Ray Graydon: Walsall years were my best

This is the man who scored Villa’s first ever goal in European competition.

He also netted the winner at Wembley as the Villans triumphed against Norwich to win the 1975 League Cup final.

But Graydon does have a favourite moment – and it didn’t arrive in claret and blue.

It was at the Millennium Stadium on May 27, 2001, that Walsall beat Reading in the Second Division play-off final.

The result meant Graydon had guided his team to what is now the Championship for the second time in three years.

For many – while a remarkable achievement – the second promotion wasn’t quite as surprising as the first.

Ahead of the 1997/98 campaign, Walsall began the season as the bookmakers clear favourites for relegation.

Odds of 500/1 were available for them to go up before a ball had been kicked – with big spending Manchester City and Kevin Keegan’s Fulham the overwhelming favourites.

But they defied the bookmakers to clinch promotion automatically with a second-place finish.

A year later though and defeat at Ipswich saw them relegated.

And it was that loss at Portman Road that would make victory at the Millennium Stadium so sweet for Walsall’s boss.

“That day we were relegated at Ipswich will stay with me forever,” Graydon said. “I walked over to the crowd at the final whistle and I had tears in my eyes. I had to turn away.

“And I remember saying to myself ‘I will do everything I can for you supporters who have travelled here to get us where we want to be’.

“That moment stuck with me. It was never about me. It was about the team and its supporters.

“To go down after all the work we had put in was devastating. But I left that ground knowing I would do everything in my power to get us back up the following year.”

Graydon did win promotion – and in style.

The Saddlers staged an amazing comeback in extra-time to steal promotion from Reading in Wales.

After Jamie Cureton had opened the scoring, Don Goodman levelled for Graydon’s men.

Former Walsall player Martin Butler then came back to haunt his former side with a goal that seemingly would win the clash for Reading.

But a bizarre own-goal by Reading substitute Tony Rougier sent the tie to extra-time – with Darren Byfield then breaking Royals’ hearts with a winner.

“I won three promotions and two League Cups with Villa,” Graydon said. “But that moment at the Millennium Stadium, I think that tops the lot.

“It was a fantastic spectacle. Relegation had really hurt us and we entered the game as the minnows – Reading were the big team.

“I don’t think there was a soul left in Walsall that day. It felt like everyone was there.

“The crowd gave us a huge left. What I always loved about Walsall’s fans were that they were honest people.

“I had moved to Bloxwich and every day people would come up to me and tell me what I was doing wrong.

“But I listened. I actually moved to Bloxwich so I could surround myself with Walsall people.

“But that Reading game, to win it in extra-time was fantastic. To give the fans that moment after being relegated the year before, it was incredible.”

So how did Graydon do it?

How after being appointed Walsall’s manager in 1998 – following the sacking of Jan Sorensen – did he go on to win two promotions against the odds?

“When I first arrived at Walsall I sat down and interviewed every player individually,” he said. “I asked them why they had problems the previous year.

“A lot of them said they weren’t given any guidance from coaching sessions. They didn’t have a real picture of what they should be doing.

“And discipline wasn’t great. The players told me this. This wasn’t words I was putting in their mouths. That was what the players told me. They told me they wanted to start going to games a little bit smarter. That may not seem important. But it was important to me.

“It was going to happen anyway. But I promised if any of them wanted some extra training – I would come work with them any afternoon of the week. If they wanted to spend extra time with me I would be available.

“And in return I promised them we would have good units.”

Having a team of players that knew exactly what was required of them was key to Graydon’s philosophy.

“I detached the back four so they knew what they were doing,” the boss continued. “I did the same with the midfield. And I told the front players exactly what I wanted from them and the positions I wanted them to get to.

“I wanted them to all know where they were going – one at the middle, one at the near post and one at the far.

“It sounds simple but it’s very hard to get. I wanted everyone to cover the goal and we had a specific way of doing that.

“And by just working together and by talking to each other we built a team.

“We had teams within the team. We had a team of defenders, a team of midfielders and a team of forwards. They all knew their roles. And then we put them together.

“I wanted them to know how we could develop any attack. And what was expected when we were defending.

“There was so much to it. But nothing complicated. All the details were simple. But there were a lot of them.”

Graydon also made sure his team was tactically flexible even if they did always line-up in a 4-4-2 formation.

“I was never going to change my formation. – I was always 4-4-2 and the press always thought we were 4-4-2.

“But there are plenty of ways you can play 4-4-2 and I would often make adjustments.

“For example, sometimes Andy Rammell would drop into a midfield area because someone was giving us a problem.

“But I just kept saying we are 4-4-2 and at that time Sir Alex Ferguson was doing the same, 4-4-2, never changing.

“And I thought if he can do it, why can’t Walsall?”

For Graydon, it was also important his side were one of the fittest in the division.

“It was really important that we were fit,” he added.

“There were better players in the other teams. And our players knew that.

“But we could be fitter than them. And by giving them a picture of what they should be doing and how we should be doing it – we gave them a chance.

“We had a lot of 1-0 victories and that was because we had real discipline about keeping players in slots.

“We didn’t have people disappearing. I spent hours and hours at it. But it was all worthwhile. Because it gave the players a feeling that they were together.

“I didn’t ever stop them being flamboyant. They could all do what they wanted to do in the right places.

“But they knew where I wanted the balls played, where to support it and when to get it wide.

“And, most importantly, the players knew I was behind them. If I could help them I would. If I substituted a player I would tell them why.”

Despite everything he had achieved, on January 22, 2002, Graydon was sacked as Walsall manager with the team finding it difficult to hold on to their Division One status.

The news came as a huge shock. But even after losing his job, Graydon – as you would expect – was nothing but a gentleman.

“I was a sad day when I was sacked,” he said. “I can remember the day before I got the job – I said to my wife ‘I will get the sack one day.’

“She told me not to be silly. But I explained that was the nature of the game and I wanted her to be ready.

“I told her it wasn’t an ‘if’ but a definite.

“When I got the call my aim was to stay at Walsall. I never wanted to go anywhere else.

“But Jeff Bonser (chairman) came in to see me after we had lost at the weekend and he asked me what we were going to do. I told him it was his choice and he said he felt the time had come for me to move on.

“He then asked me what I wanted to do.

“I said I’d like to come in tomorrow, sit down with you and the secretary and I’d like you to listen to what I am going to say to the press.

“And I want to listen to what you are going to say to the press. We can end that way.

“He said no manager has ever said that to me before.

“So I explained that is what I wanted to do and that is what we did. We shook hands and I walked out with my head held high and still absolutely loving the club.”