Seems odd they’d go for him as a first choice, guy signed 12 new players in pre season at Peterborough.
If Solihull miss out on promotion, what about Tim Flowers in the summer?
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I’d like to see Paul Hurst, but I can’t see him wanting to come. As others have said, I think he’ll go for someone totally obscure.
I don’t have any new names to mention- those that are recurring, are so for good reason- but here’s what I think the criteria should be, and why:
Dean Smith was a fluke. Bonser may as well have tripped over him on the car park- he was on staff, and he would’ve been cheap. Whitney and Keates were attempts to recapture that thunder but, just like we’ve never unearthed Graydon Mark II, we need to forget about appointing Smith Mark II. Aside from the fact that it simply isn’t going to happen, we cannot afford a season of transition, or any other such merry nonsense- the gradual slide that the club has been on since the day Brentford came calling, minus the blip that was August/September 2018, has to be arrested in both the immediate, and very, very short term. I struggle to see how any rookie can hope to achieve this, learning on the job.
For this reason, first criteria is: managers who have a record of success, in the context of the posts they held, at League One and Two level. There’s an O’Driscoll clause to this criteria: they can’t have been out of that loop for an extended period. This leaves, to my mind, an initial shortlist of five, unless I’m missing someone glaring.
Second criteria is: that success needs to have come about under a restricted or modest budget. That takes Mark Warburton and Steve Evans out of the discussion.
That leaves three candidates that we should be looking at. As I said, no new names here, but hopefully this succinctly articulates why I think the shortlist should read: Paul Hurst, Darrell Clarke, and Keith Hill.
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Good post apart from two things:
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we know exactly what the blueprint was for Smith now, so we should be going out assessing potential new managers with that in mind. Of course, they don’t have to subscribe to the same style necessarily but it’s the overall ethos and approach they should bring to the club as a whole
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secondly, the day Brentford came calling wasn’t the end of anything good. Once o’dismal had gone, we had a superb end to that season, exceptional results even if we just came up short in the end
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Was thinking the same.
Paul Hurst easily for me, just about convincing him.
The big sticking point for me is bringing in someone who knows how to work with a budget. He ticks that easily whereas others like Powell doesn’t.
I wouldn’t mind any of Hurst, Darrell Clark, or Kevin Nolan.
Nolan interest me as he was interviewed on the local radio up here a few weeks ago and came across very well. He’s very “hungry” to prove himself after what happened at Notts County, which was harsh by anyone’s standards, and what happened to him at Orient was also very harsh.
Managing two absolute basket case football clubs he has a pretty decent record. I couldn’t imagine him taking any crap, is available, and midlands based.
EDIT, also at 36 I’d have him in the team for Accrington.
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It’s all pie in the sky thinking that Bonser will shell out for a known media name, he WILL convince MOC to take over for the final 5 matches before we drop into Division 4. Then will appoint a totally unknown cheap replacement for our term (or is that ‘terminal’) life in the bottom rung of the EFL, scraping out unconvincing home draws against the likes of Morecambe at home on a freezing Tuesday’s in December.
We would all like to see some of the ‘names’ mentioned above and in the press, but honestly does anyone out there expect ebeneezer to spend such money? No is the answer.
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Just to point out its cold on a Tuesday night in December whether your playing in the Champions League, in League Two, or (remember these things) having a cracking night as part of a cup run. It was bloody freezing away at Macclesfield the night Deano scored in the first two minutes and the last two in 2007. It was pretty cold the night we beat Rotherham away in the League Cup quarter final, and it was Baltic when we played Huddersfield at home in division four and Buckley scored one of the best goals ever seen at Fellows Park…bring it on.
We are still having to pay 2 sacked managers wages so the fact that we will be paying another is farcical, he is more likely to ask chambers to step in.
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O’Driscoll was sacked over three years ago now, did I miss him signing a 10 year deal. Surely he’s long off the club payroll.
Yes it’s correct on Whitney but he signed a 3 year deal in June 2016 so that will finally be ending in two months so there is room for DK.
Given what he did at Wrexham I do think DK will find a job back in non league pretty easily next season so I doubt the club will still be paying him this time next year for example.
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was talking about JW and Deano, but even if we stop paying JW in two months we will surely still be paying Deano? do we not have to pay them if they find another job?
Who knows what the terms of dismissal are but generally yes a sacked manager is paid until he gets another job.
I would say DK strikes me as the sort who’ll want to get back into football a.s.a.p so I’d surprised if he isn’t back in a manager’s job by September-October albeit at a much lower level than where he’s been managing this year.
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Has to be Paul Hurst for me.
He built a philosophy at Shrewsbury (similar to Smith at Walsall) throughout the club based on astute player recruitment.
Also did well at Grimsby prior to that.
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Michael Appleton for me ideally (although that’s probably a bit too ambitious with our Board). His Oxford side played some fantastic football and would hopefully provide us with an identity again.
Martin O’Connor has liked several posts on ‘Walsall Fans Have Your Say’ on Facebook that are thanking Dean, criticising the budget/ owner and urging him not to be the ‘next victim’. Make of that what you will.
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It does seem very odd he wasn’t announced in statement as being in caretaker charge from now on.
Guess M O’C was brought in by DK rather than the club and he feels honourable thing would be to follow him out of the door as show of loyalty.
Club is actually going to have to work hard now to line up someone competant to come in tomorrow or Tuesday to give the best chance of getting to know squad and get a result at Accrington.
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Holloway Holloway Holloway Holloway Holloway give the whole place a lift PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
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