Dear Trivela and Board Members.
I am writing on behalf of the Independent Saddlers Supporters Association Committee.
We have been inundated with questions and concerns over the past twenty-four hours. We feel it is our duty as the largest supporters group associated with Walsall Football Club to pass these on to you. Our supporters have gone above and beyond to support our Club over the past few years. I hope you will have the courtesy to answer the questions that are being asked.
The question that has been asked the most by far is regarding our style of play. I would like to post a quote from May 10th 2023.
“Clear Playing Identity: We want our supporters and community to come and watch our team compete, knowing not only that the players are always ready to give them 100%, but that the match will be enjoyable to watch with a clear identity of play. We’ll allow our actions on the pitch to speak in this area, as opposed to spelling it all out here, but suffice to say that we want an aggressive, high-pace, high-energy team that plays on the front foot and is disciplined in transition. “
People will always have different views about football. I don’t believe we have played front foot football since the date that quote was written. This could be argued by football professionals, no doubt. However, what I can say from a fans perspective is that the games are generally not enjoyable to watch. This is backed up by many supporters who are saying they won’t be renewing their season tickets while we continue to play this way. We are watching our team without the ball for over a third of the match in the majority of games. The lack of possession in itself isn’t such a problem. We have had successful teams in the past who didn’t have the majority of the ball. Ray Graydon’s teams, for example. However, what we do when we do have the ball is the main concern. A lot of aimless long balls, and so careless with the ball. We would be interested to hear how we got to this style from the clear playing identity you outlined in May 2023.
Whilst I am talking about the style of play, there have been questions asked about what Matt Jordan’s role at Walsall is. Is this style of play dictated by him? There is a lot of talk and hearsay about his role at Walsall. This is because I don’t believe his role has ever been clearly defined, and a lot of supporters, including myself, know very little about him. As far as I am aware, he has never spoken publicly about Walsall or introduced himself in any way. It would be good if you could clarify what his role is and if he could possibly attend one of the fans forums via video link in the future.
Another concern is our Head Coach, Mat Sadler. Firstly, because of the style of play, which we have yet to determine if it is his own or dictated by Matt Jordan. More so because it appears that when the prize is in sight, and the pressure is on, we fall to pieces. This is Mat’s third season in charge now. In his first season, 2023/2024, we were in a great position to make the play-offs, which would have been a great achievement for that season. We had an awful end to the season and fell short. Then there was last season, 2024/2025. A season that will live with us fans for the rest of our lives. I believe 21 points from the last 20 games would have secured us promotion, but somehow we fell short. Not to mention a complete no-show in the play-off final. There is a clear pattern emerging here, and it appears to be repeating again with only two wins in the last 11 league games. Should this continue and our season slips away, it should be considered that Mat Sadler will never get us over the line.
There is, however, another school of thought that has come across in messages that we have received, that Mat Sadler hasn’t been given the tools to get us over the line. Either because of poor signings or a lack of funds made available. I don’t think that there can be much argument that last season’s January window was a disaster. I can tell you from the messages and feedback we have received, there are a lot of Walsall supporters not happy we didn’t sign another striker in January this season to support Daniel Kanu. We may have the numbers, but certainly not the quality. This would have shown that we really are serious about winning promotion. Mat Sadler himself mentioned the financial constraints compared to other clubs in our division in one of his recent post-match press conferences. This is a concern to a lot of fans, as we have sold players for reasonable sums of money, attendances are well up, we have had some good cup runs, as well as the play-offs and Wembley. The feeling is that not enough has been invested in the playing budget, or it has been spent poorly. The Club also reported a big loss last year. Should we be worried? We have spent the majority of our history in League One, or Division 3, as fans of a certain age will remember it. Certainly, in my lifetime (50 years) now it feels like we are being told we can’t compete in League 2 (Division 4)
There has been a lot of goodwill from Walsall fans towards Trivela, and rightly so. There is no doubt that there have been many improvements. Ultimately, what happens on the pitch is what matters the most to them. Fans have really got behind the vision you set out and have turned up in numbers to support the team, home and away. There is a feeling that the focus on Walsall has been put on a back burner. Attendances and season ticket sales will drop if people stop believing. This is absolutely not what any of us want. It is coming up to 3 years since you set out your initial vision. We think it would be a good idea if you could give an update on where you think we are at and if there are any amendments.
Kind Regards,
Mark Cassell – Secretary for the Independent Saddlers Supporters Association
