A tale of Two Pitches: Away games at Scunthorpe and Wigan

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Tuesday,

I get into the car: warm evening, I’m driving back from Tamworth – quick meal and then off to the theatre to see The Lindisfarne (folk rock group not the island) Story. Radio on. BBC WM. Paul Franks is interviewing a comedian. The Comic Copper: Alfie Moore. There’s a story he tells (his show is named after it in fact: The Naked Stun) about how, when he was a bona fide policeman he received a call to “proceed to Such and Such Road in or near Scunthorpe to apprehend a naked man (“in a shower cap and flip flops) who was running along making rude gestures to dog walkers … a fuller description to follow.”

The conversation was amusing, delightful little details and throw away lines and I was hooked, but mostly by the coincidence that here was a Scunthorpe based story … and Walsall played there last night.

Played and won. Rico Henry, nominally a defender but raiding on this occasion inside the Irons penalty area, scoring a goal within the opening thirty minutes and resolute, even dogged defending to protect the win. Scunthorpe languishing somewhere at the foot of the table and the “paper talk about set-piece practices and shooting” may well have been on the nail. Not easy to go to places like Scunthorpe where occasionally near naked runners flick disgraceful signs at innocents out for a walk with their pets and sneak a win: so all credit to the Saddlers.

Dean Smith’s two hundred and fiftieth game as manager. And, during that time we have seen some remarkable changes (in personnel, fortunes and styles of play). This season after a blistering, nose bleed start we are in a positive frame, have a reasonable squad, consistency and … points (currently second in the league).

But – and isn’t there always one of those if you are a Saddlers fan we will be losing Philippine goalie Neil Etheridge and Cyprus defender Jason Demetriou for the home game against top of the table Burton Albion in a couple of weeks’ time.

Before that we have Wigan away on Saturday: that’ll be Will Grigg perhaps and last season’s goalie O’Donnell alongside a very expensive squad under appointed-at-the-end-of-last-season rookie manager Paul Cardwell.

Never mind: the Lindisfarne Story was gently done, thehighs (hadn’t realised at the time this band actually had so many highs!0 and lows of being in a North East of England Folk/folk rock band, told with humour, with generosity and fine renditions of songs like Fog on the Tyne (including theone with Paul “Gazza” Gascoine –“funny how musicians think they can play football and footballers think they can sing” -), Meet Me on the Corner and All Fall Down. A shame for the performers that the crowd was a little thin, but like the troopers they have been and are Ray Laidlaw and Billy Mitchell smiled and reminisced wonderfully. The first band incidentally that Saddlers’ widow went to see was Lindisfarne … and a tape of their songs often accompanied excursions to away grounds in days gone by.

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Sunday, 4^th October, 2015

Seems strange to wake up on a Saturday with no arrangements made to go “to the football” but of course there are other things demanding my attention: the battery in the fire alarm downstairs needs changing, the allotment needs digging and the garden shed needs the re-cladding getting on with. A much bigger job than first appeared – often the way if you live inside this skin.

We were at The Garrick Theatre in Lichfield again last night, this time for a one-man show by Adam Henson: a regular Countryfile presenter on BBC TV. He bumbled innocently about at the beginning asking the audience to remember he was “only a two bit farmer” as he got used to the slide show controls and how to project his voice. The man is enthusiastic and knowledgeable and could talk for England (or Wales, being part Welsh).

So a morning digging, visit my mother, then settle down to break, measure, saw, drill and hammer (blood blisters are so fashionable aren’t they?) in the back garden.

Did I mention we are having some unseasonably warm weather which is perfect for all I am doing today … which includes taking a radio outside to listen in on the football up-dates.

Wigan Athletic: still on a massive parachute payment from their time in the Premiership (two years ago), relegated from the Championship last year: massive stadium and big money. Not expected to stay in this league beyond this season, but for some reason not off to a good start (and start is all this is I remind myself). We are having a marvellous start; superbly entertaining to watch, individual and team efforts, purposeful and fit (so far, so good, but let’s not tempt Providence eh?)

 

As usual we are a low priority for local BBC West Midlands, but the reports coming back are promising (to be fair as soon as “Wigan nil …” comes on I am delighted). Player of the Season Richard O’Donnell who left us for Wigan at the end of last season has not been picked; Jussie Jaskaleinen is given a game instead. Good or bad? Only time will tell. But Walsall are under the cosh from the kick off, that much is clear. But by half time the garage sized shed I am nailing ship-lap timbers to at a rate that would make saints lose patience has not toppled over and we are still holding our own. There is a buzz of excitement after about seventy minutes when one of the Wigan defenders gets a staright red card for fouling Kieron Morris: can we add just enough to steal a win? Will Grigg, who came to fame as a Walsall forward is taken off … but we just cannot make it count. We stay disciplined, don’t give anything away and are second in the table (again) on goal difference by the end of the day. That would have been a big test and a draw at one of the fancied automatic promotion candidate’s ground is a real result.

  

 

Now looking forward to Burton Albion next Saturday. Should be a good crowd; they’re only just down the road and off to a flying start.

Not so the England Rugby team. After watching Doctor Who (to be continued next week) I switched to the game against Australia. Needing to win, England were never in the lead and were humbled by a typically powerful/ untypically modest Australian side. Bad news: we still have all the games to be shown on TV. Something I rarely see the point of, me being a one-eyed Saddlers supporter; generally if my team ain’t in it I ain’t interested.

 

 

 

 

 

Lapsed – and Lapsing

21st July.

Great Wyrley (home)

While we have been on holiday and entertaining my football club has been playing some behind-closed games; beating a Nike squad (never actually heard of them, sorry) at St George’s Park, losing to Wolves and, this very evening losing 1 – 0 at Telford. I have seen none of the games and, so probably do not deserve a comment. However we are not distinguishing ourselves in these games so I hope the manager is learning something about the squad, tactics, and strategies: the reason for friendly games could be said to get match practice and gauge next steps.

And I do feel bad that I have not been – and probably will not be able to – get to these friendly games. They can be interesting pointers and – at the very least give a chance for the new names to get burned into the brain (though, honestly the new names are few and far between at the moment).

Speaking of which, while we were in Devon Walsall signed up Milan Lalkovic. He was previously with us, on loan from Chelsea and I like his attitude and skills. I am glad that he is back with us and look forward to seeing him in action.

This, alongside contradictory messages in the press and on the official web-site:

“We are going to be more attacking, more attack-minded” and

“There is nothing wrong with the way we played last season, but we need to score more goals”

These do not compute, but put alongside the lack of a – sorry Milan – recognised out-and-out striker at this point may be the best we can manage. O.K. Jordan Cook was out of action at the beginning of last season with a serious injury during a friendly and Tom – “Super-Tom” Bradshaw came out of the shadows and excelled himself. But Dean Smith’s somewhat complacent attitude that we can do business – and better business – later in the transfer window – is almost a statement of intent.

Will Grigg, former striker who came good at Walsall has been transferred to Wigan Athletic (who also snapped up last season’s brilliant goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell from us) and there will be some money heading our way, but apparently not quickly and maybe only in small amounts.

I am keen to see Walsall do well this year, building on what was, looking back a frustrating season with some highpoints and drama. I wish the whole squad well – of course I do.

And the first of the home friendlies – against Aston Villa is on Saturday.

Strikers … One Step Forward Please.

So, it was confirmed today. David Moyes, chosen by Sir Alex Ferguson among others as his successor is out of a job. The price of failure. The pressures of football management. Or maybe any kind of management when the stakes are financially or artificially high.

Seems a somehow disloyal decision to me, but then I support a local club that’s run, it would appear on completely different lines. They’re the “toffs”, we’re Alf Tupper on his way to training via Winton’s chippie and doin’ a paper round on the way.

Meanwhile Wolves are promoted as champions and Brentford also get promotion. The knock on effect of that is that Walsall get another slice of cash for Will Grigg (one of our key forwards last season).

He couldn’t agree a deal with Dean Smith and moved to Brentford in the close season, but we were due some money. The F.A. needed to set up a tribunal as the two clubs couldn’t agree on a figure. But the tribunal was (wickedly) late for we could have done with the money during the transfer window so as to be able to nab something that resembled a replacement. Not to be – and the authorities remain bullet-proof. Then eventually they got together and we were granted an initial £325,000 with additional clauses.

Now, with Brentford qualifying for promotion, we get an additional £50,000. Bonus. And we need a dyed in the wool striker! Dean Smith should get some of the money to spend. And he should be able to start looking soon (hint, hint!)

Craig Westcarr has been our season-long front man, but, with all due respect he is not an out-and-out striker. Sure, he can hit the ball, has vision, but lacks the aggression to get in where it might hurt and the killer instinct to put himself in the right places. Sawyers was worth keeping, but is inconsistent: a talented ball player but lacks application sometimes.

A year ago, losing the three doing-well strikers (Febian Brandy, to Sheffield Utd, Jamie Paterson – Notts Forest and Will Grigg, to Brentford), really knocked us back. But, after a surprisingly reasonable season, we need to be in the market. And we have money. Don’t we?