Fair point mate but he was lumbered with a squad that had given up last time he’s a good coach I know lads whove been through his academy in the last few years they love him to bits and said hes done wonders for them.
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Loved Martin as a player, will never forget his mom smacking the back of my head when i criticised one of his bad passes at Wigan 
i reminded her of it while servicing her boiler a few years ago 
she was mortified but said nobody says anything bad about her boy 
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Ladies do like attacking you, don’t they? Maybe a curfew would do you good.
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There is a very fine line between love and hate
Indeed. My own “boys” have been kicked and kissed in equal measure over the years.
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There’s s big difference between pointing out what is wrong and fixing it. This board is jam packed with, correct, observations as to what is wrong, but putting it right takes experience. I’m not sure that either of those two can do the latter.
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I do hope that’s not a euphemism 
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Whether it’s someone connected to the club or not, the next Manager, Director of Football or whatever, needs to have some Charisma. Get the players, staff and most importantly fans smiling again. Results will help, don’t get me wrong, but looking at Dutton et al, it seems dull. A buzzing dressing room gets results, I don’t see that currently.
A Management team of O’Connor, Kelly and even Walker would certainly lift the dressing room. It’s no good employing just one either, we need a duo at least, with someone in the ranks, maybe Sadler to learn from.
Ex players are not such a bad thing, it didn’t work with Keates but it did with Smith and O’Kelly. I have my reservations about the above names, at the same time I think it’s crucial that we can trust anyone new coming in.
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When O’Connor came in last time he did actually get 5 points from final 3 games I think and he only managed 5 games in total so while performances weren’t great, with a terrible squad who’d given up at that point he did as well if not better than many other interims would’ve done. The Peterborough game was randomly one of the best 90 minute performances all season.
5 points from next 3 games and team is probably all but safe. Can’t see another 5 points all season if nothing changes.
He also did stuff like drop Roberts and give that CB from Wolves who’d hardly played all season a go and defensively things also improved, 2 goals conceded in last 4 games.
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Gentlemen, I appreciate your thoughts on Wrack. I was never a fan and didn’t rate him at all.
You obviously did and I respect that.
Thanks for your support Belphegor, top bloke!
Jamessaddler, I’ve never lived in Arizona. Apology accepted.
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To be fair, David, in the Ray Graydon promotion season, Wrack was exceptional and one of the main reasons we did so well. I recall several games won by the odd goal, scored by wrack on the break. Lincoln away particularly springs to mind.
Thereafter, after a reasonable start in the next division, performances tailed off. Have I not read that he had some personal issues, not unrelated to the descent of Merson at our club? Certainly, as time went on, he became a “hider” in games, suggesting a lack of personal confidence. When forced into situations where he had to do something, you could see he still had it. But, invariably, if he could, he’d hide behind his man, unavailable for the pass, and never quite make that determined, killer move into dangerous areas, which he had been so good at.
Not quite sure how anyone can say Wracky only had one good season for us.
He had one utterly exceptional season, several good ones (especially in the context of being a Walsall player at the level the club were at), and also suffered some injury issues that should be taken into account.
During his exceptional first season he scored 14 goals in 50 apps, 10 of which won us games. The points he earned us were literally the difference between mid-table and automatic promotion, and that’s before you take into account assists. He was voted into the PFA team at the end of that season, quite literally the highest honour a player at that level can recieve in a division that included some very good players in his position.
The following season he featured in 44 league games in the second tier, the great escape year he featured in 43 league games, the year after in 43 again and the year we went down 27. By my calculations he made 157 apps in the second tier, which I would imagine few if any have matched. Despite not being a striker he scored 52 goals in our colours including 16 in the second tier, and played in 3 promotion campaigns.
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*drops microphone
Wrack played, if I remember correctly, at different times as a right winger, a right back, a left back, a left wing back, left side midfield, right side midfield, central midfield, striker, and that “in the hole” position. Across ten years. For several managers.
I would guess for much of his career he was one of the first names on the teamsheet.
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Pretty sure he had gambling issues.
Fantastic during the promotion season and brilliant decade long service.
Feels like Kinsella will have similar career path here (given so far he’s played at right back, righ midfield and now central midfield) but well it’s night and day with regards what he’ll achieve with the club compared to Wracky if he he does 10 years here, 3 off currently.
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He’d have played in all of those positions in one match for a certain manager I can think of, if he was still playing, to be honest wiv ya.
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I agree Geordie. Have a look at these two goals from Wracky against a very strong Wigan side in the second tier. The first in particular is a beaut but he scored tonnes like the second one too. A knack of arriving at the back stick just in time. Our best ever player in that position.
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Couple of good finishes there.
I remember a goal he scored at Swindon in November or December of ‘99, a bostin’ header that Rambo would have been happy with, earned us a 1-1 draw. Michael Carrick scored theirs.
Stepped to the plate in the run in of 98-99, the only goals at Bournemouth and Lincoln, and then the first (I think) against Oldham to set things moving.
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Loved Darren Wrack. His goal at Lincoln, although not spectacular, confirmed my feelings that we could actually get promoted. His goal at Bournemouth was a cracker.
A player, like Willie Naughton, who, in my opinion, never appreciated how good he could be and never fulfilled his potential.
Weren’t there rumours of Fulham showing interest in him at one point?
It was so sad that his testimonial match v Wolves was held on a night of torrential rain and only around 1300 turned out for him.
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