Tactically Inept - Walsall 1 Millwall 2

By Neil Ravenscroft
March 10 2003

Always willing to be different, Neil Ravenscroft lays the blame for the shambles on Saturday at the door of Walsall Manager Colin Lee.

Alright, so Barras defended like a 10 year old (Who called him solid in the match report? He never got near the strikers on the ground all afternoon and was tackling air for the second), Bazeley had his worst game in a Walsall shirt and the uncertainty spread to Roper, but there was enough in the last ten minutes to show it could have been different.

In the games at Bradford and Rotherham, Lee had played a 4 3 3, with Matias and Shuker dropping back when we lost possession. Someone (apologies as I can't remember who) had already expressed doubts if this would work at home and Saturday proved them right.

In the first half, we were playing 4 3 3, with two wide men and were being completely over run in midfield. That was the reason the game seemed to be passing them by. No one had any time on the ball to make the most of the little possession we did get.

Colin Lee obviously reaslised it himself when he decided to change things with the appearance of Junior and it was ironic that Millwall promptly got the goals they had been threatening.

The reason we started to get a measure of control in the game towards the end was that the midfield 4, as it was now, started to get some decent possession.

The mistake Lee made was that the subs should have been made earlier, probably at half time.

His new tactic had worked well in the away games, but let's hope he now realises it has no chance of working at home, when you need to make all of the running.

The one ray of light in this, is that, even if he is forced to play the same defence against Burnley, it's obvious from watching them against Watford, that their only threat is the high ball up to Taylor and Roper and Barras would be much happier with that!