McPie

Really like his interview with Adam Hassell. Says he will work hard for team and is happy to do the "dirty work." I think he will be a real asset. He may not score a hatful of goals, but will hold up play and create chances for others.

I get where you are coming from @liampie regarding Nick Tsaroulla, he put n a great cross for the goal and I like the partnership with Lewis Macari. For me it's just there isn't enough of what he is good at. Taking players on quality crosses and for a wing back he gets in some great positions to shoot from, but always seems to sky his shots over the bar. There is a really good player in there if he can increase the end product.

Yes I think he would be the ideal player to have when chasing a game. He is big and powerful and can out muscle defenders. We remember all too well the goal he scored against us for Boreham Wood in the play-off semi final!

Good all round performance yesterday. Everyone played their part. Not been a big fan of Norburn, but showed his real worth against Crewe and could easily have been man of the match, but for me Tom Iopenda just shades it. He has been a consistent performer and his pressing and tenacity were key in winning the game.

A number of different candidates have been put forward so far seems to indicate that in what was a fairly scrappy game there was no real standout performer. A touch of quality from Jodi for the his goal was about it, but not enough for MOM. I'll add another to the mix and nominate Tom Iorpenda.

Hopefully this signing is and indication there is more to come. We are not desperate for defenders, but good business while the opportunity was there. Lets hope we now go and get players in where we definitely need them! Actually what we need are players that can hit the ground running and make the starting 11.

Interestingly, out of the four teams promoted only Doncaster were in the top 3 on news years day. Bradford were ninth 17 points behind Walsall who were 12 points clear of Doncaster in second place. It just goes to show anything is possible at this stage of the season.

Have we progressed under Martin Paterson? I suppose it depends on the criteria used as a metric. Compare our league positions after defeats on new years day 2025 and 2026: Position Played Won Drawn Lost Goal For Goals Against GD Points 01/01/2025 7 24 11 6 7 36 26 10 37 01/01/2026 7 23 10 7 6 36 26 10 39 Amazingly they are very similar. If results are the criteria, then maybe we haven't progressed. If performances are the metric then I would say we have regressed. We all know what happened from this point onwards last season, so to avoid it happening again, we need a good January transfer window!

Absolutely agree @ARLukomski ball retention is poor. It seems like we’re playing panic football. Few have the composure to control the ball and pass. It just seems it’s head it kick it as far away as possible like a hot potato! I don’t know why Roos continues a long clearance trying to find Jatta, it never comes off. It feels like the team is playing with fear. I agree @piedestrian we have a group of squad players. I don’t think any of this is knee jerk reaction, a number of positive results have masked some poor performances.

Two of our bogey teams in the National League were Bromley and Boreham Wood, one is top of League Two and the other top of The National League. Is it time for a re-think?

I agree Iorpenda MOM. Not only does he press well, win the ball and retain it; he is a genuine goal threat.

Kouhyar deserves his chance. I hope he takes it. Patto is loyal if you play well.

Interesting comment about the "Crawley promotion pairing" I wonder if we are now seeing why they weren't kept by Crawley when they were promoted to league 1? Deemed not good enough?

In a game like that it's hard to pick a man of the match, but as others have said Platt is Mr dependable, heads and blocks just about everything. Macari and Bedeau were also decent, but Platt shades it for me.

Todays result and performance seems to highlight the flaw in the mantra that winning is all that matters. We have done that recently without playing particularly well, but you can't keep playing like that and continue winning. I think most agree we need a good January transfer window, but I'm not sure we can bring enough good players in while at the the same time letting a quite a few go. One thing we can say is that the current squad is not good enough.

At least they will only sell if they have time to get adequate replacements.

I think we need to recruit players in the attacking midfield areas, players that can run with the ball through the centre of the pitch. and create opportunities for Jatta and Dennis and provide passes to feet, especially for Dennis who has good close control in and around the box.

A good all round team performance today. I liked Norburn today good on the half turn and always looking for the forward pass through the lines. We need more of that. When we constantly go down the wings we become a bit predictable and often the crosses are poor quality. I thought Iorpenda was good in all aspects of his game today and he gets my man of the match vote. Although Grant possesses technical ability, he doesn’t offer enough in forward areas. I would be happy to see Kouhyar start in that position.

Craig Westcarr played for Walsall 2013-2014 season

For me there is an irony in the fact we are not playing attractive flowing football and yet we keep winning. We keep surrendering possession and yet the opposition aren't making the most of it. There is a saying in football that games are won and lost in both boxes. We have strong defenders in our box and good finishers in the opposition box. Maybe what happens in between the two boxes doesn't matter! Time will tell if the way we are playing is good enough for promotion though.

Recently I have found it difficult to choose a man of the match. I think it’s because we playing as a team not as individuals. So everyone is contributing something of value to the cause. I agree Dennis is a class act and should be a regular starter, but for the Grimsby game we spent more time defending than attacking so I’m going for Platt.

One of the takeaways for me is that Jacob Bedeau is the epitome of the fighting spirit we showed on Saturday and is a future Notts County captain. He has the ability to be aggressive while being able to keep it under control. I noticed he was pulling players away when trouble started. Good qualities!

It’s hard to predict what Martin Paterson will do. I just think we have to get Matt Denis into the starting lineup. As he showed on Saturday he is a genuine goal scorer. Even if we don’t play two up front, I’m sure he can fill the 10 role.

As has already been said there won't be a massive influx of new players. Two or three of real quality players though are needed for promotion. While the win at Bristol Rovers was a good one, we shouldn't let it paper over the cracks. We were poor before the sending off.

Man of the match could be one of a few players. Roos made one or two good saves, Robertson was great again in midfield especially without Palmer alongside. For me though Matty Platt gets my vote. Headed everything and put tackles in consistently throughout the match and considering he's been out injured for a while lasted the course well!