Meet The Manager Evening
6th August 2009
Walsall-MAD members present: Shilts, Sadlad, Wfc, Brattski, Pedagogue
Approx Attendees: 150
Chris Hutchings (CH), Martin O'Connor (MOC) and David Hamilton (DH) attended the session. The evening opened at 7:50pm.
1. Fans were grateful to see the players mingling in the Saddlers Club, is this to continue?
CH: We were delighted to help out, and we will continue to do so this season. I would also like to introduce David Hamilton to you all, our chief scout and also a coach. He has experience at both Wigan and Derby.
2. The missing fans are staying away due to a lack of ambition.
CH: Money is available to me if I want it. I haven't spent it yet as when I was looking at the free transfers, these were providing better options than players demanding a fee. In terms of ambition, we have a fantastic training ground. We are a selling club and everyone has a price. We have 4 massive clubs on our doorstep to compete with. We do however want to be successful.
3. What are your thoughts on the policy of the club selling our young players for a 'pittance'?
CH: As I said, everyone has a price. It is sometimes better to reinvest money generated.
MOC: Some players want to move on, and make it hard for the manger to keep them. We want to keep our best players but if a big club comes in we don't want to stop the players' ambitions.
4. Who places values on players, the manager or the chairman?
CH: I value the players, often in consultation with my staff.
5. Do the players have passion for the club or is it just a job?
CH: It is a job, and the players are lucky to be well paid for what they do, but I don't see it as just a 'job'. We are selective with the players we bring in and the majority of them show great commitment. My teams will never get beaten due to a lack of effort.
6. Will Walsall be affected by the new substitute rules this season?
CH: We have some good young players who have done well pre-season. They all need to earn the shirt however and therefore earn their place on the bench. We do need to field 7 substitutes but we can still only use 3. They must earn the right to be in the squad.
7. This season you will be judged on your squad. Will there be any changes?
CH: I think you will have judged me last season too. We have brought in 7 new players. We want to get it on the floor and play, but sometimes that won't always win matches. We do have a Plan B but we need to play in the right manner.
MOC: As fans, we want to see a team play brilliant football, however brilliant football isn't always the answer. Arsenal are a prime example. We want to win games and are judged on our results. We like to play the ball on the deck, using wingers to get crosses in, exciting football. I agree with Chris, we need to be judged on last season too - we came in at 13th position and finished 13th. We feel we have a better squad than last season, and success will be finishing higher than we did last season.
8. What are the strengths and/or weaknesses of the current squad.
CH: The squad isn't yet fully complete, but we have a good blend of youth and experience. The players have energy and are all hungry footballers. They will give 100% every week, and if we do bring in new faces to add, they must also be right for the squad. Obviously the fans will have been anxious with a number of players leaving, but we have since signed 7 new players and the process takes time.
9. Should the squad be complete with 48 hours to go?
CH: We are never satisfied with things and always look to improve. We are reasonably happy with the squad. Most clubs left things later this summer.
10. Will we ever spend big on transfer fees again?
CH: We have gates of 3-4,000 fans. We can't just go out and spend £300,000, the funds aren't there. Huddersfield have been lucky with new investors and can spend big.
11. Did we make any money from sell on clauses?
CH: Yes we have. They are paid in instalments over time, and not in lump sums as people think. Some money has to go into the club coffers, but some will be used on the playing side. The fess are often undisclosed because the buying clubs insist. They might offer things like testimonials instead.
If Scott Dann went to Blues for £4million (a figure given by an audience member who was quoting David Sullivan) the sell on will be paid over a period of time and I am happy with that arrangement as long as I see some of it.
MOC: David Sullivan does tell big porkies too!
12. How do you rate the set up at Walsall compared to other clubs you have worked at?
CH: I was surprised at the training ground. It is as good as the facilities at Wigan were. You have to applaud the chairman for the investment there. Players want a base and it is an excellent facility.
DH: I have been really encouraged by what is happening. I've only been in the position for 6 weeks, but I could see straight away that the training ground was first class. The players are in a routine of eating well after training, and they all pay for their own meals. They are fed well and they perform well as a result. Jon Whitney does a good job with the nutrition side of things. In scouting terms, we can identify players but we may need to be skilled in the loan market. We have 22 players and 2 for each position.
13. (To DH) Who is the best player you have scouted?
DH: I watched a game at Peterborough some time back whilst at Wigan and identified Jimmy Bullard. He was a steal at £250,000, was very successful and Wigan sold him for £3million. I watch a lot of FA Premier Reserve League games, but players must be able to do the job. I have 1 scout working the London area so we have two of us out watching opponents and players each week.
14. (To MOC) What is your favourite moment at Walsall (apart from the stretcher!)
MOC: It would have to be the game at Bury when we won 0-0 to gain promotion. I remember Chris Nicholl trying to kiss me in the dressing room afterwards!
15. Where do you see the club in 5 years time?
CH: It takes time to develop. We want to be successful here, and having been there, I know that the Premier League is the only place to be. That has to be the ambition long term. The team that we assemble must be hard to beat. Wigan are an example to smaller clubs, and they did it. So can others. If we were to reach the Championship, that would represent success.
MOC: Having played there, I know that Walsall could survive in the Championship. When we were there previously, the town and stadium were rocking. We have all got to stick together.
Break
16. Would it be possible to link with one of our bigger neighbours?
CH: Such a link could be possible if we can agree it. If players come to us on loan, they are easy to monitor. It is difficult to set up, and clubs don't always do us favours!
17. Does the link with Manchester United still exist? Are there any benefits to us?
CH: It was mainly set up with the youth development and centre of excellence in mind, and it is still unofficially ongoing. Man Utd scouts monitor their lads who are training at our centre.
18. Do we scout non-league clubs for players?
DH: I am always watching games at Conference level and even one step lower. Some young lads who slip through the net develop into men much later. We keep an eye, and sometimes get names mentioned. Non League clubs are reluctant to let us watch or invite players to trial. They always ask silly prices to try and safeguard their future. No longer is it £5-£10,000, now it is more like £50-75,000 for a player. Example is Steve Jones, we tried to sign him at Rochdale from Leigh RMI for£15,000, Crewe eventually paid £50,000 for him, which Rochdale couldn't afford.
19. Who will be the next young player to break through?
CH: We have a couple, like Grigg, Adkins, Westlake and Geddes who have all done well in pre-season. They have shown quality but we need to see if they have ability too.
20. Do we have sufficient cover at centre half?
We have 3 centre halves. Steve Roberts coming back is a real bonus, and he has had a minor operation on his back and is now 2-3 weeks ahead in his rehabilitation. Rhys Weston is also a stop gap at centre half. We then have Mark Hughes and Manny Smith, but we may need to strengthen here.
21. What do you see Mark Hughes bringing to the side?
He shows leadership and is an organiser who puts his body on the line. He trains 100% and stands up to be counted. We didn't pay a penny for him! He played alongside Gerrard at Everton and we have done our homework. Some say he was a better prospect.
22. Will there be a weekly comment on the web?
MOC: We may investigate a blog and it is something that we are thinking about.
23. How do you rate the fitness of the players, they look sharper than last summer?
CH: I don't know about last summer, but I tried to bring in some Premier League methods in. Jon Whitney does a great job and the players are lean and mean. The players had the opportunity to attend 10 sessions before pre-season as injury prevention, and I wanted them to do 5 of the 10.
24. Do you think there is pressure in the job?
We put ourselves under pressure. I want to take this club as far as I took Wigan. If I have no money to spend I will do the job. If I have £1million to spend I will treat it like my own.
25. How do think pre-season has gone?
CH: Mansfield was disappointing. We work a lot on shape in training and we had poor shape in the first half and found ourselves 3-0 down. Otherwise we have put in some good performances and I have been happy.
26. How come there was no match against Aston Villa this pre-season?
CH: They were away on tour in the USA and Spain. The schedules just didn't fit together. We did however get games against Wolves and Albion. There was a game against Birmingham City arranged behind closed doors but this was cancelled at the last minute which we were unhappy about.
27. Some fans have said they will boycott home games and only go away.
MOC: If you are a true fan you should support the club. Walsall fans will always travel away and we are grateful for that too.
28. Will you seek to address the home form?
MOC: We always want to win our home games. Mentally some players see home and away games differently. It is hard to explain.
29. When should we look to negotiate renewals for 1 year deals?
CH: This could start happening in October, November or January. Some players want to hold out and see if the grass is greener. We want to offer two year deals. 2 players let us down badly this summer and went trialling. One of the players (Zaaboub, not stated, but implied) didn't report from training on the Thursday as requested and his contract offer was therefore cancelled. He then telephoned a few days later to see what was happening and I told him nothing is happening.
30. We have 7 new players in. Are you looking to consolidate or go for the playoffs?
CH: We have had 6 weeks to gel. I think these players could take us far, but it is a marathon not a sprint. We have got to have a target and the ultimate success would be promotion.
31. Who will challenge for the league?
CH: Huddersfield have spent big. Leeds, Millwall, Norwich will all be up there. It is a bit like the Championship really. Some clubs might sneak through like Swindon if they spend the Simon Cox money wisely. There are some good teams in the league.
The floor was then opened up for further questions.
32. What was the situation regarding Mick Halsall?
CH: The club didn't reach an agreement with Stoke last season. Mick then applied to Wolves and was allowed to move on in everyone's best interests. We have the option of some possible loan players and also the pre-season friendly match as a result. Dean Smith has come in, and he is a former Walsall captain with all the experience and qualifications. He is one of us, and he knows what we need. HE has been given a 3 year deal, and that sort of a job takes time. I would like to thank Mick for his efforts, but it was his decision to move on and there was no fee involved.
33. What do you think that Sam Parkin will bring to the club?
CH: We feel he can get back to his previous form. He has worked hard in training and he's only 28. He enjoys coming in to work. Matt Richards also has 200+ appearances at a higher level and has a cultured left peg. He adds good balance to the side.
The evening then closed at 9:10pm with a warm round of applause for the panel.