Fan's view - Walsall away

Thank you as usual Paul.
It is 3 wins out of 5 away as we drew at Rochdale and lost at Gillingham?
There do seem to be some people who are reluctant to praise the remarkable recovery from 5 points from 11 games. I agree with you that KR and all of the staff and players deserve credit.
 
You were doing so well and then had to do the reality bit, has to be done and fully understand the need but it's so depressing isn't it?
 
Thanks Paul
I think we had usual case of referees blind spot with regard to goalkeepers feet. Mackie's bloody headwound was clearly from the goalie's feet 5 ft off the ground, and moving forward, in the challenge on him. Surely that is a clear red all day long.
 
Thank you as usual Paul.
It is 3 wins out of 5 away as we drew at Rochdale and lost at Gillingham?
There do seem to be some people who are reluctant to praise the remarkable recovery from 5 points from 11 games. I agree with you that KR and all of the staff and players deserve credit.

That’s a hell of a turn around in away form recently, it was about two away wins in 26 games previously to 3 in 5. I had got used to us not winning away, the best you hoped for was a point so it’s a lovely change, adding it to the home wins means we are now in title winning form over the last 8 or so games.
 
When you look back it was obviously a horrendous opening 11 games, then that disappointing 3 match run of losses at Christmas against average opposition so 5 pts from 14. Its therefore 47 pts from 27 games for the rest of the season. A more than decent return considering the uncertainties behind the scenes. A most odd season.
 
The post office vaults is one of my favourite bars in Birmingham! In fact Birmingham along with Manchester is one of the best cities to go on a bar crawl!
 
Thank you as usual Paul.
It is 3 wins out of 5 away as we drew at Rochdale and lost at Gillingham?
There do seem to be some people who are reluctant to praise the remarkable recovery from 5 points from 11 games. I agree with you that KR and all of the staff and players deserve credit.
Correct. I got carried away. Don't know what came over me. Anyway, now updated. Thanks.
 
Thanks Paul
I think we had usual case of referees blind spot with regard to goalkeepers feet. Mackie's bloody headwound was clearly from the goalie's feet 5 ft off the ground, and moving forward, in the challenge on him. Surely that is a clear red all day long.

I also think there was a possibility that we could have had a free kick for a foot up in the build up to their goal when Dickie put his head in. Can't say we got the rub of the green from the ref. But we won.
 
The ref was an odd one. I thought he possibly gave us the benefit of the doubt for the first 15 minutes (the Walsall crowd certainly thought he did), but then he did a 180 degree turn and was very strict with us for the rest of the game, while ignoring numerous infringements by the home team. He was certainly inconsistent!
 
I also think there was a possibility that we could have had a free kick for a foot up in the build up to their goal when Dickie put his head in. Can't say we got the rub of the green from the ref. But we won.
We did get the rub of the green in one respect. When Mackie went down with a head injury, the ref should have stopped play immediately. If so, we wouldn't have got the free kick that we scored from. On the flip side, it should have been a free kick and at least a yellow for their keeper - any outfield player coming out with feet that high would surely have seen red? From the first picture below, yes Mackie's boot also looks high but it's on the way down and he doesn't follow through on the keeper. The keeper goes in and he's still on the way up, it's a good thing Mackie's body wasn't directly in line otherwise it could have been a lot more serious than a glancing blow on the head.

1314 1315
 
Good read Paul. I felt after we gifted them the goal it certainly gave them a lift and for the rest of the second half they probably had their best spell of the match. That said they were poor, constantly giving the ball away from misplaced/overhit passes and on that performance they look odds on for relegation. Strangely I also thought we had some luck ...the air shot from their defender which allowed the ball to reach Garbutt and then Whyte’s hoisted blind clearance which fell perfectly for Sinclair at the end. Maybe we earned it and of course over a season it evens out. Finally I didn’t realise how high their keepers boot was and from those stills that is definitely reckless and a red.
 
I'll admit that I didn't see what happened really - I suspect (being down the other end of the pitch) few supporters did. But those images show pretty conclusively that the keeper should have got his marching orders. Mackie's head isn't really low at all.
Harald Schumacher vs Battiston springs to mind. The only thing that saved Walsall's keeper was that he got the ball first.
 
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Good read Paul. I felt after we gifted them the goal it certainly gave them a lift and for the rest of the second half they probably had their best spell of the match. That said they were poor, constantly giving the ball away from misplaced/overhit passes and on that performance they look odds on for relegation. Strangely I also thought we had some luck ...the air shot from their defender which allowed the ball to reach Garbutt and then Whyte’s hoisted blind clearance which fell perfectly for Sinclair at the end. Maybe we earned it and of course over a season it evens out. Finally I didn’t realise how high their keepers boot was and from those stills that is definitely reckless and a red.

Of their remaining 5 games they still have to play Accrington, Southend, Wycombe & Shrewsbury.
Interestingly the bookies are still giving odds on 13 teams to be relegated.
From Oddschecker best odds:
Bradford 1/50 (They can't now finish above us)
Rochdale 4/6
Walsall 4/6
Wimbledon 4/5
Southend 11/10
Scunny 3/1
Wycombe 4/1
Accrington 5/1
Plymouth 9/1
B Rovers 11/1
Shrewsbury 16/1
Gills 35/1
& Oxford 300/1
 
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