Walsall co-chairmen Ben Boycott and Leigh Pomlett were joined by departing CEO Stefan Gamble and his replacement Ben Sadler in the Stadium suite as fans posed a variety of questions.The evening began with Ben Boycott thanking those in attendance for taking the time to take part in the event, as well as offering a smattering of updates as to the goings on in WS1.
PORTIONS OF THE EVEING HAVE BEEN REWORDED AND REORDERED FOR CLARITY
Along with welcoming former Morecambe man Ben Sadler to the club, Boycott admitted he was excited about how The Locker has grown since reopening earlier in the year.
Ben also discussed the recent upgrades that have taken place inside the stadium, including the pitch and floodlights, as well as the newly launched website. It was confirmed that the Club's new Macron range will be launching on Friday.
Canada-born Boycott then went on to talk about some of the staffing changes at the club, insisting stability is key, before revealing that the departing Dan Watson has gone to work with the family business.
Boycott felt last season was a good one but wanted more from the team, he feels the squad has a solid core but is keen to improve upon last season.
He admitted the summer Transfer Window will be important, and the club has already put in lots of hard work as the new season draws near.
Going on to talk about Isaac Hutchinson, Boycott wished him well and confirmed the midfielder always planned to leave, with his contract serving as a bridging deal until a new club came in with an acceptable offer.
Looking at the players that remain with the club, Evan Weir will begin training late next week, whilst there is excitement about the arrival of Charlie Lakin and Connor Bennett.
The club is close to securing new players but won't be releasing any information ahead of contracts being signed.
Once again looking back at the last campaign and Boycott feels that last season tapped into something special, and is keen to remain positive and build upon the momentum that kept the team in Play-Off contention for much of the season.
On to the budget, and Boycott insisted that, contrary to several rumours, the playing budget has not been cut, with the information being nothing but lies.
Ben Sadler was then introduced to the audience and went on to talk about what he will bring to the club, with the northerner hoping his experience can help the club accelerate improvement and development. He is keen to learn all he can about the club and the community it serves.
The first question of the evening went to Sadler, and asked what he will bring to the club, to which he touted his extensive experience with Morecambe including how working with disengaged owners provided him with plenty of lessons.
He went on to insist Morecambe were successful despite their ownership and, with the steady platform, Walsall can avoid many of the pitfalls and grow from strength to strength.
On to Season Tickets: Stefan Gamble was the one to field this and said he feels sales have gone well but are slightly down on last season. It seems many of the children's season tickets were not renewed with around 100 now being carried over, though sales are up in other categories.
We then turned to the transfer of Elijah Adebayo with Pomlett being urged to clarify (again) what he meant by it being the best transfer in club history.
He once again pointed to the various potential sell-on clauses but is reluctant to reveal how much as it’s commercially sensitive, though he would welcome either Elijah or Rico Henry being sold as well as Rico one day playing for England.
Ben Boycott admitted a potential sale would be very helpful to the budget, but there is no use sitting and waiting for it to happen and the board and backroom will just have to run with what we know.
When asked what the expectation for the future of the club is the well-trodden answer of 'Incremental improvement' was wheeled out.
Ben Boycott also discussed how much of a success the recent NoFo launch was, which led to a discussion on just how many people and organisations are involved in Trivela Group.
BB and Kenneth Polk are the key players with the group currently investing in the Saddlers and Drogheda United, with Polk also operating the Arlington Group.
On to the recent departure of Tom Knowles with fans wanting to know why he left despite their being an option for another season. It is confirmed that, following discussions between the two parties, the club opted not to trigger the deal.
The potential of sending more players to join Douglas James-Taylor at Drogheda was asked with the board looking to improve ties between the clubs and make a relationship that benefits both clubs and communities.
Drogheda have played a part in developing Freddie Draper, Evan Weir and Emmanuel Adegboyega meaning the club already knew lots about them before they signed up.
Evan Weir is seen as a solid player and has done well during this time with the Drogs. The board is excited to see what he will do.
Back to questions and one about Danny Johnson: And, as players are seen as assets, should the board be more active if one of the assets is being underutilised...
Boycott went on to insist he fully backs the Head Coach and his team to make decisions and it’s down to the football staff to do what they feel is correct and Ben and Leigh both insist they will never try to select the team. Though aren't adverse to asking questions.
Pomlett and Boycott went on to reaffirm that team selection is up to Mat Sadler, with the gaffer being fully aware that if he doesn’t get results he won't keep his job.
On to loans and whether the loss of players midway through the season will impact the club's transfer strategy, to which Boycott admitted it was frustrating, but nobody could foresee Draper ending up as top scorer.
He insisted (and we agree) that loans have been helpful, but lessons have to be learned after Freddie and DJ the season before have been pulled away from the club at crucial points in the campaign.
With the rumours about Josh Gordon continuing to swirl Boycott refused to confirm or deny his impending arrival.
Moving on to the recent exit of the club's physio it was suggested that there has been a turnover due to unsociable hours as so many injuries had been collected. Though it was said that its just bad luck and not mismanagement.
On to the EFL's deal with Sky Sports and a fan asked whether the club is concerned about the potential to lose fans to which Pomlett insisted he wasn't concerned and revealed that the deal will add revenue to all clubs in the system. Midweek games will take up most of the twenty games shown on Sky Sports+ and/ or ITV 1, with some taking place on a Thursday evening.
When asked how soon the club will know fixture changes? The timetable of three months was confirmed. The benefits of the deal were reaffirmed before we moved on to the car park, not for a fight but another question...
The Club is aware of issues on the car park and are taking action to sort it out, with the Head of Ticketing and Operations working on a fix.
Back to contracts and Ben Sadler was asked how can he protect club assets through contracts where he admitted Hutchinson's new deal was odd as its not usually the way its done.
The Club is working on having a balanced squad whilst looking to avoid mass ins and outs every summer. Though several club-saving decisions have been made over the years.
Looking at contracts as a whole and, there’s an element of chance with things such as injury and form (both good and bad) playing a part.
Some player agents try to do their best for both parties, whilst others are hell bent on squeezing everything they can from clubs.
The club can put options in contracts but agents and players often find ways to work them in their favour with negotiations being a game of cat and mouse with the club looking to do the best deal possible.
Returning to the Sky Sports contract and a question about revenue split between the clubs with the Championship receiving the most, though this is significantly less than the previous in contracts.
Votes on revenue sharing are difficult to win as it requires a majority of Championship clubs and EFL clubs as a whole to agree with Walsall hoping the Fan Led Review can lead to a better solution.
More on the field matters and the current lack of goalkeepers, to which Boycott confirmed the club remains in talks with Jackson Smith, though details of the discussions can't be revealed.
On whether the US-based investors are committed to the club, Boycott says unequivocally yes. He revealed that many take in the games via iFollow and continue to pay attention to the day-to-day workings. The fact that the club has been around longer than any US sports team is a big deal to them.
On whether the investors will return to WS1, BB said yes, though there’s no immediate timeline. They all remain committed to the club.
Ben Sadler was back up to answer a question about the use of young players to generate income and how the recent lack of progress among the scholars will impact that in the long term.
He insisted it is a great way to take a club forwards, with people wanting to see local players on the pitch, but admitted it has been challenging.
But with the likes of George Barrett and Dylan Thomas signed up to professional contracts, there are signs of progress and, with the hard work of Rob Williams, the club will soon reap the rewards.
The chairmen were recently at the training ground to see four academy players training with the first team, insisting that only happens on merit.
On the potential of promotion to League One; Could the club compete financially? Ben Boycott said it could but admitted wage inflation would have an impact with players commanding more and more every season. He refuses to blame Stockport County and Wrexham, though their willingness to pay above the odds can't help.
Back to contracts and a question on how long does the club negotiate with players before calling it quits? To which Boycott insists there are always discussions ongoing, but as players, their agents, and other clubs are involved it can take quite some time.
The Club continues to talk with out-of-contract players as well as those who may replace them.
Ben Sadler was asked if being at the forum with two chairmen and several fans was strange after dealing with several issues during his time with Morecambe, to which he admits he prefers Walsall's forum to Morecambe’s.
Back to the Locker with a fan asking if it has been successful... Ben Boycott admitted it was a major investment and they hope it will eventually bring a return to the club.
Recent events surrounding England's games in the Euro's have gone well but are quieter than on club matchdays. The current operators are keen to do more and are looking at ways to improve income.
Someone asked whether the prices are too high and whether pricing closer to pubs would be better and Boycott agreed that things may need to be looked at. Different strategies are always an option.
On whether the club is looking to grow fan base in the America, Boycott confirmed that he has worked on ways to get club merchandise to the states. Before admitting it hasn't fully tapped into it, but there is a clear connection in the US.
With some 32% of EFL clubs being American owned, there has been a genuine push to get into the market with work being done on a regular basis.
Returning to the Poundland Bescot Stadium and the recently refurbished floodlights, to which it was confirmed that they still needed to be upgraded irrespective of more games being broadcast as they weren’t energy efficient.
Staying with the stadium and a fan wanted to know whether the club still has planning permission to redevelop the away end? It was confirmed that the permission has lapsed but there is plenty of scope for returning to the idea in the future.
ENDS
