I’ve thought similar. We are still paying rent until we purchase the freehold and who knows when that will really be. The board I don’t think has changed so in reality nothing much has changed except Pomlett is talking to the press and fans more. I think we are going to suffer a lot more before things (hopefully) get better.
1 Like
The 200k a year budget slashing equates almost exactly to the amount of Bonser’s loans that were paid back during the same period. It seems pretty clear to me with the dots we have to join up that for the thick end of a decade Bonser has been doing nothing other than facilitating his perfect last hurragh the great last pay -off that would always have to come, and truth be told we’re still in the thick of it. The club owes Bonser over a million according to the last set of accounts, and the rent is still being paid, and will be for a yet unspecified and unlimited amount of time. In a way the Smith era was perfect for Bonser as it bought him another 4 -6 years before the brown stuff hit the fan with this “strategy”. The Whitney and Keates appointments were simply further populist stabs in the dark to deflect attention, but by the time Keates was appointed I think most of us knew that. Bonser has simply now absolved himself of any need for effort, or criticism, but still has his money coming in, plus whatever Pomlett has paid him for the club, PLUS whatever the freehold will bring in if we ever get that far, and of course the remainder of his loans that no doubt he will be expecting to see sooner rather than later. The reality is that Bonser has played a blinder, and has this club over a barrell with bum-cheeks akimbo.
Oh and by the way, those remaining board members that stated it was the club’s aim to reach the Championship have been exposed as either buffoons or liars, depending on how kindly you view them.
19 Likes
You may be right but only time will tell us the full facts. We have to give LP a chance don’t we? He is our only hope at the minute and maybe for a long time to come. Actions speak louder than words and I will judge him by what he does over the years.
1 Like
Glad people have been made aware of this certain fans believe everything the club spout.
■■■■■…
Just proves the age old point Bonser never gave a flying ■■■■ about football, just money.
1 Like
Clearly shows what a lack of vision Jeff (and the board) had
A man who was prepared And skilled enough to build Jeffs failing remnants of a team into a well drilled competent side who could have gone far under his prolonged management - such a shame that never materialised
I don’t blame him for leaving - he clearly knew what he was doing and that his abilities were significant and valuable to owners at a higher level
"We were fighting relegation at the time but we survived on goal difference – they cut the budget by £200,000. Following season we stopped up by 7 points – they cut the budget by £200,000. I went to the chairman and said the budget is now bottom third of League 2 and asked him what he wanted to do with his football club. He said what do you think we should do?”
The whole second half of the Bonser era perfectly summed up, and one of the root reasons why we’re in absolute dire straits now all of our budget cutting has finally caught up with us and we’re faced with the very very real prospect of non-league. No wonder Smith left when he could. “Great job keeping us up, here, now do it with even less.”
Bonser had no ■■■■■■■ idea what to do with this club from arguably 2004 onwards and instead of just selling up (don’t forget, even Pomlett said he offered to buy it off him around 2009) he just had to keep it, had to keep sucking the life out of it. Then just as the real crash is about to happen, quickly bail out, all while STILL making money hand over fist.
It really makes you feel like the whole last 15 years supporting this club has been a complete fools errand, a complete waste of time. Hamstrung into oblivion, never really likely even with the very best of managers to achieve any moderate success. And now a complete mess left behind to try and rescue.
@Gensanx123 do feel free to pass on my regards to Geoff the next time you’re together.
19 Likes
It’s nothing new though. I spoke to Wayne Clarke on Saturday after the game and asked him why he left us for Salop in the 90’s after finishing as top scorer.
His answer’ they offered me a new deal on a third of the wages I had been on’.
He finished top scorer the following season for Salop as they gained promotion…
2 Likes
Is Pomlett sat in front of the camera in that excellent film?
As ever Geordie spot on with summing up the club in last 10/15 years under our leech of a landlord. That’s why I’m even more depressed that despite our feel good summer, Pomlett has yet to make wholesale changes that the club so desperately need.
1 Like
In light of this info from Dean it makes his achievements even more impressive, a lesser man would have walked sooner. Really wish he had stuck it our here but he is an ambitious man and it genuinely annoys me that I want Villa to do well because of him despite hating them !!!
8 Likes
Same here, he is a genuine guy, still lives in streetly, and while he was manager at Walsall he had to do everything including fetching the bottles of water from the cash and carry for the players, and would regularly not get home until after 10 on weekdays because of all the hours he put in.
2 Likes
Yeah I saw him with his mrs not long back walking past the crematorium one evening. I was tempted to stop and beg him to send us over some of the Villa reserves!
2 Likes
When it all comes out in the wash, its really easy to say ‘I told you so’.
Myself and a few posters on this site were only too well aware of how rotten Bonsers regime had become, but the fact of the matter is it was even worse than even we thought! What kind of club stays up on goal difference then slashes the playing budget? The thing is he didn’t even try and hide it - and people were still defending him! The stadium was crumbling, the team was going down, we were charging more for 18 year olds to watch football than our Championship rivals - and STILL some defended the bloke!
The time that man was sat in front of a group of fans and we were asking why a certain player was playing right back 
I would love for this tyrant to be held accountable and answer to his policies, especially since 2006.
He has taken us for mugs and still walked out smelling of roses with bulging pockets.
10 Likes
I always thought Bonser lost interest after that virtual soccer academy game tanked. Merson did much damage.
1 Like
What is this SLA company? Is this Jeffs company for the freehold of the ground? Very clever sly sneaky man…
Oh I agree, even getting Hiwula back early rather than in late March could’ve been the difference in one of those draws.
Ironically Bryn Morris has developed into a decent enough midfielder at league 1 level over last few seasons. Not what was needed at the time though after Evans went back.
1 Like
Exactly. And people wonder why gates are dropping, why our fanbase is ageing. What reason does anyone below the age of 20 really have to support Walsall FC?
3 Likes
Was trying to work out the summers when the budget had dropped significantly. I did guess at the earlier years as obviously he generated a bumper windfall in 2015 with the cup runs.
It’s pretty poor after masterminding the great escape in 2011 his “reward” was massive budget reduction so he couldn’t even sign full time the guys who’d helped the club stay up like Gill, Ledesma and that French DM who wasn’t bad either. Had to instead get in bargain basement players like Anton Peterlin, Jarvis and Claude Gnapka…
Little real progress the next season but then from 2012 came I think his best work. That summer the summer dealings looked terrible, think Baxendale and Purkiss came from a Hereford side that had just been relegated from the league. That season ended with easily the best forward line I’ve seen in last 15 years, Grigg, Brandy and Paterson all fantastic and you also had Mantom developing into a fine league one CM behind them. Likes of James Chambers and Andy Taylor also turned up in pre season with lots of injured seasons behind them. Incredible it all clicked to go so close to the play offs.
The Chambo twins, Mantom, Taylor, and Bradshaw all owed their rehab and subsequent career extension/progression to Walsall FC and in particular John Whitney. Like I alluded to further up the thread, I don’t think ultimately Whitney was a great manager for Walsall FC, although he came within a whisker of taking us into the championship. My feeling at the time, and most certainly my feeling with the benefit of hindsight is that he was quite harshly treated by the brain-doners that employed him, many of the players that he had helped, and us fans. Someone even said on here this week he was lucky in signing Oztumer! I hope our current manager could get that lucky in January, we might as a result stay as a football league club.
7 Likes