The season is soon over and, the club now faces two choices.
Keep the faith in Brian Dutton and hope he can get us promoted next season or appoint someone else as head coach and hope that person will get us promoted.
Either way, it is impossible to know the outcome other than we know Dutton’s record as head coach and, it hasn’t gone the way we hoped.
The main reason why the season has gone as it has is that our squad hasn’t been good enough. If it was down to not signing good enough players or with the fact that Darrell Clarke and Brian Dutton couldn’t sign the player they wanted because the board refused to spend the money needed, we never know.
In December, we had a good shot at the playoffs and, we still had that chance in January but, we sold our best striker Elijah Adebayo and, in my opinion, our most versatile defender Zak Jules. We didn’t replace Adebayo with a similar player and, the loans they brought in didn’t get a chance to show what they were capable of showing, and some weren’t good enough. When Adebayo left, we also missed our top goal scorer. With only Josh Gordon and Caolan Lavery left, we had no chance of getting the goals that could keep us fighting for a playoff position. Lavery and Gordon are not poachers. Their roles are more like pressing-forwards that work hard to create space for a poacher to get into and score goals. The moment we didn’t replace Adebayo for the same type of player, the season was more or less out the window.
When Adebayo found cohesion with the other attacking players on top, the goals began to come too. But unfortunately, when someone playing good other teams comes sniffing around and, it didn’t take long until the club accepted a bid on him. I’m not against selling players, especially this season when the money has been hard to find. But when you sell a player, you must have another player lined up to take over to keep the momentum. Instead, we brought in players on loans who didn’t play at the same level as Adebayo, not even close.
The pressure on Dutton will be massive if Leigh Pomlett and his board members give him continued confidence and faith next season. He’s already facing an uphill battle with the fans as it is. To earn back the praise from the fans, Dutton must perform a miracle that lasts from June to May. He must make sure the team is kept in the top 3 while also playing good entertaining football. Every signing must be perfect and, the improvement from this season must be massive. Then maybe a majority of the fans will begin backing him. We have fans who are very stubborn and rarely change their opinion of someone even if they improve. As I said, it will be an uphill battle that he can’t do alone.
If they keep Dutton as the clubs head coach, they have to appoint an experienced assistant manager who can be like a mentor.
There must be some miracle happening if the club won’t be under fire from the fans during most of next season if they keep Brian Dutton as the head coach.
The second option is to replace Dutton with someone else.
To appoint the right manager is tricky. Here is where our newly appointed Director of Football, Jamie Fullarton, comes in. With a philosophy in place, they can look for a manager who has the same way of thinking. With the manager in place, they can look at what type of players needed to fit into that philosophy. Here is where Walsall usually fail by bringing in players that aren’t suited for the style of football they want to play. The “shoehorn players into a system” way of thinking aren’t going to work anymore.
This summer will be one of the most important since I began following the club. There will be another massive overhaul of the squad, which we are used to by now. I hope Jamie Fullarton can work with the board and, they take in and listen to his ideas to move the club forward. There are many old heads in the board room that might not be easy to steer into a modern way of running a football club. Here is where I feel Pomlett has more flexibility than Jeff Bonser. Pomlett has a background from leading big corporations where flexibility and new ideas are ways of finding success and earn market points from competing companies.
It will also be a balance between instant success and look for long term success. Short term, the club has to get out of League Two next season. That has to be the main priority. When we have achieved promotion to League One, we can start planning long term by building a team that can develop every season and maybe down the road win promotion to The Championship. To achieve this, we have to sign players who can develop further and try to keep them for at least a few seasons. We also have to bring players through our youth system to the first team.
The manager and coaching team should not be afraid to give young players a chance. Dutton mentioned in an interview not so long ago that I agree with: “if they are good enough, they are old enough”. Exactly what you want to hear as a youth team player coming up to the first team.
Having players from your youth team give the club a different identity. Walsall is known for its contribution to the local community. Why shouldn’t they try and have a team mainly built on young talented players from the local area?
Youth players might choose to go to Walsall instead of other clubs nearby. Because they know there is a possibility to play matches at a relatively young age and become a professional football player and use Walsall as a platform to go on to better and bigger clubs.
By thinking long term, we, fans, also have to be on the same level. We have to understand what the club tries to do and not be on their back as soon as they hit a hurdle. The club must have a vision, an ambition to develop the club into something better. It May causes the club’s finances to be negative one season but, I’d take that once in a while if we are in a spot where we can win promotion. The money lost will be earned back in no time if playing in a higher division.
After witnessing this dismal season, I feel the fans are well worth some positive and success next season. I hope to see some ambition from the club and take us back to League One. When we are allowed back to Bescot again to watch the Super Saddlers, I hope the players, coaching staff and, all the rest of the club show up and give us that promotion-winning season we all longing after.
Let us draw a line over this season and look forward to a brighter future.