Walker bashing

[Yorkshire Blue]

It was possibly the worst penalty attempt I've ever seen at Roots Hall so people will make him the scapegoat. As soon as he missed the kids behind me in the Family Stand were on his back, telling him to get out of the club etc etc. Pointless. You don't kick your own players when they are down.

The thing they forget, of course, he was only on for 20 minutes. So he can't be blamed for the equally abysmal first 70 minutes.

Collectively, we were poor today. No one really stands out as having a good game so they must all bear the burden of responsibility for one of the most inept displays we'll see all year (he says hopefully).

Can I refer you to a Drewe Broughton effort late on in a game at home in the dark old days when not only did he miss the post he also almost hit the corner flag.....

Beat me to it. Drewe's penalty was hit with less power than Walkers and was also put 5 foot wide. I don't think it had enough power to have dribbled all the way to the corner flag, as it was a shot not a first touch.

Was also going to mention Dave Martin's penalty against Brentford(?) which cost us the title.

There were quite a few during the Webby years which were just as bad as Walker's.

 

[Richard_Cadette]

RC - Like BertieBig I disagree with your views re form. If Tilly thought Walker was 'in form' then why did he leave Walker on the bench when the two he put up front from the start have hardly been looking the bees knees of late?

It was precisely because he was not in form, despite the goals, that he was left on the bench. There is more to form than scoring, and quite simply Walker has been looking out of sorts all season. I kinda think he hasn't got what it takes.

What he did before the penalty had EVERYTHING to do with the penalty miss - he carried through the poor touches he had shown to the penalty spot.

The only player really buzzing at the time of the penalty was Freedman. Why he never took it I don't know.

I'm sorry, but when you're a striker, form is EVERYTHING to do with how many goals you are scoring. I'd love to have an out of form striker as you put it with a scoring ratio of 3 in every 4/5 times he gets onto the pitch during the season.

Since when has a manager always picked the player in form? Tilly is absolutely renound for picking what he thinks are his strongest players, and not necessarily those in form. I'm not saying thats a bad policy to have, in fact, many managers would do the same, but just because Walker is scoring goals is by no means any guarantee Tilly would pick him.

Whether you think Walker has it or not is irrelevant here - I am not his biggest fan myself, and I certainly don't have him as the pick of our strikers, but I answered your question of why he thought he should take the penality - because he is the only one of our strikers scoring right now.... FACT!

What would have been your reaction if Freedman had stepped up and missed? Would it have been why let him take the penality, he's been out for 2 months and has only been on the pitch for 10 minutes with no reserve team games to ease him back in? I know it would have been mine, I can tell you.

I doubt the fans would have turned on him the way they are turning on Walker, and I really have a problem with that I'm afraid.

Whether you like him or not, there is no disputing the fact that he is the only striker currently putting the ball in the net, and logic will dictate that is the ONLY kind of form a striker should be interested in.

 

[Yer Blues]

penalty miss or not. Mr walker is not good enough to play for us

 

[BrettieAngell]

I'm sorry, but when you're a striker, form is EVERYTHING to do with how many goals you are scoring. I'd love to have an out of form striker as you put it with a scoring ratio of 3 in every 4/5 times he gets onto the pitch during the season.

Since when has a manager always picked the player in form? Tilly is absolutely renound for picking what he thinks are his strongest players, and not necessarily those in form. I'm not saying thats a bad policy to have, in fact, many managers would do the same, but just because Walker is scoring goals is by no means any guarantee Tilly would pick him.

Whether you think Walker has it or not is irrelevant here - I am not his biggest fan myself, and I certainly don't have him as the pick of our strikers, but I answered your question of why he thought he should take the penality - because he is the only one of our strikers scoring right now.... FACT!

What would have been your reaction if Freedman had stepped up and missed? Would it have been why let him take the penality, he's been out for 2 months and has only been on the pitch for 10 minutes with no reserve team games to ease him back in? I know it would have been mine, I can tell you.

I doubt the fans would have turned on him the way they are turning on Walker, and I really have a problem with that I'm afraid.

Whether you like him or not, there is no disputing the fact that he is the only striker currently putting the ball in the net, and logic will dictate that is the ONLY kind of form a striker should be interested in.

It does make me laugh, Harrold even when playing well was vilified for not scoring goals now Walker who is scoring goals is being attacked for "not palying well" what do people actually want for crying out loud?

 

[Napster]

this isn't a barrister-mocking thread?

It was a bad pen. But it summed up the day really. First game I've seen in a while and everyone was ineffectual, until Freedman came on.

Ref was good though. And has Macca put weight on and lost hair? He can't pass can he? Benno was much better at his peak.

 

[Irate Ian]

We missed a flaming penalty for Petes sake.

No one died - we failed to score in the other 89 mins as well.

Get over it it is history, providing we learn from the mistakes in the future.

 

[Richard_Cadette]

It does make me laugh, Harrold even when playing well was vilified for not scoring goals now Walker who is scoring goals is being attacked for "not palying well" what do people actually want for crying out loud?

I couldn't agree more. Now I won't sit here and try and say I never criticsed Matt Harrold - I genuinely didn't feel as though he offered us enough, but when you have fans getting on the back of a striker who IS scoring, despite missing a penalty, sums it all up for me, just ridiculous.