Walsall have been without a manager since dismissing Michael Flynn on April 19th and it is the former Imp’s manager Danny Cowley who has emerged as one of the front runners for the role. Cowley has been out of work since his sacking from Portsmouth in January and has been linked with jobs in England and Scotland in the proceeding four months, the latest being Walsall in League Two.
Cowley, alongside brother Nicky, really came to the attention of lower-league football fans when he guided part-time Braintree to the National League playoffs where they lost to Grimsby Town in 2016 as he combined his role with his full-time job as PE teacher in Essex.
As we know, their best stop was the step into full-time football at then-struggling Lincoln City, who were entering their sixth season in the National League and hadn’t finished above 13th since their dismal relegation from the Football League.
The Cowley brothers rolled into Lincolnshire and the club’s fortunes swiftly changed with the magnificent title-winning season that saw them achieve 99 points, an FA Trophy semi-final and the memorable journey to the Emirates in the FA Cup quarter-final. When they arrived, the club had come through their lowest ebb but was averaging just over 2500 through the gate. What the Cowleys provide is an enthusiasm that is infectious and spreads quickly.
They quickly set about getting out into the community, this is not to say previous regimes didn’t, and were incredibly good with the media and supporters when being interviewed or simply chatting on the streets of Lincoln. What they were doing is getting support and getting a positive message out to the city.
Attention to detail was another huge factor in their success. Working hours on end scouting opposition and devising plans to overcome them, to gain an edge.
Of course, they were fortunate in the sense that Clive Nates had entered the boardroom to help move the club forward after the survival mission Bob Dorrian had successfully navigated in the previous years. They also entered a club that had some good players, Matt Rhead, of course, Paul Farman and captain Luke Waterfall to name just three. The backing of Nates allowed the likes of Sean Raggett, Alex Woodyard and Sam Habergham to be added to the ranks. What followed was a season and three-year spell that will never be forgotten by those that lived it, the National League title and FA Cup run being followed by the club’s first-ever Wembley appearance and victory in the EFL Trophy final and a League Two title win in 2019.
It was in the September of that year when the brothers chose to depart Sincil Bank for Huddersfield Town, where they rescued the Terriers from an awful league position and secured their Championship safety before being sacked for having ‘a different vision for the way we operate the club’, what that means, I’ll let you decide for yourself.
Granted, the Portsmouth appointment didn’t work out but that’s not to say the brothers can’t reignite their careers somewhere else. Why can’t that somewhere else be the Banks’s Stadium?
With Walsall seemingly on the slide, from just missing out on promotion to the Championship in 2015/16 when they finished in third place to a possible finish as low as 20th in League Two this season, they need the enthusiasm and the bounce that Danny and Nicky provide.
The Saddlers have had a poor season, notching just one win in their last twenty-three games and have already drawn 19 games this term. The club need a boost, needs the positivity that is brought by the Cowleys, particularly by a pair of Cowleys who have had four months off and are looking to get back on the managerial path that once seemed destined for the very top.
It could be argued that the recent history and expectations of Walsall Football Club are just what the brothers are looking for. If we look at some of their managerial history, they had Braintree the massive part-time underdogs, Lincoln City who had hit rock-bottom and needed change and then Huddersfield Town who sat winless at the bottom of the Championship and needed saving. Their ‘failure’ at Portsmouth was at a club who were expecting to be successful in League One and achieve promotion but on a trimmed budget.
Walsall could provide them with an opportunity to join a club with a decent fan base and an average attendance of over 5400 in a side enduring an at best uneventful season in terms of league placing. The appointment of Danny Cowley alongside his brother would rejuvenate the supporters and show them that the club are serious in their efforts to improve fortunes. They are engaging and can help to get the fans right behind the club and create an atmosphere that only benefits the players on the pitch.
Danny Cowley will come in and play football that gets results. Despite being criticised for his perceived direct style of play, Cowley gets results and will play in a way that suits the players he has at his disposal. Sometimes it may not be pretty but it is certainly effective but it would be too easy to throw the long ball label at the former teacher. He and Nicky work tirelessly to find the extra percentages that will ensure their side comes out on top, whether that be tactically or through the work done on set pieces. Although they may resort to more percentage football at times- I seem to remember box entries being mentioned in at least one post-match interview- they have managed some good footballers and created an exciting side at Lincoln with players such as Bruno Andrade, Harry Anderson and Harry Toffolo in the side that earned promotion to English football’s third tier.
As previously mentioned, Cowley was well-backed by the board during his time at The Imps and was allowed to bring in seemingly when he wanted them (obviously football transfers aren’t quite that easy) so the Walsall board would have to be willing to allow him the control on the players he wishes to bring in. The Trivela group had said they would back previous manager Michael Flynn with a competitive budget so Walsall fans will be going that would be the same should Danny Cowley have his name on the manager’s office door. You’d imagine, for example, that bringing in players to create and score goals would be high on the list for any new manager at the Banks’s Stadium as they attempt to build a squad to compete in the higher echelons of the league table.
Writer’s View
Cowley has been linked with multiple EFL jobs such as Reading and Port Vale as well as having his name mentioned for the Hearts job in Scotland but could Walsall be the perfect fit?
A club that wants to be battling higher in the division but has been sliding year on year and requires fresh energy and drive- surely it is calling Cowley’s name! He has the ability to capture a fan base, to bring a feel good factor to a club and get a team winning football matches. If he does take over at Walsall and can get the place going he has, in the past, known how to keep that momentum and produced successful sides.
Whoever joins the Saddlers will have an exciting yet challenging job to get stuck into. So, who would be your choice for the hot seat?
The Cowley brothers sound like the perfect fit for the Saddlers. Bring it on!
Well researched CV I’m on board