Colin Lee - The Verdict

By Mister Happy
July 22 2003

Colin Lee is now in charge for his second consecutive season. There is no doubting that it is now his team. There is no doubting the quality of players he has attracted to the club. The question is...Can he make them perform?

Colin Lee is manager of Walsall football Club for the second consecutive full season. The team he has developed can now be classed as his own as opposed to a bedraggled outfit inherited from some previous chap and as such, his reputation in the footballing world and standing amongst the supporters will depend on how his team performs this term.

After having taken over a side seemingly doomed for relegation from the much loved Sir Ray, Colin Lee added a little bit of quality and dragged the club by the short and curlies above the dreaded relegation zone. A remarkable feat that even Mister Happy applauds.

During the close season that followed, Lee added much quality to the side. So much so that the expectation levels around Bescot exploded way out of control. In came O’Connor, Sonner, Bazeley, Rodrigues, Zdrilic, Hay and Golden Balls Corica with many cuckoo’s predicting that a play off spot was not out of the question. It is a fact that the quality of players that Lee brought to the club were far superior to anything seen down Bescot way before which is the main reason why last season was such a let down.

With the players at his disposal it is the view of Mister Happy that Colin Lee’s side under performed by a country mile. The football played was mind numbingly boring as well as a little confusing for the spectators. It could well be argued that the football being played was also a little confusing to the players with the constant changes to formations having a negative effect on the pattern of play. At times it appeared that the players just did not have a clue what they were supposed to be doing.

Having avoided relegation yet again, the supporters remained split as to whether Colin Lee was a good manager or not. The pro Lee camp made overtures that we had survived two seasons in the top flight of the Nationwide whilst improving the quality of the squad beyond all recognition. The other camp (to which Mister Happy signed up for) suggested that the quality players brought in under performed and pointed an accusing finger strongly in the direction of the manager. What is the point of having quality players if you can’t make them perform?

Amidst much head scratching as to what went wrong last season Colin Lee set about revamping his squad. It started off very depressingly indeed. All the noises coming out of the boardroom and into the press were extremely negative. We were told that no money was being made available for players, we were told that we would be slashing the squad down to a maximum of twenty pro’s, we were told that we would have to operate without a back up keeper and so it went on. Every time you picked up the newspaper or logged onto the internet more depressing news was shoved in front of you.

The pre-season started and things just did not look good at all with a virtually non existent midfield, only one recognised striker and a few players of dubious quality scattered throughout the rest of the side. Then, out of nowhere an announcement was made that we had signed Steffan Oakes and Simon Osborn. Before this news could be fully digested it was then announced that Vinnie Samways had re-signed after the world and his dog had accepted that he had returned to the land of sunshine and Sangria for good.

As if that wasn’t enough good news to take in, the local tom-tom drums were faintly beating out a tune that a certain Paul Merson was about to sign. Yeah right! Then, out of the blue, Sky Sports and seemingly the entire media world was full of speculation that Merse was about to leave the promised land of the Premiership to go to Walsall….yes, Walsall. What the hell is going on? Has the bloke finally had a mental breakdown? Each day went by with quotes from Redknapp, Colin Lee and Merson himself saying he wanted to come to Walsall. This cannot be right; it must be a ploy to sell more season tickets. As the days dragged on so the interest from Forest emerged – that’s more like it. At one point it seemed as though fate was going to play another sick joke on the saddler’s faithful. Until that is, the 18th of July 2003. On this date, the life of Mister Happy was turned upside down, inside out and back to front. Merson was unveiled as a Saddler. Total and utter disbelief.

In the time it takes to hold a press conference Mister Happy had been transformed from a miserable old sod into someone who went to work annoying work colleagues with incoherent rantings about the qualities of manager Colin Lee. Admittedly, there were a few retorts of “two faced git” but now Mister Happy just cannot wait for the season to start. If Colin Lee is capable of doing this to Mister Happy then the bloke is capable of doing anything. Mister Happy is now singing the gaffer’s name openly in public (albeit after several pints of lager).

The odd cuckoo is still flying about suggesting automatic promotion is achievable but for the main, there is a nervous anticipation of what the forthcoming season will bring.

This is, undoubtedly, the best collection of footballers ever to be assembled at Walsall Football Club. All credit for this must go to Colin Lee and Jeff Bonser. The stage is now set for unfashionable Walsall to go to the next level and really establish ourselves as a genuine first division side. It is now down to the manager to put his excellent coaching skills to the test and make this squad of players perform. If he succeeds, he will etch his name firmly in the Walsall Hall of Fame.

COME ON YOU REDS