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A deflating summer for Walsall fans so far has Saddlers blogger Mark Jones wondering whether he should the cup as half full of half empty.

The departure of Walsall defender Anthony Gerrard for Cardiff, the reported size of the fee – which was little more than what Scunthorpe had offered and less than had been mooted last Autumn – has prompted plenty of debate among us Saddlers fans.

Add the fact that the club weren’t prepared to try and hold on to him, safe in the knowledge that he’d still fetch a fee in 12 months come what may, combined with some serious lack of incoming transfer activity has also caused no little concern in the last few days.

Personally I can’t make my mind up what’s going on, I fear the worst but somewhere way down beneath the darkness I’m harbouring hopes that there’s a bigger, brighter picture occurring that will start to emerge soon.

This optimism is buried pretty flippin deep though and I keep flittin somewhere between two extremes.

Scenario A

With the cup half empty, it appears that Walsall are in BIG financial trouble. We have debts of well over £2million and no ground of our own.

In the current financial crisis, commercial income is dropping and the head-in-the-sand attitude to fans’ disillusionment has meant that that particular revenue stream is significantly slowing down too.

There are currently no takers for the big new advertising board and – if you examine it closely – the quote from a certain individual at the club that they are using it to try to “create the income that will provide the finance that will maintain league football in Walsall” is hardly going to inspire confidence in the club, is it now?

All of which means that the threadbare squad that I highlighted in part one of his blog, topped up with the odd free transfer – on a one-year contract naturally – will actually be the one that we will be supporting next season.

Anyone showing the remotest bit of promise will be on their way, as soon as another club shows the remotest sign of coughing up a bit of cash.

Some will argue that this is the way of the world, but when you’re in a downward spiral it becomes a hell of an ask to get out of it.

In this scenario, crowds will drop further, with those remaining becoming increasingly bitter, the club will quickly develop a reputation – if we haven’t already – as being ripe for easy pickings and we will struggle to attract new players, either for the first team or the youths.

Good managers will then become harder to hang on to as well, I’d hate to think of our manager Chris Hutchings going the same way as Richard ‘Dicky Dosh’ Money.

And we’ll still have to pay the rentman.

Scenario B

With the cup half full, we give Hutchings some credit for using his head a bit.

Rather than wait for the rug to be pulled from under him on August 31, he’s pushed through the Gerrard deal at the start of the window.

Added to the unexpected Scott Dann bonus, he now knows exactly what his budget is and can plan and prioritise accordingly.

There are surely plenty of unsigned players still available and, the closer we get to August 8th, the more reasonable they become.

Precedents can be seen as well. Out 1994/95 promotion team was constructed on the back of the sale of Dean Smith to big-spending Hereford – I kid you not – and key players like Kevin Wilson and Scott Houghton didn’t arrive until the pre-season friendlies were well under way.

Likewise in 2000/01, when the first-time-round departure of Michael Ricketts funded a huge rebuilding, right up to the day before the season started.

Even better than that, Ray Graydon didn’t begin bringing in new players to the legendary first promotion team until 13 July 1998. But that particular signing was Andy Rammell, closely followed by Neil Pointon and Darren Wrack. It was worth the wait.

Not that I’m suggesting we’re on the verge of an utterly unexpected charge into the Championship, just that with a month to go this scenario is still a possibility – however slight.

So half full? Half wmpty? Completely empty? Or in danger of Mr Bonser selling the glass and replacing it with a second-hand paper cup?

Take a deep breath, because pretty soon we’re gonna find out.

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