Taxi for Lee
Quality ??
By Fat Jan's Underpants
April 11 2004
Given that Lee himself is openly saying how difficult it is to manage a club like Walsall it is safe to assume that he will soon be on his way. Question is.... what happens next?
After the revolution under Chris Nicholl who transformed a struggling basement outfit into a Division 2 side came the miraculous stewardship of Sir Ray (albeit with an exciting but near disastrous season under Fat Jan sandwiched in between).
Ray Graydon incredibly took us to the next level on minimal resources (ahead of big spending Manchester City) and elevated the club to the undreamt of land that is Division 1.
Unfortunately he was unable to fully establish the club as a first division outfit. After an immediate relegation, followed by another incredible promotion, the signs were there for all to see that another slump back into the second division was on the cards.
The reasons and speculation behind Graydon’s difficulties are numerous. Some people argue that he didn’t have the ability to succeed at this level whilst others argued that his hands were tied due to financial constraints as well as his inability to attract big name players. I suspect it was a mixture of all these issues that meant we couldn’t progress further.
Jeff Bonser then made a difficult choice for the club and it was with a heavy heart and wishes of good will that we said farewell to Sir Ray. In came our current leader and his impact was immediate. A cup win away at Premiership Charlton, the signings of O’Connor, Marcelo and Holdsworth and more importantly a successful campaign against relegation.
It appeared that the club were now moving in the right direction again and that Lee was going to take us to yet another level (no, not the Premiership but as an established Division 1 side).
The following season saw massive strides off the field with the development of the new stand as well as internal restructuring by Lee which gave the club a more professional feel about it. Considering that the first team players were expected to wash their own kit under the previous regime does it come as a surprise why top quality players were unwilling to come. Is it any wonder that we were called a small town club?
Lee then guided us to another successful first division campaign and then during the close season raised all expectations of those involved with the club. Maybe this is partly the reason why the fans are currently so dissatisfied.
Having signed what were perceived to be quality players in Samways and Emlen (note that I fail to include Osborn in the quality player bracket) and then followed up with the incredible transfer of Paul Merson the whole of Bescot was engulfed with unrealistic dreams of play off places.
The opening day fixture soon came around and Premiership wannabee’s
The following league match away to
Having raised the expectation levels Lee has subsequently failed to deliver. There is no doubting the fact that Lee has the ability to attract quality players to the club. Where he falls short however is his inability to mould these players into a successful team. There would be absolutely no point in signing Beckham and Keane if they were to subsequently turn in performances similar to Lillis and McDonald. Get my drift?
There has been recent speculation linking Colin Lee with a move to Plymouth Argyle. Given that his local press interviews have seen him say how hard it is to manage a club like Walsall given the financial constraints and that he thinks he has taken the club as far as he can then I think it is safe to assume that come the end of the season he will be on his way.
This is not a bad thing. I agree with his statement that he has taken the club as far as he can. I would even go as far as thanking him for trying to establish us as a genuine first division club and bringing a degree of professionalism to Bescot.
During a recent interview, the leader of the Kabul Rebels (sorry chaps) asked whether I thought that the state of the club now was better than before Lee arrived. My answer is still the same now as it was then. Yes, he has made the club a better club. This still doesn’t stop me from offering him a free lift to
The only worrying thing about Lee’s likely departure is that of a replacement. Who on earth is going to be able to keep the side as a first division outfit with even more financial constraints about to be unleashed next year?
The only way forward is for the club to concentrate on youth development. When I say concentrate I mean really concentrate not just play at it. I think it has been proven that quality players who have past their sell by date mixed with those that are coming back from long term injuries and a few journey men do not make for a competitive team. Something is missing.
That something is drive and enthusiasm.
Jeff Bonser now has another major decision to make if we are to progress further. Taxi for Lee please.