I tried to make this point in the NNP blog. There is nothing to dream about any more, and no hope. Or at least it’s been diminished.
It’s hard not to be critical of Pomlett, and whatever name you choose on the board to blame for all our ills. Do I think he is simply a different name to pay into the Bonser fund (which seems the main accusation of him)? No, not really. It’s a hell of a favour to pay to a mate to put your own money in, resign from other businesses you hold high positions in and deal with the pressures of running a football club just to pay your mates rent for him. I just don’t see it.
I think it’s only fair to judge him completely separately on his own merits. Unfortunately, he fall down there too. People rave about his videos and how great it is to have a chairman that speaks … all well and good but most of it is contradictory waffle (still talking of play offs/selling your best players). Some of it down right insulting (accusing fans of “talking nonsense” when it’s clear to see the decline that is still happening). What is the point? The only one I have taken anything from is the Clarke leaving one, which was retrospective anyway.
His recruitment has been poor. Whether Clarke was a popular choice or not it failed. What did he ask him in the interview? Was it all empty statements about “winning”? Was there any talk of what they were planning to put in place long term? Didn’t look like it from the results on the football pitch. So has been some of the dross allowed to enter the football club. You might say that’s the manager, and he is mainly culpable, but at what point do you say “sorry Darrell, I don’t trust your judgement”? Way before a third transfer window where you have no right winger and a million defensive midfielders, some come and gone in that time, I would suggest.
It’s also easy to say “well it’s tough in a pandemic”. I think there is a real malaise about the club at the moment. Without fans there are no consequences. No disapproval. I can’t believe there wouldn’t be more reaction with fans there before now. I really think an attitude of “so what?” has been in place since it became painfully obvious this was not a play off team.
It shouldn’t need relegation, a ground move, even a protest to sort this out. We are a top half club minimum at this level, no excuses. The reason we are here are poor footballing decisions, not a rent payment. Not the pandemic. Since Pomlett took over it has been poorly managed and I don’t buy that a club with top 10 attendance, previously survived at a higher level can’t compete financially. It just doesn’t wash.
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Oh dear, has morale among supporters ever been so low. We have been through some tough times but I dont remember it ever being as bad as this.
You would like to think that someone at the club is monitoring the feeling and taking notice.
If this were my business I would be very very concerned.
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Yes I hope someone at the club is reading these threads. One thing is clear although we may have different perspectives we all care and we all need some hope. I am generally an optimistic bloke but even I need be given confidence that those in charge have some sort of plan to make things better.
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Yours is one of those posts I would love to be able to disagree with, and tell you that you are speaking for nobody but yourself, and have misjudged the situation…however, I recognise so many of my own feelings and suspect many others do too. Rather depressing.
A friend asked me the other day if I was looking forward to getting back to the football. I thought for a while and said “I suppose so”. Truth is, I’m looking forward to seeing friends again and enjoying their company, but WFC is no longer my most important interest or hobby, but is something I simply do in between a couple of sessions in the pub.
As a ten year old I decided I was a Walsall fan, there was no geographical imperative behind my decision, nor familial influence, I just decided, and when my Dad took me to my first match I fell head over heels in love. 
I hope ten year old boys and girls are doing the same nowadays, but I wonder how many will. We seem like a broken Club, and the matchday experience has been rubbish for years.
I used to love our underdog status, plucky little Davids landing punches on various Goliaths, but for many years we have been more likely to lose to teams below us in the pecking order than we are to beat those above.
I used to love having long serving players, many of them Black Country or Brummie lads, and I felt a connection to them, but we don’t seem to have that now.
What really gets me down is the lack of a philosophy, and the lack of a plan to get us back on track. When we had a truly outstanding Manager (Dean Smith) we did well, but where is the structure that would allow an ordinary bog-standard Manager to step in and do OK, to keep things running smoothly? Unless we can somehow appoint another Dean I think we are destined for non-league in the next 2 or 3 years.
Sorry to be so depressing.
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You touch on a good point there, Smith left and was replaced by O’Driscoll who completely changed the style of play overnight upsetting a number of players. We completely stripped out the philosophy that Smith had worked so hard to build.
Promotion should have been a banker that season.
It is not always someone’s fault. Mistakes must be learnt from but there is not always someone to justifyably blame. As you said yourself, Clarke was a popular choice. It didn’t work out. And we move on. It wasn’t a Jimmy Mullen type Appointment which just made no sense from the start. Far too much hindsight on this Forum.
It doesn’t make any sense to pass judgement until the pandemic is at the point, where we can return to something approaching normality.
And let’s be completely honest and sensible; we are a small Club and always will be. With a freehold issue where there is no current solution. Just how many people are there, who would even consider taking on what Leigh has? It makes zero business sense.
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Are you another one trying to police what is and isn’t said and who should be agreed and disagreed with?
As I said to the other “Gentlemen” I really don’t have enough respect for you, to be concerned at your view of myself and my contribution. Your “Mans World” comments have meant, I skip all of your posts unless directly aimed at myself.
As I said previously, I won’t be told by ANYONE what to do and not do. And if you don’t like, I suggest you get used to it.
Maybe getting the stadium for free would be pushing it a bit, but the council could step up and give the land for free? i know of situations where my old employer would donate land to a building firm in return for them building them some affordable housing to the same value.
When analysing what went wrong hindsight is kind of important. Also, pretty funny considering I said most of this stuff at the time and was told I was being “impatient”.
Why? I’m not sure what the pandemic has to do with basic footballing decisions and getting them wrong.
Did I say we are huge? I pointed to attendances and history, because you have to look at it in context to this league. Yes we are a small club. So are majority of this division.
It might not always be somebodies fault, but 18 months and counting of further decline probably means the bloke in charge isn’t doing a brilliant job.
Did you say Clarke was a poor Appointment at the time?
Not sure what planet you are on, if you think the pandemic has had no affect on the running of the football Club.
Possibly the same Planet as those who think, there is a queue of Businessmen waiting to takeover Walsall FC.
None of what you say makes any sense. Now is not the right time to pass ANY judgement on Leigh. Think it’s disgraceful to be honest.
I said what I always say, I’ll judge it based on his performance at Walsall FC and not what he has done previously. As for the point I actually made, when you recruit, the interview is the important bit and I’d be interested to know what it consisted of.
Not sure what posts you are reading because I never said as much 
Well I’m sorry you are so disgraced 
truth hurts. We have declined pre-pandemic and during compared to our contemporaries. We can either accept that or make excuses. I don’t mind which you want to do.
Amidst all the doom and gloom its good to hear the club being featured today on BBC WM Sport. Ok so the feature was based on ‘7 attempts in 5 games’ but any publicity is surely better than none. The good news is that now we have kept a clean sheet we will, before long, try a shot on goal. Thanks Stu.
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So you didn’t say he was a poor Appointment?Thought not.
You can’t recall your pandemic comments? Are you aware of the pandemic?
3rd opportunity to respond. Still no acknowledgement of the worlds shortest queue (ie those Businessmem who would consider Walsall FC)
We’re done. No point trying to argue with a complete idiot (because they will always beat you with experience🤣)
Alot of snobbery involved at local government level. Football Clubs are not seen as any value to the community. If we were a shopping centre it would be different.
The Council treat us with contempt.
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Nope I also didn’t endorse him Like I said. I did however voice concerns pretty early on in his reign.
Yep:
Old ground, not sure that needs covering again unless you want specific clarification
I haven’t even got a ■■■■■■■ clue what this is referring too when did I say there were? Would be nice if you’d actually answer one of my questions as you seem to demand them from me.
Good 
The online shop is still useless as well literally nothing has changed has it?
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Even if we got the land for free we would still need to find around £6 million to build even a basic ground with no extra income from conferencing, market and M6 advertising.
So we could use that £6 million to buy the bescot freehold from Bonser and still have the off field income to invest in the football side.
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I don’t think we would get the freehold for 6 million 
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In respect of your first point, I think that’s fair. All too often we can all be overly judgemental of new players or managers based on past performances and get it wrong. Like you said, I’m only interested in how they perform at Walsall FC.
At the same time, it’s a little unfair IF you’re using the appointment of Darrell Clarke to criticise Pomlett for a bad footballing decision. Knowing the ‘ins and outs’ of the interview process might help justify whether we believe it was a good or bad decision but anyone who’s been involved in recruiting knows there are no guarantees. As I said on another thread, it wouldn’t be the first time someone has interviewed like Tom Cruise and proven themselves to be more like David Brent.
For what it’s worth, based on what I knew of him, I thought it was a good appointment at the time. It’s proved not to be.
What I would perhaps criticise Pomlett for, is not relieving Clarke of his duties much sooner. But then it’s so much easier for me to criticise, not being in Pomlett’s shoes and being fully aware of all the spinning plates he’s currently managing.
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