Walsall vs Exeter City (FA Match day thread)

[hatch4england]

Very disappointing result.
2 comments:
1. For the Daily Mail that was astonishingly accurate reporting. It is uniquely crap and full of garbage.
2. A numbber of smallish players have made it - At City we've seen Nicky Jennings and latterly Peter Taylor. But very few and they have to be much better than bigger players. At this level we are woefully short of the physique and power needed to grind out results and defend set pieces: we always end up with a couple of 6 footers being marked by a couple of people who are 5 ft 8 on tip toes. Of the kids, only Freer and Bennett look anything like it. Sorry, I think we should have more experience/physique/quality even if it means fewer numbers. When I see the bench, it worries me and we're clearly not going to get more than a couple of games a month out of Nardiello or Bauza.

 

[arthur]

we played quite well, certainly the better team and were, much like Saturday cruising towards the end of the first half.

in fact the first hour was more than satisfactory

Sounds much like Yeovil. Many of the "issues" the team has are long standing ones, but this appears to be a new one. Where's it come from? What's causing it? How can it be resolved?

 

[bumble1976]

Again, we're somewhat bedecked with injuries. And Mr Noble failed a late fitness test. From the radio, Sheps, Frear and - possibly - Mr Keohane sounded like they have real future promise. How did they look to you guys on the ground? ...

Am going to disagree with what I see as misplaced sentiment on Sheps and Nicholls. I think Sheps is massively out of his depth at this level. Physically too small to compete but, more worryingly, has no "eye" for the game. Spent vast patches of the game chasing around like a lost school boy and is, at times, a lost soul on that pitch.

Nicholls needs to learn to control the ball. You can give the kid as much lee-way as you want as "he is only a kid" but there are plenty of others at his age playing better basic football than he can. Agree O'Flynn was ineffective but one big difference you noticed last night was that Walsall gave him much more respect and he took a defender out of the game when he was on the pitch. It opened up the midfield more for us when he was on the pitch. When Nicholls came on, they simply got tight to him and he could not hold the ball. Ineffective to a degree beyond O'Flynn overall...and my some way.

As everyone seems to say, Frear was a massive +ve for me. Ran with confidence, pace, intelligence. Don't think he was helped by a defensively minded Golbourne not pushing up and creating the space and opportunity for Frear to exploit but did really well nontheless. To the untrained eye, Frear looks like a much better quality player all round and should be given a run in the side.

As with all the "kids" they need to shape up (bulk up for many of them!) or ship out. We are playing L1 football and dont have the luxury of time to let them come good (although I happen to think that won't make much difference is fundamentally they don't have the basics). If Sheps and Nicholls are going to have a chance of making it, why aren't L2 or BSP clubs asking after them and giving them a month's loan opportunity? Is it that we are turning them down or is it that they are simply not good enough?

 

[EX4 6PX]

A match that we should have won. Just like Saturday we got our noses in front but then let them back into it. A more commanding keeper would have made a big difference to goals 1 and 3. Nardy on the pich could have given us goals 3 and 4.

Plus points: we were the better side. I fully expect us to finish the season above Warsaw. Shepherd was really dynamic playing in the Noble role, Frear gave us energy, ideas and a goal, good performances from Sercs and Dunney. Logie played 120 minutes and not only won some headers but sent them in the right direction.

Minus points: 5-3-2 showed them too much respect, although we looked very solid. The full backs didn't get forward like last season. Frailty at corners, although you can't really legislate for the strike for their second goal. Once again, nobody passed to Keohane. Offline didn't link well with Logan. Logie will take until Christmas to recover from yesterday.

Concentrate on the league.

 

[Thames Valley Red]

What do you mean by "small" and what do you mean by "made it"? All a bit woolly.

Ummmmmmmmmmmm under 5ft 9-10 inches and your comment was ummmmmm well worth reading!

 

[Thames Valley Red]

And what money do you think will be available to do anything then?

Any manager should be able to move players on or move them to a development environment, I would gander 2 to 3 could go and perhaps one or two in to fill the space. Ever watched Harry Redknapp, Neil Warnick or Barry Fry.

Its called football management. You create space.

UTC

TVR

 

[Parklife]

Ummmmmmmmmmmm under 5ft 9-10 inches and your comment was ummmmmm well worth reading!

All I wanted was a bit of clarification on your comment on how small players don't make it as an implied criticism of City's squad. Seems a bit of a sweeping generalisation but hey ho.

 

[Thames Valley Red]

The joy of the internet you sounded very down on the comments, think Leslie Awful and others that have flowed off the line. I can only think of Seaborne as a lad with real bulk. Where is the barrel chested teenager from the farming countryside who matches the physique of Grant Holt. Oh we let let him slip the net all those years ago.

UTC

TVR

 

[Herschel]

Not sure what some of you have been smoking ?

Offy was simply awful, some bright spark tried to excuse his total ineptitude by suggesting he was injured, well then wtf was he doing on the pitch ?

Frear came on and did more more really good things than rest managed in the entire game, sharp, bright, with pace and some clue how to get at the opposition

Without Nards, Bowser, Nobby and Taylor in the starting line up we always looked on a hiding to nothing, but we weren't far short of a win, Walsall were that bad, we should be able to cope fairly comfortably with teams of their ilk, even without these four, tonight we didn't, we were lightweight in most areas especially up front, this led to us allowing the Poles far too much of the play which in turn built its own pressure.

Following City can be a confusing and trying experience at times, tonight was one of the trying ones, roll on Orient.

Spot on Poults.

Ant - Offy is O'Flynn.

 

[Herschel]

Am going to disagree with what I see as misplaced sentiment on Sheps and Nicholls. I think Sheps is massively out of his depth at this level. Physically too small to compete but, more worryingly, has no "eye" for the game. Spent vast patches of the game chasing around like a lost school boy and is, at times, a lost soul on that pitch.


As everyone seems to say, Frear was a massive +ve for me. Ran with confidence, pace, intelligence. Don't think he was helped by a defensively minded Golbourne not pushing up and creating the space and opportunity for Frear to exploit but did really well nontheless. To the untrained eye, Frear looks like a much better quality player all round and should be given a run in the side.

Also spot on Bumble.

I think Sheps is massively overrated by a number of City fans, probably because they want to see him play well, rather than him actually doing so.

He has a very good first touch and, being small, a low centre of gravity so can turn fast; but he lacks the 2 most important things a midfielder in his position needs:

1. Strength; and
2. Vision.

He's just not up to L1 level IMO.

H