It has been a dream return to the Bescot Stadium for Martin Butler. The 31-year-old left Walsall for pastures new in the early nineties and has disproved the old adage that you should never go back. His goals have contributed to Walsall’s unbeaten start to the campaign and the future looks bright under Richard Money. Expectations are high in the West Midlands this season that the Saddlers will bounce straight back into League One and they will need a goalscorer to achieve that aim. And as Butler told givemefootball’s Ian Clarkson, he intends to take the opportunity to fulfil that role.
Q:IT HAS BEEN A GOOD START FOR YOU BACK AT WALSALL HASN’T IT?
A:“I have enjoyed it. I was a bit apprehensive about coming back in terms of what type of reception I was going to get, but luckily it has been great and things have gone really well. I couldn’t have wished for it to go any better. The club was going downhill a bit and they wanted a goalscorer. Luckily I have managed to get on the scoresheet this season.”
Q:YOU MENTIONED THE RECEPTION YOU GOT – AS A YOUNG PLAYER YOU TOOK SOME CRITICISM FROM SUPPORTERS DIDN’T YOU?
A:“I think most footballers go through periods of time when they get stick wherever they go, but I think it is character building. It just happened to come when I was 18/19-years-old. It stood me in good stead throughout my career and you tend to enjoy the good times more. You have always got a point to prove in football. You are always going to get people who like you and people who don’t, so it is all about going out and giving your best. We did always want to come back to the Midlands, whether it was when my career had finished or whenever. I have got a couple of young kids and my wife is from the area so we were definitely coming back. This just enabled us to come back earlier than we thought. It is a great little club with great ambitions.”
Q:HOW HAVE YOU FOUND WORKING WITH RICHARD MONEY?
A:“Richard has been like a breath of fresh air. He has got modern ideas and different tactics. He has been round the world and coached and it has been quite exciting really. As a team we have done really well. I think there are going to be bigger tests for us throughout the season, but we have done really well so far. If we can ride the downsides then hopefully we will be okay at the end of the season.”
Q:WHAT SORT OF MODERN IDEAS HAS HE BROUGHT TO WALSALL?
A:“Practices such as iced baths, heart rate monitors and food after training, for instance. It is different to when I first signed with Kenny Hibbitt all those years ago! Food is a massive thing and for a lot of small clubs it is all about budget. So for Walsall to put on food after training is a good thing. Obviously the lads contribute to that out of their wages and it is good to all eat together and be that team unit. During pre-season the gaffer gave us goals in terms of what he expects throughout the season from different games. It was all presented on a video screen and Alan Pardew did the same thing when he was at Reading. A lot of managers now are going down that route.”
Q:YOU ARE ONE OF THE MORE EXPERIENCED CAMPAIGNERS IN THE DRESSING ROOM THESE DAYS – DO YOU OFFER ADVICE?
A:When I first came back I couldn’t believe how many young lads there were. One of the lads (Mark Wright) said I used to play with his dad (Evran Wright)! That didn’t really help to be honest – I couldn’t believe it! Seriously, young lads only take advice if they want to take it. There are some strong characters in the dressing room and that is what you need. It is easy when you are winning games. It will be when we have had a bit of a hiccup, that’s when you’ll see the proper characters come out.”
