Darrell Clarke: Walsall players must step up
Walsall manager Darrell Clarke has urged his players to ‘step up to the plate’ or risk finding themselves on the sidelines after a poor defeat to struggling Southend United.
Despite their opponents being winless in League Two ahead of Saturday’s clash, the Saddlers failed to break them down and following a missed Elijah Adebayo penalty, Emile Acquah netted a late winner.
Now, Clarke has demanded his players show him more in the weeks ahead.
“I keep saying (they are) learning and developing, we have an average age there of 23 in the starting XI,” he said.
“For me, how long do they keep learning? They have to be stepping up to the plate now.
“This shows me that one or two of them aren’t ready to step up to the plate. To be that consistent.
“They have to realise the opportunities of this financial football world that they’re in, if they don’t buck their ideas up, they move on. It’s as simple as that.
“The players have to go away, analyse their own individual performance, the manager and staff do the exactly the same.
“Pick the bones out of it and work on it.”
