A decent enough performance at Northampton gives us a replay and the chance of a crack at, deep breath, Millwall at home, writes Walsall blogger Mark Jones.
Yes, I think we can just about manage to contain ourselves and not get too carried away until the replay comes around.
This weekend’s F.A. Cup third round draw brings back a personal memory of an insight into how Walsall FC are really viewed in certain parts of the local media.
It was an experience that was simultaneously annoying and comical but remains memorable nonetheless.
Two years ago a comfortable 2-0 win over Yeovil put us into Round 3. A satisfying result after the horrors of Slough but nothing remarkable … or so I thought.
Listening to a well known local station, the well known local presenter was quite rightly congratulating Tamworth on reaching the third round when he turned it round to us ‘and Saddlers fans, you’re in there too, how about that? When was the last time that happened?’
???
I waited for the punchline but it wasn’t forthcoming, the bloke was serious.
For the record, between 1995 and 2005 Walsall reached the third round EIGHT times, going on to Round Four four times and Round Five twice.
We played Man United at Old Trafford, famously won at Charlton in the week of Ray Graydon’s demise and starred in an absolute thriller in the 3-2 defeat against West Ham which was the featured match on MOTD.
More importantly for four out of five seasons we were in Division One and therefore automatically in the hat anyway, a fact which you would have thought local radio might have picked up on, wouldn’t you?
To top it all, we have featured in two of the most remarkable second round games ever, the 8-4 against Torquay (also featured on TV and still giving Alan Hansen nightmares) and the 7-0 demolition of Macc Town.
Second round wins that lead to a place in the next round … come on local radio man work it out.
No, none of these exploits jogged the memory of this particular broadcaster.
In his mind little Walsall were in the third round of the cup and we should all be grateful for this massive achievement.
At this point, I was sure that if the researchers on the particular programme in question couldn’t correct the well known presenter, then one of the callers to the show would. Wrong again.
The first Walsall caller was a girl who seemed to phone up every week.
I don’t know her personally and I’m sure she’s a true fan, but when asked the mundane question about how long it had been since Walsall had reached the dizzy heights of the third round (answer-2 seasons), she hadn’t a clue.
The next caller didn’t like Paul Merson. He’d phoned up to slate Merson. We’d won a cup tie 2-0 but no matter, he wanted to talk about Merson.
‘It’s been a few years’ (it hadn’t been) was his response to well known presenter’s by now tiresome question.
He wanted to rant about Merse rather than putting a stop to the lazy, ignorant image that was being created for our club.
The final straw came when some idiot actually took the trouble to text in and say the last time we’d been in round three was for the Leeds tie eleven years earlier.
So all the other games hadn’t happened, I must have just dreamt them up.
Incredibly the people at the well known local radio station took this ‘fact’ as gospel and even had the audacity to lecture us with a know-all ‘so there you have it Saddlers fans’.
OK I know we should be used to not being the highest profile team in the area and I don’t for one minute expect someone on a live show to get everything right, but occasionally you do get tired of being belittled.
Especially when our cup record ain’t that bad.
I’ve refrained from naming the culprits because that would be unkind. But, as licence fee payers, Franksly we deserve better.
Roll on a week on Tuesday!
Walsall fans what do you think?
6 Comments
This is an excellent article, as a 55 years supporter, I know it is so true, think about it!!
Yea I hate WM (why not name them!!)as well, for their belittling of the Saddlers, even last year when we were Champions of our Division they were derisive.
It was the same on Sunday, all praise on Chasetown (& I’m genuinely happy for them), but not enough notice given to us.
When “giant killings are spoken about, Saddlers very rarely get mentioned ANYWHERE, but we have probably the best record of giant killing in the history of the FA Cup or any other cup for that matter. Sure, we been “giant killed” ourselves, but who hasn’t?
I worried about the “old men” signings in the summer (yet 66% successful!) but was so confident in our Management team that I placed a bet on that we would finish in the play offs.I think it’s a bet that’s still on ….
WM is a joke - not worth the license fee. Not been the same since Tim Beach left for bigger and better things
cup giant killers eh !! yep remember watford and ofcourse 83-84 in the other cup, but one of the most famous of all time was 1933, arsenal, we beat them 2-0 when at the time they were i beleive tripple champions of div 1 now the premiership,or about to be tripple champs and big spenders, can you imagine that happening now ? what would wm think of that?
Well said Mark Jones!Your blog article is absolutely on the mark (if you’ll pardon the pun).
The very same local radio presenter has been continually accusing Walsall fans as a whole over the last few weeks of having a lack of support for Richard Money. Yes, one idiot behind the dug out told Mr Money to resign after a one performance and Richard probably made a bit of a meal of it in the post match interview, but aforementioned broadcaster was like a dog with a bone for the next few weeks, questioning every phone-in supporter over their allegiance to our manager - for God’s sake Mr Franks, the bloke that started this had probably been in the bar for the entire first half, could barely see the pitch let alone the players on it and uttered the first deranged rantings that entered his pea size brain! So please, Franksy - leave it alone now!
Excellent piece (did I say that !?)
The words Radio WM and “Band wagon jumping” go together very well as we all know.
It always seems like their approach is..
” At least that cup run/promotion push/championsip bid/relegation fight at Walsall is over now we can concentrate on our real favourites……….(insert name of bigger more “important club” here !”
I remember that particular phone in well. Seems the fans that phone WM dont really have the bottle to stand up to him. Since the new guy ( Roogan is it?) took over ( I recall him saying that Walsall fans had travelled along way from BIRMINGHAM to get to Doncaster!!!) no real importance is attached to accurate/knowledgable reporting, Taylor excepted. Sound bites and controversy seem to be the priority nowadays. With the BBC cuts looming Id be seriouisly worried if I was an ignorant presenter.