Darrell Clarke has this morning been announced as the new manager of Walsall Football Club, replacing Dean Keates who left the club in March.
Clarke has signed a three year deal with the club.
Clarkes first task will be to decide which of the current squad will be retained/released before shaping a squad capable of challenging at the top of League 2 next season.
Clarke has been out of work since his departure from Bristol Rovers in December last year following seven defeats in ten leaving Rovers in the relegation zone.
Clarke has the highest coaching badge a manager can have and has won promotion four times in his eight years as a manager.
He started his managerial career at Salisbury where he got the side promoted through the Southern League play-offs in 2011 and then promoted again from the Conference South in 2013.
He joined Bristol Rovers in 2013. He got relegated with Bristol Rovers in his first season but lead them to back to back promotions from the Conference to League 1 between 2014 and 2016.
His average win percentage is 47.5% in his nine years as manager.
He found himself questioning the Rovers budget and was quoted as saying the club were thirty years behind everyone else – be interesting to see how far behind our budget is compared to other sides…
