Are you watching Jeff Bonser?
Tuesday 22nd November 2011, 9:10AM GMT.
Walsall blogger Mark Jones wonders what Jeff Bonser makes of the current plight at the Banks’s Stadium after a lifeless home defeat to Bury in League One.
To Jeff Bonser, I know you don’t get down to the Banks’s Stadium much these days, so I thought I would give you an update.
We’ve just lost 4-2 at home to Bury, a defeat that drops us back into the bottom four of League One, but you probably knew that anyway Jeff. It was Bury who inflicted the rout on Saturday.
You remember Bury, who have just spent the last decade in the bottom division and nearly went out of the Football League a few years back.
They get crowds similar to ours and that’s our current crowds Jeff, not the ones we used to get before Richard Money went.
So it’s obviously a teeny-weeny bit worrying that they were so much better than us and seemed to have more quality.
They kept the ball better, they were better going forward, were better organised at the back – despite having Efe Sodje in defence – and had a better team spirit.
It wasn’t a complete annihilation, however, and in the first-half we had a go, for 20 odd minutes at least.
Mark Wilson began to run the show and we got back in the game. You probably won’t have seen much of Wilson, Jeff, he’s on a month’s loan from Doncaster.
There’s another club who over the last decade have caught up with us, then gone past us before disappearing over the horizon.
Wilson is an experienced player who could do a good job for us, but nobody expects him to be at the club for much longer.
Unfortunately for us, Bury worked out how to shut down Wilson, we couldn’t score when we were on top and paid the price in a woeful second-half.
Our Plan B option is pretty much limited to bringing on young players from the reserves, which is always a big ask isn’t it Jeff? That said, at least we’ve got reserves this season.
So the big question is how do we stop the rot Jeff? How do we improve the squad? Good as it was to see the family stand full again last Saturday, how do we get the crowds coming back for more than just a one-off ticket offer?
How can Walsall FC become competitive again in the third tier, arguably our natural home, let alone think about anything more? OK, that’s more than one big question but you get the point, don’t you?
Some predictably are calling for manager Dean Smith’s head and it would be easy to make him the scapegoat.
I mean we are not far off a significant anniversary of that happening to our most successful manager, but surely that’s not an option is it? Deckchairs and Titanic spring to mind.
Surely the buck has to stop with the man in charge at the very top – the chairman, the owner, the majority shareholder.
So what are you gonna do then Jeff? Are you listening? Jeff? Can you hear? Jeff? Jeff?
UK Sport
Latest Blog — A week is a long time in football
This time last week we were staring down the barrel, third from bottom with a worse record than at the same stage last year, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
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After the form Walsall started to produce last season which resulted in a miracle escape i really thought and wass also hoping that they would buid on that during the summer with a few nice little buys/loans to strenghtehn a bit more and have a comfortable mid table season. At the start of the season i was thinking about havign a bet on them reaching the play-offs, i don’t know your club as well as you do, but i do hope you get it all sorted and you have something to cheer about as it’s been aq painful few years of late. Good luck.
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Spot on Mark.
However, any strong criticism of Bonser will only speed the departure of Smith. Finding a scapegoat is the tactic of the spineless one everytime he needs to take the heat off himself.
Hold on tight! We’re about to start up the merry-go-round so Bonser can gain himself another 12 months grace from the fans. When will the fans realise where the REAL problem lies?
BONSER OUT!
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jeff you need to give money to dean buy some good players or our club is going to struggle. aslo we have a good chance of going down this season our crowd is starting to lower because we are not winning.
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Bonser is a legend. The best thing to happen to walsall fc.
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2 names come t mind, Lee Hendrie who is currently playing for Kidderminster, surely he would have been a decent signing for us? The other is Martin Devaney who is now playing for Tranmere. I think we could have signed these two players if we had more ambition and our squad would be looking a lot healthier.
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Good article but it misses out WHY Geoff doesnt attend many games. Its because of the abuse he and his family receive when they do. So Mr Jones you may wish to address that before panning the man for staying away….there are alot of Walsall fans who stay away without such a good excuse!!!
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Walsall F.C is the best thing to happen to Jeff Bonser. Audi R8′s aren’t cheap you know and by god, the fuel consumption is a nightmare!
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Nath, Devaney is always injured and as for Lee Hendrie, if he was as good as he was then he wouldnt have ended up playing 6 months in the indian league earlier this year, before returning to non league football.
Surely another football league club would have come in for him.
Bonser is in a no win situation, if he doesnt invest he gets abused and if he comes to watch games he gets abused.
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Laughed the other day listening to Dave Whelan the Wigan Chairman say when he bought Wigan his first thought was getting to the Premier League.
I wonder what Jeff was when he bought Walsall.
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Its all part of the plan, Jeff realised that when we got relegated to Div 2 last time, our gates increased and his return on investment was much better.
No good trying to fill the ground with free tickets
Lets get ss to pay to see us winning and being promoted.
Hence the plan. Only problem is this time, the loyal fan base will have disapeared and most loyal fans like me will have finally given up to the dross being served. I can go and watch park football hoofing to a striker who has yet to win a ball in the air this season[no prizes for guessing]
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Coventriansaddler, why do people need an excuse not to attend? It’s not obligatory to attend is it?? Bonsor deserves what he gets for ruining Walsall FC. Saviour? I don’t think so. We would have been better starting from scratch like Wimbeldon than allowing this life sucking businessman to continue ripping the club apart. It’s not just the rent thing it’s also the contempt he holds for us fans. Name another club who has banned fans for peaceful protest. I can only think of 1 out if 92 – Bonser FC!!
Rant over, you can carry on supporting Jeff now.
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It would be good all round if someone new brought the club.
At this stage I really would not mind if they came from India,China or anywhere else as long as they invest in the club.
I have read these countries are looking to invest in sports clubs.
Buying premier clubs off the peg has been done and buying championship clubs and taking them up has been done. So why can’t taking a league one club and getting them premoted be done ?.
I wonder does anyone activly market the club as being for sale ?.
Oh well I suppose I can dream !!
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Coventrian Saddler,
I don’t go. I stay away. People will try and tell me why. I will tell you now.
After over 25 years of home and away I realised I was part of the problem. Whilst I kept going, kept handing over my hard earned JB was going to get richer and the football club was going to stagnate.
So I stopped going. Stopped giving my money to the man. Exposed the hypocracy…footballs a business we have to be ruled by our head….but you fans, be ruled by the heart, put up with the rubbish and wear it like a badge of honour.
For all the protests and yellow t-shirts the fact that the crowds were dropping so much was the reason the club started to talk to the fans, the reason why the land went up for sale, you don’t selll the golden goose while it is still laying eggs.
You keep going, buy the shirt, support the team and not the man (laugh!) and maintain the cycle of mediocracy, demise and despair. Here have a pat on the head, have an end of season awards do at £20 a pop, they can’t even be bothered to laugh at you they are too musy counting your money.
Oh and talking to the fans? What happens when you have to disagree…the biscuits will disappear, you’ll be shown the door. Or actually is sitting and sipping coffee more important than any kind of principles?
Peace y’all.
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Coventriansaddler
….there are alot of Walsall fans who stay away without such a good excuse!!!
I am sorry mate but that is complete and utter Twaddle! I am one of the ‘Stay Away’s’ and to be perfectly frank spending time with my family on a Saturday afternoon as aposed to watching inept football wins everytime!!!!!
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Coventrian, what utter rubbish!
I suppose the fans just decided to turn on Jeff for a bit of a laugh did they? Nothing better to do during a dull match so they thought they would harrass the wonderful benevolant benefactor.
As I say, utter rubbish. The man has strangled the life out of this club. Open your eyes and see the truth. And us fans are supposed to chant his name in thanks????
You’re as much a part of the problem as he is. Sticking up for a man that ordered peacefully protesting fans be banned? You’re a disgrace.
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Tony & Pete
Couldn’t have put it better myself. I think it’s down to the fact we have put up with the situation so long (25 years season ticket holder too) that we can see straight through what’s going on. The ones who don’t understand have been heroic supporters for 5 minutes in comparison.
The definition of insanity is to keep doing what you’ve always done whilst expecting a different outcome!
Change of owner and loads will come back.
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BONSER OUT !!!!! HE’S KILLING THE SADDLERS
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Saddler Sore, so Bonser is in a no win situation? I agree, must be terrible having a pension bulging at the seams with millions after 20 years of rent. Still at least he has never taken a wage out and has transformed the club. (eyes rolling smiley thing)
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Thing is Liam, if he does go and kill the club, he’ll sell the corpse and still come out laughing.
By not going, we may sour the milk enough that he stops sucking.
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