Today, Walsall announced the departure of Interim Head Coach Brian Dutton. The news did not come as a surprise to fans, who were calling for the decision to be made weeks ago. So why was the decision made? And where do the club go from here?
Simply put, there weren’t enough wins
In a video on the clubs YouTube account, Leigh Pomlett addressed fans about the decision to relieve Dutton of his duties. Although the video was primarily about why the decision had been made, and what will happen next, Pomlett did praise Dutton for stepping up, and for the way he introduced youth into the side. He also recognised the hard work and effort that he put in with the team, and that the qualities he had as a person were what Pomlett would want from a manager.
However, ultimately football is a results business, and Dutton only managed 3 in 20 matches. The form under him has been the second worst in League Two. Points are what managers futures are based on, and with a PPG of 0.85, it should not have been a difficult decision for the board to make. He was unable to turn the rut around, and the squad weren’t performing well.
There is the argument that he inherited a side low on confidence, in poor form, and with it’s best players injured or sold, but there are many other clubs that have had difficult situations, and have powered through. What he did inherit, was a team that was 11th, and only 6 points off the play-off’s, and under his leadership, ended 19th, and only 8 points off relegation. No matter what, under Dutton, Walsall have slid to their worst league finish in the clubs history, and have picked up less than a point a game. It was not good enough.
Thrown in at the deep-end, with no real support
It was a baptism of fire for Dutton, in what was his first managerial role. As mentioned previously, he was left picking up the pieces following Clarke’s shock departure, and the sales of Jules and Adebayo. Obviously losing Adebayo was extremely noticeable, but the impact of the sale of Jules sometimes gets lost. Walsall did not lose when Jules played at left-back, and when Jules was sold, the Saddlers had only lost 6 games, 3 of which came when Jules was not in the squad. Defensively, Walsall were better with him there.
The team looked shell-shocked without two of it’s best performers. It also looked, from the outside, that both Dutton, and the squad, needed a backroom to support them both. Dutton had no assistant on the sidelines until the final three games. With Sadler still needing to train, it meant that Dutton only had Mark Bradley and Maik Taylor to support him on the training pitch too. However much Dutton looked out of his depth, he also was in a broken backroom.
A lot of the players were underperforming too, and this was before Dutton took the job. Not having a transfer window to clear out the players that he wanted to get rid of also played it’s part. It was similar to Keates, where the squad he inherited were tied down beyond their control, and they were unable to make the changes required. However, unlike Keates, Brian was partially responsible for the players that have been brought in, and therefore has to take some of the blame for the squad. He had also worked with them for nearly a season and a half, so he should have known what was needed.
It is only right to feel a bit sorry for Dutton. This was a big opportunity to move into management, but it just has not worked out. He had a team that lacked quality, and barely a backroom, and he has tried his best, something we need to remember about Dutton. He leaves having tried to patch things up, and get the team going again, but his best was not good enough.
What next?
It is the first real test for Jamie Fullarton, who has been tasked with job of finding a new Head Coach. This is the right call. Pomlett has so far been responsible for two appointments. Darrell Clarke was right on paper, and with a CV that suited the club, however that didn’t pan out as expected. Then Dutton stepped up to the plate, which has ended in bitter disappointment. As a duo, they have stopped the slump, then started a new one.
When addressing the fans, Pomlett made a key point about how this process will work. It won’t be a case of ‘apply here’. Instead, Fullarton will be going out with his and the boards vision to target individuals who fit the mould. It will hopefully lead to a quicker, and more effective process. Having a technical director leading the recruitment charge feels like a safer option. Fullarton has a much better idea of what manager will work, especially in tandem with himself.
Pomlett wants a quick, but well thought out process. With the retained/released list due soon, a new Head Coach will be needed, so that they can start working with Fullarton to shape the future of the club. It does feel that this is one of the biggest managerial appointments in clubs history. The stage is set, with a blank canvas of a squad, space for quality in the coaching staff, and a technical director starting their journey too.
Personal thanks to Dutton
The final bit of this piece is a personal view on Dutton. I feel for him, I really do. He stepped up in tough circumstances, when an easier job was on the table elsewhere. He has tried his best to blood some younger players, and get the team performing again. Yes there has been some strange post-match comments, and questionable line-ups, but never was it done with any other intention than to win games.
I would like to thank Dutton for his work over the last two seasons, and like many fellow Walsall fans, I wish him every success. At 36, he has a big career ahead of him.
