So do you reckon that the grass is always greener Foxy? writes Walsall blogger Mark Jones.
To be honest the revelation that our promising young left back (might as well try to get his value up as much as possible now) has put in a written transfer request is no surprise.
This is always a possibility when other clubs start sniffing round and agents get involved.
However sad it may seem, players don’t have the same loyalty as fans and we shouldn’t take too much offence when they think about moving on.
The only thing I’d say to Dan is always remember who it was who gave you your chance in the game.
Lucky Leeds, upset at being outplayed by the Mighty Saddlers last month, do seem to be intent on signing up as many of our players as possible.
It’s a shame to see the Sweeney go but, as Dicky himself has said, he was never our player.
If Elland Road is to be the destination for Dan Fox too, then we have to take it as a massive compliment because 18 months ago no self respecting scout would have come near WS1.
Saturday’s goalless draw with Millwall also provided mixed feelings.
Frustration, as we created the better chances and seemed to be the only team looking to actually win the game.
Disappointment that we now face another game a week on Tuesday, which means we will have played 14 games in 7 weeks by the middle of January.
There was also plenty of pride in the fact that our young, inexperienced squad, stretched almost to the limit with five first teamers already missing from the starting line up, were able to take the game to the Lions.
Especially as two of our most creative players, Ricketts and Demontagnac, went off injured during the course of the match.
What encouraged me most was that not one of our lads shirked their responsibilities, no-one hid or went missing and everyone was up for the challenge.
Thankfully the Simon Osborn era now appears to be long gone.
Sure the likes of Nicholls, Deeney and new boy Martin Brittain still have some rough edges and are likely to still make mistakes, but I’d like to think most of us recognise that we have got a team full of players who actually want to achieve something.
Turning to tomorrow night’s hastily re-arranged fixture, The Football League have now been identified as the culprits for apparently insisting that the game be played at Yeovil’s request.
Whoever’s to blame, it is a disgraceful decision and one which clearly gives an advantage to the home side as well as showing a complete lack of respect to travelling Walsall fans.
I’d hope that the club are protesting in the strongest possible way and not meekly accepting their fate for fear of rocking the boat like they did after the Burnley floodlight fiasco in 1996.
Let’s also hope that if January proves to be a time when players do move on, it won’t signal the start of a collapse like the one that followed the departure of Fryatt and Bennett two years ago.
If, and it is a big if where Walsall F.C. are concerned, any incoming revenue is reinvested wisely (i.e. for bringing in a quality player, say Michael Ricketts for example) then we could actually end up with a stronger squad.
The next few weeks look likely to be as interesting as ever.
Walsall fans, what do you think? Have your say below
4 Comments
“Simon Osborn era is long gone”… Not sure what that has meant, we’ve missed someone like him in the past few months and he was arguably our best player in the last season and a half of his time with us. If the others had shown his desire at times, then we’d have fared a lot better.
Still, I guess he was a Colin Lee signing and we all know your rather laughably biased blogs take every chance to have a pop at Lee and his time. Shame really, as it doesn’t help your blogs.
I did post a comment earlier today but it seems to have gone missing,I cannot recall making any unsuitable remarks so why it should be excluded from this page I dont know.
What I did say was I dont know what all the fuss is about, should you sell players or not. It is Walsall FC prudent policies that have kept us out of the red all these years even under the Ken Weldon regime, and yes we have always moaned about it but it is the only way for club of our size. Competing against neighbours like Aston Villa, WestBrom; and to a lesser degree the Wolves who only think they’re a big club. Walsall FC should be proud of DD for his Management skills and astuteness in picking good lads for our team, we should not bemoan players going on to better things. We should look forward to the new talent that will inevitably come along to replace players like Danny, make could use of them while we may.
Well done all at WFC. TOBIAS.
Sorry ‘Saddler’ but I can’t let this one go. My blogs have got to be biased because … they’re MY blogs,expressing MY opinion and nobody else’s. So if, in MY opinion I happen to think Colin Lee was a dreadful appointment who did nothing but harm to this club, then I’ll express that as MY opinion. If I can’t do that then there’s no point having the blog at all. And there’s nothing I ever say in print that I wouldn’t say face to face with anyone.
As for Osborn then we must be talking about a completely different player to the waste of space I had the misfortune to watch, but you’re entitled to your own opinion and I’ve absolutely no problem with that.
Keep laughing.
Saddler, you so right to point out the we’ve missed Osborn over the past few months.
Undefeated in 17 games, unbeaten on the road since the trees had leaves on and a TEAM who completely believe in the TEAM ethic. Just think how much higher we could have been with the addition Simon’s international standard finger pointing.
Finally have a look at where Osborn played after we finally got rid, not much of a clamour was there.
Indeed, why don’t you have a look at where Colin Lee’s career took him post Walsall. 5 minutes at Millwall before being pushed upstairs for even less time and then onto the (very) 92nd placed club in the English leagues. Also, forget the biased views of all Walsall supporters, have a look at how the rest of English football judged the Lee tenure at Walsall. Hardly a clamour was there? The phone was so quiet he ended up having to buy himself a job.