WALSALL - V -
DONCASTER ROVERS
I have nothing but happy memories of my time there. There are loads of nice people there but I have moved on and I am at Walsall now. - Walsall Assistant Manager, Richard O'Kelly
Football has always had the knack of producing stories that lie behind the matches and its been no exception at the start of this season for Donny. After releagation we face the team of ex-assistant manager, Richard O'Kelly. Also, had events in Nottingham not changed things, we would be facing Sean O'Driscoll in our third game. What are the chances? Well about 1.2% as it happens so were Rovers to have a chance of facing their ex-two-man managerial team in the first three games of every season, you'd expect it to happen once every 84 years! Now I bet you're all glad I explained that!
In any case, its good to see Richard conducting himself in the same dignified manner over the departure as Sean, not that I expected anything else. Certainly two of the gentlemen of football.
WALSALL
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| Dean Holden - Confident |
When we go to the so-called bigger teams, with the way we move the ball and keep it, there will be a lot of pressure from their own fans and I’m sure that’s where we can exploit them - Saddlers defender, Dean Holden
That sounds like a bit of confidence from Dean and there are tones of good possesion football too. Could we have expected anything else?
Walsall finished a disappointing 19th last season. After dropping drown the league quite alarmingly at first . But the ship was steadied in October and Walsall managed to keep out of the relegation places all season, in the end finishing a reasonably comfortable 7 points clear of trouble.
Over the summer the Saddlers have been busy on the transfer market with 13 players leaving the Banks stadium and 9 arriving, including James Baxendale, who was with the Rovers last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly with the ROK connection, Hereford have been raided with big defender Ben Purkiss and midfielder, Nicky Featherstone coming from the Bulls. Along with Purkiss, Dean Holden brings new and extensive experience to the squad.
Over the summer the Saddlers have been busy on the transfer market with 13 players leaving the Banks stadium and 9 arriving, including James Baxendale, who was with the Rovers last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly with the ROK connection, Hereford have been raided with big defender Ben Purkiss and midfielder, Nicky Featherstone coming from the Bulls. Along with Purkiss, Dean Holden brings new and extensive experience to the squad.
In the Capital One cup, Walsall went through coutesy of a debut goal from Ashley Hemmings against Brentford. Hemmings joined from Wolves after spending last season on loan at Cheltenham, Torquay and Plymouth.
With ROK now installed as a permanent No.2 to Dean Smith, I see Walsall improving a little on last season. I'd expect them to be mid-table.
....and from the Walsall perspective.
....and from the Walsall perspective.
DONCASTER ROVERS
Last weekend, the Rovers toiled to squeeze past York City in the Capital One Cup. Chris Brown levelled from the penalty spot after a screamer from Michael Coulson had given the Minster-men the lead. The deadlock remained through extra-time before Rovers converted 4 penalties from four to final end York's resistance.
Squeezing through on penalties against a side from the division below isn't good enough but that is a statement of fact rather than fairness. Donny named 4 of the seven substitutes they were allowed. If ever there was a demonstration of how threadbare the squad is, that was it.
A football squad is always a work in progress, a lesson that the Rovers board have now hopefully taken on board. But I think at the moment, its fair to say that Dean Saunders has a project that is still not far from its very begining thanks in part to our dabbling in a transfer policy that would inevitably result in a squad lacking players should we end up being relegated. One of my reasons for being vehermently opposed to the scheme.
A football squad is always a work in progress, a lesson that the Rovers board have now hopefully taken on board. But I think at the moment, its fair to say that Dean Saunders has a project that is still not far from its very begining thanks in part to our dabbling in a transfer policy that would inevitably result in a squad lacking players should we end up being relegated. One of my reasons for being vehermently opposed to the scheme.
But all that is now in the past and we are seeing a squad come together. After saying goodbye to another outstanding professional in Brian Stock, recruitment has continued.
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| Billy Paynter - Signing of the season? |
Billy Paynter is as good a player as we are going to sign in our current situation. Yes, he had a nightmare at Leeds but I even noticed a non-Leeds fan pointing out on a forum that 14 of the 29 goals that he scored for Swindon in 2009/10 came from the penalty spot. When footballers are down, it sometimes becomes "in vogue" to kick them a bit so I will set the record a little straighter. I'll start by mentioning the additional 20 goals that strike-partner Charlie Austin netted that season with Billy partnering him up front. He's also worked very effectively with other strikers, scoring 11 goals while Simon Cox netted 29 times for the Robins in 2008/09. And besides, isn't a consistent penalty-taker also an asset?
If he gets over his Leeds woes, Paynter could be the signing of the season in League 1 and I say this to his knockers. They should take a look at what he's achieved at other clubs and not concentrate on what has happened at Leeds, who are at the moment, a very unsettled club due to their chairman's influence.
Then we have Jamie McCoombe, another player who looks a very useful signing at this level. Clicking around for information on him, I came across a forum article on a Bristol City forum about him scoring with an overhead kick. Not the sort of thing you expect from a 6'5" centre-back! Oh I don't know. I remember one Elliott Ward doing something like that for us a couple of years ago!
In any case, McCoombe comes with over 170 appearances in League 1 and the championship, 20 of them coming last season for Huddersfield, who were of course promoted via the play-offs. With Jamie at 6'5" and Rob Jones at 6'7", do Rovers now have potentially the tallest centre-back partnership in the league? Its probably the tallest centre-bck partnership they've ever had!
Finally, another welcome wadge of experience comes in the form of ex-Reading and Hull City midfielder James Harper. He's another important signing with the loss of Stocky and with the sharks starting to circle James Coppinger. On googling Harper, I found a link etitled "The Greatest Goal I ever saw: James Harper v Liverpool". I checked it out and it was OK but not so amazing. Still, its a good combination of word to be associated with a Rovers player. Other forum entries weren't so complimentary, particularly thse remembering him signing for Hungerford Town. We will see.
In any case, McCoombe comes with over 170 appearances in League 1 and the championship, 20 of them coming last season for Huddersfield, who were of course promoted via the play-offs. With Jamie at 6'5" and Rob Jones at 6'7", do Rovers now have potentially the tallest centre-back partnership in the league? Its probably the tallest centre-bck partnership they've ever had!
Finally, another welcome wadge of experience comes in the form of ex-Reading and Hull City midfielder James Harper. He's another important signing with the loss of Stocky and with the sharks starting to circle James Coppinger. On googling Harper, I found a link etitled "The Greatest Goal I ever saw: James Harper v Liverpool". I checked it out and it was OK but not so amazing. Still, its a good combination of word to be associated with a Rovers player. Other forum entries weren't so complimentary, particularly thse remembering him signing for Hungerford Town. We will see.
So good new signings and a defence that is starting to look robust to say the least. What is this new feeling I'm getting? Could it be optimism?
No! We'll have no soppy talk like that! But we will say that I am slowly getting more interested in how this season turns out. And I would also say, as more signings are muted to be on the horizon, early-season could be a good time to be playing the Rovers.
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