Saddlers social: Walsall fans have their say

Tom Miner

After warning my friends I'd be in a foul mood on Saturday night, they were stunned to hear me raving about the performances of our players in a hipster 3-5-1-1 formation.

Unlike the performance at Fleetwood, the wing backs got forward. And I was beginning to wonder why we'd re-signed Scott Laird after watching Joe Edwards do his best Roberto Carlos impression.

The main difference however was Jon Whitney's ability to cram more ball players into his team.

Due to his size and power, Isaiah Osbourne's composure on the ball often gets overlooked, but the interplay between him, Flo Cuvelier and Erhun Oztumer was a joy to watch, while Eoghan O'Connell's ability to play out from defence made Kevin Toner's loan look even more disastrous.

Dan Gilbert

Where did that come from?

A stunning result against the league leaders, and one we absolutely deserved.

I'll admit, the line up confused me. I couldn't get my head around what we were playing. But it worked.

Earlier in the week, Jon Whitney had spoken about holding the ball and taking the pressure off ourselves, so I expected us to play for a draw. But Whitney's tactics were spot on. We soaked up pressure well, counter-attacked to perfection and everybody knew their role.

Amadou Bakayoko won man of the match with his goal and two assists but anyone could have won it . I'd have gone for Isaiah Osbourne. He's vital for us. He can hold the ball, he won't get bullied, he can pass and put in a tackle. He has it all.

Now we have the perfect opportunity to build on that with another home game and hopefully we can then begin to look up the table.

Kevin Paddock

Where on earth did that result and performance come from?

Yes Sheffield United could have been 3-1 up had Billy Sharp brought his scoring boots but lets not take anything away from our second half performance. It was simply sublime!

Had we played like that a few more times this season we would be at the top end rather than mid table. No surprise to see us making chances and looking more robust with the return of Isaiah Osbourne and Erhun Oztumer - I genuinely believe had Osbourne been fit last season, we would be facing Sheffield Wednesday and not Sheffield United.

We now go into winnable games against Bristol Rovers and Bury. I have often criticised Jon Whitney but I doff my cap to you this week sir. Superb.

Nick Etheridge

Where did that come from?

We've been told all season that the squad is capable of the type of performance we put in against Sheffield United. But what was the reason?

Although the recall of Erhun Oztumer was key, more critical was the midfield selection behind him. We all accept that Adam Chambers will be selected regardless of form, but having Flo Cuvelier and Isaiah Osbourne next to him gave us more attacking impetus.

It gave Oztumer more options, which in turn gave Amadou Bakayoko more space and support. Osbourne is exactly what we've missed since George Evans departed last year and it's essential that he is managed correctly and stays fit.

It might be a bold statement, but on the weekend's form, had he been fit last season, he might well have been the difference between an auto spot and the playoffs, and we all know how that finished.

Richard Kendrick

Coupon buster! What a performance.

That's what you can do when you play your two best players (don't see the two Ozzy's on the pitch very often) and attack the opposition instead of playing cautious.

First half we stood off Sheffield United too much and seemed happy to defend, allowing their wing backs to attack at will.

The second half though was total reversal, with our wing backs being the ones on the front foot, culminating in both of them getting on the score sheet.

At times, it was reminiscent of last season. Sure, we won't always score four goals but if we can play like that, our season will look and feel completely different.

The best part of the game? I haven't seen a tackle like the one that Matt Preston (or was it Jason McCarthy?) committed since the 1980's- Chris Nicholl would be proud.