Tough times at the moment and we haven’t exactly been blessed with managers since Smith left. So honest opinion if you had to choose between Clarke, Keates or Whitney, who would it be ?
There’s not exactly a ‘Special One’ in amongst that selection and it’s more akin to choosing between herpes, the clap or crabs but I guess I would pick Whitney. Reason being he was a physio and did no worse than the other two that actually claimed to be managers … plus he signed Ozzie !!
None certainly not keates or Whitney … would have to give Clarke a few more games in the hope he turns it round ,which is unlikely.
Whitney did the best job of the three but had worst PR with fans although EN is doing microscoptic analysis of all Darrell’s pre and post match statements so that may well change ( 
).
I actually think his work in 16/17 is a bit underappreciated. Lost half a team who’ve since then have gone on to prove themselves as top 6/top half qualify championship players but still got in likes of Ozzy and Edwards who are miles above anything signed in last two years. Mid table comfortably secured and should’ve been higher than that.
Then went wrong start of 2017 falling out with J O’C and a poor start to the season but again some decent loans in and there was good stuff being played around the middle of the campaign with Oztumer, Ismail and Tyler Roberts, problem was getting them all on the pitch at same time.
Killer was losing Agyei, Roberts and Ismail all in that window and they got replaced by Shaibu, Ngoy and can’t even remeber if there was even wide loanee or just went back to Morris and Edwards filling in there and that eventually got him the sack. Bielik was an incredible stroke of bad luck considering the career he’s had in last two years aswell.
Could see the logic in Keates coming home as he knew the club inside out and at the time was seen as up and coming manager at Wrexham. It’s been done by vast majority of clubs in league football at some point in their history.
He was very naive in many aspects and just when he needed a bit of help in January 2019 window a very past it Scott Laird, Scarr and Norman all turned up.
I think the interesting point is how the quality of player has really decreased from Whitney’s time. As I’ve said in his first window Oztumer, Simeon Jackson and Joe Edwards all came in so club was still seen as progressive from the outside at that point. Then in his second season Tyler Roberts came in who was like Kane compared to the two who turned up last minute this window.
I know it’s mid table league 2 now but half of Cheltenham’s today were players who were regulars in top half league 1 not so long ago so it’s one of the signs of malaise.
In theory given the cash crisis it should actually be easier to get some out of contract players in from league one/bottom end championship level as there’s still loads of freebies about. Ashley Williams for example is pretty local and he hasn’t been picked up by anyone yet.
So is Sam Mantom we offer peanuts thats the problem players without a club who could improve us but they wont come for the wage of a factory worker.
i think avram grant might come , he wants bk to england , why not walsall
Keates and Whitney were two of the worst managers I can remember.
Jimmy Mullen
We have no money. If we survive Covid-19, that will represent success. Some clubs will do a Bury. I look at Chesterfield struggling and Notts County not getting everything their own way; I look at us struggling to compete with Barrow and Harrogate.
Goals win games and goalscorers cost money. For me, when Jordan Archer chooses Solihull Moors as a loan option, it shows how far we have fallen. Even under Whitney, the likes of Tyler Roberts and Ngoy (both strikers from local clubs higher up the pyramid) would improve any league two side.
Holden is the key for me, based on what we have. Tear up the tactics book, Clarke: build the whole team around Holden - that’s what Whitney did with Oz.
Out of curiosity, I know about Llera’s pedigree and coaching badges. Does Guthrie have the potential to use his mind and contacts to help the team in a coaching capacity?
When I look at the Keates players (Norman, Scarr) they both made their name in non league; Clarke signings from Bristol Rovers (Sinclair, Clarke and indirectly, Gaffney) they’re all past it.
Even Clarke’s housemate has no reputation in the game other than playing for Salisbury.
Even the teams at the bottom seem to have a decent goalscorer.
I don’t mind Walsall losing if I can see a plan, young players giving their all, a bit of bite and some excitement.
Right now, I can see effort but no plan: they just look dazed and confused…
If Clarke doesn’t change, the fans will turn on him on their return. I wonder whether Pomlett will note the iFollow subscriptions.
Given that we have no money, there is one cheap option who would have loads of young local players on the radar with a point to prove. He is also held in high regard by Blues and Peterborough (loan options aplenty). Martin O’Connor could change the mood, I think, based on realistic, affordable options.
And to put the cat amongst the pigeons, if anyone could convince Deeney (a Blues fan) to have one last hurrah at the Saddlers, it would be an ex-Blues legend! Imagine he and Adan George… it would certainly help to increase my optimism…
Do you remember his spell as caretaker manager ?
He was even more clueless than Keates!
In the event that Pomlett were to pull the trigger, it’s hard to see- although I accept other clubs, eg. Tranmere, are doing it- us bringing in someone from outside the club, in a climate where players may not have been paid their full contractual wage.
The shortlist would be Llera and Sadler, until the summer.
Give the job to mark kinsella he can’t do any worse, he wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg and his son would have a kick up the arse
Viveash.
Good with Chelsea kids, even better No 2 at Coventry.
Highly regarded and ready for his first no 1 job in my opinion.
From the three to chose from I would go for Whitney. We would have been permanently in the bottom half of league one but we wouldnt have gone down.
Referencing another thread, we would have better loan options because clubs knew Whitney would look after their players physical wellbeing.
Mate, we were only going one way and that was down the season he was sacked. I think people are forgetting how poor we were.
It’s not just about the manager,a lot of other things need to come together to have a successful team. Alex Ferguson very nearly got the sack before he had that incredible decade. you need the right players,team chemistry,owner,manager,and a certain amount of luck,when it all (or mostly) comes together at the same time you get success.
It would be Keates. I am still biased, but i also still feel the players lobbed him under the bus big style. Even Martin O Connor thought they were all ■■■■■.
People forget we had a great unbeaten run in his first full season, he couldn’t stop the tailspin though, lack of experience. Its difficult to turn it around when players are arguing with fans and just cant be arsed. We lost so many points in the last 5 minutes that season.
I still think the team would’ve stayed up even if he’d stayed. The actual run that got him the sack actually wasn’t that bad, won 3 and drew 2 of his last 9.
Keates came in and won 2 of last 9 and team were safe before the final game.
The real damage would’ve been the following season and that happened even with change of manager.
John Mcgreal anyone?
Very definitely none of the above. Which begs the question, ‘how do Walsall go about selecting their managers?’ Because this lot have been identikit failures.
As Larry says, above, Viveash would be a good shout, but he would need someone alongside him. Managing a Premiership kids side is not the same as managing a competitive league club. Blackpool have found that out in appointing Liverpool’s successful youth manager, Neil Critchley. They soon found the football was too ‘academic’ in the real world and struggled. Six weeks ago they appointed Colin Calderwood to give him a hand and their fortunes have turned around.
Actually, Viveash has some league experience now so that would help, so for me it would have to be Viveash + a very experienced assistant (that’s if he wanted to come to a club with no money, downwardly mobile and with a huge squad where number mattered more than quality).
I do think though we have got enough in the tank to pull out of this. I cannot blame the strikers for inept team selections, where they are starved of service. I don’t point the finger at the keeper either. It’s in the midfield engine room that it is going wrong. Clarke’s set up and selection is inexplicable, not least in his playing of Holden out of position when even he knows it doesn’t work.
What’s that old saying?:
‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.’
Sorry just read it was out of 3 previous managers we’ve already had I thought it was for the future 