long time leaders Carlisle United it was left to us and the Spireites the fight for the other automatic spot. At one point our noses were well in front but a series of postponements left us a few points behind the ante with about four games in hand. Frustratingly the knack of converting games in hand into points deserted us and we went into March neck & neck. Frustratingly the South Sheffield outfit (they love that!) refused to crumble and the tension became greater and greater.

This climaxed in a 3 - 1 reverse at home to Chesterfield where the ever lovable Roy Whalley announced to the entire Stadium how important the result was (like we didn’t fucking know) just as the Chesterfield team passed alongside him and made their way onto the pitch. Nice one Roy. That night I remember feeling about as useless as Evander Holyfield’s earring collection.

However, like all good stories, the baddies eventually come unstuck, the goodies prevail and our rearranged Bury away fixture produced a Thursday evening that will never be forgotten.

On to this one and it was a game we needed to take something from. Two defeats had left a few questions about the team and were they struggling to implement Uncle Ray’s methodology.

The Saddlers went back to basics and produced a tight performance where the main objectives were  (a) ensure you don’t lose and (b) try and nick it. Both worked masterfully and Uncle Ray looked rather chuffed as he left the field.

For the record, we suffocated the game amazingly well and Andy Rammell headed the winner in genuine Trevor Christie fashion. Indeed he is in serious danger of becoming a real cult hero with the Saddlers fans.

Is this the same Andy Rammell who was dubbed the camel when we were north of the border? Visually he looks the same one but it can’t be, can it? Man of the match by a mile.

Thu 10th September

Read in the Star that yesterday’s reserve fixture had to be halted for half an hour because of the weather.  Apparently the rain was too hard. No wonder these blokes were playing for the stiffs.  If they think the rain is hard they should check out some old Rodney McDonald action on the video.  In the spirit of comparing old and new, imagine a 50/50 tackle between Rod and Mark Rees. Spooky eh and don’t try this after 9pm because you’ll never get to sleep with the fear of it. The final score was nothing each for what it’s worth.

Tue 8th September - York City

York City at home. No pre match beer and I saw the kick off - serious times these. I don’t really care much for York City one way or another. They always seem to beat us at Bootham Crescent and have the decency to come to Walsall and roll over in the return fixture. Which seems fair enough. 

Not tonight though. The cheeky bastards had the nerve not only to take the lead in the first minute and then extend it, but to allow us a couple back to equalise and then have the temerity to go and win it with a beauty in the last five. 

They didn’t look a bad side either. Richard Cresswell, who notched the first two, looked more than useful up front. To be fair, we didn’t deserve to lose but what you get and what you deserve don’t always make comfortable footballing bedfellows. 

Uncle Ray has got us playing some really terrific passing football and the movement is as good as anything played under Buckley. I’m not at all despondent tonight because it is pretty evident that we’re going in the right direction. People can argue with this fact if they wish but, for me, they will be wrong. Peaks and troughs are inevitable as we develop.

Bobby Mimms played between the sticks for York tonight. He also played against us for Rotherham in that magical Milk Cup Quarter Final in early 1984. What a night that was. What a team that was.

Sat 5th September

No game today because of international call ups. Didn’t see any of the England game because I went to see the Woodhall/Catley fight in Telford. Boxing has strange rules, the bloke who won lost and the boxer who lost won. The referee has to ask three other people who won and there are six world champions but only one British champ. And they say that brain damage can’t be linked with boxing. Oh, and the best fight of the night happened in the bar not the ring. A peach of a left hook settled it.

Thu 3rd September

Jeff Peron moves to Pompey for £150k.  It seems a tad too cheap to me but I guess that Ray’s hands were tied pretty tightly on this issue. It’s sad to lose of one of the finest footballers I have seen in a Walsall shirt. Au Revior Jeff.

Wed 2nd September - Manchester City

Losing on a Wednesday night is becoming a habit. Twice in two weeks now.

It’s disappointing because we truly could have taken something from Maine Road. It seemed like the lads forgot that it was a league game, afforded City the respect given to a Premiership side on FA Cup 3rd round day and subsequently failed to produce anything but a poor first half display.

The City faithful warmly greeted the half time whistle, with the home side leading at the break by 1-0.  Shaun Goater, a player who has rarely caused us any problems over the years in a Rotherham shirt, giving City the lead with a towering header. We afforded him far too much space to run into, offered a pissy weak challenge to boot and essentially conceded a really frustrating all round bad goal. 

The second period was much improved with Uncle Ray sorting the first half mess out during the break. Far less respect was shown in the second 45 as the Saddlers pushed hard for an equaliser. Twenty odd minutes of pretty impressive dominance was then dashed by three minutes of slick City counter attacking. Both goals were similar, crosses from our left to an unmarked Goater/Dickov at the far post to convert. 3 – 0, game over.

Walsall, to their credit, did keep going and unlike Notts County didn’t fold like a deck of cards. Andy Rammell gave the fans in the North Stand the final cheer with a well taken left foot strike for a late consolation goal. 3 - 1 wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the result suggests and I think that it’s fairly safe to conclude that Man City will be there when the end of season point counting begins.

On a final note, Maine Road isn’t a big and intimidating as I remembered. Shallow angled stands and a far too high Kippax roof push the fans away from the pitch and allow the atmosphere to evaporate. Nowt like Fellows Park, now that place had atmosphere.  

Tue 1st September

It’s Manchester City away tomorrow and I’m not too sure what to make of this one. City beat Notts County 7 - 1 in the Worthington Cup a fortnight ago and then scraped a draw courtesy of a last minute equaliser with Notts on Saturday. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow night.

Our home game with Reading has been postponed due to international call ups. Well, any recognition for such a good start is obviously more than welcome. Actually it’s Reading who have the problems.

Yesterday West Brom were hammered at West Brom reserves (aka Grimsby Town) and the riff raff down the road threw away a two goal lead at home to Stockport County. Brett Angell notches twice for the visitors. Oh dear.