Saddlers are in a state of emergency

Walsall blogger Mark Jones assesses the new low the Saddlers have sunk to after a heavy home defeat to then-bottom club Tranmere.

Walsall 1 Tranmere Rovers 4.

Walsall 1 previously bottom of the table Tranmere Rovers 4.

Walsall 1 Tranmere Rovers, on the back of a 3-0 home defeat against Brentford in a six pointer themselves, 4.

Just to fill you in on the 'highlights,'

33 minutes: 0-1. Our defence looks for a non-existent offside flag as Enoch Showunmi goes through.

Goalkeeper Jonny Brain comes out less than convincingly and punches the ball out and John Welsh puts in a superb lob from way out.

Could our defenders have reacted a bit quicker though?

59 minutes: 0-2. Andrew Davies makes a shocking error with a backpass and Showunmi scores. Still 'our' best defender by some distance, Davies has to take full responsibility for this shocker.

But watching the footage again there was a distinct lack of options for Andrew when he received the ball.

65 minutes: 1-2. The first bit of quality from Martin Devaney and a fine delivery is finished clinically by Jonathan Macken. Give him the right service and he will score goals.

78 minutes: 1-3. Aaron Lescott gets turned inside out yet again and gives away a penalty. Ian Thomas-Moore puts it away.

88 minutes: 1-4. Welsh scores again as Tranmere stroll through our midfield and defence at will.

At 1-0 we took off our top scorer Reuben Reid off to be replaced by a player in Alex Nicholls desperately struggling for any kind of form.

At 3-1 we took off our goalscorer to be replaced by a kid without a senior goal.

I felt so sorry for Will Grigg coming on in those circumstances. It was typical that our only other decent chance, strikingly similar to the one Macken scored from, would fall to him.

There is a right way and a wrong way to develop your young players.

So overall shocking, abysmal, shambolic, a disgrace - choose whatever adjective you want.

It's about time somebody did the right thing for Walsall Football Club for once. Quickly.