The Preview Show: Walsall v Northampton Town

Danny Brothers:

Hello everyone Danny here and welcome to the its or cobblers to me preview show. We'll be joined by Tom Liness from Warsaw's 1 pod beyond in a few minutes as we look ahead to Saturday's game at the banks's stadium. But first charles comments you're here hello and.

Charles Commins:

Hello yes I am Danny hello. Yeah.

Danny Brothers:

Back to midweek therapy again because we're gonna quickly look back on Tuesday night's defeat to barrow. How are you after that charles. No before we were talking before we started recording. You said it's like a hangover but you haven't been drinking.

Charles Commins:

And yeah, I feel. Ah I was so angry with the performance and with and with the result obviously and I yeah, we're recording on Wednesday and I genuinely just feel like that anger is still there. It feels like. All of my energy has just gone I maybe just threw it into like the shouting I did towards my iphone as I watched on I follow last night. It's that kind of I'm I'm drained by it I'm drained by the.

Danny Brothers:

Um, it was yeah.

Charles Commins:

Performance the result I'm drained by Northampton Town Football Club as a whole.

Danny Brothers:

Yeah, yeah, I think because we'd had such a good result on Saturday in a decent performance. We were all quite happy on the pod recording on Sunday um, we then had deadline day which was pretty positive I thought like we brought in besla bala louis a pair um, by the way if you want to catch. Deadline day talk and go to a more positive part then um, it's on our website I think now as charles isn't it to um to go in. Yeah yeah, so you'll be able to yes, you'll be able to go back and listen think we did an hour on Twitter spaces and now we we're goingnna upload that to our website. Ah so that was a much happier pod but we'll try and be as positive as we can today.

Charles Commins:

Ah, it will be Yes, yeah, it should be by the time this goes out. Yeah.

Danny Brothers:

Um, because that was absolutely dire last night it was one of them that do we just Alex di yeah danny die um, they we just couldn't it was it. Ah yeah, go for it. Yeah, it gets um.

Charles Commins:

Alex Dyer. If I say Danny Dyer or again does that count because it's the other one. Okay, good Danny Dyer.

Danny Brothers:

It was just one of them where we couldn't break and down. It wasn't it like another. It was similar to the Crawley game where we just a team just came up set themselves up fair play to them did their job completely right? Completely game plan went completely to plan and we just couldn't break them down. Um and I was just so frustrating the whole night.

Charles Commins:

Yeah I I kind of feel I get it just stays. There doesn't it your laptop never moves Forwards move. Ah yes.

Danny Brothers:

Just like shouting forwards at my laptop the entire time. Yeah, no, not no the ball didn't move either as Jack Saurby with his sideways passes and ah.

Charles Commins:

So I did for for me it. It was very much a a case of that I think in in today looking back at it. You've got to give credits barrow because they came and did a job very very well and you know. Really did a number on us and I thought Jason Taylor, Jaybo was incredible I think he was just yet. Absolutely it was a hundred percent a jbo performance and he loved every second of it the point where him and.

Danny Brothers:

But he did exactly what you expect Chaibo to do and is.

Charles Commins:

John Brady had a bit of ah a spat with each other on the touchar I mean I loved it I was like going ah and then I there was I was torn I felt torn I was like don't don't you touch John Brady and then I went but don't you touch Jpo how dare you there was an element of just like leave him alone. He's a he's a title widow.

Danny Brothers:

Yeah. It it was yeah yes, but he's exactly the type of play that barrow need right now in the like um and he hasn't been playing that much. He just seemed to come in last night and just did a proper job in us and it is.

Charles Commins:

Legend leave it be.

Danny Brothers:

Like embodied what barrow were in terms of like showing up shop nothing going past them and ah, honestly I was surprised by them by how organized they works I just thought and that's probably something to do with the psychology of how we approached it as well as a team that I was just expecting us to roll over him and that was. Obviously completely wrong. I should have known better really? but.

Charles Commins:

I think I said very very casually in the group full of confidence in the predictions thread on Slack Nine Nil ah didn't age very well did it.

Danny Brothers:

Yeah, yeah, we should. We should know better by now. But it's no it was it was dreadful. But anyway um to kind of hide that result the club have put out the um, one hundred and twenty fifth anniversary shirt this morning conveniently just to kind of raise spirits again.

Charles Commins:

Oh

Danny Brothers:

Ah, chocolate and blue. We kind of knew it was coming. It's gonna be worn for the club's hundred and twenty fifth birthday against tranme next month march the fifth and it's gonna be next season's third kit I love this I don't know what you think Charles. But I love this.

Charles Commins:

I I am ready to throw all my money in the air and throw darts at it in the direction of 6 fields so that they can collect all the money and then give me a shirt in return. It's very nice. It's really very nice I I was a bit.

Danny Brothers:

Yes, love it. It is very nice.

Charles Commins:

Um, knock so concerns are on word I was wondering how they were going to do the names on the shirt because of the fact that you've got the light blue and then the darker color of the chocolate because obviously to get names onto you know, a dark color then you're going to have to make the names.

Light and vice versa book. It looks like what they've done is that they've only put the names on the the light blue side which I think looks really smart. So yeah I mean can I can I just say that I don't quite know whether how which what I love more do I love.

Danny Brothers:

And the blue size here. Yeah.

Charles Commins:

Shirt or do I Love Fraser Horsfall wearing the shirt. He is an attractive man.

Danny Brothers:

He is when you send that picture I Thought if we made a new signing up the blue like but so have the chocolate blue here but no is there something different in there I think you're gonna see it a lot in away games next season.

Charles Commins:

Out of the chocolate blue.

Danny Brothers:

Probably for the rest of this season Once it's out as well. It's a a bit special in it and the names you're talking about is the names of the season ticket holders who donated their refunds from the lockdown season. So that's a nice nice touch note. Ah.

Charles Commins:

So yes, we won't go into that just in case.

Danny Brothers:

Dear, but anyway that's enough of enough of us. Let's get on to warsa ah to help us preview the trip to wosolol is Tom Liness from 1 pod beyond how you doing Tom yeah, all give us all right till yesterday. Let to last night. Ah.

Tom Lines:

Yeah, I'm good. Thanks chaps as you go.

Charles Commins:

Until tuesday.

Tom Lines:

Yeah, thanks, Thankfully, we didn't have a game last night. So um I was happy with that To be honest.

Danny Brothers:

No yeah, yeah, um, so this season for you especially? um um Matt Taylor obviously former cobblers player. Um I think it was one season wasn't a chance Matt Taylor was just the one. Yeah I think protectedly drifting a little bit in the next one. But yeah.

Charles Commins:

1 season in league one. Yeah.

Danny Brothers:

Ah, untested as a manager really for the most part and it's been a little bit of a struggle so far losing your last 5 games is it. Um, how.

Tom Lines:

Yeah, 5 games or there abouts and I think we've won the the charge sheet is 2 in the last fifteen in total. So yeah, it's pretty grim at the moment.

Danny Brothers:

Oh is that right? Yeah yeah, how is I was gonna say the worst possible thing to say to us isn't it is that we're a great team to come and play if you're in a bad run of form. So I'm sure everything will be right? um.

Charles Commins:

Oh well, that's a Walsall win coming then in it. Ah.

Danny Brothers:

How is Matt Taylor doing of like overall.

Tom Lines:

Ah I think he's in danger of of losing the crowd to be honest, um you know there was um positivity when he was announced as the new manager something a little bit different after obviously he replaced Brian Dutton who had in himself replaced Darryl Clark halfway through last season after Clark Jump jump ship for port vale. Um, and it was an interesting appointment. You know, um, he was a bright up and coming manager. We'd heard good things from um spurs under 20 ones but the sort of you know youth team that he'd been looking after. But at the same time of course. Um, he's very inexperienced and I think that inexperience is starting to show. Unfortunately, he's sort of wedded to this 4 2 3 1 um system and shows absolutely no inclination to change it and something does need to change because we're. Not only are we on a terrible run. We look completely bereft of any idea of you know how to take control of a game. Um, we're desperately lacking in creativity and we've got very little threat upfront I mean the the game against Bristol rovers at the weekend was a classic example. Rovers went down to 10 men after. 40 minutes um and you know we still didn't create much we still had one up top and we were still lumping balls up to poor old George Miller who hasn't scored since well he scored 1 goal in 17 games. Um, he scored recently. But that was a deflection that sort of went in off him. Um, his confidence is desperately low and and the whole team looks Shaun of confidence and Taylor at the moment doesn't look like he knows how to change it.

Danny Brothers:

Has some has anything changed in that during that 5 games has it just literally just been the same kind of performance. Ah.

Tom Lines:

I mean yeah, we we look. We look sort of bereft of confidence as I said and we've got very little creativity or cutting edge when we do get chances. We tend to miss them. Um, you know we miss some horrific. And we should have been three mill up against Bradford at home Miller missed an open goal from four or five yards um actually put it. You know back to where it came from rather than in the in the direction of the goal. Um Connor Wilkinson again 1 of our sort of. Marquee players that we signed in the summer who's sort of flattered to deceive all season. Really Mr. A really good header header. Um, good say from the keeper but he really should have scored. Um, and yeah when we even do get in good positions. We don't look like we're going to. We're gonna make anything of it and um. You know of those marquee signings that we made in the summer very few of them are making any sort of positive impact I mean um, Ash Taylor who we signed as ah as a center half who I think you you may know yourselves. Um, yeah, um.

Danny Brothers:

Yeah, we'll come on to him later. But yeah.

Tom Lines:

He's already left. So um, he's gone back up to Scotland and we sort of released him from his two-year contract to free up a bit of cash because he'd been pretty poor and obviously wanted to go Jos Laardy um who we were excited about signing um is is effectively a walking red card. Um, he's got 9 yellows and a red already this season. He's 1 more yellow away from ah from a suspension and we'll almost certainly get it on Saturday because you know he's offering very little other than kicking people and and picking up bookings at the moment. Steven Ward's out for the season. It looks like who's supposed to bring a bit of um. Sort of experience at left back and and who has largely been dreadful and is now now as it looks like he's got a long-term injury ah Mannie month um was suspended for 7 games. Um, after um, a disciplinary issue last season when tran they were playing forest green. Which apparently warsall didn't even know about which is pretty unforgivable. So we've been missing him for you know um for the last 5 or 6 games. He's got a 7 game band to serve and I've already kind of spoken about Connor Wilkinson who's who's really you know done very very little He's clearly a very technically gifted player. But. His his attitude just doesn't look great at the moment and that goes for quite a few other players. Unfortunately.

Charles Commins:

can can I just ask Tom um with with Matt Taylor did he bring in an experienced assistant or first team coach or anything with him I mean because obviously this is his first job.

Tom Lines:

He did? Yeah um, we've got we've got Neil Mcdonald um assisting him. Um, who the former blackpool manager who's you know, a very experienced um number 2 and manager in his own right? Um, but you hear very little from him. Um, I mean he's he's virtually completely silent and there's no possibly what's more worrying than that is there's no um, sort of evidence of a plan b there's no evidence that Mcdonald is taking Taylor Taylor aside and said you know look Matt it's not working. Um, we need to try something different whether it's you know 4 3 3 whether it's um, you know 4 4 2 um, we need to do something different because at the moment we're just in this desperate rut and you know apart from the personnel. Um, very little is changing on the pitch.

Charles Commins:

I don't know how you feel about this danny or Tom in fact, but 4 3 2 1 or 4 2 3 1 with either 1 of those it feels to me like it's the new 4 4 2 as in every team has to play it and.

Danny Brothers:

Yeah, it has been for couple.

Charles Commins:

It's like oh that that's the format I mean don't get me wrong. It's you know the formation that essentially we played in 201516 when we won lead too and it it did us okay, but it feels like maybe it's passed its sell by day already and that so many teams are now just it's almost like a template that. Every team has to stick to and and at least try and then there is that sense of well if we change and we try something different then you know we're sticking our neck out on the line whereas we could just go with the the flow of what everybody else does and and just hope we've got better players essentially than the other team.

Tom Lines:

I think as well. There's there's a sense that if you've come um from a ah you know a very successful youth setup like Topnham um, then you can implement that style and sort of you know, um, mold the players around it and you know if you come um. Seventh or eighth in your league of 10. It's not the end of the world. But um, when you're struggling with it for a team threatened by the trapdoor of relegation into the national league. You know you've got to try and change something. Um, and there's you know there's no sense that as you say it's a very fashionable formation. But he seems completely wedded to it and completely bereft of ideas of of how to change you know with the players that he's got at his disposal. Um and the results that we've been getting which you know something has got to change.

Danny Brothers:

How deep does it actually go do you like? do you think to the fans thinks you got Jamie Fullerton in there as technical director um was that something was that a new position or was that something that he just replaced somebody from you.

Tom Lines:

Yeah, no, it was brand new. It was I think the the chairman Lee Pomlett felt he got his fingers burnt with Clarke. Um, there was very much an element of of jilted lover about it I think um, you know he he had put all his eggs into the Clark Basket and then Clark just up and left um in January um, because I think Clark felt you know this is only going one way after we sold um Elijah Adebao um who obviously is now. Absolutely you know, ripping up trees in the in the championship. Um, I think once we sold him in January last year um he could see the writing on the wall and thought you know this is not going to look good on my cv and to be fair to him. Um, he's actually doing okay at ah port vale. Um, which again leads fans to think you know maybe it's not this long list of managers. We've had. Over the last fifteen years who've you know Dean Smith aside done very little Maybe there's something structurally wrong at the club you know and and those are the sorts of questions that are being asked at the moment so to go back to your original question I think fullerton or or possibly not fullerton but you know the idea of having. Um. A technical director director of football was a good one because I think pomlit felt that there weren't enough football people at the club. Um, but unfortunately I think Fullerton's strategy was to pack the spine with with experience and play as he could count on you know Ward Wilkinson month Laberde and Taylor and you know they've they've shown very little between them. Um, and as a result um other players in the squad have had to pick up the the slack and I don't think they're you know I don't think they're up to it to be brutally honest, if you've got your sort of 5 main. Um, marquee signings underperforming. Um, it puts a lot of onus on the other players who who you know probably weren't that good to start with? Um, so then you're scrabbling around for results which is what we're doing and looks like we're going to be doing for the end of the season.

Danny Brothers:

And transfer window wise um have you done enough this month do you think.

Tom Lines:

I mean ah we had to talk about this um sort of with with some of um, ah people on on on Twitter Warsaw fans on on Twitter because we sort of said we summed up the the transfer window by saying it looks like the same strategy that we had. Last January which was to we had a cushion of about 10 points to the bottom 2 and it looked like we were going to be very conservative and just see if we could scrape through the rest of the season and avoid the bottom 2 which last season we just about managed to do um. This season. The signings looks slightly better. Potentially certainly up front where we've brought in um, Devvante Rodney who had ah at a pretty good season at Port Val last season but hadn't really done anything this season. Um, so it's a new start for him. Other than that we've really been struggling at centerback. Um, through you know, um, Taylor leaving and and month being suspended. So we've brought in Donovan Daniels from crew who's pretty experienced and and started off really well in this first game against Bradford but then um had a bit of ah, a howler that gifted Bristol Rover as a last minute winner on saturday. Um, and then and then to replace ward. We've brought in Reese divine from man knighted who's a sort of young youth team or who's been out on various loans and has obviously only played 1 game so far so the jury's out on him. But yeah I mean certainly not ah, certainly not a great window. Um, probably more players went out than than actually came in and again it looks like as I say we're we're hoping that we can just limp to the end of the season hope that there are 2 worst teams.

Danny Brothers:

Yeah, Otis Calm was one that was a bit surprised by Sea leaf was because I've always quite liked him as a player was he he was. He just not getting in or see is.

Tom Lines:

No, um, he Well I mean I I don't know if you can broadcast this um ah but but there is I won't go into details but there is um, a very strong rumor about the reason that he left um and.

Charles Commins:

Okay, ah.

Tom Lines:

Um, it's to do with the contract that warsaw wanted him to sign as opposed to the contract that late noreen offered him. Um, so I won't say any more than that. But effectively um, we wanted to sign on and I think that the rumors are that Khan wanted to sign he've done pretty well, he's the one. Sort of creative spark that we've really had this season even though he wasn't here for very long. He only signed sort of halfway through October. Um, but obviously he's he's chosen to go to orient. Um, and now we look very very light in that sort of that creative um number 10 role or even you know coming in from the wink as some That's what he's good. He was good at you could play him in in quite a few different positions but he would give you a bit of a spark and and it's that spark that we're desperately missing at the moment.

Charles Commins:

You've um, you've conceded 14 goals in the last fifteen minutes of your game so far this season Tom is that a fitness issue that you're seeing I mean 1 thing that you know we remember we had Matt Taylor at the end of his playing career and the 1 thing that. I know I was quite vocal about being against him was his essentially his aging. You could tell his fitness wasn't quite there. He wasn't really the player that he had been back when we got to watch him banging those silly ridiculous goals in a match of the day for Portsmouth and and things I mean. Is it maybe an element of the fact that he's kind of gone fitness just isn't there for you and it's almost like he's replicating the end of his playing career.

Tom Lines:

I think fitness was certainly something fans were concerned about at the start of the season that there was definitely a sense in the first few months of the season that we were off the pace. Um that we weren't you know we weren't able to last um, a full game I think since then. Probably there. There's a myriad of other issues. Um sort of contributing to it now. I mean we're absolutely awful at defending set pieces. Um, we're no threat from set pieces. Um, and we can't defend them which is a pretty lethal combination and should be basically the the first thing on your. Tick sheet if you're if you're setting up a team to be effective even half effective in league 2 um.

Danny Brothers:

That's basically the only thing on our tick list in terms of scoing goals. So our gluck may be quite happy that's exciting.

Tom Lines:

Yeah, so I mean and and also the fact that we always look like we've got a mistake in us. You know, um, as as against Bristol rovers. You know 10 men um the goalkeeper comes out to claim a ball. The centerback did as the centerback tries to head it to him heads it past him and Bristol Rovers Score so um, yeah, we're we're I think we're we're we're mentally weak. Um as much as we're physically weak to be honest.

Danny Brothers:

Going forwards at the other end I really like you you were talking about your creative spark being lost ah Jack eering is someone ah I really like as a player is he so could he potentially bring that is he more deep and know sometimes sometimes plays deep sometimes breaksa a little bit.

Tom Lines:

He's he's been playing deeper this season. Yeah, we we were excited because we'd thought he was a classic number 10 um in the sort of vein of you know all those great number ten s we've had um over the last decade from sort of romaine sawyers through to Er Hono's tumor. Um, and we. We've definitely been missing that earrings been played um in the 2 of the 4 2 3 1 more often than not this season. Um, he has occasionally played a bit further forward, but um, doesn't seem to I think his confidence has probably taken a knock to be honest, he's playing in a really poor team. Um. And he you know he's probably been one of the better players this season but performances recently have um, have just dropped off a little bit. Um and I think now there's with Liam Kinceella and Jos Laardty a sort of um very very similar players. You know they're sort of ball winners. Um, players who are going to break up attacks and then pass it on to someone else who can actually do something with the ball um earring theoretically should be um, that kind of player. Um, but this season when he's been played in the number 10 role. We've had kind of high hopes for him and it and it hasn't quite happened so but he's still very young. So. Um, you know hopefully he's one of those plays who who can still evolve and won't be scarred by the experience of playing in this team this season.

Danny Brothers:

So so what's a good season now in the 14 points of the playoffs is it basically like you were saying before it's just all about survival or any kind of outside hopes of doing a mansfield and storming up the league or is it just consolidating them.

Tom Lines:

No I don't I don't I don't think that's going to happen. Um I mean yeah, staying up is that is the number one. Um the number one priority I was on a um radio wm the sort of local Bbc. Radio station the other week and the presenter I think we were equally It was an equal number point of points off the playoffs and relegation. Um and the presenter asked me if I thought we could still make the playoffs and I said I was looking down the table rather than up it and unfortunately that that's proved to be absolutely correct and I think all of us are now. Looking down because this season is following exactly the same pattern as last season. That's what worries people where we ended up having to go to you know south end and Grimsby the 2 teams that got relegated um and get a result we managed to draw both of those games just I mean we were very very lucky to be honest. Um, we could. We could easily have lost both of those games and it would have been a lot closer than it than it could have been but already fans are looking at the games against scumthorpe and and olddom and thinking right? We we just got to go there and and not lose that's the that's the whole point. We've got scumforp next Tuesday and already it's it's a huge game. You know? and unfortunately that's the mentality of fans now is is looking at you know when we're mathematically safe rather than anything else I think the other thing we might like to say apart from that is just evidence that Taylor is learning and you know he's got the rest of the season now to. Get together with the rest of his coaches work out a different system work out. Um, what are the best players to play that system. Um, and I think as long as fans can see some evidence that he's he can see There's a problem and that things need changing. Um, he may get um. You know a bit more um, buying from the fans because at the moment. Um, you know the spirits at the club are ah, really really low and I I genuinely worry if we go one nil down on Saturday um I think the atmosphere could very very quickly get. Pretty poisonous I mean at the end of the Bristol Rovers Game on Saturday there's there's footage doing the rans on social media of a guy who gets very calmly gets out of his um sort of sort of seat or off the terrace at Bristol rovers at the side of the um away dugout and goes and talks to. Taylor and explains to him that it's terrible and that you you should not be losing one nil in the last minute to a get to a team who've been playing with 10 men you know for 50 minutes um

Tom Lines:

And that got that guy like I say was pretty calm. He wasn't ranting or Raving. He was telling Taylor that this is basically unacceptable. Of course he was led away by stewards and Taylor was very you know calm himself. It wasn't a heated argument or anything but I ah fear that on Saturday um. If. We do go a goal down then it's going to get pretty poisonous pretty quickly.

Charles Commins:

So um, I mean I was gonna I've literally just been looking through sort of your history in terms of your league position and I've always sort of thought of Warsaw as being and ah this is confirmed it for me more of a league one club. Um, you've essentially spent. 75 I think this is years in the third division. Whether that be called the third division or league one. Obviously this is now your second season in league 2 and looking back at it. There's almost been a little bit of ah, a decline. So since 201516 when you finish. Third. And in the playoffs in league one. You've then slowly gone down the league table and then down the pyramid so fourteenth Nineteenth then got relegated in eighteen nineteen Twelfth in league two last season and and currently sat in Nineteenth place. Is there, you're talking there about the fact that fans might start and and are actually starting to get on the back of the management team. But what about the ownership of the football club. How is that being perceived by the fans at the moment.

Tom Lines:

Well, if you've got a couple of hours I I can talk you through um the the long and depressing history of the ownership of of Warsaw ever since we moved to the new stadium basically um, which was it in itself. Um, a. Ah, something shrouded in controversy. We basically built a stadium that was the same as scumthorpe's and paid twice as much as scumthorpe did um to a variety of companies with mysterious links to various directors. But that's another story. Um, unfortunately what that means is that. For the last um, 30 years we've been effectively paying to play in our own stadium. So we built a new stadium that we never actually owned um and we we released our accounts this week which showed um that finally the um cumulative cost of paying for both the ground. And our training ground um built by the previous chairman now exceeds half a million quid a year um so effectively that is a huge drain on us even before we've we've kicked a ball every season now. Funnily enough. Um, you talk about us being a. And established league one club which is exactly right? We've played played more games in division 3 than any other team in history. You know that is absolutely our level with sort of the Archetypal League one club. All we used to be because what's become clear over. You know, recent seasons is that. We are simply not in a position to compete at that level anymore. Um, and a lot of fans are starting to question why that is because um, you know we have even in league one we had 1 of the best um turnovers financially. Um, of the of any team in the league. You know we we make quite a lot of money. Um, but what people want to know is why isn't that reflected in the team that goes out on the pitch. Um, so we're we're very good at diversifying. You know we have a huge conference business. And we have loads of events that go on throughout the season. There's a market on the the car park every Sunday um, we once had to close the top tier of our stand on the opening day of the season because we double booked it with a wedding. Um, that is the that which is which is great.

Charles Commins:

Ah, ah.

Tom Lines:

You know that's absolutely what lower league clubs have to do. We've got a giant advertising board that overlooks the M six which you've probably seen if you've driven past it we own that and get the revenue from that. But none of this seems to be reflected in um, the team that we're able to put out on the pitch. And there's no doubt now that we're ah you know, um, we are absolutely at a sort of mid to lower table league 2 club now. That's what the last couple of seasons. Um, show us. It's there it's there in black and white in the table and as I said before we started to think well maybe it's not. All these managers that we've had you know, um I think in the last 15 seasons in only 2 of those 15 seasons have we improved on our position from the previous season. So it. It has been. You know a steady decline. Um, and people are starting to to say well. You know, maybe it's not the manager. Maybe it's not the players. Maybe it's the people who've been here for those 15 years um in the boardroom now Jeff Bonser who used to own the club and who still is the club's landlord and gets that half a million pounds every single season. Um. On a property which we still have to pay the upkeep on by the way. Um, we pay all the costs for upkeep and repairs and all that kind of thing. Um, he is just all his pension fund is just sent a check for half a million quid every season. Whatever um he left a couple of years ago um and there was a transition to another board member Lee Pomlett who I've already mentioned um and there was a lot of Goodwill for pomlett. Um I think largely because he wasn't Jeff Bonser um and he you know he did things that bonser was incredibly reclusive. Um would speak to the fans. Um, once every five or six years basically to berate them for you know, whatever shortcomings he felt they were guilty of um pomlet's much more of a communicator. Um, but unfortunately at the moment that appears to be the only difference. Um because you know the the. Um, chief exec is still the same. The club secretary is still the same The people who run the club um are still the same. Um, even he was a board member. He wasn't a completely new person who came in um and so people are starting to question whether you know whether this was a genuine new broom or whether it was just a. Continuation of the old regime that had been slightly rebranded. So yeah, we're we're not happy bunnies at the moment. Um, and you know we we don't think we have any divine right to be anywhere in the league despite you know our natural position as you say. Ah, generally being in the third division. But um at the moment it's it's just dispiriting because it is its decline. Um, you know on and off the pitch. Um the the stadium itself has seen better days. Um, but um, of course we're still paying all that money. Um, to play there every season. So it's ah it's not a happy fanbase at the moment to put it mildly.

Danny Brothers:

What would you? What would you do to? what would you be to do the be like come up with or what do the fans think would be the things that would change all of that. Do you think.

Tom Lines:

Um, well lead. Pomlet's great sort of um, ah objective is to reunite the club with the freehold so that the club ah get once again owns its own ground which would be a great start. Um, he says that's ongoing and discussions with Jeff Bonzer are ongoing and it's something that will hopefully happen within the next sort of 3 or 4 years that's the timescale. He's put on it but until then um. I think there just needs to be change at the top of the club. They need new ideas. You know it's ah your your fans will come to um the banks' stadium on Saturday and there will be nowhere to have a drink um you know I think they might have some a couple of taps in the away end. But you know there are there are no pubs near the ground. Um, there was a social club that has now closed because it was in such a state of of disrepair. Um and they haven't reopened it. Um, so it is not a pleasant place to go and watch football. There's no reason to go and watch a game at Walsall unless you actually support them for sort of floating fans. Um, you're much better off going to a local non league game where you know you can have a point watching the pitch and you know it's a tenor to get in. Um and you can have ah you can have a laugh with you mates at Warsaw for the floating supporter. Um, or the next generation of supporter. There is very little to get you excited you know? Um, we've have a horrific um history of um, you know, awful catering terrible beer and you know fans have shown these days that you know they're. That's not what they want. You know they want stuff like um Arington have got where you know you've got um a fantastic support as Barr and you know, ah historically ah, a much smaller club than Warsaw ah kind of getting people in because they want to go and experience something and have a. You know something nice to eat something nice to drink. Um maybe a bit of music or a bit of you know a bit of something to do to make you go there. Um an hour before the game whereas most warsaw fans and most away fans if they've got any sense will get to the ground. You know they'll they'll eat and drink in Birmingham or in the middle of Warsaw. And then they'll get they'll get the train or the bus or whatever to the ground 10 minutes before and then walk in. You know it's it's not a place that you want to go and that's the main thing that needs to change. They need to do something um to you know reengage. Um, with um. With supporters who we've either got fed up of it or are looking for something a little bit different than the premier league and championship games. They can go to within you know there are four premier league and championship teams within a Ted mile radius of warsall so you have to offer something different and at the moment. The reason it's different is because it's worse. You know it's worse than those teams. So why? Why would you go unless you'd like my son um been brought up as a Warsaw fan. Um, and at the moment it feels like that's ah you know you feel almost feel guilty for sort of getting you getting your kids to um to support them I mean they've been horrific stories on social media of people who say you know I've been taking the kids for four or five years and they just don't want to go anymore. You know they're fed up of watching a team lose in a you know a soulless corrugated steel stadium um underneath the m six you know it's um. It's not a happy place.

Danny Brothers:

So obviously a lot of stuff to unpack then we we just need to kind of finish off with a couple of quick fire questions that some of our listeners will probably come and hunt us down if we don't ask so it's probably going to change the subject completely but a couple of quick fire ones. Ah. Firstly, why did you let Liam Roberts go because he's been one of our players of the season so far.

Tom Lines:

It it just really gone stale for Roberts and I'm pretty glad that he's he's doing well there I mean you know nobody harbourd any sort of ill will about him going I think it just he'd been playing in a poor team for you know, 2 or 3 seasons I think his confidence had taken a knock. Um, and it was probably just the right thing for for us to part ways. I mean you know we've had you know more than more than one player over the last few years who you know has been poor for us and then gone on to do really well elsewhere I mean Dan Scar is a good example. Who's you know done fantastically well for Plymouth. In league one after being released by us. Um, um, Roberts with ah was another of those he clearly had talent but was just you know his confidence was so low after playing a poor team and he just needed a new start.

Danny Brothers:

Yeah, um, secondly another expli of ours you mentioned him earlier and I almost spit out my water. Ah, and I'm sure a lot of listeners did when you said Marques signing Ash Taylor um just get a very quick sentence on Ash Taylor

Tom Lines:

Yeah, he came in it and he just wasn't very good. Unfortunately I think you know we we were warned um, but you so to I think sometimes league 2 fans. Forget what? an average standard the scottish premier league is and we all you know we saw always been up at Aberdeen and you know playing in the scotch.

Danny Brothers:

Probably please.

Tom Lines:

Premier league and um, no he was he was he was terrible. There was 1 game at hartleyport where he was It was genuinely one of the worst performances I've seen from a center half I think he was he was responsible for 2 goals and it could have been 4 or 5 um and he was sort of bombed out of the lineup after that and. And featured pretty rarely to be honest, um, hence him upping sticks back up to Scotland again.

Charles Commins:

So did did you write a lovely message of goodbye that his wife appreciated.

Tom Lines:

His his wife um was quite was a bit grumpy about um about his time in the midlands. There was a yeah there were there were rumors that um he because he'd failed a covid test. Um earlier in the week. And then by Friday he was um, signing for kilmanic so it was it was all a bit was all a bit strange. Um and a few people sort of called him out and said um you know this is a bit weird. You fell the covid test but you've managed to sign for a team in Scotland um. And then his wife waded into it and it all got a bit ugly. So yeah, we'll probably leave that one there.

Danny Brothers:

Finally to put to bed something that Jeffie was asking up our co-presenter. She remembers an orange kibab shop near your stadium is that a thing or is she just completely made it up. Yeah, she she reckons. It's orange and it was right next to your stadium.

Tom Lines:

An Orange Kebab shop. Ah,, there's nothing next to the stadium apart From. Um, okay, there's um, there's the retail part but I don't think they have a don't think they have a cubab shop I don't really um.

Danny Brothers:

It's nothing this was this was when she was 11 I think so it was only maybe two years ago charles ah

Charles Commins:

2 two years ago yeah

Tom Lines:

I don't think I've ever had a kibab for before the game. So um, and ah maybe I come from a different um route that doesn't go past the orange kibab shot. But I'll ah I'll I'll put it out on Twitter and seeing it if anyone remembers it.

Danny Brothers:

Yeah, that'd be brilliant. Oh yeah, very fun members. Yeah oh yeah, ah yes, ah.

Tom Lines:

Were they fond fond memories or um did did she get a bad Kidbab. Okay.

Charles Commins:

You know oh she loved it. No, she loved it raved about it for about half an hour on a pod the other week it was ah that was ah that was an interesting edit. Um, ah.

Danny Brothers:

Ah, um, to move on to predictions Charles have we got a jingle for predictions. Excellent.

Charles Commins:

Ah, we've got loads of prediction jingles. Um, we'll we'll go with this one because it was the first one that came in this is from Roz.

Jingle plays.

Danny Brothers:

So predictions. Thank you Ros for that predictions. Um Charles I'll come to you first for predictions for this one.

Charles Commins:

Um I predict. Ah. I didn't have it ready? No I was too busy fuffing around with other things. Um I wonder ah going back to what? ah Tom said right at the very beginning which was about form and about set pieces I think will score. But I also think we're going to lose I think it'll be 2 1 Ah defeat I'm still feeling really downbeat that is the only thing that I can say to justify my actions here a 2 1 defeat against Warsaw.

Danny Brothers:

No dear. Yeah, fair enough to and defeat. Okay Tom how you feeling about this one.

Tom Lines:

I often get the the mickey taken out of me for being far too positive on our own podcast. You know, predicting us to finish 12 things like that. Um, but and usually I can find some sort of glimmer of light that says we might Nick a draw or something like that. Um I suppose. If he plays divanty Rodney and he turns out to be. You know the the missing link up front. Um, then you know we might be able to get something out the game but um, that's probably um, my heart speaking my head says we'll lose 2 now.

Danny Brothers:

I'm gonna go for a 1 ni winner I think from a set piece from a John Guthrie header on a set piece and to go for but um, yeah, yeah, well maybe it's maybe it's maybe it's Neil Nil going up to the end and Lee Roberts charges forward for a corner.

Tom Lines:

Yeah, from a Liam Roberts long kick and then yeah, that would that would absolutely go to form for this season I think.

Danny Brothers:

And heads in the winner. Ah, great. So thank you so much. Everyone for listening Tom where can we find your pod.

Tom Lines:

Ah, One Pod Beyond you can find us on Apple Podcasts and also soundcloud and you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook as well.

Danny Brothers:

Good stuff. You can check that out. Thank you Tom thank you Charles you good stuff. Um, next week god help us we' gotta go and try and find a Port Vale fan. So good.

Charles Commins:

Well thank you Danny you've cheered me up immensely.

Tom Lines:

Good luck with that.

Danny Brothers:

See if they listen to this episode or not. But um, a apart I'm not thanks very much. We'll be back on Tuesday with your usual show of joy see you then.