Christ Swifty, I thought at your age you would have remembered the Alsop twins, Gilbert and Gildert. That was when we had a fabulous front two.
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Never heard of him
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It would be fun if he gave his post match interview in the bath…
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You do know he made about 12 signings at both Mansfield and Posh in short spell of time.
Wherever he goes the fat mess demands a top 6 budget (plus personal extras if you look at his shady past…). The least likely out of work league one manager to take charge at Walsall I’d safely say.
Didn’t think of Gary Bowyer tbh but he’s based in North west so could wait until a nearer club sack a manager.
Probably unrealistic but Simon Grayson also out of work and he took on a temporary gig at Bradford end of last season. Also just tends to manage Northern teams though.
The very reasons I said “unrealistic” (but never boring). Didn’t think it needed spelling out why.
Its incredible to think that a couple of years ago we had a management team of Dean Smith, ROK, Whitney and Ward. Can’t help but feel that Smith and ROK should have seen out their project with us. Irrespective of the lack of loyalty in football nowadays they both owed their footballing careers to Walsall FC. We gave Smith his head as a player, coach, and manager. We gave O’Kelly a chance as a player when he was doing ok in non-league, but wasn’t the type of player that normally got recruited IMO, he went straight from Alvechurch into our first team and took his chance, but he was in his early to mid 20’s at that point and must have thought he would have never make it. But for the brand of football we played under Buckley I doubt any one else would have given him a shot. If we had got promoted under Smith that would have been a greater achievement than anything they subsequently did at Brentford, and there’s no reason they couldn’t have done their Brentford stuff at Walsall given that two of their marquee signings were our players!
Grayson seemed a totally placid , insipid character on the Netflix document with Sunderland. ( as opposed to Coleman )
No thanks .
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Smith threw a hissy fit when we wouldn’t let him speak to Rotherham. For all his talk about loving the club, he couldn’t wait to get out at the first opportunity.
I don’t blame him for going, but I can’t bring myself to forgive him either!
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Tbf I’ve had miserly, penny pinching, old fashioned, stuck in their ways bosses like Bonser myself and I couldn’t wait to get out of those roles either…
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It’s sickening isn’t it .
You’re right about O’Kelly - funny kind of player really in the sense that I can’t actually remember any particular “strengths” . Ie he wasn’t quick , not a big tackler ; not strong ; not a great passer but he was one of those players who had the knack of being in the right place at the right time and dwelled in the space between midfield and attack . Decent eye for goal too . But I agree , wouldn’t have got near many first teams with relatively limited ability .
True enough. That’s why all this talk about people like Hurst and Holloway replacing Keates is fantasy.
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Especially considering we rarely appoint established managers. Who was the last one - O’Driscoll. The same Sean O’Driscoll who admitted during his first press conference that he wasn’t actually looking to get back into management.
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That’s fair enough, but ROK was the one that disappointed me. He really is a Walsall legend in my eyes. Part and parcel of the fabric and soul of 1980’s Walsall sides, both the struggling ones and the successful, a player that played in front of 2k and 19.5k crowds at Fellows Park during the same season, when was the last time Brentford got 19.5 K?? When O’Kelly returned for his second spell during the Coakley promotion season the roof nearly lifted off the Street End when he scored his one and only goal, ironically against Brentford if my memories correct. I just don’t get it, but I guess I’m just old fashioned and not that bothered about money myself. ROK could have stepped into Deano’s role and took us up…legend x2 then!
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Here he is, prize ■■■■■ of the year for numerous years in a row. It’s alright sitting on your pompous arse thinking you’re high and mighty, what efforts have you made? None. Talks the talk but doesn’t even attempt to walk the walk.
When you’ve even attempted something half meaningful, come back to us. As for me being a tree-hugger, you haven’t the faintest of ideas what’s being discussed or spoken about so wait and see.
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Calm down dear. Bit touchy ain’t you?
Simply making the point that numerous people have tried the talking route and have got nowhere. The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
I don’t need to boast about what involvement I have or have had in past / present (or even future) efforts - you probably think you know, but don’t. I’m not involved with WSFC, as you know, but I’m old enough to have seen it before. Fully supportive, but I don’t see what you’ll achieve that the foursome couldn’t last season. Still, I bet the biscuits are nice
Considering you think a lot of yourself, you don’t understand too much do you.
Wait and see.
2 personal insults, and just vague promises of “wait and see”.
And I’m the one who lacks knowledge?
Lol
Absolute nonsense to knock what Rob and the others are seeking to achieve by setting out a professional Mission Statement and then seeking an initial professional meeting with the “CEO”.
There are short term goals and long term goals. What’s wrong with that?
You have to start with the aim of seeking change. If, probably as expected, our yes man CEO does nothing then no one can say it wasn’t done properly.
What do you want? Yellow vests and tear gas issues outside the Directors Lounge?
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The pedant in me would like to point out that Leyton Orient gave Dean Smith his head in coaching!
Football is all about money now, not loyalty. As an aside, I know the father of a current Crewe player. Crewe took him from non-league but he was gutted that he didn’t move in the January transfer window as his agent had touted him all over the place. It’s all about the money for him. Sad but true.
As far as the manager is concerned, I can’t see Keates being sacked. It would cost far too much money. If I remember rightly we only finished paying off O’Dismal this year & we’re bound to still be paying Whitney. No, I reckon that Keates will be our manager in League 2 next season. Also, I think the club is expecting the worst with regard to season ticket sales, so a change in manager would be a pointless exercise.
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So because there is a mission statement, you can’t have an opinion on whether the plans will succeed?
As I said above, I’m fully supportive, and will help if required, but the same approach has been tried numerous times, it ain’t gonna work. Anyone with a modicum of business knowledge knows that the club is sewn up, as you know from my comprehensive analysis of accounts on other threads.
All this aggression towards other supporters isn’t gonna get you anywhere, I’m not knocking anyone, just pointing out that talk is cheap and the club love that approach. I’ve been saying it since this latest “movement” was mooted 6 weeks ago.
It’s always been the same - fans start a movement and then get aggy towards other fans who have an opinion.
You know as well as I do it’s gonna take a lot of money or something extreme to rid the club of JB. Fans ain’t got the former, and no one wants to talk about the latter.