Walsall blogger Mark Jones has no axe to grind with sacked manager Jimmy Mullen and draws up his criteria for a suitable replacement at the Banks’s.

There has to be an irony that just when Jimmy Mullen thought he’d got away without losing on Saturday.

Like most people I was a little surprised at the timing (I mean we are actually unbeaten this year after all) but certainly not shocked. Judging by the texts I got, not to mention the reaction on the message boards, it was a rarely popular statement from the boardroom.

The decision to give Mullen the job looks more and more like what I call a ‘fingers crossed’ appointment.

A bit like when you’ve got an old banger of a car that keeps making strange noises, you ignore it, refuse to spend any money on it and, fingers crossed, it’ll be OK- then you break down in the fast lane of the M5.

Fingers crossed, let’s hope the former car salesman can do the job even though he’s been out of the game for years. Fingers crossed he can conjure something up with precious little to spend. Fingers crossed the fans will put up with it.

Believe me the Saddlers were heading for a crash, what’s really worrying is that it wasn’t for the first time either.

Jimmy’s tactics were often poor, team selections were mystifying, his man management was questionable with certain players was seemingly singled out for blame and the amount of late defeats we have suffered can’t possibly just be down to bad luck.

But unlike certain ex-managers who I’d like to inflict acts of random abuse on (hi Colin, hi Barnwell) I have no ill feelings towards Jimmy.

He just wasn’t the right man for the job, but it wasn’t his fault he was given it. So there’ll be no further additions to the voodoo doll collection in the Jones household.

But there are a number of concerns nagging away right now. Best to make a list.

The very people who made the mistake of appointing Mullen in the first place are now the ones who have to find his replacement.

We are still reportedly over £2.5 million in debt, whoever the boss is.

We are still burdened by the rent, which burns a big hole in the club’s annual income and could well be a big turn-off to potential future investors.

The severe drop in crowds this season and the effects that the economic downturn must have had on the club’s commercial revenue, meaning that there’s even less to spend on team building.

The new manager will inherit a small, inexperienced squad. If they have anything about them, they should at least be looking to do some dealing (both in and out) in the transfer market. Numbers two to four of the above points are sure to place major restrictions on this.

Lastly, Brian Little is currently out of work.

Saturday’s official statement effectively blamed Mullen for the falling crowds (earlier in the season it was the credit crunch), ignoring the fact that they have been low right from the start.

Nothing to do with poor decision making at the top over a sustained period of time then?

So who’s going to be the next boss? Well judging by some of the losers and no-marks being mentioned in the media already, maybe this one should go right to the top of my list of concerns.

If the decision to axe Mullen was affected by the need to win back disillusioned fans then another unimaginative appointment is the last thing we need.

So there would surely be no sense in giving caretaker boss John Schofield the job permanently in these circumstances. Especially given that, as a coach, he has to take some responsibility for the hoofball we’ve seen this season.

If anyone on the board is serious about restoring the fan’s trust in the club, then any application from the likes of John Ward or Keith Downing has got to go straight in the bin. The last thing we need right now is another failed lower league manager.

I actually believe that, despite everything, Walsall manager is a good job for someone. Someone who likes a challenge, someone who wants to make a name for themselves or restore a reputation, someone who wants to learn about managing in the real world.

The new boss needs to be someone who can motivate his players, work on the training ground to get the best out of them and have the backbone to stand up to his bosses. In turn, they need to respect that and back him accordingly.

Sure this is a tough ask, but the club have unearthed both Ray Graydon and Richard Money in the past, why not once more?

One thing is for certain, the season has suddenly got interesting again.