Walsall chairman Jeff Bonser today came out fighting against claims that new manager Jimmy Mullen was a “cheap option”.
The Saddlers supremo has been targeted by sceptics unhappy with Mullen’s promotion from caretaker manager to Richard Money’s permanent replacement. But Bonser has hit back and insisted Mullen is the best man for the job despite his low profile. “I don’t go for profiles,” said Bonser.
“If you suggest his name isn’t as well-known as others I would accept that but it doesn’t mean to say that his qualifications to do the job are any less.
“Anyone who says it’s a cheap option is just making a cheap jibe. There are managers out there that demand far in excess of what this club can pay.
“I don’t know why they apply for these jobs sometimes because they would rather be out of work than work for the money.
“There are managers out there that we couldn’t afford. Whether we would want them is a different matter but they weren’t on the shortlist. From the shortlist it wasn’t a matter of money. It was a matter of who was the best person for the job.
“So if anyone says it’s a cheap option I think that’s just a cheap jibe.”
Mullen cut an effervescent figure at yesterday’s media conference to confirm him as Money’s full-time successor.
And, after a once-promising season faded out into anti-climax and recriminations after Christmas, Bonser is hoping the 55-year-old’s character will help raise the spirits of the Saddlers faithful, who he hopes will give the new man a chance.
“I can understand the mood because I am a fan and I was flat myself,” said Bonser.
“By January Richard had done that well with the team in terms of getting them into a play-off spot that I even thought it wasn’t impossible we could get automatic promotion because we were only a few points the second-placed team.
“We petered out from there and there have been a lot of reasons given for that – selling players and having no ambition.
“The day I haven’t got ambition I won’t be at the club. At the moment I’ve got the ambition to get this club back to the Championship. I have got as much ambition as everybody but it’s got to be tempered with sound financial sense.”
Mullen was party to the end-of-season clearout that followed the 12th-place finish and Money’s resignation.
And Bonser believes the departure of most of the squad that ended the campaign could work in the new manager’s favour.
“He’s got a good platform to start from as a new manager because a lot of the players left at the end of the season and a lot of the remaining ones are first-year professionals or very early in their careers,” said Bonser.
Meanwhile, Bonser has revealed he did not consult former boss Money over the suitability of Mullen to replace him.
In fact the duo, whose relationship never moved beyond the professional, have not communicated since Money quit.
9 Comments
What a joke. “The day I haven’t got ambition I won’t be at the club”. We reached this point several years ago and you are still here? Do us all a favor and get your money and run. Give someone else a chance.
The only reason you appointed Mullen was lack of ambition. If he was the right manager why did it take 3 attempts to get the job.
“Anyone who says it’s a cheap option is just making a cheap jibe. There are managers out there that demand far in excess of what this club can pay.” How wonderfully contradictory.
Obviously budget was going to be an issue, but this sentence boils down to: “This is not a cheap option - it’s THE cheap option.”
I do find it odd that this is the 3rd time that Mullen has applied and got the job.
Both previous times, he was working in the game with current contacts but was deemed not good enough.
This time, after being out of professional football for 12 years and being a 2nd hand car salesman after a number of non-league management jobs, he is deemed good enough.
Go figure?
why do under achieving football related people go on to sell cars?
freddy eastwood… your chap… glen hoddle’s brother (come best scout in the world)… any others?
Imn not a walsall fan but my mate whos had season ticket for 15 years as refused this time.i fear walsall will be part time club within 5 years
If Bonser had any ambition he would be building the new away end of the ground now, so it’s ready to capiltalize on the increased away followings when we are back in the Championship for the 2009/10 season.
That is your ambition isn’t it??
Forget it, we’ll just make do with another cheap tinpot advertising hoarding instead!
You’d know about cheap jibes would you though Jeff…
“go and support rotherham or Luton”
“divorced from financial reality”
And being cheap, cheap jibes are just your sort of jibes!
“There are managers out there that we couldn’t afford. Whether we would want them is a different matter but they weren’t on the shortlist. From the shortlist it wasn’t a matter of money.”
No, they weren’t on the shortlist because you only put cheap options on it!!!!
Does anyone believe a word Jeff Bonser says?
Mullen applied for the job in 1997 and 1998. In the ten years since then he has failed to get a full time job at any football club, and has been out of league and indeed all professional football.
Could anyone from the Express & Star please ask Bonser exactly how ten years of selling cars coupled with part time work with the likes of Market Drayton now make Jimmy Mullen a better candidate for the job than he was in 1997 and 1998?