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- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Walsall boss on record-low crowd
Wednesday 1st September 2010, 10:40AM BST.
Walsall manager Chris Hutchings has refused to blame a record-low crowd for the team crashing out of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
The Saddlers lost 2-1 to Chesterfield in front of just 1,793 last night – the lowest in the Banks’s Stadium’s 20-year history.
It was the third time in succession Walsall have been dumped out of the competition by lower league opposition.
But after a poor attendance, supplemented by 212 travelling fans, Hutchings insisted the low crowd was no excuse for the Saddlers’ performance.
He said: “If there isn’t an atmosphere then you’ve got to make your own and make sure you do your job but we were a little wanting in one or two areas.
“You look at all the clubs in the competition and there aren’t many high attendances, unless you are a big club or you get to the latter stages when everyone wants to come.”
But the Saddlers boss conceded his men didn’t deserve to progress after goals from Jordan Bowery and Dean Morgan sent them out, despite Reuben Reid’s first-half leveller.
Hutchings said: “I was pleased Jonathan Macken got 90 minutes but there weren’t too many plusses to come out of it and that’s disappointing.
“We never threatened and I was disappointed with most of the boys.”
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What a superbly run club.
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It’s the double dip recession and a lack of chips.
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Its simple Bonsor, leave the club and the supporters will come back.
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Dear Mr. No Name,
That may have been the case 1,2 or 5 years ago, not sure it is now.
I still care for the club, 30 odd years travelling whereever and whenever but it would take a lot to get me back now. The poison runs deeper than that. Bonser can go, but there are many lost forever.
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A club transformed.
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If Hutchings thinks that team is capable of achieving something this season he needs to look elsewere 4 employment preferably not in football..
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Walsall have no-one to blame but themselves. This is a poorly run club. They blame their attendances on the fact that four clubs surrounding them are in The Premiership, but it’s not that. Working in Walsall I come across more Walsall fans than Albion, Birmingham and Villa put together. A town that is larger in area than near-by Wolverhampton getting 1,000 at home is embarassing. Their problem is their public relations, I see Wolves, Villa and Albion working with the local community, out about being proud of where they are from, but hardly if any from Walsall. This four local teams in the Prem red herrin and and it’s a club with no identity no history and about as characteristic as the corrogated metal that plasters its stadium. When your market is gettin more people there than the football it’s time to give up.
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A club model that others should look to follow.
Oh and Jim you’re wrong. The man with no name is bang on
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Lack of investment + mainly dreadful football + no ambition + total disrespect for the paying public = NO SUPPORTERS. SIMPLES
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There was never going to be a huge crowd at last night’s game. A Tuesday evening, the day after a Bank Holiday, when kids are still off school was not good timing. However, Walsall Fc had no control over this but perhaps had tickets been £5 more families might have been encouraged to attend. £10 is a fair price but not low enough to bring in crowds.
The JPT cup is really a Mickey Mouse tournament but it is the only cup Walsall FC are ever likely to win so I would have hoped for a good performance from the team. A trip to Wembley would have been great for the club, the town and the fans. Unfortunatley Walsall FC didn’t look at it that way and the players failed to perform again. The supporters hopes and dreams were once again halted at the first stage. If we get a home draw for next year’s JPT competition I think we will be lucky to get 1000 supporters in!!!!
That is why supporters are staying away from Bescott……. the team does not perform well at home. They have the odd game where they play brilliantly but they are not consistent. Once they start playing consistently well both at home and away then I think the fans may drift back. However, until that happens people are saving their money and staying at home.
I actually paid my £10 and went to the match last night and I was ashamed to be a Saddler. Chesterfield played like their lives depended on winning and it paid off. Well done Chesterfield I hope they do well in the tournament.
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Its disapointing to see the club receed from the heady days of Graydon but in reality what can you expect?
95% of all TV money goes to the top 44 teams, SKY TV was the death nell for teams like Walsall. The only hope is that some millionaire buys the club but even if that happened, when we were 7th in the Championship with Merson, O’Neil, Samways etc we only managed 7500 home gates its not enough to allow the club to sustain itself at the next level.
Yes the team can do better than last night but the club is unlikely to change radically in the next few years, in fact at the current rate I expect there to be a Premier 1 and 2 and all others semi pro!
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spot on bonser remaining in charge equals no supporters that’s it
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It’s called supporting an unfashionable lower league club. If you want Rolls Royce football then follow Chelski otherwise stop inventing reasons why we didn’t win or why nobody can be be bothered to see the Reds in some crap lwr league cup game.
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I love walsall but the fact is i live near london and a day out to see walsall costs me close to hundred poundsso i cant possibly do that every game . the club needs to get the younger supporters back in th grounds at affordable prices and bring back away travel coaches . the last walsall game i went to was so boring i found myself watching the pigeons flying over instead. half time entertainment would be an advantage aswell because to be honest 20 pounds a game is really steep i personally think. watford fc do family days and all special days like the kids for a quid and 10 pound adults!! what happened to the 2 for 10 pounds !!! personally i think a thousand tickets should be donated between the disabled groups and schools to get the people talking about the club again orelse we will become a forgotten part of the town and fade away
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I think Chase Saddler has hit the nail on the head. Bonser’s antics, certainly over the last 4-5 years, have killed the dream for many supporters. The way he pulled the rug from underneath Richard Money’s feet by selling Dan Fox and, especially, Scott Dann and not replacing them when we were 4th in League 1 was so short-sighted. The message that it clearly gave to the fans was: Walsall Football Club cares more about money than it does success on the pitch. So, many fans thought: What’s the point? Where’s the dream of getting promotion to the Championship, or having a glorious cup run (we can’t seem to get past the first round of any cup these days!)? Take away the dream from football supporters and there’s not much point any more, especially if all you see is sterile football and regular home defeats against teams like Tranmere and Chesterfield. The only thing that will get supporters back to the Banks’s is success on the pitch, regardless of whether Jeff Bonser is there or not. Oh, and a few quality signings would help too!
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A lot of good points made about the crowd and the way the club is run BUT the fans that did go got behind the team. Amateurish defending and poor tactics cost us on Tuesday.
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Pete,
I might be wrong…although I did say simply that I am not sure that Bonser leaving would get fans back. I do agree that he is root cause for so many disappering.
But assuming they’d all come back is dangerous. If there aren’t thogusands on these boards saying I’d come back if he left then does the passion for the club still run that deep?
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I’ve said before no there is no longer the passion for the club as there was before. JB is not the only poor owner we have had at least he keeps the club going unlike wheldon and the ground share the ground and facilities are there for the future be it with JB or not the problem is the passion that does remain is for JB to leave there are far too many who have got carried away and sucked into this battle to rid the club of JB. The football is just secondary now and I think that some fans won’t be happy till this is achieved even to the cost of the club going bust. WFC are in the league they have spent most of our history in its good we all desire to be in the championship they were good times but we all need to be realistic as too what can be achieved at the club, we were all annoyed at the Dann/fox fiasco but its gone now and was just business yes it has cost us there are clubs up and down the leagues who have too do business this way to survive and there are clubs who take risks then suffer down the line. Time to decide if fans want a club at all. If so time to get bims back on seats and fill the ground cause at the moment if I was JB I probably be thinkung like him – if they can’t be bothered to come and all they do is complain then why should I be bothered. If a multi millionare Arab bought the club I still think some fans would find something to groan about…
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