If we went down, would anyone back him to be the guy to bring us back up? I think that would be my main reason for keeping/sacking him. Where I don’t think he’ll get us relegated I also don’t think he’ll get us promoted again. Which leads to the second question. Would we persevere with him in League 2 to build a squad and learn his trade until he’s capable coaching of a promotion winning side? A bit like Luton did with Jones.
Since Money took a look at league one with our budget & cleared off. No manager other than Smith has had any sort of success and only then for a short period.
Jeff hires the managers, decides the budgets, provudes infrastructure, the vision, the direction, takes the rent and lets ■■■■ accumulate in the bogs. He is the constant factor.
Keates is just another cheap inexperienced manager, being asked to gel a team on a low budget, full of loans and short term solutions.
He has made a lot of mistakes and is clearly out of his depth.
Dean like John before him, is another club servant, who has promoted too soon and given only a slim chance to succeed, whilst they watch eight grand a week being transferred from Jeff’s right pocket to his left.
Club has been in decline for years, it’s a miracle we aren’t floundering in league two already.
Bonser out!
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Mostly agree with your post Simon but disagree with that bit as Shrewsbury appointed Sam Ricketts from err…Wrexham just a few weeks ago.
I can only assume that Jamie Ward agreed to a permanent move and then asked for more money at the last minute. After refusing to budge, the club went cap in hand to Dean Smith to get the winger in with Walsall connections with Daryl Taylor. The defence is an absolute shambles and our lack of clean sheets will lead to our inevitable relegation. The Russell Martin saga basically messed up everything and Deano has never really recovered. If I was the Wolves loanee, I’d be very upset about the way I’d been treated this far. We may have a squad now but we don’t have a starting eleven. It also amazes me how many players get niggles when the club are struggling… instead of Warriors like Chambers, we now have snowflakes with hammies!
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A fair point but I doubt Ricketts will last much longer than Keates at this point!
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Yeah, they gave Wolves two very tough games but he hasn’t had any sort of bounce in league one yet.
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I’ll try. Mix of panic (league position and form that went away), inability to loan players outside windows (so it’s good to have some backup; but two elevens for seventeen games? I think it’s too brave), maybe ambition (I will show you how I do it), maybe budget restrictions (I thought DK was backed, but after some rethought, no, he was not, it was just some leftovers of money left by Dean Smith, so more loans), maybe some other things too. At the end it looks like a disaster. It’s hard to select not only first eleven, but even one formation (for example defence or attack). Maybe something good will be cooked, but I doubt it. I still hope I will be wrong.
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Honestly not sure anymore.
I wanted him to do well and he had such a positive start, but since Xmas a lot of our problems to me seem to be down to Keates. Constantly meddling with the formation, swapping players about - he just doesnt seem to know what his best team is or how he wants to play. Zonal marking system isnt getting any better. Baffling omissions (Kinsella for example)
But when you sack a manager you always have to think who are you going to replace him with? In the same was as we struggle to attract good players at this level, its going to be the same with any attempt to get a good experienced manager.
Deano should be doing what Marshy is doing, " putting the kit on pegs and doing the washing."
It’s worth the risk anything is better than the ■■■■ we are witnessing at the moment.
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At this level a lot of it is about putting your foot down be straight with the players . Getting them excited and motivated and wanting to play for you.
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I don’t think Keates has/had faith with the vast majority of the squad he inherited, and if rumours are true he hasn’t been backwards in telling the players that. Might be a factor, might even explain the early season form?
If that is true then it explains a lot. Incidentally I don’t go along with all this stuff about all the players being rubbish. This team would be mid table with a Manager who knew what he was doing.
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In terms of attack and midfield I agree, but the club has recruited poorly in defensive positions for a few seasons now. The back line isn’t League 1 standard and even a manager who ‘knew what he was doing’ would struggle to make us solid defensively.
If that’s true (and there’s more than one suggestion it is) then he needs shifting out of the club immediately because he clearly has no idea how to manage. It was his job to take what he had, add a few and make the team better than the individuals. Instead, he’s done the exact opposite.
I don’t disagree that was his remit, and I’m not defending Keates. But let’s not overlook the myriad issues that make it difficult for any manager to achieve success at Walsall FC right now.
Spot on Simon.
Keates isn’t good enough and should go, as sad as I feel typing that. But the bigger issue relates to landlord leech, who is running the club into the ground, destroying us from the inside out, which he has done for over a decade.
Bonser Out.
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I don’t disagree with this but would just point out that Smith worked under exactly the same conditions but still managed to produce one of the best sides we have seen for a good while. The difference being that he had a system, plan etc. and the players bought into that and seemed to want to play for him
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He’s beginning to sound like Theresa May.
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I was quite mad with him yesterday evening but now I feel sorry for him. His ramblings are those of someone who is backed into a corner and doesn’t know what else to do or say. I absolutely believe he’s tried his hardest and therefore there is no call for abuse towards him at all but it’s just not going to work for him or the club and we need to do the right thing now.
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