The Basics
TC is out. His contract’s up this summer and the club aren’t renewing. That’s the bottom line, dressed up in the usual warm farewell language.
Fair Assessment
His record wasn’t bad TC enjoyed a successful start to life at the Saddlers with his first league match ending in a 4-2 win at Newport County, a result coupled with a further six victories and two draws in his first ten games in all competitions. But let’s be honest, he came in as emergency cover, stayed on as a stopgap after Waddock left for Wealdstone, and the club has clearly decided they want to move in a different direction rather than hand him a permanent role. The “new chapter” phrasing is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.
What It Actually Means
The coaching setup is now thin. With Waddock gone, plus Byfield and Connor following, there’s a real gap to fill ahead of what needs to be a serious pre-season push. The vague “supporters will be notified of additions in due course” line is classic Walsall — saying nothing while sounding like they’re saying something.
The Lee Grant Connection – Coaching Staff Additions
This is where it gets genuinely interesting. Lee Grant joined Walsall as Head Coach and wants his own team. At Huddersfield Town, Grant worked closely with a coaching setup that included some credible names worth watching:
Marc Bridge-Wilkinson A former Huddersfield academy coach who spent nearly a decade at Liverpool’s academy, coaching the Under-14s, Under-16s and then Under-18s from 2020, playing a significant role in developing Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah and Tyler Morton. At Huddersfield he was given responsibility for the midfield unit in what Bridge-Wilkinson himself described as “a little bit different” structure where all assistants coached distinct sections of the team rather than having fixed roles. Training Ground GuruLiverpool.com
Paul McShane Arrived from Manchester United where he’d spent four years — including stints as Under-23 player-coach, Under-18s development coach, Under-21s assistant manager and youth manager. The former Republic of Ireland international with 33 caps also continued in his role as Republic of Ireland Under-21s assistant coach. Training Ground Guru
Jonathan Robinson Worked in Saudi Arabia as Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Al-Ettifaq. He began as Head of Performance Analysis at Bristol Rovers, moved to Swansea City as opposition analyst, then spent nine years at Liverpool progressing through youth coaching before becoming video analyst for Klopp’s first team. Training Ground Guru
The Brutal Truth for Walsall Fans
All three were terminated when Grant was sacked by Huddersfield in January 2026. So they’re all currently available — which sounds promising on paper. Weareterriers
The Huddersfield connection is interesting but that was a backroom team for a well funded league one side and not a significantly smaller budget at Bescot.
The coaches Grant recruited at Huddersfield had serious pedigree — Liverpool academy, Manchester United, Premier League analysis roles. The chances of any of them dropping into League Two on Walsall wages is slim to none, unless Grant has some very persuasive personal relationships.
