Walsall's cup tie will tell fans a lot

Walsall blogger Mark Jones believes Saturday's FA Cup tie at Torquay will be the real acid test of what is ahead in 2011 for the Saddlers.

So it looks as though the corner we turned last Saturday has only taken us back into another dead end.

After the much-publicised clear the air meeting last week, the lads rolled their sleeves up, took note of the DVDs and against Carlisle, in the second-half at least, produced a gutsy battling performance to earn the win.

It was the kind of performance that has been sadly lacking for most of this season, but one which will need to be repeated on a regular basis between now and the final day of the campaign on May 7.

Just as I wasn't about to get too carried away about Saturday, neither am I too despondent about Tuesday's Sheffield Wednesday result.

I didn't expect us to get anything up there anyway mainly because, however much it hurts to admit it, the current Saddlers team will get beat at places like Hillsborough.

We did create a few chances, ironically after Jonathan Macken – theoretically the player who should carry our biggest goal threat – had gone off injured.

The real reason why we are bottom of the league and seven points - well eight if you look at the goal difference - from safety is not an unflattering scoreline against one of the excommunicated big boys, but the mistakes that have been made ever since last season ended.

And the problems are still there – an imbalanced squad, mystifying tactics, formations that keep chopping and changing bizarrely combined with an almost obstinate refusal to change what is blatantly not working.

Goalkeeper Jimmy Walker kept non-league Fleetwood at bay in the first round of the FA Cup and he may have to do the same again at Torquay to prevent another humiliating cup exit.

I don't want to jinx things, but defender Andy Butler has looked a good acquisition too.

But, just as things look like they are improving slightly at the back, there is now apparently a 'crisis' up front.

Given that our forwards have managed just one goal in the last seven league games, I'll say so what's new?

How we've managed to get to the end of November with a ludicrously under strength midfield is another thing I can't quite work out.

Yes, Matt Richards takes a mean free kick but unless he can notch every game, which he clearly can't, then I can't see what makes him a permanent fixture in the team.

He seems to be as undropable as manager Chris Hutchings is unsackable.

The outcome of the Torquay tie will give us a much clearer idea of what's in store for the club in 2011.

Better get those sleeves rolled up boys.