Walsall boss Darrell Clarke: I'm the right man for the job

The Saddlers fell to a sixth straight defeat on Saturday, losing 2-1 away at Swindon.

In the aftermath of the match, large sections of the Walsall fanbase voiced their frustration and disappointment in the result – with most of the criticism aimed at Clarke.

But when asked by the media after the game if he was the right man for the job, he insisted he was and that the club cannot afford to make a change.

“Without question (right man for the job)," he said.

“If you keep losing football matches the pressure will intensify.

“I have the full backing of the board, regular contact with the board, they know where I stand.

“When you’re losing the amount of games we’re losing, six on the spin, it intensifies.

“We have to regroup, take the flack that comes your way and bounce back.

“Energise the group again, it’s a very flat changing room.

“I don’t think they’re not giving their all.

“The stats back it up, the fact of the matter is we need to keep working hard.

“But for me, change wouldn’t help the cause at all.

“Managers earn their coin working on the training pitch.

“We’re very disappointed after three competitive months of the season.

“Only hard work will get you out the other end, not feeling sorry for yourself and putting your head in the sand.

“We know we’ve lost the fans, we lost them a while ago."

Clarke continued: “I never agreed to come to this club for it to be a quick fix.

“We’re in a world where everyone expects it to happen quickly.

“Well no, in League Two you either chuck loads of money at it to get yourself in the top seven or you have to develop and work with players.

“We’re part B of that so we’ll keep working.

“I can understand the disappointment and the way the fans are feeling because they’ve been higher up in the pyramid.

“I get the frustration, the only way we can do anything about that is by winning football matches.

“Otherwise it intensifies.

“I’m not sitting here as a manager thinking we can keep losing every week, I’m under massive pressure.

“But there’s a bigger thing behind this.

“You have to keep working away and believing in the way you work.

“Eight, nine years as a manager with four promotions, I’m not sat here like I don’t know what I‘m doing.

“But the Walsall fans at the minute will be questioning that, I get that.

“You have to front it up and turn it around."