Weston sure of Walsall recruits

Saturday 4th July 2009, 11:11AM BST.

WAL 1 TS 02Rhys Weston has backed boss Chris Hutchings to deliver the goods and flesh out Walsall’s skeleton crew.

An increasing need to sign new faces surrounds the Banks’s Stadium following Anthony Gerrard’s switch to Cardiff for around £200,000 this week.

The Saddlers, who started pre-season training on Thursday, are down to just 18 players, including six teenagers – the minimum number required to fill a matchday squad after the introduction of seven substitutes for next season.

Hutchings desperately ne-eds recruits and, with frustrations growing, Weston has insisted Hutchings and assistant Martin O’Connor will bring in quality.

He said: ” We haven’t got the biggest budget so we’ve got to be careful and very selective on who we try and bring in. I’m sure they’re doing everything to the best of their ability.”

And the 28-year-old believes the majority of transfers will happen tow-ards the end of the window in August because clubs want to save money.

“Clubs may not make signings early in the summer because it means extra wages,” he said.


  1. 1
    desben

    And in the mean time, boards with more ambition and the ability to see a team needs to gel in preseason will have signed up most of the quality in our price range.

    Players also need a real pre-season in order to be match fit for the new season.

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  2. 2
    desben

    Not knocking Weston though, he’s just stating the facts we already new about our current financial policies!!

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  3. 3
    Cullys World

    I wonder how many times the club and it’s spokesmen have to keep banging on about our ‘well run club’, limited resources, small budget etc. If the top priority was not to pay £353,000 rent per annum to our chairmans pension fund for the generous use of the Bescot stadium then perhaps we could concentrate on the football side of things and perhaps sign a decent player on more than a years contract rather than settle for a mixture of aged journey men players and foriegn misfits with exotic names.
    Jonathan Cully

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  4. 4
    Beaky Saddler

    Chris Hutchings and Martin O’Connor must be very frustrated men. Nothing to work with, the rug constantly pulled from beneath their feet. True, no surprise at Gerrard leaving and good luck to the kid, he deserves his chance, but a skeleton squad has just got smaller. How much more will CH take, he has already made one or two interesting comments. I feel sorry for him because I genuinely believe he is trying his best with little or no reward. Lets wait and see.

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  5. 5
    Dave Dippy Beesley

    “Clubs may not make signings early in the summer because it means extra wages,” he said…..HOW BAD CAN THINGS GET! If I turn up at 3:45 can I get in for £5.00 MR Bonser?

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  6. 6
    BrownhillsSaddler

    I think O’Conner must have had a bigger budget at Halesowen (I think thats where he was manager!?!?)I genuinely have a great managament team at the helm but I, like most fans, am fed up when I log on to E&S only to find articles about how are well run club are going to sign players eventually and how a new player every day says they have faith in CH, MO….we all have faith in the management…just not the owner anymore!! Have to chuckle how we refuse 200k off Scunny for Gezza cos the offer not good enough….only to sell him to Cardiff for…..200k mmmm the mind boggles!

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  7. 7
    mystic saddler

    Im gettin a bit sick of weston constantly sayin what he is told to say by his old man – bonser

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  8. 8
    Colin

    I always try to remain positive about the club and the people who run it; but I really am starting to feel like I have been mugged for my £300 (sorry….an excellent value £290 !)seaon ticket this year.

    SIGN some bloomin players !!

    Report abuse

  9. 9
    mark smith

    And the 28-year-old believes the majority of transfers will happen tow-ards the end of the window in August because clubs want to save money.

    “Clubs may not make signings early in the summer because it means extra wages,” he said.

    IS THAT RIGHT RHYS IS THAT WHY MOST CLUBS IN OUR DIVISION ARE ALREADY SIGNING PLAYERS AND HAVE BEEN FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS!!!

    Report abuse

  10. 10
    NICK

    sorry Beaky , but our mr Hutchings and side kick both played for this football club and already knew what they were letting themselves in for !!

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  11. 11
    ricardogravy

    Re-arrange:

    Purse, Make, Can’t, Out, Silk, Of, Ear, Sows, A.

    We are critical at the best of times but thats only to be expected when we are constantly having the wool pulled over our eyes. At least they can’t bang on about the great new training facilities this year as they did that to death last season.
    Worrying times indeed. No money, no ambition, no communication and NO CHANCE!!! At least MO’c new what he was getting himself into, CH had no idea!!

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  12. 12
    Mystic Saddler

    Why not show them our state of the art sprinkler system, they will sign for nothin then will they not?

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  13. 13
    wayne swift

    The worrying thing aswell, is that most posts on here and the message boards are getting more and more negative every day, and rightly so! The club do not care about the football side of the business, and havent for years. Its just an inconvenience.

    Mr Bonser should hang his head in shame, but all he is really doing is asset stripping the club, and rubbing his hands together.

    These are VERY worrying times!

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  14. 14
    mick

    why do people criticise everything about Walsall FC most supporters appear to have written off their chances before a ball is kicked…complaints are now being voiced as to why Gerrad has been sold for £200000..where do they get this info from since the club have announced this as an undisclosed fee….we now have a good management team in place who I for one believe will produce the goods…oh you of little faith

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  15. 15
    ds

    Who would u sign 4 the mighty Scunny or Cardiff who are spending millions on players?

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  16. 16
    NICK

    Don’t seem to have the option to comment after the Mr Whalley piece , RE- “HAD TO SELL GERRARD”so i will have to have a little say here ! how come we’re worried about cashing in before he is out of contract in 12 month’s , doesn’t this apply to EVERY player at the club , we only ever offer 12 month’s ‘ so all our best players are going to be sold ‘ if there was any , any ambtion what so ever at this club we would be offering longer contract’s to our best player’s ‘ and if it was player’s we had took a gamble on …i.e Jabo , who proved their class , a better contract offer should have been tabled to him before someone else came and took him off us !! THIS FOOTBALL CLUB IS A BUSINESS FRONT FOR OUR MR BONSER !

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  17. 17
    Tom

    Im fearing a long hard slog for Next Season…
    Whos going to join us when we Offer 1 year contracts and have no ambition…

    Bonsers ripping the heart and soul out of the club,and something needs to be done about it

    Report abuse



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