Express & Star

Dean Keates: If you tolerate this, your Walsall careers will be next

Boss Dean Keates has warned his players they will be shown the door at Walsall if they repeat their dreadful display at Bradford.

Published
Last updated

The Bantams, who began the day bottom of the table, recorded only their second win in 11 league outings by thumping the Saddlers 4-0 on Saturday.

Keates' side had been the better team in the first-half.

But they collapsed badly after the interval in a display the boss described as embarrassing.

And the 40-year-old warned performances like that will not be tolerated with the January transfer window just around the corner.

"We were nowhere near good enough and that was work rate, effort, everything," the boss said.

"That won’t be tolerated at the football club.

"There is a lot to be pulled apart from that game - especially second half.

"The information needs to start sinking in now. Some of the players need to grow up.

"Performances like that affect their careers. We are coming up to January and that means there is an opportunity to move players on and for players to come in."

Walsall have a host of players out of contract in the summer.

Russell Martin, Jon Guthrie, Luke Leahy, Nicky Devlin, Isaiah Osbourne, Liam Kinsella, Kieron Morris, Josh Ginnelly and Zeli Ismail all see their deals expire in six months time.

And Keates said new deals will not be on the table if performances like the one at Bradford become a regular occurrence.

"There are a lot of players out of contract," the boss continued.

"As it stands they have got a job. And the best opportunity to keep that job is by performing.

"If they perform like they did at Bradford they won’t have a job. They know what I expect and what the standards are.

"That second half has come from nowhere but they will learn a lot about themselves now and I will learn a lot about them as well.

"They have got to grow up and get their heads back, get their shoulders up and man up to it. Because that was nowhere near good enough."