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Saddlers struggle to sign players
Friday 19th June 2009, 11:36AM BST.
Walsall manager Chris Hutchings has revealed the difficulties of persuading players to sign for the club.
The Saddlers boss is hunting new recruits to bolster his skeleton squad as he has only 18 professionals including young trio Sam Adkins, Will Grigg and Darryl Westlake.
But Hutchings has spoken of the pitfalls he has to contend with when conducting transfers.
He said: “People think we can just do this or that, but there are a lot of scenarios which go into getting a player to the football club.
“It’s about who is willing to come. Whether it be who is willing to come from the north or south to the Midlands.
“You could be interested in players, but they could have wives and kids at school who can’t move out and get to the area, which is a difficult scenario.
“It’s about moving house, moving school, is all your family where you are now and does the missus want to move away from them? It’s a difficult time.”
The Saddlers boss also admitted it is harder to entice players to Walsall on one-year contracts.
He said: “It is harder than in the past because the problem is, if you’re only offering one-year contracts, you’re not going to get people who are going to go ‘right, I’ll uproot for a year.’
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So how do you expect local people to uproot from there families and go to bescot on a saturday afternoon. BLOODY JOKE. Blakenall will soon have bigger crowds!
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I’m sick of this covering of backs running up to the season start, I admit that yes there must be problems, but as a manager you are meant to ‘manage’ these problems, all clubs have these problems, yet I see signings all around League 1, but not at the Bescot.
And to offering one year contracts, lets start offering 2 year contracts, a) more players will sign and b) we wont have this same mess the season after
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I’ve a novel idea here, this is ground-breaking earth-shattering stuff, so hold on to your seats ladies & gents.
Let’s be bold, let us be outrageous, let us take the risky step of offering, wait for it, its coming, you know its good, 2 year contracts.
Yes, that’s right, a 2 year contract. That way, not only might we be able to attract a bit of quality, but we might not be building a new team every bloody season.
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It seems mad to me that Walsall don’t exploit their relationship with Aston Villa. Sure Villa play Walsall pre-season and will use the Banks’s as their reserve ground occassionally but why don’t Walsall tap Villa so as to loan out their youth/reserve players to them. Surely this would halve the recruitment headache.
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pay peanuts get monkeys… as well the one year contract is no good …. again a good season will be to finish in top half at least we have team….who is gaining from having a team in Walsall need we ask…
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Surely the problem of getting players moving is the same for everyone? In fact we should have a better chance than Hartlepool or Gillingham because of where we are.
If one year contracts aren’t the answer then let the short-sighted idiots in charge know instead of whinging in the press. #
I thought you were better than that Chris.
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comments like this will hardly bring the fans back even though he speaks the truth welcome to the hairy fairy world of jeff bonser chris.crowds this season we be worse than ever.the club is going to die under bonser.it will be more of the same next season and the next and the next.
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1YEAR CONTRACTS ARE A JOKE THATS WHY WE STRUGGLE YEAR IN YEAR OUT.
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Shut up you lot and go and support Luton, Rotherham or Bournemouth.
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Well done Phil, while there are supporters like you, JB will always be rubbing his hands with glee! Regarding contracts, why not award 2yrs for those you think are worth it, but then I suppose somebody will have to put his head on the block, and that does not happen at Walsall anymore
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Phil Burton go away and play with your toys. This conversation is for Grown ups only.
Chris is starting to sound like another under the thumb walsall manager.
Is it any wonder that the best manager the club had for years (RM) told the club to stick it.
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It’s hardly Hutching’s fault if he’s not given the forward budget to offer two year contracts. We all know who controls that!
We were stung by offering Roberts a two year deal. However, I agree with two year deals for the right player.
If the club are so worried about their future why not offer players two year contracts with the clause of a wage decrease if we were relegated? Other “Well run clubs” do it.
Brighton have just given Wrighty a 2 year deal, are they better run than us??
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There is a very real possibility that Phil, in post 9, was actually taking the mick.
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I’m affraid we’re all thinking along the same lines on this one ! Yes we did get stung with Roberts regarding a two year deal , but that was down to the management at that time not doing enough research on that players back ground , he was and is a crock ! Don’t get me wrong , i think he is a decent enough player when he’s fit, but we should of checked his previous years of injuries !! hopefully his recent operation will return him to some sort of injury free games !! But yes , yes ,yes , we need to be offering a minimum of a two year contract to players we know have class , a proven track record , thats what other clubs do , and that is the only way your going to attract players of any quality , we’re not expecting two or more year deals to players no one knows or have proven themselves at any other club’s that would be stupid !! SORRY WE DID THAT ONE ALREADY !! i have been going to watch Walsall football club play for 30 years and a season ticket holder for the last 10 years , but i’m sad to say i have not renewed this season , yes i know the credit crunch has made me think hard and long , but what has made my mind up for me is that i’ve really been honest with myself and realised , no not ralised, stopped kidding myself we are ever going to get any better under this chairman !! He is not prepared to even attempt any ambition for this club , not even a little gamble here and there to sign some players that would really make a difference , we all saw that when Colin Lee was here , so no , no more ,yes i’ll miss it , but i’m not going to kid myself anymore , and yes it does cost alot of money to boot !!
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