The Walsall FC Chairman pays tribute...
WALSALL FC Chairman, Jeff Bonser, has worked closely alongside Roy Whalley for the vast majority of his 27 years at the club.The pair have been through so much together over the years.
"I have worked with Roy for over 25 years," said Mr. Bonser. "During our time together we have navigated the club through many interesting projects, some of those can only be described as challenging and frustrating, but all of them were for the benefit of the long-term future of Walsall Football Club
"There are too many to list here, but I am sure that Roy will use some of them in his after-dinner speaking or even one day he may write his memoirs, which would certainly make interesting reading!
"Roy is without doubt, in my opinion, the most competent Football Secretary / Chief Executive in the football industry. It was always of some concern to me that he may be head-hunted by another club, but the fact that Roy is a devoted Walsall FC supporter worked in our favour, and because of this, the situation never actually arose.
"Despite his retirement, he will remain as an active Director of the Board where his experience and input is vital to the younger generation following in his footsteps.
"I would like to thank Roy for his friendship and support over the last 25 years and on behalf of Walsall Football Club for his unwavering support, effort and commitment in the move from Fellows Park and his contribution to making Bescot/Banks’s Stadium the success it is today.
"The journey has been challenging, interesting, stressful and at times very humorous. I sincerely hope that Roy enjoys a long and happy retirement. He certainly deserves it."