Press Release

Following the sacking of Ray Graydon, the Walsall Supporters' Trust (WST) believes the fans need to turn out in numbers to get behind the team and to show the Board how much they care about football in Walsall. The wearing of flatcaps at Saturday's game at Charlton, and Tuesday's game against Wimbledon has been mooted on several web sites. The WST believes that as many fans as possible should don flatcaps, or any other hat, both in honour of Ray Graydon and as a symbol of his honesty and loyalty. Phil Sturgess, WST Secretary noted that "the fans need to send a direct message to the Board about the way that the football side of the club is run and to demonstrate that they deserve better."

The WST called on the Board of Walsall FC to open up to the supporters in the wake of Graydon's sacking. Richard Hall, Chair of the Trust said "the reaction to the dismissal has been one of deep shock and, whatever the rights and wrongs, the fact that it happened implies that the Board feel mistakes have been made. We would like them to be more open about this rather than expecting the fans to accept whatever they are told.

"Clearly, off-the-field, Walsall is a very successful business, but the supporters and the community need to see what the club intends to do to ensure that it is as competitive on-the-field. That is why we need more disclosure from the club about the actual nature of their football strategy. We need to know the implications of Paul Taylor's resignation and why he is being retained at the club 'for the time being'. How will the club reassess its youth and scouting policy and link these to an effective transfer, reserve and first-team policy?

"We believe that the supporters, who have stuck with the club through thick-and-thin, were given hope and pride during Ray Graydon's tenure as manager. By sacking him, the Board made a very public statement that they believed something was going wrong. If they are to honour Graydon's legacy appropriately, they need to trust the fans more than they do at present and actually talk to them about their plans.

"Too often the Board hide behind the mantra of commercial sensitivity, or give out so little information that the fans have to base their thinking upon assertion. At a time when the club and community need to pull together this is not an appropriate approach."

The WST is calling upon the Board to talk to the fans directly about their plans for Walsall FC, what mistakes they think were made, and how they will learn from them. Some good has to come out of this situation, and that will depend upon the club improving its relationship with its fans and its community.

The WST is a membership organisation of dedicated Walsall FC supporters and has over 520 paid-up members. This means that its members form 10 per cent (a significant minority) of our average home crowd. These people are also shareholders in the football club with 73 shares.