It was a weekend to forget for Walsall, as the return of fans to the stadium did not end well. Issues on and off the pitch marred the joy of being back, with many wondering what the club have actually done in the 16 months off to improve the basics of the stadium, like a lick of paint, and the cleanliness of the stadium.
On the pitch, the team capitulated in the first half, and although it is yet to be seen if this is a one off, or will be a recurring theme, it brings back too many memories of seasons gone by. So that leads the club to a Tuesday evening against Scunthorpe, where things have to improve.
Taylor needs his first win
Walsall had a fairly good pre-season in regards to the playing side of things, with Taylor’s style becoming more and more apparent throughout. The first two games continued this vein of thought, as a narrow defeat to Tranmere, and a penalty loss to Doncaster showed signs of a team that can compete, and be in the mix.
Forest Green set all of that back a few steps. The defeat dampened the excitement ahead of the new campaign, and showed how far off the top places Walsall are. Forest Green are a well organised team that are expected to be pushing for promotion, or at the least, the play-off’s. It is the standard that Walsall need to be aiming for, and it all starts against Scunthorpe.
The Iron have had a slow start to the season, much like the Saddlers, after their disappointing season last time around. They are tipped to be involved at the bottom end of the table, and it is exactly the type of game that Walsall must win to kickstart their season. It is a match that, on paper, is one that Matt Taylor must see his side picking up three points if they want to be pushing the top half as a minimum, however it is a game that Walsall historically don’t tend to win.
Holden will be missing, however there are simple tweaks to the starting line up that can be made to improve the balance of the team. Bringing in Liam Kinsella alongside Joss Labadie will add more battle, and cover for the defence, which should tighten them up. If this can be achieved, it means the attackers are only seeking one or two goals to win the match. It is a simple change, but one many will be expecting to be made.
The club have answered, time to show the intent
Matchday was a disaster on Saturday. A large portion of fans were left disappointed with several major issues regarding their experience in the ground, especially as some of the basics problems had not been rectified in 16 months.
The club held an emergency debrief to look at the issues, and come up with a plan to overcome them. A statement was released on the clubs website acknowledging the problems, apologising for them, and promising improvement. Although the Scunthorpe game won’t see a whole host of changes, the basics must be done right if they want fans to take the statement seriously. Opening adequate turnstiles, having a backup for ticket scanning issues, and a cleaner stadium aren’t tough to resolve, and a lot of the supporters will expect immediate improvements on these issues.
There are several areas that will take time to improve, and the fans will be patient if they see an improvement in the basics tonight, and in the coming couple of games. However the longer these issues take, the more that fans will slowly stop backing Leigh Pomlett.
This is why it is extremely important for Pomlett to spend the money to make the changes and improvements needed. A large portion of disappointed fans were questioning whether to come back for future games, and some season ticket holders felt that they are spending a lot of money for very little return. Keeping these fans turning up, and spending in the stadium, will make a big difference to the income at Walsall, and Leigh Pomlett will be fully aware of this.
