Sam Parkin: Walsall need to settle on a style

Darrell Clarke spent much of last season changing his system and alternating between formations.

Now, EFL on Quest pundit Parkin believes the Saddlers must settle on a way of playing.

“They had a brilliant end to the season, so the coronavirus came at the wrong time for Walsall after some good results against top half teams,” he said.

“Maybe they were showing that they were just getting to grips with it.

“Looking at the back end of the previous season there seemed to be a disconnect between the supporters and the club.

“There are different facets to getting everyone on board and the results are the most important thing for any new manager.

“But getting out in the community pulls everyone together too.

“The other side of it is playing an attractive, exciting style of football, which we’ve seen with the promoted sides in the division.

“That’s probably the big question mark that still hangs over Darrell Clarke and Walsall, what exactly are they trying to be? They’re a hard working side and he’s a manager that likes to get the team very organised.

“In time that should translate to results, but it’s probably not going to be the type of football that the fans of Swindon or Crewe have been treated to.

“That’s partly down to the manager, but also the budgets as well and people need to look at that realistically.”

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