A performance barely worthy of the name ‘football’ saw Walsall slump to a dismal 0-1 defeat at home to previously lowly Yeovil. The game never got going for the Saddlers, or the pitiful 2,929 hardy souls who turned out tonight.

The club official website’s headline “Snow joke as Saddlers slip” was an amusing diversion for a moment, until one realises the importance of this atrocious result. While the season was never going anywhere even before the match, it appears that the players and management have no concept of playing for pride, no concept of entertainment, no concept of tactics and no concept of winning a game at home.

This clueless approach leads one to wonder at the victories we have achieved in this campaign – have we actually put any tactical plan into action, or are these just the result of blind chance in the league of averageness?

One certain fact: Crowds of under 3,000 will become the norm down Bescot Crescent if things do not change. That prospect should fill the fans, the club and the owner with dread.

wednesburysaddler summed up the game with this masterful post on the match thread:

gutless spineless rubbish crud waste of time bunch of puddings with the worst tactician of a manager ive ever seen

My “Proud To Be A Saddler” coffee mug will remain at the back of the cupboard until such time as I feel I agree with the sentiment it expresses. I’m ashamed.

It seems many of us supporters have done Uncle Jeff some great disservice over the years, and now stand corrected on the strength of the great man’s interview with journalist Brian Halford in the outstanding local newspaper, the Birmingham Mail.

Apparently Jeff’s pension fund doesn’t own the freehold to the land our club stadium sits on, as it’s owned by Suffolk Life. Our humblest apologies to Mr. Bonser.

How could we have known that when the annual accounts state that rent is paid to the Trustees of the JW Bonser (Walsall) Limited Self-Adminstered Pension Scheme what was meant is that rent is paid to Suffolk Life? Sorry.

What were we to think when those same accounts tell us that one of the trustees of this Scheme is a JW Bonser but obviously meant to state that Suffolk Life owned the land? Sorry.

How could we possibly have known that, when JW Bonser bought the land but used a SIPP as a tax shelter for it, he didn’t in fact buy the land because Suffolk Life had bought it? Sorry.

When Roy Whalley recently made public overtures about Walsall Council buying the land we couldn’t possibly have thought that he was trying to sell something in which his Chairman had no financial interest as it was owned by Suffolk Life, could we? Sorry.

Our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience caused to Jeff. We must now acknowledge that we were wrong, and accept that all along, the land wasn’t owned by his pension fund, but, as he says, Suffolk Life.

Tonight’s league match against Oldham saw a crowd of just 2,960 Saddlers fans watch our 3-0 demolition job. Take away the usual excuses such as midweek, weather, cup on Saturday (although that’s an unusual excuse given our performances in recent years!) and dress it up however you want, that’s a terrible number for a team sat on the cusps of the League One playoffs.

It’s too late now to do anything substantial about ticketing, seating and pricing differentials for this year, so one thing, and only one thing, could make a difference to the rest of the campaign. It’s time for the club owner to front up and state his ambitions for this season.

Is our debt sustainable enough to stand a season with a squad and manager that are growing together, seemingly stronger and more comfortable with each passing game, or will we have to sell up one or more of our promising youngsters in the January sales? If it’s the latter, I think the fans deserve to know sooner rather than later, and be given the reasons why.

Undoubtedly we’ll have to pay this debt off, but using such a short-term solution as selling a player when we’re in the position we are now would be a folly up there with the worst of them, guaranteed to see a further decline in numbers as the remaining fans realise what they’ve been willing to ignore thus far – under the current owner, Walsall’s mantra is “no ambition, no commitment, no future”.

Please, Jeff, do one thing this January, stand firm behind the club and you’ll see more fans stand behind you instead of against you.