Where does Walsall's latest collapse leave them under Trivela

Walsall slumped to their lowest finish in three years after dropping into the bottom half of League Two on the final day.

A run of five wins from the final 24 games - which featured a staggering 12 defeats - ultimately did the damage.

The Saddlers have been unable to shake off their unwanted tag as perennial capitulators and the second half of this season has seen an all too familiar pattern unfold.

Many of the issues from the previous collapse in 2024-25 have not been solved.

Similar tale unfolds for Walsall

The club once again failed to deliver in the January transfer window despite the appointment of Andy McGregor as head of recruitment and complacency seeped in like a plague after the turn of the year.

Mat Sadler can be held in some part responsible for his tactical inflexibility and for the poor spell of results, which eventually led to his departure in March.

But a number of the performances during Darren Byfield’s interim reign suggest there is a deeper issue at play here.

Questions remain unanswered

Trivela are the common denominators and there is little to suggest that things are likely to change for the better.

Supporters remain in the dark over who will succeed Sadler almost two months on from his exit, which is even more concerning considering big decisions lie ahead on the club’s released and retained list.

There has not yet been communication from the board in the aftermath of the Saddlers’ 3-1 defeat at Bromley on Saturday, as disillusionment among the fan base only continues to grow.

No fewer than 13 players are out-of-contract this summer (although deals for Priestley Farquharson, Jamie Jellis and Elicha Ahui include option years) and a further six loanees will be heading back to their parent clubs.

That means only 10 are contracted for next season and beyond, which is a similar position that they found themselves in when Sadler arrived in the summer of 2023.

Has the Trivela project gone stale?

Sadler was eager to avoid repeating the cycle of rebuilding every summer but that is exactly what is on the horizon for whoever does eventually replace him in the dugout.

Structurally, Trivela are attempting to build infrastructure, but they appear to be heading into choppy waters if the hierarchy are calling the shots regarding the futures of players.

Trivela delivered on a number of their early promises, although you can’t help but get the sense that their project has gone stale.