Darren Byfield: Promotion as Walsall boss would be "more satisfying" than as a player
Darren Byfield says promotion as Walsall interim head coach would be "more satisfying" than it was as a player.
The 49-year-old was handed the reins on an interim basis until the end of the season, after emerging with a 3-0 win at Crewe Alexandra last weekend and a goalless draw against third-placed Cambridge United on Tuesday.
That has left Walsall just two points outside of the play-off places ahead of the visit of Newport on Saturday, as Byfield looks to emulate his achievements on the pitch from 25 years ago, now as the main man in the dugout.
Byfield famously scored the winning goal in the Saddlers' 3-2 victory over Reading in the 2001 Second Division play-off final and has made no bones that promotion is the goal for the 'Class of 2026' too.
"Unbelievable" - Byfield on dream of promotion
"That would be more satisfying and enjoyable than me doing it as a player at the Millennium," Byfield replied.
"This would be on a whole different scale because as a player it's just about you if I'm being honest.
"There is nothing better than playing in front of the fans, but in terms of feeling like you've given something back.
"To be in charge of a team that goes and gets promoted would be unbelievable.
"Let's keep knocking these games off one by one and let's see where we end up."
Byfield has switched from the sometimes rigid 3-5-2 played under former boss Mat Sadler and implemented a much more fluid 4-3-3 system.
Results determine if Byfield's system is successful
His bold approach has helped recapture the fan base - albeit after only two games - but Byfield insists that results and performance will determine if his changes will be successful.
"It's crazy because you tell a striker not to shoot near post but if it goes in then nobody will say anything," he noted.
"You know the moment he doesn't and it goes wide - why did you do that?
"It's the same in the chair that I'm sitting in because you're only right when you get the right results.
"If I had come in and done what I've now, but not got the right results over the two games, then it would be, what's he doing? Let's get him out.
"I know we didn't get the win on Tuesday but the fans saw the effort that the boys put in and that we were still trying to win the game.
"Saturday we've got to back up the next two results and win at home. The same energy and effort that they've given in the past two games - they've got to give that again."
'We need to make our stadium a fortress again'
Walsall are the only team in the division yet to win on home soil in 2026 - a run spanning eight games since a 1-0 win over Crewe Alexandra on Boxing Day.
They did avoid setting an unwanted record of five successive home defeats for the first time in the Bescot era with their point against Cambridge in midweek.
But Byfield wants to make Bescot a fortress again and insists that the energy which comes from the fans has to be created by the players and the action on the pitch.
"We have to make our stadium a fortress again. I want people to be scared coming to our ground to play us.
"That's how it has to be. When we're doing that, it means we're bringing pride to our fans.
"The fans just want to be proud of our team. To get the energy of them, we've got to give them energy.
"It starts with us. I heard them on Tuesday and they're with us because they can see we're trying and fighting to pick up points."
