Blog: 2008 - a year to forget

Most Walsall fans could probably sum up the year in 1 or 2 words, but I’ll attempt to trawl through the last 12 months anyway. Grit your teeth, here goes . . . writes Mark Jones.

JANUARY

Hard to believe that we actually kicked off 2008 in the top six with a winnable F.A. Cup 3rd. Round home tie to look forward to.

On New Year’s Day we gained a well earned point against play-off rivals Doncaster. I could never have imagined at the time that I’d be joining many of the red and white clad fans in the ground that day in travelling down to London on Play-Off Final day as Leeds were to be put to the sword.

Unfortunately it was Doncaster going up to the Championship while I was off on a mate’s stag do (which was a top day out from what I can remember).

With the benefit of hindsight, January’s transfer dealings severely damaged the team and the long-term significance of the damage they’ve done to the club, with fans becoming increasingly disillusioned, remains to be seen.

The arrival of Lee Holmes on loan would have been a fantastic enhancement to the squad that had done so well to haul themselves into the top six, if it hadn’t been for the departures of Fox and Dann and the failure to fill the gap created by the loss of injured loanee Michael Ricketts.

Kevin Betsy was a bit of a nothing player and a mate of mine was convinced that N’Dour was one of those ‘phoney’ players who con agents that they’re genuine professionals (obviously he wasn’t).

Despite the off-field disruption, the lads showed plenty of spirit to stay unbeaten in the league throughout the month but the real superstars were the Saddlers fans who braved the elements at Yeovil and then again at Bristol Rovers a week and a half later. True commitment.

FEBRUARY

Despite the obvious anger and frustration at the late night sale of Scott Dann, fans were assured by board members at a Focus Group Meeting that we were still going for the play-offs and to watch out for the date when clubs could sign players on a 3 month loan. Needless to say that came and went.

On the pitch there were two narrow defeats at Carlisle and Swansea, but the month ended with a fine 3-0 win at Swindon and we still kept the faith.

MARCH

It started ok, trialist Stefan Moore’s early goal gave us a win at doomed Luton, but ultimately he wasn’t good enough and neither was our over-stretched squad.

We managed to gain one whole point from the five 6-pointers played in March (and that was the obligatory draw at Forest). Yet we still went into the final part of the season in contention in seventh place, a testament to how much Dicky Dosh’s boys had achieved during the season.

APRIL

Two hard fought wins over Tranmere and Cheltenham at the start of the month kept the dream alive. We were still trying to chase Leeds down and for the most part the fans still believed. Typically two desperately poor home defeats later and our season was mathematically over.

Worse still that was the cue for Richard Money to up and leave. Some people criticised him for walking out, but I think he’d come to realise that he wasn’t going to get the backing he needed to move us forward and that keeping the club in contention with two games to go was as good as it was going to get.

Which to me says a lot about the ambition of the men in charge of the club.

MAY

Our last game of the 2007/08 season saw Jimmy Mullen in (temporary) charge. We threw away a two goal lead, needlessly conceded in the last minute and dropped three places to a final position of twelfth, a sixth month low.

A distinctly unsatisfactory end to a season that could have and should have been so much better.

At the end of the month JM was given the manager’s job permanently.

A lot of fans had decided by now that they’d had enough, and who can blame them?

JUNE

While Euro 08 was on, most Saddlers were left trying to work out how we were going to have enough players come the new season.

One interesting story to come out this month was the club trying to persuade the local council that they ought to own the stadium. Whilst I’m not exactly holding my breath on that one, it did seem like a tacit admission that renting is not the way forward for the club.

JULY

The great recruitment drive began. Generally the arrival of Mattis, Ricketts, Hughes et al was greeted positively. Ironically one of the ‘unknown quantities’ Jabo Ibhere has probably proved to be the best of the signings, but the feeling that the squad assembled is at least four players too short has never really gone away since the summer.

As usual we had the ‘get loads of away fans in’ friendlies, rather than the ‘provide the team with a decent warm up’ or ‘give the loyal fans some interesting fixtures’ friendlies, and, setting the tone for the rest of the year, fewer and fewer fans took any notice.

AUGUST

The first month of 2008/09 saw an inconsistent mix of results and a poor home cup defeat. Pretty much how the rest of the season would pan out.

The month ended with Ant Gerrard looking to escape and a shocking performance at Crewe.

SEPTEMBER

Unexpectedly September turned out to be a little oasis in a sea of mediocrity and we were mad for it. Naturally we lost the easiest-looking fixture at home to Orient, but recorded four other wins.

A stunning 5-2 stuffing of Sarfend with a hat trick from Ishmel (remember him?), a fine 3-1 victory at Bristol Rovers and a home win against Carlisle that looked better at the time than it probably actually was all propelled us into the top six.

The defining game had to be the 9-man win at Brighton though, a performance full of spirit, determination and character. For a time it got us (well me anyway) thinking that this team could compete against the odds at the top end of the table like the teams Graydon and Money had built.

OCTOBER

Clearly I was wrong. We can’t compete with such a small squad, and a winless league programme in October provided a more realistic view of the season.

The low point being the 17 minute throwaway against Hartlepool that ushered in the run of late defeats that is still going.

The highpoint was a battling performance at Leicester . . . apart from their late equaliser of course.

NOVEMBER

Just how bad things are getting was highlighted by the two successive home cup games at the start of November.

Luton was a shambles, a genuine chance to advance down the path to Wembley was blown. The (bottom of the Football League) Hatters have since beaten Colchester at home and now have Brighton between them and the final - winnable fixtures we’ve missed out on.

If it hadn’t been for the JPT loss I maybe could have taken the F.A. Cup defeat to Scunthorpe a bit better. However Scunny were a much better side, and in 35 years of supporting the Saddlers I’ve never known a Walsall team be unable to compete with Scunthorpe. Not good enough.

The two games were played out in front of less than 4,000 home fans in total, again a low that I’ve never known, even in the dark days of the Hibbitt era. You’d think this would be a massive wake up call for those that run the club … but then again.

Oh yes and Ish went a bit mad, leaving the club with no choice but to cancel his contract. I kinda miss him though, he was always entertaining and we badly need some entertainment down Bescot way right now.

DECEMBER

Predictably the last act of the year was Walsall conceding a last minute goal.

With very little to play for already, the fixture list has become a bit tedious and the games seem to merge into each other - the odd win, usually against very ordinary opposition, interspersed with endless injury time defeats.

Three things that have summed up the way Walsall F.C seem to be going have happened in December.

The ticket arrangements for the Leeds match have shown that maximising profit is more important to some than the wishes of genuine fans.

The failure to give Geoff Horsfield a trial is a huge missed opportunity. Geoff has just beaten a life-threatening illness, has a young family, lives locally and has trained with us previously. For him to be trying to get a contract on the other side of the country at lowly Lincoln means either Walsall showed no interest in the Horse or offered him something derisory. Clearly the club know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

Finally the result of last reserve game of the season was Shrewsbury 5 Walsall1. If that’s the shape of things to come, we should be afraid, very afraid.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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