Great post.
Makes sense!
Like others have typed, major surgery wonât happen and perhaps shouldnât happen. Doesnât look like weâre going anywhere this season, so use it to blood and build.
- Get McDonald signed up for another 18 months
- Another winger, perhaps one with a contract finishing in June
- Try and move Norman on, seen enough and we have plenty of cover there
- Upgrade Gaffney, if indeed his loan can be terminated without penalty
Anything on top of that is being greedy and potential wasteful with our budget.
I think some people think reality is like FM at times. If we âwant ridâ of certain players weâve either got to pay then up or find a club willing to take them on, and thatâs easier said than done with some of those on our books.
As others have already said, we need another winger, striker (if Gaffney returns to Salford) and a few young loans from clubs higher up the pyramid.
Gonna have a job of moving weak minded players on because nobody will want them which is why DC should have played the honesty card a bit less honestâŚto be honest
Well done for managing to amalgamate numerous posters opinions (many of which I havenât expressed or agreed with) into MY jaundiced view
I agree that we will unearth more gems / develop new talent in the future as we have in the past, but that is irrelevant to the outcome of this season (the point of the thread). More likely that DC needs to make the most of what he has with one or two additions.
With respect to players coming in, the evidence suggests that Oztumer apart, we havenât signed a stand out out player since Smith left and the quality of young loanees from higher up the pyramid has also dried up. The vast majority of loanees in the past couple of years have been utter cack.
Iâm still positive about our prospects for the season without us having to make wholesale changes in January. A couple of key signings should do us. Itâs a â â â â â league and we are as good as most.
Letâs see what transpires in January , eh?
Sorry, was just conveniently taking your one comment (echoing what several others have said) as the lead into a general statement around the attractiveness of the club signing new player - wasnât meaning to single you out as being jaundiced or the only one having that view point.
Paul McCallum would be an obvious choice.
Was scoring 4 in 9 games for AFC Wimbledon on loan in l2 way back in 12-13. Since then heâs scored 15 in 40 odd games at Orient and last season was national league top scorer for Eastleigh, scored 34 goals in under 70 games there over two seasons.
Now plays for Solihull who did very well to get him, 5 in 11 so far.
18 months ago that wouldâve been an obvious target. Now the trouble is the Moors are looking really good for promotion into the league so youâre talking about 5-6 place differences between the teams and he could just be in league two next season.
Itâs a bit different to when Cook and Ferrier were signed and there were two divisions between teams they were leaving and signing for.
Thatâs a good post Andy, and I would add from last night (and refer to Wes McDonaldâs recent E and S interview) there is a huge amount of togetherness with our fans and this current team, many of whom seem to genuinely appreciate the fact they are being given a chance and the support they get from the fans. Walsall fans have had a horrible âpressâ as a result of whinging shirt throwing brain-doners like Andy Cooke and facebook/ twitter pretty boys like Luke Leahy, thatâs not what weâre about as a club and never have been. Play for Walsall and give 100% and you WILL get 100% support, be crap, and you might get told youâre crap, big deal. You will get a chance to play though unlike at other clubs, so take it, work hard, improve and move on. thatâs what we do. Take Alfie Bates, he isnât just a good player he seems like a lad who realises heâs got a fantastic chance to make something of himself at Walsall and plays with a smile on his face. Great to see.
Nothing like an old romantic
Wonder if Will Grigg for one, and others would recognise that account.
Weâre not an unattractive proposition because of the bar queues. Weâre not an unattractive proposition because of the fans being a bit miserable in the last few years (like it or not, itâs been the case since Smith left and for good reason). Weâre not an unattractive proposition because we pay peanuts, apparently we may or may not have a competitive budget and, as some have said, money isnât everything.
We are an unattractive proposition because we are 89th out of 92 football league clubs. I canât see many players banging down the door to be playing with Gary Liddle. Just my jaundiced view.
Oh the budget is competitive.
What isnât specified is what itâs measured against.
I take your point about Gary Liddle.
He is cack by any measure.
Hatfield had energy but no quality
Yeah. Looked like your typical puts himself about midfielder to me. Great for that level, itâs not knock just not a league footballer.
Thatâs not true though, is it? I canât think of a player who gave more to the cause last season in terms of commitment and determination than Devlin and yet he got dogâs abuse.
Really??
Hereâs the text from the E and S when he left, including a social media quote from the man himself.
Devlin became a fansâ favourite during his time with the Saddlers â both due to his commitment on the field and the personable way he interacted with supporters off it.
And he took to Twitter to say his farewells. âThe time has come to move on from Walsall after two years,â he said.
âIâve loved my time here and it was a pleasure to play for the club! Iâve met some amazing people that Iâll never forget. Thanks for your support even through the difficult times! All the best. UTS (up the Saddlers).â
Devlin was a committed but extremely limited footballer at L1 level, he would have got stick on some of his horrendously bad days, and there were quite a few - (Doncaster away last season youâd think the bloke had never seen a football before in his life), but dogs abuse? I donât think thatâs fair.
Fans favourite is a massive over exaggeration from the E & S there. Fair play to him for acknowledging the fans that supported him on the way out, but he definitely copped abuse at times. On here, Twitter and at games.
Absolutely. I think geordie has some rose tinted spectacles on. If I had the time, I could probably find 100+ post match thread posts with abuse towards him. And just for clarity, abuse isnât saying âheâs limited and quite often at fault but I canât knock him because he always gives 110%â!
Yeah, you canât say âhere at Walsall we donât abuse players that give one hundred percentâ and then also say âhe was always committed but he only every copped abuse when he played poorlyâ.
Always seem too be a lot of our own fans digging others out all the timeâŚ
Past present and future
Its the football world and this club certainly isnt the only one it happens at.
Thicker skins needed by some i think but everyone has view on it i guess