Express & Star

Saddlers social: Walsall fans have their say

Walsall fans have their say on the latest happenings at the Banks's Stadium.

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Nick Etheridge

There have been so many comparisons made between this side and the 1998/99 promotion team, but with our recent struggles at home, I’m reminded of the side Dean Smith built between 2013 and 2015.

There were many games in that period, particularly at home, that we were by far the better team, but failed to break down teams content with walking away with a point.

Two key factors pushed us on to the next level.

The first was having a couple of systems we can fluidly switch between during the game.

This is something Keates must work on and have the confidence to implement.

More importantly for me though is having a settled squad with minimum player turnover.

With some key players out of contract in the summer, it’s important we tie them down sooner rather than later in order for us to build on this promising start.

Much like Smith, Keates is in this for the long game so player retention is equally, if not more, important than recruitment.

Richard Kendrick

It was great that another youngster got the chance to make his debut in the Checkatrade Trophy clash with Middlesbrough.

Hopefully, Alfie Bates will be a name that we get used to seeing on the team sheet in the next few years.

In the league, it could be vital that we get as many points as we can from the remaining October games, as November throws up a few tricky fixtures.

It was also great to see Kieron Morris back in the side and being the difference maker at Bristol Rovers.

For me, he wouldn’t be the first choice out wide, but he was unlucky to lose his place and if the other two wide players aren’t producing, he should be coming into the side much earlier than he has.

And congratulations to Dean Keates on being named as Sky Sports League One Manager of the Season so far.

The old Deano has shown this week what you can do by moving when your stock is high and having an attractive footballing philosophy, even without being promoted – don’t get any ideas yet, Gaffer.

Kevin Paddock

Well I’ve spent the past two weeks in Turkey so could only manage to be an armchair fan and watch on iFollow.

But the victory against Bristol Rovers was very much welcomed following two disappointing home results.

It seemed going into the fourth minute of injury time we would draw a blank yet again, but Kieron Morris came up with the goods – I hope this is a little nudge to Deano to give Morris more of a chance as he’s another player who’s improved since Jon Whitney’s exit.

To be seventh with a game in hand on some teams going into October underlines what a magnificent job Keates is doing – that superb season under Dean Smith we had just three points more than we do now.

Smith had three years, Keates has had less than a year. Let’s just hope Brentford don’t come calling for the Beechdale Guardiola!

Tom Miner

Dean Keates definitely wouldn’t have wanted the weekend off from football with the Saddlers building such great momentum over the last few weeks.

Normally, I would think this could be an opportunity to let players rest up and recover from the hectic start to the season, but the more and more I watch Walsall play, and the more and more I look at the capable players on the bench, the less important the need for rest becomes.

Even during Smith’s fantastic season, I would look at the bench and wonder how we were going to change games.

The competition for places Keates has built not only gives him the opportunity to rotate and keep players fresh, but more importantly keeps the likes of Ferrier and Ismail on their toes, knowing that a couple of bad performances or a slight dip in work rate will see them axed the following week.

Nathan Briant

I keep reading that Dean Smith did a brilliant job at his last two clubs and that he deserves his new job at Aston Villa.

Yes, kind of.

It would be silly to say he didn’t do a good job at Walsall – eventually. It tends to be forgotten by some but there were some bleak days under Smith too.

And it looks like he did well at Brentford. But it’s obvious that he also didn’t finish either job off as he might have with just a few months’ work.

Both clubs would surely have wanted Smith to take them over the line rather than throwing it in when another, more monied club came calling. But he chose to leave.

Everyone knows in the Midlands that Villa is a sleeping giant. In some ways, the club’s slide from the top Midlands Premier League team to Championship also-rans has been hilarious, with some Villa fans still hung up on their European Cup win 35 years ago.

But Dean Smith’s reputation will take a battering if his club fails. And he still won’t have any managerial promotions on his CV.