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[The Red Baron]

At least I didn't have to travel very far tonight. I feel for those who have to go back to Donny.

In short, it was a pathetic display. Ferguson picked the team and formation I expected him to, but we were our usual selves. Slow build up and a lack of any threat.

Admittedly Walsall didn't threaten until they scored. The first goal came because Whiteman couldn't be arsed to stop a cross coming in and no-one picked up the runner into the box. Second - McCullough got bullied off the ball and again they had someone running from midfield. Third came from some pathetic defending.

Second half we had plenty of possession but still got caught out by a quick ball from Oztumer for the fourth. Then we got a couple of late goals, but that shouldn't gloss over how awful we were.

Midfield was the real problem for me. Kongolo is hopeless, Whiteman was little better and Houghton is a shadow of the player he was last season and even before Christmas. Rowe is wasted at left back and Coppinger, who was far from brilliant when he came on, is still our best midfielder. I'm not convinced by the two new CBs and if Baudry is fit he must start on Saturday.

What bothered me most was the attitude. Too many players looked like they couldn't be arsed. I'm not having that. It was a disgrace.

[idler]

A worrying report TRB. I think this display and result is what a lot of fans feared. Some say that we spend too much time looking down rather than up but we do keep on making stupid mistakes. We don't play as a team, we aren't a unit like the players that Dean Saunders welded together.
The change of formations and players positions doesn't help in my opinion.

[BillyStubbsTears]

TRB

That’s exactly what it looked like on the streaming video. The first goal was appalling defending by Whiteman and Rowe, and then by Blair when the cross came over. My arse started twitching the moment they worked the ball out to the right as you could see Whiteman and Rowe jogging over to cover at half pace, neither of them taking responsibility for the man with the ball.

The second goal was worse if anything. McCullough was pudding soft, then Blair just ambled back as the scorer charged past him into the box.

Our tactics seemed to be to pass the ball across the back three six times, then either give it to Houghton to play a hospital pass, or give it to McCullough to launch a Hail Mary pass somewhere in the general direction of the M6.

I agree with every one of your criticisms. Especially the attitude one. It genuinely looked as though our players had played 8 games in the last week. Walsall were in our faces every time we got the ball. We were slow on the ball and even slower without it. The lack of drive and work is absolutely unacceptable and the lot of them, barring Marquis who put his usual shift in, deserve a full on bollocking tomorrow.

[tommy toes]

Too many young lads in midfield. We need a mester in there, someone like Bowditch at Lincoln, to show em how it's done.

[Metalmicky]

I'm beginning to twitch now - the ghost of our demise and relegation just a couple of seasons ago has just tapped me on the shoulder and asked how I am doing....

I wouldn't mind if the game finished and we literally crawled off the pitch having given everything, but it seems at times we are half arsed and not committed.  Having heard DF's rallying cry to get points out of the 'crucial' three games in 8 days, it appears that not everyone is 'on message'....  We definitely miss Butler and Copps needs to play from the start on Saturday.  Fergie needs to start playing Rowe in a position that he can affect the game - he is wasted on the left - he seems to dawdle through the game and doesn't get involved enough.

If I were the management team, they would all be in for a physical beasting today and tomorrow to remind them of the privilege position they are in and how lucky they are.  They need to realise that their paymasters (the fans) aren't happy and that things need to improve...