Matt Taylor: Walsall sack head coach following seven successive league defeats

Walsall have won only one of their past 13 games in all competitions under Matt Taylor

Walsall have sacked head coach Matt Taylor following a run of seven successive defeats in League Two.

The 40-year-old ex-Luton, Portsmouth, Bolton, West Ham United and Burnley player was appointed in May last year.

But he won just nine of his 36 games in charge and now leaves with the Saddlers 21st in the table, four points above the relegation places.

Walsall have been in League Two since their relegation in 2019 under Dean Keates and caretaker Martin O'Connor.

Taylor is the 12th boss to part company with a club in English football's top five tiers since the turn of the year - and is the second sacking by a Black Country club in eight days following Valerien Ismael's departure from neighbours West Bromwich Albion.

In a statement, the Saddlers thanked Taylor "for his efforts" and said that Neil McDonald and Mat Sadler would be taking temporary charge for first-team affairs.

Walsall have not won a game since beating Colchester 3-0 in early December, and not taken a point since drawing 3-3 with Newport County on New Year's Day - and their next two games, at home to Tranmere on Saturday, then away at leaders Forest Green, are against the League Two's top two.

"We have lost seven games on the bounce," said Walsall chairman Leigh Pomlett. "That is not acceptable to me, the club or the supporters. We are not where I wanted us to be at all.

"After we beat Colchester I thought we were heading in the right direction. It has come as a real shock and disappointment to me that we have lost seven games on the bounce. The frustration of the fans is fully understood.

Following Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at bottom side Scunthorpe, Taylor told BBC Radio WM in his last interview as boss that the side were at "a real low point".

Since winning 1-0 at Port Vale in November, a victory which left Walsall 11th in the table and only five points off a play-off place, Taylor won just one of his last 13 games in charge.

He left his role as coach of Tottenham Under-18s to succeed Brian Dutton as head coach, in his first senior managerial role.

'A change had to be made' - Analysis

BBC Radio WM's Rob Gurney

Having seen the the past two games, against Northampton on Saturday and again at Scunthorpe, it was very evident a change had to be made.

As in all circumstances like this you feel a degree of sympathy as you don't like to see anyone lose their job. But football is a brutal business.

Matt Taylor has paid the price for seven successive defeats at a club with a proud history like Walsall, who are now in real danger of falling into non-league next season - which would be absolutely unthinkable. And something had to be done.

There are lots of deep-seated problems at Walsall. Leigh Pomlett, the chairman, succeeded Jeff Bonser and brought in a director of football, Jamie Fullarton. But the calibre of player Fullarton has been able to recruit is a major issue.

You think back to Dean Smith's time, when they got to Wembley and there was stability at Walsall. Jon Whitney took over and they were one result away from getting into the Championship. But, since then, we've seen Dean Keates come and go, Darrell Clarke went to Port Vale as that was a better opportunity for him. His assistant Brian Dutton took over. He was a very young, inexperienced coach and that didn't work and similarly Matt Taylor was a bold appointment.

But, ultimately it's players that get managers the sack and that's what's happened here. Captain Joss Labadie was booked for the 10th time this season at Scunthorpe, which means he now gets a suspension just when the club needs him most. Taylor had told Labadie not to get booked and he goes out and does just that. That tells me he'd lost the players' confidence.