Saddlers Social: Walsall fans have their say on the January transfer window

Stuart Cox

The end of a decade and the rollercoaster ride of being a Walsall fan is still operating…At end of 1989 we were having a terrible season and ended up being relegated in 24th place from the old Division 3.

At the end of 1999 we again had a poor season and ended up being relegated, albeit from the Championship. At the end of 2009 we were a bit better but with more ups and downs to come. Now at the end of 2019 we are in a really bad place.

Two results away from home that you would have taken before the games and another frustrating home game where we should have put the game to bed and ended up losing. Again individual mistakes cost us at both ends - not being able to put the ball in the net after creating a host of chances in the first half and poor errors from Bates (the sending off) and Roberts (both goals) at the other end. I also disagree with Clarke’s comments in the press about Adebayo - he was clearly injured and actually did really well when he was on the pitch.

January is here - finally - so what will happen? What we want to happen and what will happen are two different things. Will McDonald stay? I doubt it. I’m sure there will better offers on the table from other League Two clubs.

So what do we need? Two wingers who will actually run at defences in the same way McDonald does. A striker who can put the ball in the net. A better centre half than all of the ones we currently have. A better left back than both Callum Cockerill-Mollett and Pring.

If Rose is not the answer, then someone else to challenge Roberts. We don’t currently have a squad that can get into the top half let alone the play-offs and something needs to change. Will anything change? We’ll wait and see.

Ian Newbold

I’m not expecting major surgery to this squad in January, after all, how far could even the most breathtakingly successful transfer window take us this season?

No point wasting good money after bad, or blocking the progress of our academy graduates. The biggest positive of this season could end up being the development of our younglings.

There’s also a case for looking further inward and experimenting a little more with what we have. I reckon Kory Roberts could be useful at right back. I’ve not seen enough evidence that Adebayo is going to become a goal thirsty ruthless striker, so I’d perhaps try him playing out wide.

The area I most expect us to strengthen is midfield. We don’t seem able to get the balance of penetration and protection no matter the midfield combination, and we only have McDonald out wide, and that’s assuming he’s signed on again.

Those departing, we’ll release Kiersey and expect we’ve circulated the names of Hardy and Norman. They have not really contributed anything thus far.

I guess Gaffney could be switched for another borrowed forward if the terms of his loan permit a return, same with Holden. But it could well be a case of better sticking with the little devils we know, however bad we think they’ve been. We all remember Justin Shaibu.

Rob Harvey

I think I’d have been happy with three points from the last six available if you’d have asked me before the game at Scunthorpe, but I imagined we would have lost away at Scunthorpe and beaten Carlisle at home. What a funny old game.

Scunthorpe (a) – what a great result. Unexpected but we ground it out and managed to keep a clean sheet.

Carlisle (h) – one of those games that unfortunately as a Walsall fan you could tell we wouldn’t win at HT. First half, we could have been 3-0 up if we’d have taken our chances and it wouldn’t have been undeserved. However, we didn’t score and Carlisle came out with renewed vigour in the second half, and as has happened many times in the past we were punished. There were a few players who looked a bit jaded or had a poor game, but it’s done and let’s move on. On a final note I was happy to see Adebayo look up for it when he was on, he looked a threat, scored a goal but unfortunately ended up going back off. Hopefully he will gain some confidence from that.

Looking forward to the January transfer window, it’s hard to second guess what Darrell Clarke is thinking or what he is wanting to do, but for me we need to be looking to bring in at least one more striker (sending Gaffney back to Salford), and we could do with some reinforcements in both midfield and defence. Everybody is wondering whether Wes McDonald will sign until at least the end of the season and it would be great if he did. He’s starting to prove himself now and he’s one of the danger men in the division at the moment, so if we do secure his services for at least the next six months that will be a great start to the transfer window for us.

Whatever happens, I can believe it is going to be like a roundabout at The Banks’s in January and we might all be left surprised by incomings and outgoings, although after past January transfer windows I’m not so sure anybody would be surprised whatever happened!

We move on to two more big games now, Leyton Orient at home and Salford away – hopefully we can secure 6 points and push on. If you’re going to Salford, I recommend the curry, naan, rice and a pint if they’re still serving it in the away end. Thank me later.

James Kenealey

Following on from the impressive Scunthorpe win on Boxing Day, Carlisle really felt like an avoidable blow to a team who hadn’t actually lost in the league since November 2 - a moderately encouraging stat considering we hadn’t picked up a single point in the month before.

Football in 2019 at the Bescot ends with an afternoon much the same as the 22 that preceded it - a defeat, late on, mired by issues both on and off the pitch. What a terrible year.

Moving on to January and this is a critical month. Historically not a particularly strong window for us (from the ‘shutters down’ misstep in 2016 to signing players who would never play for us and may or may not actually exist), as I’ve stressed before the key for me is quality not quantity. We’re already in a situation where we’ve got a lot of tinkering and seemingly experimental line-ups going on with players who have been here for five months. We could do without more.

In the Carlisle game the midfield struggled after 50 minutes, particularly Bates. The lack of the experienced Sinclair was telling here, so I wouldn’t mind some midfield cover. Another winger (two if Wes goes). Defensively I think we have enough to work with, if not spectacular. We’d all love a goalscorer but honestly, I can’t see it.

I really hope Wes signs but I suspect he might be off. Gaffney’s time with us should come to an end. It’s going to be an interesting month - I hope for the right reasons.

Open question - what happened to our links with the likes of Albion etc?

Chris Saunders

So we are over halfway through the season and so far it is very clear that the rebuild is in its very early stages still. We have been inconsistent, look on the whole very average at this level currently and our home form is atrocious.

January is now hours away and this gives the club a chance to bring in new faces and potentially ship out a few of the players we currently have. In an ideal world we would work with a large squad and develop players whilst having a first team who are delivering week in week out, but we just don’t have the budget for this. With that in mind I personally feel we need to sort the midfield creativity problem out and with it the ability to retain possession, which we currently seem to lack.

We still miss a true holding midfielder like Adam Chambers but with our current midfield forward creativity is probably more of an immediate concern. In games we either seem to be able to attack well or defend well but not both together. I believe this is due to a large lack of balance in the centre of the park.

Robert Dearn

We all know that January will see a big turnover in players. I am pretty sure Liddle will make his move permanent, and that Kiersey will be released.

I'm not going to get bogged down with McDonald (who at the time of writing hasn't signed) or the lack of wingers, creativity etc etc. One area I feel we are lacking in, is the heart of midfield. We miss a physical presence, that strong, big midfielder who will win the ball, win headers and aid the defence.

We miss an Adam Chambers player that lets the midfield around him be more creative and help the attack out.

Jack Talbot

I didn’t attend the Boxing Day match at Scunthorpe so I wouldn’t like to comment but I heard good things about the performance. However, how did we manage to throw that away on Sunday?! Just as I thought we was climbing up the table and creeping towards the play-offs with a result and we blow it.

I agree with everything DC said in this post match interview. Some players just gave up and are mentally weak minded. Alfie Bates had his worse game in a Walsall shirt, Liam Roberts should of done better with the winning goal in my opinion, and Rory Holden just isn’t good enough.

It is quite clear what we need in January! I believe we need a creative centre midfielder and a proven at this level winger. Along with another striker to make competition for places good as Gaffney just isn’t good enough. If we get the right players in then we can push on in the new year.

Jon Taylor

Two games over the festive period and they perfectly sum up how we have been as a team this season. And Carlisle summed up our season in front of goal missing golden chances when we could and should have put the game to bed.

January is upon us and the shipping out of Liddle must mean Clarke is making room in his budget to bring some fresh players in. Firstly we need to get McDonald signed up on a longer deal that would be the biggest signing of our window. Without McDonald we have looked devoid of ideas and is a real asset to the team at the moment. I also think another winger is a must we keep shoehorning players in and need to get another wide player in.

I would also send Gaffney back and use the budget there to bring another striker in. There is an argument we need move defensive cover and if this did happen I expect some movement out and expect Norman to be one of those moved out.

We are in a no mans land at the moment as we don’t look like we will go down and we are too far off the play-offs to be in the hunt and I don’t expect lots of activity unless Clarke believes we could make a second half of the season charge into the play-offs.

Nick Etheridge

There have been mixed reviews over Darrell Clarke and his transfer policy, but I for one have full confidence that he’ll bring in the right players to see us improve in the second half of the season. His main aim coming in would have been to create stability and build a solid base for us to move forward with.

When not shooting ourselves in the foot and dishing out late Christmas presents to the opposition like on Sunday, we look difficult to beat. The vast selection of midfielders we have, with the majority being the battling kind, mean that we are pretty solid in the middle too

The managers main task is to now look at how we can add some creativity into the side. Key to this is getting Wes McDonald to sign a new contract. With all of the messages from the clubs social media channels regarding his stats, quotes from the player himself, and him appearing in the front of the programme on Sunday, I’m hoping that something has been agreed and the club are waiting for the right time to announce it, otherwise it would be a PR nightmare.

Adding another out and out winger is a must as it would give us better balance, especially at home. Liam Roberts continues to blow hot and cold and if he hadn’t have signed a new deal earlier in the season, I would have said his position would be under threat. You can get away with outfield players being inconsistent as they are supported by those around them. As a goalkeeper you really need to do the basics right, and for me, I haven’t seen enough improvement in the last three years to warrant him still being number one.