Bookies write off Walsall boss’ aims
Tuesday 26th July 2011, 9:55AM BST.
Walsall step up their plans for the approaching League One campaignw ith the bookies dismissing manager Dean Smith’s promotion-winning ambitions.
The new-look Saddlers are at Cheltenham tonight for their penultimate pre-season friendlym during which Smith hopes to continue gelling a team from a squad containing eight new signings.
As many as two more could yet be added if the Walsall boss gets his way as he bids to transform last season’s relegation-fighters into a team capable of challenging for a rare place in the Championship.
But the nation’s bookmakers remain unimpressed by Smith’s dramatic survival-securing impact last season and the summer changes.
Instead they think Walsall will be down among ‘dead men’ including Tranmere, Hartlepool, Stevenage and Wycombe and second favourites for the drop behind Yeovil – with the popular Smith even rated fourth favourite to lose his job first in League One.
But one of the summer recruits, Lee Beevers, believes the re-shaped squad is already bonding to good effect.
Beevers said:“In training we’ve been getting the ball down well, playing and passing really well. We need to take those positives into our next couple of games.
“The lads can be happy with their performance.”
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We’re always the underdogs. What’s new? Wonder what odds the bookies will give Walsall to reach the final? Might be worth a bet.
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Sorry meant playoffs! Finals of anything is fantasy land!
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Bookies are only interested with the amount of money that has been bet. With our small fan base and the lack of knowledge of our progress outside this area, the odds on us doing well should be attractive
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On the plus side let’s all go down the bookies and put a few quid on Walsall to stay up! Looks like we’ll get some good odds!
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Know dean on a personal level and wasnt surprised with his achievements last season. I expect them to get a solid mid table finish, maube with a few signings they can push for the play offs. Lets just hope its the same bookies that said albion were down before the most successful PL team in black country history!
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I love it when the bookies has us for the drop..
Two seasons ago we were favorites to go down and we finished 10th, last season they had us for a reasonable 14th and we had the great escape…
So working on that a top 10 should be in order.
Let’s face it as far as the bookies are concerned we should be playing on the local park on a Sunday morning. Well TOUGH stick it too them Deano
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To be honest this is a nothing story as the odds for next season have been out for some time now.
Put a few quid on Deano and the boys.
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Im a season ticket holder and I dont believe we will go up. We dont have enough strength in depth and the fans just dont give enough support at home. Its like a church most saturdays down the bescot.
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I have been to Walsall a few times and it seems like a really well run club. But you are at your level, if you do go up ( which you wont ) you would just come back down the next season, you dont have the money the ground or the fan base. One thing you do have going for you is that if the game is boring you can always watch the traffic on the M6
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9. If Wigan or Blackpool had had that view a few years back, then they wouldn’t be where they are today!………Walsall’s ambition should always be to get promoted…….cos we would be a great propostion for someone to come in with some money! (Is it really that boring at Wolves, that you have to come on here?)
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Any club can overachieve for a few years. Wolves being the prime example!! I don’t expect a playoff place but I believe we’ll be organised, have a gameplan and play some decent football.
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I don’t think the side is strong enough yet to achieve promotion….a top 10 finish will be fantastic then push on for promotion next season.
Bilbrook wolves…and your team put in such a great performance last tuesday against “little Walsall”, on that performance you will be down by Christmas. See you in the Championship in a couple of years
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We were 40/1 rank outsiders one season,
Let me see what happened ????
yes it comes back to me now
WE WERE SECOND BEHIND FULHAM AND ABOVE
MANCHESTER CITY
COME ON YOU SADDLERS !!!!!!!
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Im with the bookies on this one,they can be wrong on the odd occasion but there pretty much spot on and pre-season normally gives you some idea of performances and team ability.Its been a terrible pre-season which normally leads to a poor season and there’s been many in the past, since money the managers have been tat,but smith has proved his quality lets hope it works, but the team performances have given little evidence it will be any different from the last. Good Luck Walsallfc you’ll need it
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Realistically we have signed players in their mid 20′s and we have quite a few youngsters coming through. Much depends now on the Manager, how he motivates and organises the players.
It is hard to tell the future but the bookies have it wrong of that I am convinced
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Well after the result last night at Cheltenham we shouldnt get our hopes up.
Thats 9 goals conceded in the last 3 games. Also we dont have enough strength in depth in midfield and we need a goalscorer.We have lost out top two goalscoreres from last season Gray and Richards. Mid table would be an achievement but forget the play offs.
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