There's no need to panic at Walsall

Walsall blogger Mark Jones is keen to remind Saddlers fans exactly how far the club has come in 12 months and temper disappointment on the back of a defeat.

Twelve months ago, Walsall lost 1-0 at home to Colchester. It was already our fifth defeat of the season and our fourth at home.

It was probably the game where I realised, as opposed to strongly suspected, that we were in big trouble and facing a long and difficult autumn.

When you arrive at that conclusion, as a supporter, you begin to become immune to what you see on the pitch.

Anger subsides and is replaced by a feeling of resignation, although sadly not the kind of we all longed for.

You become accustomed to defeat, you prepare for disappointing performances and you develop an expectation so low that it takes the sting out of everything.

Of course, there's still the hope that something unlikely might happen on matchday.

The three wins achieved in the five months between the end of August 2010 and the final Saturday of the following January were all a bit of a bonus, but in the same way a solitary £10 win on the Lottery when you've been playing twice a week for years is a bonus.

This time last year, the reality was that things were fast becoming hopeless for the Saddlers. I fully expected us to go down with a whimper, cast adrift in bottom place. I was not exactly in the minority, either.

But that was then, in the darkest days under Chris Hutchings, and this is now.

Dean Smith is in charge, we do have a comparatively better squad and we have the inspiration of what happened from January onwards to draw from. There's more belief amongst the fans because there's more to believe in.

The stories that there was a good old 'sorting out' post-match on Saturday, along with Deano's harsh public criticisms of the performance, show that when we get annoyed about a game, they are doing likewise in the dressing room too.

Which is why I'm not getting downbeat over one poor result. The manner of defeat to Brentford was a massive disappointment, we can play better and we could do with a few more options in the squad.

But, trust me, there's a world of difference from where we were at in September 2010. Things are better, there is no need to panic just yet and you can trust in the manager.

And if you're not convinced, then just have a look at the DVD.