Where to now for Walsall's ground?

Where to now? The mystery of the Banks's Stadium ownership is unravelling, piece by piece.

The bone of contention, the burning issue among Walsall's long-suffering fans, is coming into sharp focus.

Speculation has always been rife but with yesterday's announcement landlord Suffolk Life is selling up, the club can finally end years of conjecture.

But what does it mean and where does it leave the Saddlers?

They will have a new landlord. We know that. How much do Suffolk Life want? Why and when are other matters.

Where is the money going and to whom? Suffolk Life are the main beneficiaries but will they recoup it all?

How much they paid for the site in the first place remains a mystery.

Above all, though, fans want to know where it leaves the club and want-away chairman Jeff Bonser.

Of course, we know Bonser has a pension plan with Suffolk Life, as do many other people. That's where it gets confusing.

For years fans have been concerned about the spiraling amount of rent the club has to pay. But the current evidence points to something the fans do not want to see.

Suffolk Life own the freehold, Walsall pay their rent and, while they administer the pension fund, Suffolk Life do not contribute to it.

What is black and white though is the stadium is up for sale and, depending on your view, it could work one of two ways.

It pushes Bonser closer to the exit door and sparks hopes of a new era at WS1. It leaves it wide open for a buyer to come in and purchase the club lock, stock and barrel.

Previously, suitors would not have touched it had they not been able to secure the land too – but now the option is there.

We know Bonser wants out and this could be the tipping point he and the club's fans have been waiting for.

Walsall Council – who have been continually courted by the Saddlers – have ruled themselves out of the running.

The club can't afford to buy the freehold themselves and, in the current economic climate, who will come in? There lies the biggest worry.

Should a company who do not have the club's best interests at heart buy the freehold, it could lead to trouble. The Saddlers cannot afford to have an overbearing landlord.

Also, after the dust has settled, they will still be paying the best part of £450,000 a year in rent to play at their own ground.

But DTZ – the company charged with finding a buyer – have moved to reassure worried fans. They and the Saddlers are adamant the club's future is secure.

DTZ's Nick Allan said yesterday the rent will only increase with RPI (retail price index) so there is little scope for the Saddlers being priced out of their home.

They can't control who their new landlords are – as much as you would have no say if someone wanted to buy your rented flat – but as long as they keep paying rent there is not an issue.

They have an 83-year lease on the site they moved to from Fellows Park in 1990, so the club is on solid ground. Why then, is there a sense of foreboding?

Uncertainty breeds uncertainty but, again, Bonser has refused to talk. Now he has declined to clarify his position, speculation and conjecture will fill the void.

The chairman has not spoken to the Express & Star for more than two years and his self-imposed silence only serves to add to the confusion.

His popularity is already at an all-time low and he stopped attending games this season because of fans' feelings.

But, after yesterday's developments, he has still kept quiet. No-one at the club can answer the questions apart from him.

Bonser has a well-known dislike of the media and while an interview request was lodged by the Express & Star, it was done more in hope than expectation.

It is a sad state of affairs the chairman has chosen not to dignify the club's fans with a response, disrespectful even.

For all the good the club does with ground-breaking season ticket offers and improved communication, the chairman manages to undo some of that work.

Until a buyer is found and a bid is made, though, the Saddlers will continue as normal – albeit as the uncertainty continues in the background.

We can't forget there is a relegation battle to be won. Regardless of who owns the ground, the club do not know what division they are going to be in next season.

The players have enough pressure on them with the club sitting fourth bottom ahead of this Saturday's crunch visit of Hartlepool.

Relegation from League One is unlikely to have an impact on the freehold price but the Saddlers cannot afford to stand in limbo – on or off the pitch.

By Nick Mashiter