Joe Massi Express and Star

Posted on May 6, 2019 by mickysix

It’s a Bank Holiday Monday people should be able to enjoy.

But the truth is, a lot of Walsall fans woke up this morning hurt, angry and upset.

The pain of relegation has not gone away. It’s not going to go away for a while.

But while being in League Two next season is a bitter pill for fans to swallow – it’s not what angers them the most.

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What really hurts is how it has come to this and how they no longer feel connected to the club they love.

Just three years ago, the Saddlers ran out 5-0 winners at Port Vale on the final day of the season. It meant they missed out on promotion by a single point.

But the team that walked off the pitch having been relegated at Shrewsbury on Saturday is a shadow of that side.

And it’s a catalogue of bad decisions that have led to Walsall going from within touching distance of the Championship to League Two.

It all starts at the top.

It is the understanding of the Express & Star that the Saddlers’ budget this season would have been middle of the road for a team competing in League Two.

But for the past 12 years, they have been a League One side.

You cannot expect to punch above your weight every single year.

It simply isn’t going to happen, it will catch up with you in the end.

It’s during the last two January transfer windows that we’ve really seen the effect of the budget.

The reality of football is that players cost more mid-season than in the summer.

Walsall have – just about – competed for signings in the close season. Heading into this campaign, Andy Cook, Josh Gordon and Josh Ginnelly were all good captures.

But look what happens when the price goes up just slightly.

In the 2017/18 season, January saw the arrival of Julien Ngoy, Justin Shaibu and Krystian Bielik – players who weren’t good enough or who didn’t even play.

This year Matt Jarvis, Aramide Oteh and Cameron Norman haven’t had the desired impact.

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That’s not a coincidence, the budget has hamstrung the team.

But so too have the decisions the top brass have made – especially when it comes to the appointment of managers.

In the interests of fairness, there has been a logic to the last three managerial appointments.

Sean O’Driscoll was the overwhelming fans favourite. You could argue Jon Whitney deserved a shot.

And at a time of crisis, Dean Keates helped unite the club – he also did an excellent job at Wrexham.

But all three have since been sacked with results and performances just not good enough.

Ultimately they weren’t the right men. But it is the job of the board to work that out before things go wrong – not when it’s too late.

For supporters though, it’s important to remember nine people sit on that board.

On social media, a lot of anger has been directed towards chief executive Stefan Gamble and club secretary Daniel Mole.

But as well as owner Jeff Bonser – Rob Bonser, Nigel Bond, Peter Gilman, Richard Tisdale, Roy Whalley and Leigh Pomlett all sit on the board.

Where are these people now and what have they been doing for the past three years?

They have stayed in the shadows while at least Gamble and Mole have tried to speak with fans.

It is every member Walsall’s top brass that deserves scrutiny – they are the people who have to take the lion’s share of the blame.

But there is still blame elsewhere.

Whitney handed two-year-contracts to a whole host of players who ultimately haven’t been good enough to do anything other than fight relegation.

But it wasn’t just at first-team level, he gave extended deals to a host of youngsters who have never been anywhere near the first-team.

And that wasted the little funds he and ultimately Keates had available.

Keates too made errors that had a huge impact on the team this season.

It was abundantly clear he didn’t want a host of the players he inherited.

But he still needed them to play for him. Were they really going to give him their all when they knew he would get rid of them at the earliest opportunity? Obviously not.

During games as well Keates needed to be better. He often waited too long to make changes.

While the decision not to enter the reserve league this season backfired badly with fringe players, and those coming back from injury, hardly able to get any minutes once the Saddlers exited the Checkatrade Trophy.

And then we come to the players themselves.

What a chance they had to get themselves out of trouble with a run of games against Accrington Stanley, Southend and Wycombe.

But a whole host of them lacked the character and bravery needed to play in high-pressure matches like that.

When the chips were really down, they did not perform. They let themselves and the club down.

With the greatest respect to the likes of Gillingham, Accrington, Rochdale, Southend, Shrewsbury and Wycombe – none of them are great sides.

But they all finished above Walsall. And the players need to look at themselves and ask how they allowed that to happen.

So there we have it. There is no one reason why Walsall have been relegated.

It is a combination of factors with the board, the managers and the players all to blame.

Now though there is no margin for error.

When you mess things up in League One, you end up in League Two.

When you mess things up in League Two, you end up in non-league.

And that doesn’t bear thinking about.

Under Dean Smith, the club had a clear philosophy that allowed it to compete despite the limited budget.

It involved developing young players, developing players let go by bigger clubs and playing in a clear way that fans understood and were on board with.

If we are honest, the club’s philosophy has been unclear ever since Smith left.

As Martin O’Connor said, the time has come for a major reset.

The board has to work out a clear plan where the club is heading.

Then it has to find the right manager to execute that vision while also giving him the tools needed to do the job.

If – as the Express & Star understands – the budget this season is middle of the road for League Two it cannot be cut.

It should be increased, but as a bare minimum, it cannot be cut.

With 19 players out of contract, there will be a revolving door at the Banks’s Stadium this summer.

But the time has come where every decision now has to be the right one.

That’s because it is unthinkable what could happen if poor decisions continue to be made.

Walsall FC Football Sport

By Joseph Masi
Football MMPJ – @josephmasi_star

Football journalist for the Express & Star covering Walsall FC.

Reply to Walsall Fc’s Statement

Posted on May 5, 2019 by mickysix

Following confirmation of the club’s relegation to League Two, the Walsall FC Board of Directors would like to place on record our disappointment and apologise to all associated with the Club, most importantly our supporters.

We started the season with a 10-match unbeaten run in all competitions and occupied fifth place at the beginning of October. But a significant downturn in results led to the departure of manager Dean Keates in April and has culminated in relegation after 12 years in League One.

We understand the fans’ frustrations and acknowledge relegation is not an acceptable outcome for the season. We too are deeply hurt by what has happened.

Focus will now turn to the short and medium term, with the key priorities being rebuilding the Club’s football philosophy and the search for a manager to drive us forward and back into League One as swiftly as possible.

Above is the statement from the board. Here is a statement from one longstanding fan ( longer than any member of the board anyway!) since 1949.

Following the clubs relegation to League two of the EFL, Which by the way was already known to the majority of us, way back in January. I don’t think that Dean Keates, should have gone, but then I also don’t think that if the club was run in the correct way, we would have been in that position. Was Dean sold a puppy? Was he told untruths or spun a line to get the fans off the boards back. How come we end up with half a team of loan players. Those players fall into two categories. 1. players coming back from long term injury. 2. Young players from other clubs for game time. Pointless from our point of view, may as well blood our own kids. Give them a good run they could see if they could make it in the game, or not.

The only reason they are hurting, is the money they will lose next year in league two. If they don’t change the way they operate, we will end up following other relegated teams in the non league system, and then they will be crying all the way to the bank or operating as an amateur/semi-pro team. Bet he still wants the same rent for the ground.

Not wanting to be a doomer, but I know a few of us elders were bothered by the team during the winning run. They just did not seem to be together, and worries about going on a run of losing soon showed us that things were not that good. I don’t want to blame Dean as a tradesman and artist, can only work with the tools they have and not many loan players actually turn up week after week and perform to their peak.

Martin (Skip) came in at the death to help Dean try to save the situation and for a short period it looked that there may have been a chance but three games later we were back losing again. Keiron Morris was let go after turning in some good performances (when allowed to play) Kinsella will probably be sold to help balance the books.

The board will probably pick another winner from the fans poll of who do you want next as manager. The last three were winners of such a poll, can then blame the fans for picking them. Dean Smith had over four years to build a team, but left after realising that going to Brentford was better than staying with us. So lets see now if they pick their own man or go along with the current leader of the fans poll, be interesting. The board say that they are deeply hurt by what has happend. Let me tell them that there are at least 5000 fans who are hurting more.

The statement also mentions rebuilding the clubs philosophy. Where have they been over the last 3 years . Where are our future players coming from? How are we going to stop the rot and come back. I hope that I am wrong but I don’t see it. Where has the money gone from Wembley, the sale of Rico and others. These are questions that only the board can answer, we fans cannot.

Walsall F.C. My thoughts!

Posted on February 8, 2019 by mickysix

Now this blog is different from any of the others I have done. Why? Well I am more into the history of players who have played for the club. In a sense this is a go at Deano,and the players, although it is not meant to be.

Deano says in this weekends press release, that the players have to learn from their mistakes. The same should be said about he himself. He should have learnt which system suits the players and which don’t. He should also have learnt by now when we require early subs (no good with 5 mins left) when no player coming on has time to get into the game, let alone win it.

I don’t know about other fans, but I see Him as the young ginga minga, learning and turning into a very good manager. I also think that he still requires to learn tactics, (something which JW could never get his head around, and that became his undoing) The Ginga, had a problem with that when he took over, and which let him down at Wembley. As a fan of many years, that day I felt so letdown. Not only did he pick the wrong players (to allow an injured Bradshaw) the ones he picked, were not interested in putting themselves about. As it turned out Bradshaw ended up being subbed and Jordie was out of the game, because to me watching, the other players did not want to play with him. It may have been that there was something going on behind the scenes which we as fans were not privy to. But hey! Times moves on . That was my time in a lifetime, because at my age I will never see them get there, again. However I live in hope.

Many of you, who read this blog! Know that the first game I saw was against QPR, and although we lost 1.0 I was so excited by those boys in Red and White, that my heart has been with them ever since. My dad took me, and my wife and I took our two lads and two girls to Fellows park. Not one of my grandchildren have been to a single game, although I have taken the eldest of the Great grandchildren to at least 1 game at Bescot.

Jeff has recently confirmed that the club is for sale (AGAIN) but stated that he is not actively seeking a buyer. But if a serious person came along he would give it due dilligent’s. In other words if the deals right for him he will let it go, but until that day he wont consider selling.

Players have to look at what they are doing, or not, as the case may be. They have to learn from their mistakes or otherwise move on. The next few games could be interesting, now we have these 8 signings. It will also show how Deano intends to setup his own team, because make no mistake (loan players or signings) this team will be his, and will show us what he is capable of in terms of players he brings in and his setup and tactical knowledge.

Maybe we as fans , still have a part to play, MORE THAN WE ALREADY HAVE. Maybe we need to support the team more, (I said the team not the owner) but whatever happens we have to give it a go this season and not get relegated. Next season must be the year of moving forward, play-off at the very least.

I have seen a lot of Bad things at our club and a few good things but I have spent 70years of living in the hope of better things. Promotion with no investment bought relegation. A record for applications to stay in the football league. That in the days when the club who finished 92 had to re-apply to stay in the league and if they got backed by enough other clubs they stayed in the league, if not you were confined to the non-league. I have seen a lot of very good players come in also a lot of not so good players. But we are not the only club to have been in that position. Good people like Karen who helped setup the Saddlers Junior supporters. John who setup the Brownhills supporters , along with The Tonks Bros and others who worked hard running various events to keep funds coming into the club. Golden goal ticket selling. raising funds in other ways.

One last thing the EFL have to find a much fairer way for the distribution of Television cash. More cash must be made available to the lower leagues, especially as in the very near future football will be changing forever, because the so called big clubs will break away and form their own international league, driven purely by cash. The likes of Man Utd dont care about the likes of Salford, Chelsea and Tottenham, Arsenal and the likes dont care about AFC Wimbledon, Boreham Wood or Barnet.

Either way I hope that you all enjoy whats left of the season, that you get the new owner you so require, and that we manage to stay up. I wish you all the very best.

Walsall My most memorable games 2.

Posted on October 22, 2018 by mickysix

19th March 1973. Tuesday Night Game , Weather Rain tipping down (if memory serves me well) Walsall vs Bristol Rovers.

From memory kick off was 7.30 under floodlights a good crowd in the stands, I stood in my usual place with the lads from Brownhills, on the half way line, where the railway ran behind the stand.

This was an incredible game which went on for almost 2 hours, this was before the introduction of injury time extra time. So Officially it was played for 90 mins It started late because of a bomb scare, an announcement was made over the tannoy to that fact, but not many people left their seats or Fellows Park. We are Walsall and we stand together. We were rewarded with a game that we who were there will never forget. We began the game well and before 10 mins were on the clock, good work by Nick Atthey and Frankie Gregg. Worked the ball up to Bobby Shinton. He volleyed the ball into the net. Walsall 1 Rovers 0.

Soon after two of Rovers players were booked (cannot remember who, but look forward to comments telling me who they were) We were on top for the rest of the half, and i think that Rovers were happy to hear the whistle.

We started the second half with a 16 year old boy, called Alan Birch making his debut for the first team. Bobby Shinton having injured his shoulder in the first half. Well it looked like it just wasn’t gonna our night as Stan (yes the great) Stan the man Bennett broke his nose in a collision with a rovers player. But Stan the man wasn’t gonna go off and he carried on up against rovers two big central forwards (Warboys and Bannister) The game turned rovers way with Warboys gave them the lead with two quick goals. Around the halfway mark. Chris Jones equalised for us form a Saunders corner. Very quickly Rovers went back in front. The game carried on and Jones chased a long ball from Atthey to make it 3.3 Rovers were then time wasting as much as they could, but young Alan was a buzzin that night, in midfield. The Saddlers won a free kick which Saunders took and big Bernie headed into the net. What a Win Saddlers 4 Rovers 3. Time around 9.30 and quite a few supporters would be surprised when they picked up their morning paper, as we were 3.2 down when they left. Cant tell you the full team but Frankie Gregg, Colin Harrison, Penman Bennett Atthey Saunders, Shinton (Birch) Wright Jones and Dainty. Christ I think I got the team apart from Goalie.

Great win and the first sighting of a future star in young Alan Birch.

Walsall most memorable games.1.

Posted on October 20, 2018 by mickysix

I would so like to write about my first ever game against QPR 1948. We lost 1.0 who scored I have no idea (too young to know) However I do remember the thrill and excitement when the ball went in the net. ( I did not realise that it was QPR who had scored). But I was hooked.

Walsall team that day (dont quote me) was Lewis in goal Skidmore Kelly Walters Foulkes Newman Lishman Brown Devlin Kondie maybe Wilshaw or Massart not 100% certain.. QPR were in Green and white Hoops I’m not sure if my minds paying tricks but for some reason i think Walsall played in Black and white hoops. As I say my mind may be playing tricks

Think that Dad only took me to another two games that season Torquay and Swindon

Saddlers scorers.

Posted on October 9, 2018 by mickysix

I’ve been looking at some stats today, from around the last 20 years. Some of them surprised me. So here are a few that may surprise you.

1988 to 1991 Stuart Rimmer was leading goal scorer for this period scoring 31 goals.

1994 to 1997 Kyle Lightbourne scored 58 goals over his 3 years as leading scorer.

2001-2002 then 2004 My friend Jorge Leitao scored 40 over those 3 years.

2005-2006 Matty Fryatt was lead scorer over these two with 29 goals

2009-2010 Troy Deeney was lead with 26 over the 2 seasons.

2015-2016 was Tom Bradshaws time to be lead with 40 goals (20 per year)

2017-2018 These 2 years were Erhum Oztumer time with us 32 during his lead years.

Jorge was probably the most consistant goal scorer of this time, I had also forgot that current manager Dean Keates was also a leading goal scorer for us with 13 during the 2007 season.

I may at some time in the future publish the complete list, in the meantime enjoy.

2018-19 Walsall Squad.

Posted on October 1, 2018 by mickysix

1 Liam Roberts No.1 Goalkeeper

2 Joe Edwards No.1 Defender

3 Luke Leahy Defender

4 George Dobson Captain Midfield defender

5 Jon Guthrie Defender

6 Nicky Devlin R Full back

7 Adam Chambers Club Captain Midfield

8 Kieron Morris Midfield

9 Andy Cook Forward Signed by Deano

10 Zeli Ismail R Midfield Signed by Deano

11 Josh Ginnelly Midfield Signed by Deano

13 Chris Dunn No.2 Goalkeeper ex Wrexham Signed by Deano

14 Kory Roberts Defender youth product

15 Liam Kinsella Defender or Midfielder youth product

16 Morgan Ferrier Forward signed by Deano

17 Maz Kouhyar Youth product

18 Jordon Sangha Youth product out on loan

19 Mitch Candlin Youth product on loan to Blackburn with option to buy,

20 Amadou Bakayoko Youth product sold to Coventry.

21 Callum Cockerill-Mollett Youth product Full back

22 Tobias Hayles-Docherty Midfielder Youth product on loan at Halesowen

23 Joe Slinn Goalkeeper on loan at Rushall Olympic

24 Dan Vann Defender youth product gone out on loan

25 Cameron Peters Youth product forward

26 Dylan Parker Youth

27 Jack Fitzwater Defender on loan West Brom signed by Deano

28 Kane Wilson West Bromwich Youth player on loan

Conor Rohan On loan from Wolverhampton

Conor Johnson On loan from Wolverhampton

Matty Fryatt talks to sky.

Posted on September 5, 2018 by mickysix

Matty Fryatt interview: Restarting at Walsall after injury nightmare

The striker endured three years of injuries before retiring

Last Updated: 04/09/18 10:25am

Matty Fryatt is now coaching at Walsall after having to retire through injury

Matty Fryatt endured an experience no player should have to go through during a three-year injury ordeal but now he is embarking on a coaching career instead. Here, he opens up to Adam Bate about rediscovering his love for the game back where it all began…

For the first time in a long time, Matty Fryatt is enjoying his football. Walsall’s youngsters have just given a good account of themselves against a strong Coventry side and, as he reflects on the game in his car outside the club’s Bescot Stadium, the home team’s U15 coach is both enthused and confused by the performance that he has just seen.

“There was a game on Tuesday and I have spent the last few days thinking about what they did and didn’t do well,” Fryatt tells Sky Sports. “I have been thinking about it constantly. Then they played today and everything was completely different. I had my ideas going into today and now they have changed that view because they really stepped up.”

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Such is the life of a youth coach. The learning curve has been steep since retiring in February but with the help of fellow coach Chris Knott – “he has been great with the detail” – and the support of academy manager Graham Biggs, Fryatt is relishing it. “It’s definitely got me thinking about the game,” he says. “It’s about painting pictures for others.”

A down-to-earth type, Fryatt feels he is at the right club too. “It’s very grounded here at Walsall,” he adds. “The club know what they are. It is built on hard work. I know that sounds like just words but they really do know what they stand for. There aren’t big budgets but they always produce players and always get by. It’s close-knit and everyone tries their best.”

The journey has come full circle. This is the club where he made his professional debut, aged just 17, before embarking on a career that took him to the Premier League and even an FA Cup final with Hull. That was 2014. Within a year, and still barely 29, Fryatt was turning out for Nottingham Forest in what would be his last ever professional appearance.

Fryatt celebrates scoring for Hull in the 2014 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley

What followed were three fraught years as he attempted to find a way back from the Achilles injury that became the bane of his existence. It was a challenge for the mind as well as the body. “Family and friends were great but you’re dealing with it yourself really,” he explains. “Particularly when the question of when you’ll get back turns to if you’ll get back.”

It is the cruellest of injuries. Even a snapped anterior cruciate ligament offers greater clarity. “It is the slowest healing part of the body because of the blood supply,” says Fryatt. “It is a difficult area to diagnose. It is not as straightforward as a knee operation or a broken leg. I am not going to say it is worse. Any injury is bad. But it is not straightforward.

“I have got all the scars and if you keep on going into that area, the more of a mess it becomes. I was going into operations with no certainty it would work. Nobody can ever tell you 100 per cent, I realise that, but people were telling me that this works on 70 per cent of people and we think it couldhelp you. It was never 95 per cent.”

Fryatt in action for Walsall against West Ham as a teenager back in 2004

After two years without playing a game, there was some brief hope in the spring of 2017. “I had two months of full-on training at Forest and started to improve,” he says. “But then I started having some issues with the other Achilles too, based on the fact that I was overloading and taking the pressure off the bad one.”

After his release, Fryatt attempted to play on, training with Burton Albion and then Walsall. “I was taking pills just to get through it,” he adds. “I was nearly there but not quite there and I could not do it for an extended period of time. So if I did one session I would be in agony from it. I could get through a session but then you would have to recover and go again.

“Every time I stepped out onto the pitch it was a challenge just to get through it. I would do half an hour and be in real pain, but feeling like I had to keep going. It was just too much to be doing it constantly. As much as someone watching me might say, ‘you don’t look too bad’, I would be dealing with the pain and trying to do it the next day and the next day.”

And the clock was ticking. Fryatt had gone from being in his prime to his early thirties. “The speed had gone,” he admits. “There are still movements where I think I could lose my marker but it would be for like 10 seconds. Obviously, you have to do it for 90 minutes and I was competing against guys who were doing full sessions. Ultimately, I couldn’t do it.”

Fryatt did not go straight into coaching upon accepting that his playing career was over. He dabbled with scouting first, in a role with another of his former clubs, Leicester City, but then decided coaching was more for him. Although he enjoyed the scouting role he felt there was unfinished business on the training ground. “It’s a lonely role and at 32 I didn’t feel that it was the way forward,” he explains. “I’d prefer to be working with kids and giving something back.”

That is the role he has now and Walsall’s academy hopefuls are getting the chance to learn from the club’s former player of the year. Fryatt even sees something of himself in the fledgling strikers that he is coaching too. “The strikers play how I used to play,” he says. “I am just focusing on little things like the timing of the runs, explaining those movements.

Fryatt was announced as a Walsall youth coach in the summer [Credit: Walsall FC]

“I think it is a good age-group for me. It’s right that I start lower down where I can gain experience. The kids are so eager and if they make a mistake they’ll just get on with it. I love that.”

Fryatt is still learning but he will soon have his A-Licence and the long-term dream is to coach at senior level. “I want to stay in football,” he says. “The plan is to kick on now. Who knows what could happen from there?” At 32, he is ahead of the game too. Even the Achilles is not too much of a problem. “I can jog in comfort now,” he adds.

After his long injury battle that is no small thing. It has been a testing time but the relief is palpable. There is something new to focus on – a thought that he returns to again and again. What can he do to make these players better? “I’m already thinking about the next game,” he says with a smile. For the first time in a long time, Matty Fryatt is enjoying his football.

Many thanks Sky for the use of the story.

Current Managers

Posted on September 2, 2018 by mickysix

Premier League
Club	Manager	Appointed	Predecessor
Arsenal	Unai Emery	23 May 2018	Arsene Wenger
Bournemouth	Eddie Howe	12 Oct 2012	Paul Groves
Brighton & Hove Albion	Chris Hughton	31 Dec 2014	Sami Hyypia
Burnley	Sean Dyche	30 Oct 2012	Eddie Howe
Cardiff City	Neil Warnock	5 Oct 2016	Paul Trollope
Chelsea	Maurizio Sarri	14 July 2018	Antonio Conte
Crystal Palace	Roy Hodgson	12 Sep 2017	Frank de Boer
Everton	Marco Silva	31 May 2018	Sam Allardyce
Fulham	Slavisa Jokanovic	27 Dec 2015	Kit Symons
Huddersfield Town	David Wagner	5 Nov 2015	Chris Powell
Leicester City	Claude Puel	25 Oct 2017	Craig Shakespeare
Liverpool	Jurgen Klopp	8 Oct 2015	Brendan Rodgers
Manchester City	Pep Guardiola	1 Jul 2016	Manuel Pellegrini
Manchester United	Jose Mourinho	27 May 2016	Louis van Gaal
Newcastle United	Rafael Benitez	11 Mar 2016	Steve McClaren
Southampton	Mark Hughes	14 Mar 2018	Mauricio Pellegrino
Tottenham Hotspur	Mauricio Pochettino	27 May 2014	Tim Sherwood
Watford	Javi Gracia	21 Jan 2018	Marco Silva
West Ham United	Manuel Pellegrini	22 May 2018	David Moyes
Wolves	Nuno Espirito Santo	31 May 2017	Paul Lambert

Scottish Premiership
Club	Manager	Appointed	Predecessor
Aberdeen	Derek McInnes	6 Apr 2013	Craig Brown
Celtic	Brendan Rodgers	20 May 2016	Ronny Deila
Dundee	Neil McCann	2 Jun 2017	Paul Hartley
Hamilton	Martin Canning	23 Jan 2015	Alex Neil
Heart of Midlothian	Craig Levein	28 Aug 2017	Ian Cathro
Hibernian	Neil Lennon	8 Jun 2016	Alan Stubbs
Kilmarnock	Steve Clarke	14 Oct 2017	Lee McCulloch
Livingston	TBC	TBC	Kenny Miller
Motherwell	Stephen Robinson	15 Mar 2017	Mark McGhee
Rangers	Steven Gerrard	04 May 2018	Graeme Murty
St Johnstone	Tommy Wright	10 Jun 2013	Steve Lomas
St Mirren	TBC	TBC	Jack Ross

Championship
Club	Manager	Appointed	Predecessor
Aston Villa	Steve Bruce	12 Oct 2016	Roberto di Matteo
Birmingham City	Garry Monk	4 Mar 2018	Steve Cotterill
Blackburn Rovers	Tony Mowbray	22 Feb 2017	Owen Coyle
Bolton Wanderers	Phil Parkinson	10 Jun 2016	Neil Lennon
Brentford	Dean Smith	30 Nov 2015	Marinus Dijkhuizen
Bristol City	Lee Johnson	6 Feb 2016	Steve Cotterill
Derby County	Frank Lampard	31 May 2018	Gary Rowett
Hull City	Nigel Adkins	7 Dec 2017	Leonid Slutsky
Ipswich Town	Paul Hurst	30 May 2018	Mick McCarthy
Leeds United	Marcelo Bielsa	15 Jun 2018	Paul Heckingbottom
Middlesbrough	Tony Pulis	26 Dec 2017	Garry Monk
Millwall	Neil Harris	29 Apr 2015	Ian Holloway
Norwich City	Daniel Farke	25 May 2017	Alex Neil
Nottingham Forest	Aitor Karanka	8 Jan 2018	Mark Warburton
Preston North End	Alex Neil	4 Jul 2017	Simon Grayson
Queens Park Rangers	Steve McClaren	18 May 2018	Ian Holloway
Reading	Paul Clement	23 Mar 2018	Jaap Stam
Rotherham United	Paul Warne	5 Apr 2017	Kenny Jackett
Sheffield Wednesday	Jos Luhukay	5 Jan 2018	Carlos Carvalhal
Sheffield United	Chris Wilder	12 May 2016	Nigel Adkins
Stoke City	Gary Rowett	22 May 2018	Paul Lambert
Swansea City	Graham Potter	11 Jun 2018	Carlos Carvalhal
West Bromwich Albion	Darren Moore	18 May 2018	Alan Pardew
Wigan Athletic	Paul Cook	31 May 2017	Warren Joyce

League One
Club	Manager	Appointed	Predecessor
Accrington Stanley	John Coleman	18 Sep 2014	James Beattie
AFC Wimbledon	Neal Ardley	10 Oct 2012	Terry Brown
Barnsley	Daniel Stendel	6 Jun 2018	Paul Heckingbottom
Blackpool	TBC	TBC	Gary Bowyer
Bradford City	Michael Collins	18 Jun 2018	Simon Grayson
Bristol Rovers	Darrell Clarke	28 Mar 2014	John Ward
Burton Albion	Nigel Clough	7 Dec 2015	Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Charlton Athletic	TBC	TBC	Karl Robinson
Coventry City	Mark Robins	6 Mar 2017	Russell Slade
Doncaster Rovers	Grant McCann	27 Jun 2018	Darren Ferguson
Fleetwood Town	Joey Barton	2 Jun 2018	John Sheridan
Gillingham	Steve Lovell	16 Nov 2017	Ady Pennock
Luton Town	Nathan Jones	6 Jan 2016	John Still
Oxford United	Karl Robinson	22 Mar 2018	Pep Clotet
Peterborough United	Steve Evans	28 Feb 2018	Grant McCann
Plymouth Argyle	Derek Adams	11 Jun 2015	John Sheridan
Portsmouth	Kenny Jackett	2 Jun 2017	Paul Cook
Rochdale	Keith Hill	22 Jan 2013	John Coleman
Scunthorpe United	Stuart McCall	27 Aug 2018	Nick Daws
Shrewsbury Town	John Askey	1 June 2018	Paul Hurst
Southend United	Chris Powell	23 Jan 2018	Phil Brown
Sunderland	Jack Ross	25 May 2018	Chris Coleman
Walsall	Dean Keates	16 Mar 2018	Jon Whitney
Wycombe Wanderers	Gareth Ainsworth	8 Nov 2012	Gary Waddock

League Two
Club	Manager	Appointed	Predecessor
Bury	Ryan Lowe	10 May 2018	Chris Lucketti
Cambridge United	Joe Dunne	2 May 2018	Shaun Derry
Carlisle United	John Sheridan	5 Jun 2018	Keith Curle
Cheltenham	TBC	TBC	Gary Johnson
Colchester United	John McGreal	4 May 2016	Kevin Keen
Crawley Town	TBC	TBC	Harry Kewell
Crewe Alexandra	David Artell	8 Jan 2017	Steve Davis
Exeter City	Matt Taylor	1 Jun 2018	Paul Tisdale
Forest Green Rovers	Mark Cooper	9 May 2016	Adrian Pennock
Grimsby Town	Michael Jolley	2 Mar 2018	Russell Slade
Lincoln City	Danny Cowley	13 May 2016	Chris Moyses
Macclesfield Town	Mark Yates	19 Jun 2018	John Askey
Mansfield Town	David Flitcroft	1 Mar 2018	Steve Evans
MK Dons	Paul Tisdale	6 June 2018	Dan Micciche
Morecambe	Jim Bentley	13 May 2011	Sammy McIlroy
Newport County	Mike Flynn	9 May 2017	Graham Westley
Northampton Town	Dean Austin	12 May 2018	Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Notts County	Harry Kewell	31 Aug 2018	Kevin Nolan
Oldham Athletic	Frankie Bunn	13 Jun 2018	Richie Wellens
Port Vale	Neil Aspin	4 Oct 2017	Michael Brown
Stevenage	Dino Maamria	20 Mar 2018	Darren Sarll
Swindon Town	Phil Brown	12 Mar 2018	David Flitcroft
Tranmere Rovers	Micky Mellon	6 Oct 2016	Gary Brabin
Yeovil Town	Darren Way	31 Dec 2015	Paul Sturrock

National League
Club	Manager	Appointed	Predecessor
Aldershot Town	Gary Waddock	5 May 2016	Barry Smith
Barnet	John Still	18 May 2018	Martin Allen
Barrow	Ian Evatt	15 Jun 2018	Ady Pennock
Boreham Wood	Luke Garrard	14 Oct 2015	Ian Allinson
Braintree Town	Brad Quinton	19 May 2017	Hakan Hayrettin
Bromley	Neil Smith	4 Apr 2016	Mark Goldberg
Chesterfield	Martin Allen	15 May 2018	Jack Lester
Dagenham & Redbridge	Peter Taylor & Terry Harris	5 Jun 2018	John Still
Dover Athletic	Chris Kinnear	19 Jan 2013	Nicky Forster
Eastleigh	Andy Hessenthaler	18 Dec 2017	Richard Hill
Ebbsfleet United	Daryl McMahon	28 Apr 2015	Jamie Day
AFC Fylde	Dave Challinor	2 Nov 2011	Kelham O’Hanlon
Gateshead	Steve Watson	10 Dec 2017	Neil Aspin
FC Halifax Town	Jamie Fullarton	20 Feb 2018	Billy Heath
Harrogate Town	Simon Weaver	21 May 2009	Neil Aspin
Hartlepool United	Matthew Bates	4 May 2018	Craig Harrison
Havant & Waterlooville	Lee Bradbury	11 Oct 2012	Stuart Ritchie
Leyton Orient	Justin Edinburgh	29 Nov 2017	Steve Davis
Maidenhead United	Alan Devonshire	5 May 2015	Johnson Hippolyte
Maidstone United	TBC	TBC	Jay Saunders
Salford City	Graham Alexander	14 May 2018	Anthony Johnson & Bernard Morley
Solihull Moors	Tim Flowers	20 Jun 2018	Mark Yates
Sutton United	Paul Doswell	15 May 2008	Jimmy Dack
Wrexham	Sam Ricketts	2 May 2018	Dean Keates

Andy Cook New Forward for 2018-19

Posted on July 27, 2018 by mickysix

Cook To Join Walsall

Published by Tranmere Rovers FC at 22nd May 2018

Striker to join League One club

Striker Andy Cook has joined EFL League One side Walsall on a two-year deal.

Having begun his career at Carlisle United, Cook arrived at Prenton Park in the summer of 2016 after spells with Grimsby Town and Barrow.

In his two seasons at Prenton Park, the 27-year-old scored 51 goals, his final strike coming at Wembley Stadium in helping Rovers secure their place back in the Football League in the 2-1 Promotion Final victory over Boreham Wood.

He scored several memorable goals during his two-year Tranmere career including a last minute winner away against Chester FC and the 2017-18 Goal of the Season at home against Eastleigh.

Cook also picked up the Northwest Football Award for National League Player of the Year in 2017 and was the leading goalscorer in the National League in the 2017-18 campaign.

The Club would like to thank Andy for his efforts during his time with us and wish him well for the future.

Manager Micky Mellon said: “We’d have loved to have Andy with us for our first season back in League Two but recognise his desire to test himself at a higher level and we hope he is as successful at his new club as he was with us.”

TRANSFER HISTORY (courtesy of Transfer Market)

All the player’s transfers.

Season	Date			MV	Fee
18/19	Jul 1, 2018	Tranmere Rovers	Walsall FC	£45k	Free Transfer
16/17	Jul 1, 2016	Barrow	Tranmere Rovers	£45k	Free Transfer
14/15	Jul 1, 2014	Grimsby Town	Barrow	£45k	Free Transfer
12/13	Jul 1, 2012	Barrow	Grimsby Town	£45k	Free Transfer
10/11	Jan 14, 2011	Carlisle United	Barrow	£45k	Free Transfer
10/11	Oct 6, 2010	Barrow	Carlisle United	£45k	End of loan
10/11	Aug 6, 2010	Carlisle United	Barrow	£45k	Loan
09/10	Dec 9, 2009	Barrow	Carlisle United	–	End of loan
09/10	Oct 9, 2009	Carlisle United	Barrow	–	Loan
09/10	Jul 1, 2009	Carlisle U18	Carlisle United	–	–
Total Fees:					0