Earlier today Dean Smith left Walsall after five years as manager. That leaves a substantially big hole at Bescot Stadium, leading to many Saddlers fans wondering who their next manager will be. We focus on five names that are already in the running at this early stage to become the next Walsall manager.
John Ward
Along with fitness coach Jon Whitney and goalkeeper coach Neil Cutler, this is the current caretaker management team with the League One play-off hopefuls. With that being the case, they are firmly in the driving seat to takeover full time, if they want it. Headlined by Ward, a thoroughly experienced manager with over 700 games in the business, Walsall are certainly in a relatively safe pair of hands right now. The 64-year-old joined the club in September, initially working within the youth setup. However he now finds himself firmly back in the first-team fold, for the first team since a spell at Bristol Rovers. He is perhaps best known for his spell with Cheltenham Town, where he won promotion in the League Two Play-Off Final back in 2006. He is the current favourite in the betting.
Sean O’Driscoll
Now this is very much a coach that won’t be out of work for much longer. He departed Liverpool in October after Brendan Rodgers was dismissed. The fact he was hired by the Premier League side alone is a glowing reference to his coaching qualities. Prior to this he was in charge of the England Under-19 side, which is again another fine role to add to his CV. It is currently fair to say that O’Driscoll has been a real success in management. He has managed to combine an attractive style of play with honours at most of the clubs he has been with. It all began with AFC Bournemouth, where he guided them into the then Second Division on a limited budget. He achieved something similar with Doncaster Rovers, in addition to a Football League Trophy title. His latest spells have only been brief stops but he has proved that over time he can build a club and progress them to the next level. Walsall could be a perfect fit.
Mark Cooper
The 46-year-old has been out of work since leaving Swindon Town earlier this season. It was a difficult summer, losing many key players, and after reaching the Play-Off Final last season, this year proved a major hurdle. Nevertheless, his reputation shouldn’t have been dented as a result of this season’s struggles, which perhaps was inevitable. He is another manager, like O’Driscoll, that is keen to implement an attractive and attacking brand of football. That is certainly a big tick in his direction. He has spent a fair amount of his career in non-league, but has managed to prove himself at Football League level in recent times. Another tick for him is that he is out of work and would almost certainly be interested in this role. Would Walsall fans be excited to see him come through the door? Possibly not. The same potentially could have been said about Dean Smith prior to his appointment, although he was a former player.
Adam Chambers
This would be a fairly surprising move, but at the same time, would it? Think to David Dunn at Oldham Athletic, the midfielder was a shock appointment at the time, and there is a similar feeling to Chambers at Walsall. It was literally a month or so ago in an interview that Chambers said he is already looking towards coaching opportunities for when he retires. He recently made his 200th appearance for the club, and is something of a fan’s favourite. He could be a short-term success, with the chance to earn a longer-term deal. At 35, his playing days are limiting with time. There is every chance the Walsall hierarchy could look to hand him the reins and give him a shot at this managerial lark.
Dean Holden
Last season he was lining up in the Walsall back four, before eventually moving to former club Oldham Athletic to become first-team coach. Very quickly he would become the first-team manager with the Latics, suggesting that he is clearly a very impressive performer in an interview situation. He has dipped his toe into management and although it was a brief spell, he’ll be desperate to get back into it. He’ll have knowledge of the division already, and will undoubtedly know most of this current Walsall squad anyway. Again, this probably wouldn’t be an exciting move for Saddlers supporters, but it could be quite a clever move should this go through. He’d jump at the chance to come back to Bescot Stadium and there is certainly a good manager in Dean Holden for some club down the line.
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