2005/2006 Season Preview - Walsall

Walsall: West Midlands Home: Bescot Stadium, 11,300 (all-seated) Nickname: The Saddlers Hate: Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City & Aston Villa Last Meeting: 20th Jan 2001 LD2 Walsall A L 1-5 Getting closer as I am to the end of this club profile series, it is becoming ever more clear that it would have been a whole lot easier to get someone to do them who actually had first hand experience of at least some of these places. You can count the number of League 1 grounds I've been to on one hand, in fact, on one finger. And as much as it would be better for me to regale you with first-hand stories about the Bescot Stadium's burgers, atmosphere and new cantilever stand, I'm not able to, and it hurts me inside, really it does. The following is yet again a hastily arranged patchwork of second-hand memories and Google searches topped off with transfer news nicked from The BBC. Onwards… Living in the shadow of more illustrious West Midlands neighbours, Walsall has however had quite an eventful decade that has seen the club promoted 3 times and relegated twice. After a long period in the bottom 2 divisions, the Saddlers made it to the second tier of league football in 98/99, only to be relegated at the first attempt. Not too disheartened by this set-back, the club won promotion straight back up the following season (2000/2001) after a memorable 3-2 victory over Reading in the play-off final at the Millennium Stadium. Unfortunately, the club where unable to establish themselves back at that level, and after two narrow escapes, their third season saw them relegated again in 2004 back to what is now called League 1. Former Arsenal star Paul Merson was handed the managers job towards the end of this season on a caretaker role, eventually taking the job on full-time last summer. After a continuous period of profits for the club through the 90s due mainly to the diversification of their business and making full use of their new Bescot Stadium, the club was hit hard by the collapse of ITV Digital in 2002, and the club's finances, whilst not perilous, remain a concern for some fans. Last season was a frustratingly inconsistent one for the Saddlers after their relegation the previous season, with a woeful start that saw them win only 2 out of their first 11 games. Merson managed to turn things around for a while, but a disastrous run of six defeats in March saw them close to being sucked into the relegation fight. They clawed back some form and finished in a disappointing 14th place. The Saddlers hoped for an immediate return to the Championship as they managed 5 years ago, but it became obvious that the squad was not up to the task this time around, and I'm sure manager Paul Merson will be looking to gamble on a few signings to strengthen the team for this campaign. Merson has already tied up deals for Hartlepool defender Chris Westwood and former Coventry defender Craig Pead. Former Gillingham captain Paul Smith has also joined the Saddlers after turning down the Kent club's vastly reduced contract offer. The club has also been linked with former Liverpool veteran Steve Staunton, who they hope to sign as a player/coach. Disappointingly, the club have missed out on the signature of former Leicester striker Julian Joachim, after he decided to join Boston instead snigger The hottest young prospect at the club is 19-year-old striker Matt Fryatt. The England U19 striker has done exceptionally well on his promotion to the first team, and last season finished with 15 goals, the Goal of the Season award and the Player of the Season award. What he probably needs is a South American to play and train alongside to fully develop his all round game…hang on… …During his time with Portsmouth, Merson was impressed with the talents of an Argentinean trialist by the name of Ruben Dario Larossa. Problems obtaining a work permit meant a deal to sign the player was not possible at the time for Pompey. Recently however, Merson became alerted to the availability of Larossa, now armed with an Italian passport. Merson invited him over for a trial, and has since offered the 25-year-old striker a two-year deal. You know you're scraping the barrel on these things when you get the calculator out and quickly rummage up a couple of stats, so here goes: Matches between the two sides have been free-scoring affairs, with only one goalless match, back in 1961. The last 4 meetings between the clubs have averaged 4.5 goals per game (wow! I hear you say, tell us more!), with our last victory being a 3-1 Boxing Day victory at the Vetch in 2000, one of a few highlights during our dismal relegation season. The return fixture was less than pleasant though, the Saddlers tonking us 5-1 just a few weeks later at the Bescot Stadium on their way to promotion. How will they do this season? Many fans believe the club have not made the number of signings needed to make a big impact this season, and losing out on number 1 target Joachim to Boston hasn't helped matters. However, the signings of highly rated defender Westwood and the experienced Paul Smith are good additions to the squad. Getting long-serving winger and 'first name on the team sheet' Darren Wrack to agree to a new contract is a boost, and if Larossa continues his pre-season form into the autumn they could well surprise a few people...(You can tell I don't have clue what I'm talking about can't you?). Where will they finish? As our resident holy man would say: Mid-Table Be.

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