Following Walsall’s poor performances over the last few games, culminating in the abysmal home defeat to Chesterfield on Saturday, pressure appears to be growing on Manager Paul Merson.

The Walsall Observer are running the first “should he stay or should he go” poll of the season on the icWalsall web site. Of course, this sort of thing is quite common when teams are going through bad patches and does not usually signify much, but the significant thing about this one is that, after the first 200 votes have been cast, over 95% think that it is time for a change.

Merson has said that he should be judged on his own team and after 15 games. He has his own squad now and the 15 game deadline is rapidly approaching and it seems that the Saddlers’ fans’ love affair with the ex Arsenal and England star may be about to hit a very rocky spell indeed.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the arguments, the next few fixtures, taking us up till the end of October, are difficult ones (Scunthorpe away, Brentford at home, Port Vale away, MK Dons at home, Huddersfield away, Doncaster at home and Barnsley away) and a poor run of results in these games may yet prove to be decisive for Walsall’s season and Merson’s future.

The poll is on http://icwalsall.icnetwork.co.uk/