Walsall boss Darrell Clarke: Stick with us

The 1-0 loss to struggling Southend United was compounded by a 3-0 defeat away at Cheltenham Town on Saturday, making it four consecutive losses for the Saddlers.

Fans have voiced their displeasure at the team’s current performance and while Clarke understands their anger, he has urged them to stick with his team as they prepare to face Newport County tonight. “Fans aren’t going to be happy when you’re losing games, I’m not happy,” Clarke said. “Like I’ve always said, the history of the football club has always been at higher levels. But the fact of the matter is we’re trying to compete in League Two with teams that are trying to get out of League Two.

“We’re not in the top seven financially, nowhere near. We’re trying to build.

“We’re getting younger players through and building.

“I ask the fans to stick with us but it’s hard to ask for fans to stick with you when they can’t get in the ground.

“It’s hard for them to stick with you when you’re losing football matches, I don’t have a problem with it, it won’t be the first time or the last time we’re going to get criticism.

“I’ve been there, seen it, done it. We have to work hard to put smiles on their faces by winning the next game.”

Despite calling for unity, Clarke has also been stark in his assessment of the Saddlers, branding them the ‘most frustrating’ group of players he’s worked with. “The whole group is frustrating me,” Clarke added.

“I’ve been a manager for 10 years now and this group of players is the most frustrating group that I’ve managed, to be honest. You can see it in games, we look right on top and then don’t score. We give cheap goals away, it’s a recipe for disaster. It’s very frustrating.

“Cheltenham are a good team and their manager says to me straight away ‘that’s never a 3-0’. He’s probably right but it is a 3-0. They score two goals from set pieces and did the ugly side of the game. We had 13 corners and worked them well but players aren’t getting in the right areas for when the second ball drops.

“I don’t want to sound every week like I’m saying the same old thing though. It’s not good enough. We have to stick together as a group. A few kicks in the teeth but our performance was a lot better than our last one (against Southend).

“We’re just falling short and it’s so frustrating. I think we have the capabilities in the squad to be pushing at the top end, without a shadow of a doubt.

“Until we do the ugly side of the game and be clinical, we’re not a good side.

“We have to keep working to be a good side and the only way to do that is hard work.”