So a whopping 30 days after Richard Money’s shock resignation the new Walsall manager is (cue the drum roll) . . . the bloke who’s been caretaker for the last 30 days. Welcome aboard Jimmy, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
We can only speculate on what happened to the other ‘highly- rated’ candidates. My theory is that they either :-
(a) looked at the reasons for Dicky bailing out and saved themselves the cost of a stamp,
(b) applied for the job and then backed out when they saw what it entailed, or
(c) simply weren’t as good as Jimmy.
Option C is presumably what Jeff and co want us to believe, but it doesn’t half put some pressure on Mullen. Its hard to see how DD’s successor could achieve more than the man himself on a restricted budget anyway, so bigging up the quality of those he beat to get the job just seems plain stupid.
This is not a reflection on Jimmy Mullen however. He seems a decent, honest bloke and he clearly wants to try to do a good job.
And you probably would buy a used car from him.
Jimmy obviously made some sort of impact when he joined to assist Dicky in September and he did enjoy some success at Burnley.
Unfortunately that was well over a decade ago and his CV since has included a host of non-league (and mostly non-Conference) clubs.
The other problem is that there’s a world of difference between being the assistant and actually managing a football club.
Brian Kidd and Steve McLaren were excellent number twos at Old Trafford yet I can’t see either of them being on the shortlist to take over from Sir Alex. While ex-Saddler Chris Hutchings’ managerial career consists entirely of a quick trip to the bottom of the form table whenever and wherever Paul Jewell has packed in.
At the very least Mullen should have no illusions about the task he faces. Hopefully he has some idea of who he wants to bring in, assuming he has any say at all of course.
It’s no understatement to say that the quality of player we sign over the next two months is going to have a huge impact on attendances as well as the mood of the fans come August.
A string of unknown foreign trialists will not be the best of PR moves.
Not that the owner is going to be particularly interested in what the fans (i.e. his customers) want or think. I fully expect there to be some broadside launched in the next few days telling us we’re all wrong, don’t know what we’re doing or don’t understand the complexities of business.
The trouble is I think a lot of people understand only too well what the situation at the Banks’s is and that’s why there’s already been such a negative reaction to yesterday’s appointment.
Similarly there will be the owner’s apologists who will predictably point out the successes of previous unheralded appointments (simultaneously forgetting the disasters of Jan, Colin, Merse and Kev).
To that I’d just say that Ray Graydon and Richard Money both came to us on upward career paths with plenty more up-to-date achievements than our new boss.
(And don’t believe the patronising rubbish about people having said Ray Who? or Richard Who? either - we are not morons.)
There’s nothing I’d like more than for things to work out for Jimmy Mullen and to see us in or around that top six spot next season. Unfortunately I’m looking at the likes of Cheltenham, Hereford and whoever wins the League Two Play-offs as potential 2008/09 rivals. Prove me wrong Jimmy.
Good luck mate… I think you’re gonna need it.
19 Comments
Would you say Jan was a disaster? I don’t think so. Some superb cup runs and bear in mind, we were never too far off the Play Offs till our season seemed to fall apart after our cup matches died and Boli clearly lost interest.
I can’t see how anyone can say Lee was a failure, his last 4/5 months were a disaster, agreed. However during the rest of his spell, he achieved something that no Walsall manager ever did before.
“Lee was a failure”
it’s easy Saddler. Try it. You might like it.
Of course Sorensen was a disaster, we nearly got bloody well relegated and, if you read Wacka or Marsh’s books, you’ll know what a joke the place was at the time - almost as bad as under Merson.
2. In that case, Money was a failure. Similar situations, great position in January, chairman pulls the rug from under the managers feet, capitulation starts, season wasted.
What on earth is Mark Jones talking about? Colin Lee was most definitely not a disaster at Walsall. He is the only manager in our history to avoid relegation from the second level for two seasons, and he would have made it three if he had not been let down by Bonser.
How can you call the colin lee era a disaster. Some fantastic football and quality players like Richie, junior (with jorge the best forward partnership we have ever had) oneil, samways, walker, baird.
Please don’t call the Lee reign a disaster. That would be to kind to him.
Lee was not a disaster.He done a good job
I actually think Colin Lee did particluarly well you know. He got a structure back to the club and in the meantime bought some quality players, played some nice football and fans went home happy-ish on most weeks!! Half of last season was a battle between fans and DD, i.e. The fans aren’t loud enough; well your football is boring, you sold our best players etc etc!!
I just think that it is ironic that the very same fans who were having a go at anyone who dared to criticise Richard Money in any way are now falling over themselves to lambast the poor guy who has just got the job at our club. For goodness sake, grow up, get over yourselves and get behind Jimmy Mullen !
Colin Lee was certainly not a disaster. He saved us from relegation in his first season in charge with some good loan signings. In his final season, we were 10th after our Boxing Day win away to Cardiff, just a few points off the play-off positions. Colin asked Bonser for some money a couple of signings to kick on but predictably Bonser said no (as usual) - Bonser doesn’t seem to understand the term: “speculate to accumulate”. After that, we went into freefall and our manager left just before the season ended (the parallels with the 2007/8 season are uncanny) - spot the common factor!!
Who cares if Lee was a disaster or not, I care more about the fact we’ve been lumbbered with the cheap option again, and not some up and coming cheap option that may surprise us, a member of the current regime that hardly fills the most optimistic of saddlers with belief and desire to attend Apparently Mullen will have a bigger budget than last year! I bet paying for the new pitch to be laid is included in it!! Same old drivel from the chairman and I’d have a refund on my season ticket if only I could!!
11) He was fired, and not before time.
Lee was responsible for some of the dullest football ever to be played in WS1 but that’s old ground. I still shudder when I remeber that performace at Gillingham away!
I think the last line of the blog somes up my feelings, good luck Jimmy you’re gonne need it!! I fear Mullen is on a hiding to nothing and unless he has a very good start things could go downhill very quickly. With all that has happened Mullen is associated with Bonser and unless things are going well I can’t see the fans having much patience.
I think it is an idiotic decision, not necessarily a reflection on Mullen, it’s just that after all that has happened any idiot could see that we needed a clean break and something to create a little feel good factor. I fear Bonser has either made (yet another) howler or he simply does not care anymore.
Yet another public relations disaster, yet another opportunity to unite club and fans missed, yet another show of arraogance and “I know best and what’s it got to do with you lot anyway” from Mr Pension Fund. Good luck Jimmy, see you at away matches next season
i will ge behind the team and i dont disagree with the appointmentof mullen as manager i just think it took amonth to appoint him when he could of been appointed stright away and could of got on with the important task of planning for next season.
well jb’s done it again,easy chaep option by the looks of it.no disrespect to jimmy but the best of luck cuz your going to need it. what are we in for now? an influx of has beens and never will be’s recruited a couple of weeks before the season starts? bonser talks about a manager who can take us to the championship,well he had one last season who would have kept us there and he undermined him with the sale of fox and dann with no replacements bought in. ive been going up there for 42 yearsbut ive not had a season ticket for next season, im not prepared to put any more into the pension fund with a club with limited ambition and a for sale sign on any decent young players shirt. a lots got to change before turn up at jb plc next season
Trust me, I’ll do you the definitive Colin Lee assasination for you all some time over the summer, then those of you who are in his fan club can get really irate.
I remember plenty of unhappy journeys home in that era and I think I was sat right behind the man from Belgium at Gillingham.
Lets hope Jimmy Mullen hasn’t got Jermaine McSporran’s phone number.
Mr Mullen has been appointed, now it is up to all true supporters to get behind him. We all want to see some decent players signed, not like the pensioners that Dicky signed last year.
Good Luck Jimmy
danny sonner was shocking and clearly unfit, granted. but tommy mooney who was crucial in turning our season road? paul hall who scored a vital winner at hartlepool then got shipped off to wrexham so we didnt have to pay his wages anymore? signings last summer werent that bad. and im sure if someone like 36 year old andy cole turned up at the banks you wouldnt complain.