Same as usual in number 10 role.
Not if clarke was in charge lol
Well, at the moment we’ll be playing a 0-5-1 formation 
I think we also need a couple of centre backs. At the moment we are down to Leak and Sadler which isn’t enough.
I suspect he is going for quality down the spine and will do a decent amount of the budget on that spine. Wouldn’t surprise me if as part of that spine he also went for a keeper with a view to loaning out Roberts or Rose.
Having built a strong spine he will assess how he supplements it on the flanks alongside how much money he has left.
Whilst other clubs fans are suggesting we are breaking the bank I very much doubt it. The two signings thus far won’t be on much more, if any more, than two of Sinclair, Clarke and Guthrie. McDonald and Gordon will have also been on decent (for us) money.
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Certainly a lesson for the club apologists who were so keen to come up with reasons why this structure couldn’t / shouldn’t be put in place
It’s a culture amongst some of our fans we need to move away from. Demand the best. Demand more.
We have a reactive chairman who doesn’t go on the front foot enough so changes we need will take time
Better late than never and things are looking up
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We’re not breaking the bank or bIowing the budget, I suspect LP is using some of the pending Rico that’s coming in to the club in a few months time. The board is funding it until it is received from Brentford.
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Three good signings that will strengthen the spine of the team. We desperately needed a midfield ‘enforcer’ - now we have one.
It would be great to find another goal hungry young striker who wants to make a name for himself and will benefit from the coaching set up that we have now. NOT the likes of Reid, but someone, possibly from non league who has been banging them in regularly (remember - David Kelly came from Alvechurch).
The side already sounds 100% better than the last one
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Proven players offered contracts by clubs near the top of the league cant fault it so far such a nice change from the Clarke garbage
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I think it will more likely be young lad released from premier league academy team. Either someone from Spurs or another player Taylor comes across.
No issue with that with experienced striker coming in so those two and Wilkinson is a good mix.
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I spoke to bonsor once outside bescot when the new stand was being built. He was standing outside watching the builders and I had a walk over. I was only young so wasn’t any of the wiser but he spoke to me and came across alright. He also told me a good signing was due to be announced and he seemed excited. Little did I know then. I actually do believe he cared but first and foremost he cared more about his own pocket. I can’t remember the signing now but was probably an ex dingle during those years.
Pomlett and Taylor deserve praise so far but I really think jamie fullarton could be the biggest master stroke of them all. He will be an unsong hero in all this. He definitely knows what he’s doing and it’s all promising so far
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To be fair, i think the club have been miss managed at ALL levels for years, but i think the penny has finally NEARLY dropped, we still have a way to go before we have things right, but i think we are starting to head in the right direction.
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If we do build a team pushing at the top end with a few players shining , The next test will be keeping the team together as soon as teams come sniffing
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That’s why giving out 2 year contracts and showing commitment to the long term project is massively important. Less room for errors but get it right and the club will either go up or get a massive fee or both
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And discussing new contracts as early as possible to those that not only deserve them but to the ones we could possibly sell. We have allowed far too many good players to run down contracts while Baxendale gets a 3 yr contract.
I’m not trying to say the club haven’t made mistakes it is clear they have. However I think Baxendale highlights the problem of giving large contracts out.
It’s very difficult to get the timing of these contracts right. We have signed a lot of players that we have taken a chance on, let’s use Brandy as an example. Dragged off the sofa to come and play for us by all accounts. Giving him anything other than a short term deal would be a disaster. By the time it became clear he was a player worth keeping, lots of teams were interested and his agent would have been telling him not to sign for us and looking for other clubs for him. It’s a scenario that plays out a lot. By the time a player looks half decent and it only takes a few months of good form, agents are all over it.
When Baxendale got his 3 year contract, it went down very well with Walsall fans. He looked like he had a lot of potential. It didn’t work out, one of the reasons being Smith played him out of position most of the time. I am sure we can do better, but sometimes it’s not as simple as just offering a player a new contract. Using Oztumer as an example where we could have done better, there was a time he would have signed an extension if we had given him good terms. He took a pay cut to come and play first team football and deserved a better contract for what he had done.
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I cannot remember a time when we seem to have been better organised and working to a coherent plan as much as now, only Smith’s reign towards the end comes close. It could obviously all go tats up but for first time in years I think we are moving in right direction and fans and club seem to be united for once. A return to a successful season with 1000 odd going away most weeks to support a team that is organised and committed (and can pass a ball 5 yards to someone in the same colour shirt) is just what the doctor ordered. Can’t wait for the fixtures to come out now! UTS
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The dross of last season already feels like a long time ago. Worst team I have seen in 45 odd years assembled by one of the least likeable managers we have ever had. It is always a good time to be a Saddler even when it’s not, but this feels like it could be the start of something.
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Some good posts on this thread but I think we should realise that during the past few months many on here underestimated LP… I was often in the position of defending him but even I didn’t realise just how sensible he was in not replacing Clarke and selling Adebayo and Jules for good fees. Clearly the money we received for those two, the compensation we received for Clarke and the money saved on his wage is now being put to good effect.
A new “football” structure in place, decent players being signed to implement a clear strategy ,a young and impressive Coach makes me even prouder to be a Saddler than I was before. If we can make 3 or 4 more decent signings and have some luck I can see us having a really good season which might even include winning a few cup matches. For the first time in a long time I am looking forward to the new season with some excitement .UTS
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I think Clarke and not replacing transfers might be different types of decision. The playing side one might have been a rest-of-season gamble, but, with Dutton I think Pomlett was genuinely pleased to get the next best thing ,and continuity, and I think it was meant to be a long-term decision. He looked genuinely relieved in the podcast that he had got Dutton and said a couple of times how let-down he was by Clarke.
My guess is longer–term , he might have seen Dutton fitting in with a DoF , because he did also say a couple of times how he’d never leave himself dependent on one person again.