Former Walsall skipper Michael Dobson has claimed the club is ‘not run in a professional manner’ following his release yesterday.
The midfielder, who lifted Saddlers’ first championship trophy in 47 years when they won the League Two title last year, became the latest player to be told he has no future at the club in their end-of-season clear-out and said he believes that the club are currently content to ‘make do with scraps’.
“I more or less knew it was coming, because I haven’t had the best of years,” Dobson said. “There were a lot of things going on behind closed doors that players weren’t happy about and I wasn’t really enjoying my football.
“I just don’t think things are run in a professional manner. There are people making decisions at the club that in my view shouldn’t be and I just hope that next year, things can be run a bit better.
“I think the club is more aimed towards money than perhaps it should be. A lot of clubs go into debt because they want to bring players in because it’s important to have a good footballing team, but unfortunately this club seems to wants to hold on to their money and make do with scraps.”
Walsall today announced the full list of players who have not been offered new contracts. Ian Roper, Darren Wrack, Michael Dobson, Tommy Mooney, Edrissa Sonko, Bertrand Bossu, David McDermott, Alassane N’Dour and Stefan Moore will all be playing their football elsewhere.
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20 Comments
BONSER OUT!
Without going into Dobsons performances, I think he has a point.
Same old Walsall
Bye bye Michael, frankly I think a lot of this is sour grapes, blaming his bad season on behind the scenes grumbles.
HOWEVER, the club should make more effort with its contract policy. Those players that are important to the squad should be offered deals earlier in the season (for instance we might not have lost Keates if this has happened). The others should be told to improve their performances or they wont be offered new deals.
Finally, we should not lose sight of the fact that we continue to have a football club to support. Yes it may be run far too much like a business but unfortunately this is essential in todays game. However, we must now invest in the team with a couple of bigger signings and I believe this will happen in the summer.
hate say it walsall but your going down next season
teams coming up look strong
im certainly going stick few queens notes on you guys
Perhaps if Dobson just got on with playing he’d still be at the club. I’m gutted we didn’t replace Fox and Dann, but would rather be mid-table and in business than in administration. Look at Leeds, Rotherham, Bournemouth, Luton etc…
What great investigative journalism Express & Star!! Are you now going to go round all of the bitter, released ex-players to make the same comments or are you gonna pull your finger out and find out who the next mangager is gonna be instead? It does not take a genius to work out and comment on whats wrong at Walsall, we’ve suffered it for years. Get an interview with Bonser and lets get things sorted.
Dobson was never good enough even last season and certainly not this.
Most people miss the point. Leeds fans hate Risdale but he wanted success and it almost broke the club.
Bonser will spend more money but fans are stupid if they think that it will all go back in to the playing front.
This season they have offered contracts to people they want to keep ie Rhys Weston and the younger players.
Not worried about any of the players that they have let go.
Glad to see that players, or at least Mooney and Dobson, are coming out to say what us fans have known for a decade.
We’re a business company that happens to have a football team on the side, rather than a football team who need to operate in a sensible manner.
Folk keep quoting Ridsale, Leeds, Rotherham and Bournemouth etc… But why can’t we be a Carlisle, Tranmere or any others. Why does it have to be one or the other, there is this thing called a middle ground.
Personally I think we’ll miss Dobson and Wrack, they’d have been good squad players.
We’ve now got just 4 experienced pros, Ince, Weston, Gerrard and Boertien. Whoever comes in needs at least 5/6/7/8 experienced professionals, not kids.
In my view as an accountant Walsall are doing things the correct way by not going into debt to buy players and I hate to be controvercial but I would rather see Walsall play week in week out and be here in 20 years than have a few glory years funded by getting into debt then going out of business.
Lets face facts no one wants to buy Walsall FC as it stands today Financially stable and almost reaching the Championship so who would want to buy it when its in administration and playing non leaugue.
As I said the above is my view as an accountant as a fan I wish that sometimes Walsall would push the boat out just a little and take a risk.
Ladies and Gents, may I introduce Michael Dobson , footballer and fiscal expert. It’s a pity however that his business acumen is on par with his footballing abilities. I agree with his veiled comments about Suntan Man but his support for going into debt to achieve success is clearly nonsense. Does he not realise that if you go into too much debt then you might end up not having a team to play for, or support, at all. I see that WE8WBA is carrying on the fine traditions laid down by Optimistic who isn’t so optimistic anymore apparently! Someone should tell WE8 that dole money is for living on and not for gambling with. Anyway, putting a pound on the Wolves remaining in Championship limbo is a much safer bet.
To be fair if we did gamble with the money then Dobson would still be the first out the door. Michael money doesn’t change everything!!
Who says the choice is buying players or staying in business? Much smaller clubs than Walsall actually BUY a player or two. All of the clubs quoted as going into administration are still operating. Bonser’s only concern is his pocket.
So you are an accountant are you Mally? Go on tell us again…its important.
BONSER OUT
OR WE GO DOWN
Mally is correct.Some of you may remember that a few years ago a group of Walsall supporters put together information packs and sent them to loads of wealthy people asking them to buy Walsall.
No one was interested at all so if Bonser did decide to call it a day who would want buy the club ?.
Sorry to see Wrack and Roper go I would like to thank them for many years of loyal service. I agree with the accountant. My degree was in Business Studies and I think the club is run professionally. I want success and that is beginning to happen with the youth scheme. Just have a bit of patience fans, think where we were a few years ago
bryan where we were a few years ago is exactly where we headly next bloody season !!!! BONSOR OUT!!!!!
‘My degree was in Business Studies and i think the club is run professionally’….give me strength.
heres a list of the clubs who have spent cas they ain got.
Leeds got relagted from premier league to league 1 in 3 years.
rotherham from the champonship to league 2 in no time at all and gone into administraion this season and last and are selling their ground.
luton and bournemouth both went into administration and suprise suprsie they both got relagated.
Well im sure ther r more examples but cnt think of any at this moment.
I much rather have a football club mid table in league 1 than going out f busness which coud happen. lets face it even if we spent big money are we really going to get much bigger attendances than 5000 to pay for them i think not.
at the end of next season we will be back to div 2
lack of ambision,what decent manager will want to come to walsall when we get a good one they never stay with this chairman