Saddlers Social: Walsall fans have their say

Nick Etheridge

Did I expect us to be higher up the table? Yes. Did I expect our in-game performances to be better? Yes. Should I have a bigger sense of realism? Definitely.

Looking at Darrell Clarke’s back catalogue, it’s been easy to envisage champagne being sprayed all over the Bescot turf in April. However, the wave of optimism, heightened by the summer ownership change, should be countered by a large serving of perspective.

Most successful sides are built from the back and we certainly, collectively, look far harder to beat than in recent seasons. We haven’t had as many clean sheets as we deserve with individual mistakes by players and officials against Forest Green Rovers and Crewe being punished.

Our lack of goals is taking focus away from how solid we look, as well as visible improvements by Scarr and Roberts. Although not perfect, they have come on leaps and bounds in the short time CIarke has had to work with them. I can take a season of stability if it means we can focus next summer’s budget on improving our creativity and end product, and giving promotion a real good go.

Ian Newbold

A new manager, players, new owner and a new era had folks day-dreaming of watching exciting wins every week, with free chips being delivered to all supporters at half-time. We’ve not really had either yet.

Dreams rarely match reality, and whilst we’ve made obvious improvements it may take a long time to get to those levels. Perhaps never when it comes to easy wins, chips and Walsall.

Despite the disappointing results so far I’ve seen a consistency to our play. Some might say we’ve been consistently bad, but there has at least been a base and a plan.

While we couldn’t guess the starting XI at the moment we know what we are in for. A strong committed side, very organised without the ball, but maybe a bit hesitant, lacking flair and a little cowardly the nearer we get to the opposition’s goal.

We are all hoping that Darrell Clarke repeats his track record of slow starts followed by good runs, and there’s every reason to believe he will. Who knows, he may even sort out half-time chips for us.

Keep the faith, Up The Saddlers.

Jon Taylor

Ever Since Dean Smith left the Saddlers we have struggled to get an identity to our style of play. Under Smith we were praised for our style of play and had an identity on the pitch of playing good football. Whitney attempted to continue playing more attractive football when he took over from Smith but ultimately the player exodus and recruits couldn’t play this style and Keates style of football lacked any invention with the ball simply being pumped forward and hoping it stuck.

With the arrival of Clarke and the umpteen recruits I assumed we would get an identity and plan of how we play football. At the moment It’s difficult to see after he seemingly abandoned his 5-3-2 to go to a 4-4-2 and suggests maybe his recruits cannot play the way he wants, yet!

It may also demonstrate he is more of a tactician than Whitney and Keates to try match opponents rather than blindly following one way of playing. I have every faith he will get this right and his style of play across to the squad.

Kevin Paddock

Whilst it is easier to discuss our lack of goals, I thought I’d start this year by talking about something positive!

Following an injury to regular left back Cameron Pring, Zak Jules was drafted in as a temporary replacement and the kid looks at ease in that role - more so than his stint at centre back.

Macclesfield fans were disappointed to lose Jules during the summer and from online rumours we fought off interest from the league above and his recent performances have justified why.

For the past few years we have had marauding left backs that have failed to do their basic job of defending (what they’re paid to do) so it’s refreshing to see Jules offering us more stability in defence.

Three clean sheets in the past four games also backs up the argument as to why Jules is better in the team rather than out of it.

Our defence is more than capable of getting us out this league - we just need the strikers to start doing their bit too.

Chris Saunders

As a new era begins at Walsall some people believe the results on the pitch point to the same issues that have existed over the recent few years, I however think different. Albeit our early season points total does not look stunning, a rebuild goes much deeper than 10 games. A squad reassembled, a new chairman, reconnecting with the fans who are the club’s lifeblood and reforming a youth team.

All these areas are being improved steadily and I applaud the club for this. With brilliant examples of community interaction which is imperative for a club sat in the congested Midlands area being a particular highlight. We have a leader who wishes to release the shackles of his board and management team and allow them to help the club flourish. Since Dean Smith we have felt like the lack of a long-term plan, this plan feels like it involves the whole club.

It is early days in this new dawn, the manager will quite rightly be judged on results, the club however should be judged on a much wider scale, once given time I see moving in very much the right direction.

Daniel Price

Being a local grassroots football coach I find myself analysing the formations and player performances maybe slightly different to the standard supporter. In my view the season so far has been a mix of trying to find the “best” starting 11 and the ideal formation for the players at Darren’s disposal. My views would be let’s find a style of football that Walsall want to be associated with, then find a formation that suits the club’s philosophy and build a squad of players that fit both of those.

I also feel as supporters we need to be realistic around this season, can we bring in that amount of players and expect immediate returns? I don’t think it’s realistic, what I do think is realistic is that this season we find a style of play and a formation that we can build on for a real push next season with a team of settled players that understand each other and their role within the team, this season I have seen player’s like Liddle and Kinsella play in numerous positions within numerous formations.

To get the best and most consistent performances from the players they need to be playing in their home position/s and that way start gauging an understanding for each other’s style of play and movement.

Stuart Cox

Walsall. Little old Walsall. Everyone’s favourite second team (apparently).

Regardless of the division we are in there will always be some hardy souls who will never watch their football anywhere else. Walsall fans are passionate about their club and the harsh reality of where we currently are has well and truly sunk in after a difficult start to the campaign.

Some people out there thought we would only have to turn up each week to get out of this division. Last time we were at this level we had, on paper, a much better squad than we do now – players such as Danny Fox, Anthony Gerrard (when he was carrying a little less timber), Martin Butler to name but a few.

This time around I fell we have a bang average League Two team and we are all hoping and praying that DC can work some magic with what he’s got. The euphoria of a new chairman and the promise of a cash injection merely papered over the cracks of what has to be a long-term repair and rebuild. I will still be there every week to see whether DC and his team have the tools for it… UTS!

Robert Dearn

Whats Changed?

On the field? Not a lot, we have a team proving to be as inconsistent as the last couple of seasons. On the plus side, another clean sheet proves our leaky defence has been plugged, but our threat up top is becoming more evident as the weeks roll on.

Off the field I feel the club is going all out and needs recognition for its efforts to reconnect the frailty between fans and club. Player visits to 97-year-old Ernie, and young fan Seb were fantastic to see, and will be remembered by both for all the right reasons. On top of this, 87-year-old Malcolm being applauded in a visit to the changing rooms pre match was heart-warming to see.

Something like that is a small gesture by the players, but will have a lasting effect. For younger fans, the idea of a letterbox to write to their heroes will go a long way to improving relations and helping young fans become fans for life. Under Leigh Pomlett, I feel Walsall are stepping up into becoming a real community club, and these small gestures will go a long way in creating fans for life, and help build towards Pomletts aim of 1,000 extra fans.

James Kenealey

Pomlett made a good start, speaking (!) well while partially unveiling his brand of ‘ambitious pragmatism’ and using the word ‘freehold’ in an exciting context. There was a tangible feeling of freshness at that first home game. I’m keen that this doesn’t get lost throughout what might well be a long slog of a season, laden with workman-like football.

It was great to have a decent attendance at the first game, and a season ticket surge. I’d now like to see us start opening the family stand to schools for free a lot more, as we’ve done previously. More people equals better atmosphere equals more kids likely to come back and is there really a financial downside to this?

Bonser never took advantage of any success, hence stagnation. The last three years have been dire and hardly conducive to gaining supporters as the ever-toxic, vicious cycle of anti-Bonser permeated everything. If he’d remained, I dread to think what the atmosphere might be like now.

It’s early days, but we have a better chance of an exciting, fan-pulling promotion season from League Two than League One and while short-term that’s unlikely, you’d optimistically hope that if we do an ‘06/07’ any time soon, we’ll be much better equipped to capitalise.

Jack Talbot

As a newly qualified FA Football Coach, when I go and watch my beloved Walsall play I watch them in more detail with formations and tactics and even pre match warm up drills. I try and put myself in Darrell Clarke’s shoes to understand why he has done a certain formation or tactic.

I believe that the best team/formation which we should be utilising would be a 5-3-2 which would include Roberts in goal as he in my opinion is the best GK in our squad. I would have a defence of Norman, Clarke, Scarr, Jules, Pring which enables the wing backs to go forward and still have enough cover at the back.

Our midfield would include, Kinsella as he always give 100 per cent in every game, Guthrie as he has the experience and technical ability which we lacked last season and finally Sinclair to sit in front of the defence as he always gets stuck in and also adds experience in League Two.

Up front would be Lavery as our goalscorer and Adebayo to be our creator and provider as a strong squad member.

Darrell Clarke and the team have had a slow start to the season but I am very confident that we will start to climb the table soon.