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Sea Power

Sea Power, previously known as British Sea Power and initially as British Air Powers, are an English alternative rock band. The group's original lineup consisted of Jan Scott Wilkinson, known as Yan; Martin Noble, known as Noble; and Alison Cotton. By the time the band had begun its recording career, Cotton had departed, and two new members had joined: Neil Hamilton Wilkinson, known as Hamilton, and Matthew Wood, known as Woody. Eamon Hamilton joined the band in autumn 2002. He left in 2006 and was replaced by Phil Sumner, with Abi Fry joining the band in 2008.

The wide-ranging nature of the band's material has led critics to liken their sound to a variety of groups, from The Cure and Joy Division to Pixies and Arcade Fire. The band are famed for their live performances, the unusual lyrical content of their songs and the adventurous choice of locations for some of their shows.

Early years and The Decline of British Sea Power (1995-2003)
British Sea Power's Yan and (Neil) Hamilton are brothers and were school friends with Wood near Natland in Kendal, Cumbria. They were in a number of bands together while at school, but after finishing his exams Yan moved to study at the University of Reading, where he met guitarist Noble, who was originally from Bury, Greater Manchester.

In 1995, Yan and Noble were looking to start a band together; they recruited fellow student Alison Cotton via advertisements on the university's notice board, and the trio began performing together, initially under the name British Air Powers. (Neil) Hamilton and Wood moved to Reading and joined the group shortly thereafter. Cotton was "headhunted" by Adam Cresswell and Mike Smoughton of local band Saloon in the late 90s, and left British Air Powers before they began their recording career.

The group played gigs and produced a four-track demo in Reading as British Air Powers, before relocating to Brighton in search of a more active music scene. "British Sea Power" was actually the name of one of these demo tracks, and was eventually reworked as "Carrion". In Brighton, BSP amassed a strong local following, due mainly to their own club night called "Club Sea Power" which was hosted at the Freebutt and Lift clubs. The club nights featured many support acts, including the Copper Family, a 200-year-old Sussex folk troupe and other forms of entertainment such as a 1940s fashion show.

Their first single, "Fear of Drowning", was issued in limited numbers on their own Golden Chariot label. The artwork for the B side, "A Wooden Horse", borrows heavily from the dust cover of the 1950 book The Wooden Horse that details the escape of Allied POWs during World War II. Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records, impressed by seeing the band live, signed them to his label in September 2001. Originally a four-piece, Eamon Hamilton was recruited to play keyboards and bass drum in autumn 2002.

The Decline of British Sea Power, the band's first album, was released in June 2003 to critical acclaim. A single from the album, "Carrion", became the band's first Top 40 single. The album charted in the lower reaches of the UK Album Chart.

Open Season (2004–2006)
The follow-up, Open Season, was released in early April 2005, and also enjoyed wide critical praise. It showcased a more accessible, produced sound and charted at No. 13 in the UK Albums Chart. The lead single, "It Ended on an Oily Stage", charted at No. 18 in the UK Singles Chart a week earlier.

British Sea Power had won the 2004 Time Out Live Band of the Year award and by this time had built a reputation for elaborate and well-thought out live shows. Stages were often decorated with foliage and plastic birds and shows would generally finish with a semi-improvised song called "Rock in A", which sometimes lasted for over 20 minutes. Various members would climb riggings and tear down the foliage, while Eamon would walk around the audience beating his marching drum. The encore would sometimes see an eight-foot bear, Ursine Ultra, join in the performance.

The stage antics have become one of the signatures of the band. Another is their choice of venues. Their tours have often included unusual locations such as the Scillonian Club on the Isles of Scilly, Grasmere Village Hall, the Czech Embassy in London and Carnglaze Caverns in Cornwall. They have also played in museums, libraries and sea forts.

The band has built up an eccentric image in interviews and press releases. This has included giving journalists grid references at which to meet them, and expressing obsessions with Field Marshal Montgomery and bird watching. Similarly, they appeared on the TV show Countryfile in which they discussed their love of the countryside and played an outdoor performance of the track "Canvey Island".

At the beginning of 2006, it was announced that Eamon had left British Sea Power to concentrate on his own band Brakes.

Do You Like Rock Music? and Man of Aran (2007–2009)
In October 2007, the band toured east coast USA, showcasing their new 5-track EP Krankenhaus?. Their November 2007 tour included a seaside café in Saltdean (East Sussex, England) a River Mersey ferry (Liverpool, England), All Saints' Church (Newcastle upon Tyne, England) and White Mischief's Around the World in 80 Days indoor bands/vaudeville festival. Their Krankenhaus? EP was released digitally in October 2007 and on CD and vinyl on 20 November.

In 2008, violist Abi Fry toured with the band (later becoming a permanent member). On 14 January 2008, third-album Do You Like Rock Music? was released in the UK (12 February 2008 in the USA) and was a UK Top 10 success. Later that January, keyboard/cornet player Phil Sumner was admitted to hospital in Leeds (after being knocked unconscious attempting to stage dive from a 12-foot PA system), in spite of which he returned to the stage the following day. Prior to their Do You Like Rock Music? tour (of Ireland, UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and USA), Wood injured his back and was temporarily replaced by Thomas White of Electric Soft Parade and Brakes.

In February 2008, the band appeared on Later with Jools Holland, playing "Waving Flags", "Canvey Island" and "No Lucifer". They were accompanied by members of the London Bulgarian Choir and a display of Cumbrian wrestling.

The band also played an intimate concert at The Monico Hotel in Canvey Island as a nod to the 5th track on their new album. Prior to the gig, the band took part in a training session at Canvey Island Football Club. They were joined on stage for their encore by Wilko Johnson, formerly of Canvey pub rock band Dr. Feelgood. The performance was featured on BBC2's The Culture Show.

The band played "No Lucifer" on the Late Show with David Letterman on 12 March 2008 and had a concert filmed for the Canadian music series Beautiful Noise. During Summer 2008, the band played at Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, T in the Park and Bestival, amongst other festivals.

On 22 July 2008, Do You Like Rock Music? was announced as one of the nominees for the 2008 Mercury Prize. To coincide with the nomination British Sea Power re-released their song "Waving Flags" on 8 September 2008, which they also performed at the award ceremony the following day.

In August 2008, the band hosted their own music festival, Sing Ye From The Hillsides!, at the Tan Hill Inn, the UK's highest pub. A second festival was held at the same location in May 2010.

On 23 January 2009, the band announced that they were recording a soundtrack to the documentary Man of Aran. They performed it in concert at the British Film Institute in April, and a CD/DVD was released in May. On 7 February 2009, they released a new 10-minute track, "The possibility of an island", on Myspace.

Their live performances in the summer of 2009 included a show at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in London.

Valhalla Dancehall (2010–2011)
The band headlined the Festival Republic Stage at the 2010 Reading and Leeds Festivals, on 29 and 28 August respectively. They supported the Manic Street Preachers on their autumn 2010 tour of Britain.

The band released a 'Maxi EP' Zeus, in October 2010, featuring songs recorded during the sessions for the forthcoming album.

The album Valhalla Dancehall, recorded on the isle of Skye in Scotland and at a farmhouse in East Sussex, was released in January 2011. Initial copies of the album sold by some independent music stores in the UK were accompanied with a bonus EP, Valhalla V.I.P.. The band toured the UK in the first three months of 2011, and a tour of the United States was planned for March, including an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman on 21 March.

To mark the ten-year anniversary of their first single, "Fear of Drowning", the band played three intimate shows at Berwick Village Hall in East Sussex in May 2011.

British Sea Power announced a number of forthcoming festival appearances for summer 2011, including Latitude Festival, Leefest, Get Loaded In The Park and the Port Eliot Festival. In addition, the band performed at Jodrell Bank Live at Jodrell Bank Observatory, with The Flaming Lips, in July 2011. They also performed at festivals in Australia, China and Japan.

September 2011 saw the publication on Rough Trade Books of Do It for Your Mum by Roy Wilkinson (brother of Yan and Hamilton), an account of the author's experiences of managing the band and of how the family's octogenarian father became the group's most ardent fan, apart from Richard Mills.

Machineries of Joy and film scores (2012–2013)
In 2012 they announced that they would not be extensively touring, but would be playing at their own monthly club night, "Krankenhaus", in Brighton. The band were also commissioned to make a soundtrack for the 1999 documentary Out of the Present, which follows Sergei Krikalev's time on the space station Mir. It was screened at CERN in March 2012 as part of the Cineglobe International Film Festival. The band took a novel approach to the creation of their 2013 album Machineries of Joy. During the first half of 2012, the band wrote and recorded new songs each month, which they released as limited edition EPs, coinciding with their "Krankenhaus" club nights. A selection of tracks from the six EPs were re-recorded later in the year, and the final album was released on 1 April 2013.

British Sea Power recorded the soundtrack for the film From the Sea to the Land Beyond: Britain's Coast on Film, with the main track being a version of "The Land Beyond" played at both the beginning and end of the film. The film is made up of archive footage taken during the 20th century and featuring aspects of British coastal life, montaged together. The film premiered at the Sheffield Doc/Fest in June 2012, with the band performing live at the screening. They also performed live at an initial screening of the film at Brighton's Cine-City film festival. The film was shown on BBC Four television in 2012 (and has since been repeated in 2013 and 2016), as part of their Storyville series strand. A first DVD of the film was released in January 2013, but it was later re-released together with the soundtrack album in December 2013.

The group made the soundtrack for the 2014 documentary film Happiness. They released the soundtrack as an album later in the year.

Sea of Brass and debut album anniversary (2014–2015)
In late 2014 British Sea Power performed a series of concerts around the UK accompanied by different brass bands, going under the moniker "Sea of Brass". Following the concerts, an album was released in 2015, also entitled Sea of Brass. (The band had previous experience playing with a brass band, having performed "Waving Flags" with Brighton and Hove City Brass at several of their Krankenhaus club nights in 2012.)

In mid-2015, the 12th anniversary of The Decline of British Sea Power was celebrated with concerts in Brighton, Manchester and London at which the full album was played. Eamon Hamilton returned for these shows. At around the same time, the album was reissued in various formats, along with bonus discs, on the band's Golden Chariot label.

Let the Dancers Inherit the Party and Disco Elysium (2016–2021)
In late 2016 the band instituted a crowd-funded project to finance the recording of their next studio album, Let The Dancers Inherit The Party, which was released on 31 March 2017. The band also played at Glastonbury Festival 2017.

In 2019, the band composed the score for the role-playing video game Disco Elysium. At the 16th BAFTA Game Awards, in early April 2020, they received the award for Best Music for their work on Disco Elysium.

Name change and Everything Was Forever (2021–present)
On Monday 9 August 2021, the band announced that they would henceforth be known as Sea Power due to "a rise in a certain kind of nationalism in this world – an isolationist, antagonistic nationalism that [they] don't want to run any risk of being confused with", and that their new album, Everything Was Forever, would be released in February 2022. The album peaked at number 4 in the UK Album Chart.

In June 2023 it was announced that Matthew Wood had retired from the band, and that Thomas White would play drums at upcoming live shows.

Band line-up

 * Current members
 * Jan Scott Wilkinson – vocals, guitar
 * Neil Hamilton Wilkinson – bass guitar, vocals, guitar
 * Martin Noble – guitar
 * Phil Sumner – cornet, keyboards
 * Abi Fry – viola

 * Former members
 * Eamon Hamilton – keyboards, vocals, percussion, guitar
 * Alison Cotton
 * Matthew Wood – drums

Discography

 * The Decline of British Sea Power (2003)
 * Open Season (2005)
 * Do You Like Rock Music? (2008)
 * Man of Aran (album) (2009)
 * Valhalla Dancehall (2011)
 * Machineries of Joy (2013)
 * From the Sea to the Land Beyond (2013)
 * Sea of Brass (2015)
 * Let the Dancers Inherit the Party (2017)
 * Everything Was Forever (2022)

title: Sea Power


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Alexander Kotov

Alexander Alexandrovich Kotov (Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Ко́тов; (12 August 1913 – 8 January 1981) was a Soviet chess grandmaster and author. He was a Soviet chess champion, a two-time world title Candidate, and a prolific writer on the subject of chess. Kotov served in high posts in the Soviet Chess Federation, and wrote most of his books during the Cold War. The importance and breadth of Kotov's work rank him among the all-time greats in this field.

Early life
Kotov was born in Tula, which was part of the Russian Empire, to a large working class family. He moved to Moscow in 1939 to study engineering, and during this time studied chess a great deal.

Chess career
While best remembered today as an author, Kotov also had a number of good results as a player. One of his best early results was his second-place finish in the 1939 USSR Championship, in which he just missed out to Mikhail Botvinnik in the final round. This result won him the Soviet Grandmaster title, the third Soviet player to hold the title after Botvinnik and Grigory Levenfish. Kotov was Moscow champion in 1941. He won the Soviet title jointly with David Bronstein in 1948, and won at Venice in 1950, ahead of Vasily Smyslov.

The first ever Candidates Tournament of 1950—which determined who would challenge the World Champion (then, Botvinnik)—was held in Budapest. Kotov scored 8½/18. He had qualified for the event by finishing fourth in the 1948 Interzonal Tournament in Stockholm, scoring 11½/19. He was granted the title of International Grandmaster in 1950 (inauguration year) by the World Chess Federation, and held posts in the Soviet Chess Federation at the time.

What was perhaps Kotov's best result came at the 1952 Saltsjöbaden Interzonal, which he won with a score of 16½/20, three clear points ahead of Tigran Petrosian and Mark Taimanov in second place, and without losing a game. In the next Candidates Tournament in Zürich, he scored 14/28, and was the only person to win a game against the tournament's winner, Smyslov.

Kotov played for the USSR at the Chess Olympiads of 1952 and 1954, contributing to team gold medal victories. He was the second reserve board both times; at Helsinki 1952 he scored 2/3, while at Amsterdam 1954, he made 4/6. After 1960, all the tournaments in which he competed took place outside the USSR. They included a shared first place with Svetozar Gligorić at Hastings in 1962, half a point ahead of Smyslov. Kotov played in very few tournaments in his later years.

Writings
Kotov frequently praised the Soviet political system in his books. For example, the 1958 book The Soviet School of Chess (co-written with Mikhail Yudovich) stated that "The rise of the Soviet school to the summit of world chess is a logical result of socialist cultural development." At the time, statements such as this were so controversial that Western publishers felt compelled to include disclaimers in translations of his books for English-speaking markets. Dover Publications' 1961 paperback version of The Soviet School of Chess was distributed primarily to Western countries, and included an introduction that read, in part:"Literature of this type, though helpful in our ultimate understanding of the game, is very often riddled with distortion. The publishers of this Dover edition are very much concerned that readers be aware of the propaganda techniques employed, even in the history of chess, by the Soviet Union."Kotov was even described as a KGB agent by Fedir Bohatyrchuk, in his 1978 book My Way to General Vlasov.

Notwithstanding Kotov's forays into the political realm, his books were insightful and informative and were written in a congenial style. He often made his points by citing first-hand stories of incidents involving famous grandmasters, most of whom he knew personally. In addition, he did not hesitate to be self-deprecating if he could make a point more vividly. Think Like a Grandmaster illustrates several situations where his opponents got the better of him; in one case, his catastrophic blunder converted a certain win into an instant loss. Such entertaining and enlightening personal accounts helped to ensure that his books remained popular among chess players of widely varying nationalities and playing strengths.

Kotov was a great admirer of World Champion Alexander Alekhine, and wrote a comprehensive two-volume biographical series of books on his life and career titled Shakhmatnoe Nasledie A.A. Alekhina, which were published between 1953 and 1958 and translated into Czech, German, Serbian and Spanish. The work significantly contributed to Alekhine's rehabilitation in the Soviet Union.

His trilogy of books Think Like a Grandmaster, Play Like a Grandmaster, and Train Like a Grandmaster are his best known, with Think Like a Grandmaster, which was translated from the Russian by Bernard Cafferty and published by Batsford in 1971, being particularly famous. The book is not concerned with advising where pieces should be placed on the board, or tactical motifs, but rather with the method of thinking that should be employed during a game. Kotov's advice to identify candidate moves and methodically examine them to build up an "analysis tree" remains well known today.

Kotov contributed to the Yugoslav series Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO), which began in 1974, and to the associated games book series Chess Informant as an analyst.

"Kotov syndrome"
In Kotov's 1971 book Think Like a Grandmaster, he described a situation when a player thinks very hard for a long time in a complicated position but does not find a clear path, then, running low on time, quickly makes a poor move, often a blunder.

Books authored

 * Alexander Alekhine by Alexander Kotov, four volumes, Moscow, 1953–1958.
 * The Art of the Middle Game, by Paul Keres and Alexander Kotov (translated from the Russian by Harry Golombek), London, Dover 1962, ISBN 0-486-26154-9
 * Think Like a Grandmaster, by Alexander Kotov (translated from the Russian by Bernard Cafferty), London, Batsford 1971, (Algebraic Edition 2003) ISBN 0-7134-7885-3
 * Play Like a Grandmaster, by Alexander Kotov (translated from the Russian by Bernard Cafferty), London, Batsford 1973, {Algebraic Edition 2003} ISBN 0-7134-1807-9
 * World Championship Interzonals: Leningrad—Petropolis 1973, by R.G. Wade, L.S. Blackstock, and Alexander Kotov, New York, RHM Chess Publishing 1974, ISBN 0-213-42851-2
 * Train Like a Grandmaster, by Alexander Kotov (translated from the Russian by Bernard Cafferty), London, Batsford 1981, ISBN 0-7134-3609-3
 * Chess Tactics, by Alexander Kotov (translated from the Russian and edited by John Littlewood), London, Batsford 1983, ISBN 0-7134-2562-8
 * Grandmaster at Work, by Alexander Kotov (first English edition), Macon, American Chess Promotions 1990, ISBN 0-939298-86-4
 * The Soviet School of Chess, by Alexander Kotov and Mikhail Yudovich, Los Angeles, University Press of the Pacific 2001, ISBN 0-89875-415-1
 * The Science of Strategy, by Alexander Kotov, Quality Chess Europe, 2019, ISBN 978-1-78483-080-9

Playing style
Kotov developed a sharp style, was definitely not afraid of complications on the chessboard, and willingly entered into them against even the greatest of opponents. He favoured the closed openings with White, and was very successful with the Sicilian Defence as Black.

Notable games

 * Kotov vs. Alexander Tolush, Leningrad Championship 1938, Neo-Grünfeld Defence (D76), . Tolush was a dangerous attacker, but he is the one subdued here.
 * Kotov vs. Tigran Petrosian, USSR Championship, Moscow 1949, Queen's Gambit, Exchange Variation (D36), 1–0. Petrosian, later World Champion, loses a game he would never forget, falling into an opening trap and resigning in only 13 moves.
 * Kotov vs. Paul Keres, Budapest Candidates Tournament 1950, Nimzo-Indian Defence, Saemisch Variation (E24), 1–0. Kotov was near the peak of his form, and dealt Keres a costly loss.
 * Yuri Averbakh vs. Kotov, Zurich Candidates Tournament 1953, Old Indian Defence (A55), . Kotov's most famous game is one of the all-time greats of sacrificial chess, as Black gives up his queen for long-term pressure which eventually leads to a mating finish. This game won the 1st Brilliancy Prize (Russian: Beauty Prize, in Bronstein's book of the tournament) at Zurich, widely regarded as one of the very greatest chess tournaments ever held.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Alexander Kotov


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Joint Intelligence Committee

The Joint Intelligence Committee is a nodal government agency in several countries, responsible for the internal and external security apparatus of the respective nations.

 * Joint Intelligence Committee (India)
 * Joint Intelligence Committee (United Kingdom)
 * National Committee for Intelligence Coordination (Bangladesh)

title: Joint Intelligence Committee


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Walsall F.C.

Walsall F.C. is a professional association football club based in the town of Walsall, West Midlands, England. The team competes in, the fourth level of the English football league system.

The club's nickname, "The Saddlers", reflects Walsall's status as a traditional centre for saddle manufacture. Walsall moved into their Bescot Stadium in 1990, having previously played at nearby Fellows Park for almost a century. The team play in a red and white kit and their club crest features a swift. They hold rivalries with nearby Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion, as well as farther away but more regularly contested rivalries with Shrewsbury Town and Port Vale.

The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town and Walsall Swifts. The club moved to the Football Alliance from the Midland Association the following year, before being invited to help found the Football League Second Division in 1892. They returned briefly to the Football League from 1896 to 1900, before spending two decades outside the Football League, primarily in the Birmingham & District League.

Invited to help form the Football League Third Division North in 1921, Walsall remained in the third tier for 37 years. In 1958 they became a founder member of the Fourth Division, winning that Division in 1959–60, and securing promotion out of the Third Division the following season. At the end of the 1987-88 campaign, they won promotion into the Second Division for the first time, but were soon relegated back to the Fourth Division. Starting in 1998–99, they spent four of the next five seasons in the second tier. Two relegations in three years left them back in the fourth tier in 2006, but they secured an immediate promotion as 2006–07 League Two champions.

Their first match at Wembley Stadium came in the 2015 Football League Trophy Final, which they lost to Bristol City. In 2016 they missed out on promotion to the Championship by a single point, and lost the resulting playoff semi-final against Barnsley. The Saddlers ended an 11-year stay in League One with relegation in 2019.

Formation and early years (1888–1939)
Walsall were formed as Walsall Town Swifts F.C. in 1888 when Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. amalgamated. Walsall Town had been founded in 1874 as Walsall Football Club and Walsall Swifts in 1875 as Victoria Swifts. Both clubs had played at the Chuckery, since April 1881 when Walsall Swifts had lost their old ground on Follyhouse Lane where they had played during 1877-1881 and the newly formed club remained at the same ground. Walsall Town Swifts' first match was a 0–0 draw against Aston Villa in the Birmingham Charity Cup final on 9 April 1888. A disagreement over the venue of the replay meant Aston Villa were awarded the trophy.

Later that year, Walsall Town Swifts played friendly matches against two founder members of the Football League; a strong Burnley side were beaten 1–0 and West Bromwich Albion were held to a 2–2 draw in front of 7,000 spectators at the Chuckery. Walsall's first league campaign in the Midland Association started with a 2–2 draw at home to Crewe Alexandra on 22 September 1888. They went on to finish in 3rd place in the league.

The club were first admitted to the Football League in 1892, as founder members of the new Second Division. They moved to the West Bromwich Road ground in 1893 after complaints from local residents about them playing at the Chuckery. After finishing 14th out of 16 teams in 1894–95 the club failed to be re-elected to the Football League. At the start of the 1895 season the club once again moved grounds, this time to Fellows Park which remained the club's home for over a century.

In 1896 the club changed their name back to simply Walsall F.C. and joined the Midland League. A year later, they returned to the Second Division. The team finished in 6th place in 1898–99 in a season that, to this day, proves to be their highest ever league finish. Despite this relative success, the club once again failed re-election two years later and dropped back into the Midland League. A move to the Birmingham League followed in 1903 and in 1910 the club were elected to the Southern League. With the expansion of the Football League after World War I, Walsall became a founding member of the Third Division North in 1921 and have remained a Football League side ever since.

Walsall's highest "home" attendance was set in 1930, when they played in of front of 74,646 fans in a 3–1 defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round. Although a home match for Walsall, the tie was played at their opponents' Villa Park ground to ensure as many people could watch the local David vs Goliath match as possible. It remains the highest attendance that Walsall have ever played in front of and was a record crowd for Villa Park at the time.

In the years from 1921 leading up to World War II Walsall's success remained limited, with finishes of 3rd in 1922–23, 5th in 1932–33 and 4th in 1933–34 the closest the club came to achieving promotion. The decent results in the early 1930s were spearheaded by the emergence of one of Walsall's greatest ever players, Gilbert Alsop, who scored a remarkable 169 goals between 1931 and 1935.

Alsop also inspired Walsall's finest ever FA Cup result, scoring the opening goal in a 2–0 home win against Arsenal in 1933. Arsenal were regarded as the best team in the country at the time and went on to win the First Division that season and the two seasons following that. As such, the cup defeat to Third Division North side Walsall is still regarded as one of the greatest upsets in FA Cup history.

In the following season, 1934–35, Walsall continued their cup pedigree by reaching their first ever senior final in the Third Division North Cup. The Saddlers fell at the final hurdle, however, with a 2–0 defeat to Stockport County at Maine Road.

Post-war era and first league title (1945–1980)
1945–46 signalled the final season of local war-time competitions. Between January and May 1946 the Third Division South Cup was contested as a precursor for the return of full-time league football later that year. Walsall reached the final to face Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic at Stamford Bridge but, in a repeat of their previous final appearance in 1935, they lost the match 2–0.

The return of football following the war saw a spike in attendances for many clubs across the Football League and Walsall were no different. In the 1947–48 season a number of impressive turnouts at Fellows Park, including a season-best 20,383 for the visit of Notts County, saw the club record its highest average league attendance to date of 15,711. In the same season Walsall finished in 3rd place but once again missed out on promotion to the Second Division.

The early 1950s saw some of Walsall's most troubling and dismal times in the Football League, as the club faced the re-election process four years in a row. They finished bottom of the league in 1951–52, 1952–53 and 1953–54 and improved to only second bottom in 1954–55. The club, however, managed to retain its Football League status through this period, largely thanks to the high attendances at Fellows Park demonstrating a healthy desire for League football in Walsall.

In 1958, following a reorganisation of the Football League, Walsall became founder members of the Fourth Division — now holding the distinction of being founder members of the Second, Third and Fourth tiers. Under the management of Bill Moore, the club achieved successive promotions, scoring 102 goals on their way to winning the Fourth Division title in 1959–60 and finishing as Third Division runners-up in 1960–61. The league title in 1960 was the club's first in their 72-year history.

In the club's first season in the second tier of English football since the early 1900s a post-war record 14th-place finish was achieved. It was during this season that the club also recorded its record attendance, as 25,453 crammed into Fellows Park to see The Saddlers beat Newcastle United 1–0 in August 1961. However, after just two seasons in the Second Division, the club were relegated back to the Third Division in 1962–63. An unfortunate defeat to Charlton Athletic in a replayed final match of the season sealed Walsall's relegation, as the London club leapfrogged them in the table to survive.

One of Walsall's finest ever talents, Allan Clarke, made his breakthrough as a first team regular in the 1964–65 season. Aged just 18, he scored 23 league goals in 1964–65 and a further 23 goals in all competitions in 1965–66. He was sold to First Division Fulham for a then club record fee of £37,500 in March 1966 and went on to earn 19 caps for England and win a league title at Leeds United.

1970–71 saw the first league meeting between Walsall and their first opponents Aston Villa. The two clubs met in the Third Division with Walsall winning the home tie 3–0, thanks to two goals from Geoff Morris and a Colin Taylor penalty. The away tie at Villa Park later in the season ended goalless.

Ken Wheldon, a local businessman made good, took over the club in 1972 and brought some optimism of a brighter future. The following years were inconsistent but were buoyed by a few good cup results and the emergence of Alan Buckley, who signed for the club in 1973 and went on to become a prolific goalscorer for the club. Walsall remained in the Third Division until a further relegation to the Fourth Division in 1978–79.

It was Buckley who took on the role of player-manager for the re-build in the fourth tier. Once again The Saddlers rose from the ashes of adversity as they secured an immediate promotion. At one stage in 1979–80 Walsall recorded 21 consecutive matches without defeat, a record that still stands today. This saw the beginning of an era that became a hallmark for some of the most attractive football seen in Walsall as, under the guidance of Buckley, the side gradually established itself as promotion contenders in the Third Division.

League Cup run, move to Bescot and the fourth tier (1980–1995)
While consolidating in the Third Division in the early 1980s, off-the-pitch issues took prominence throughout the decade. The dilapidated state of the club's Fellows Park home was becoming a problem and, in 1982, the intention to move in to groundshare Molineux with Wolverhampton Wanderers was announced by owner Ken Wheldon. The club's fans' quickly protested against the idea, as the Save Walsall Action Group was formed, and it never came to pass.

The 1983–84 League Cup campaign was, arguably, Walsall's finest hour. After victories over Blackpool, Barnsley and local rivals Shrewsbury Town, they defeated First Division club Arsenal 2–1 in the fourth round at Highbury. A 4–2 victory over Rotherham United in the quarter-final saw The Saddlers advance to the semi-final to face holders and reigning First Division champions, Liverpool. An incredible 2–2 draw at Anfield in the first leg had Walsall dreaming of an unlikely cup final and place in Europe, however, a second leg 2–0 defeat in front of 19,591 at Fellows Park saw Walsall lose the tie 4–2 on aggregate.

By 1986 further plans were announced to groundshare with one of the club's local rivals. This time it was at Birmingham City's St Andrew's ground. The Save Walsall Action Group was again pressed into action and, after peaceful protests and the support of the local press, the Football League blocked the move. Walsall were subsequently bought by millionaire entrepreneur and racehorse owner Terry Ramsden and with his money came high-profile signings and the attention of the national media. In 1986–87, under new manager Tommy Coakley, Walsall narrowly missed out on the play-offs but made considerable progress in the FA Cup as they defeated First Division Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City and took Watford to two replays in the fifth round.

Walsall finally earned promotion to the Second Division for the first time since 1963 by winning the Third Division play-offs in 1988. Bristol City were beaten 4–0 in a replayed final at Fellows Park thanks to a David Kelly hattrick. However, the 1988–89 season saw the club immediately relegated from the Second Division and Ramsden's business empire collapse. Walsall were minutes from going out of business but survived, again through the actions of the supporters and local businessmen. A second successive relegation followed at the end of 1989–90 as Walsall were consigned to the Fourth Division once again.

The club moved to the Bescot Stadium in 1990. At the time it was a state-of-the-art arena and was only the second new Football League ground since the 1950s. The arrival at Bescot Stadium saw some stability brought back to the club after two successive relegations and the club was taken over by Jeff Bonser in 1991. Kenny Hibbitt managed the club for four years, setting the groundwork for a golden era for the club that would follow soon after his dismissal in September 1994.

New manager Chris Nicholl led the club to promotion back to the third tier (now known as Division Two after the formation of the Premier League) in his first season, building the nucleus of a strong and under-rated team. A run of four straight wins at the end of April meant Walsall needed just a point from their final game, away to Bury, to secure promotion; they duly obliged with a 0–0 scoreline to send the travelling fans home celebrating.

A series of ups and downs (1995–present)
Two seasons of stability followed back in Division Two before Nicholl resigned. Jan Sørensen took the helm after Nicholl's departure and led the club to the fourth round of both the League Cup and FA Cup in 1997–98. Each run was ended away to a Premier League side as West Ham United won 4–1 in the League Cup and a glamour tie at Manchester United resulted in a 5–1 defeat in the FA Cup. Despite the club's cup exploits, a poor finish in the league signalled the end of Sørensen's time at Walsall after just one season.

In 1998–99, Ray Graydon took over as manager and led the club to a runners-up spot in Division Two, beating Manchester City to an automatic promotion place by five points. After the unlikely promotion to the second tier Walsall found life difficult at a higher level but battled right until the final day of the season, when relegation was finally sealed. A 2–0 defeat at Ipswich meant Walsall returned to the third tier, despite derby wins over local rivals Wolves, Birmingham and West Bromwich Albion earlier in the campaign. The Saddlers returned to the second tier of English football at the first attempt, defeating Reading 3–2, after extra time, in a thrilling play-off final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Graydon was dismissed in January 2002 following a 2–0 defeat against local rivals West Brom. Colin Lee took over and secured survival in the second tier for the first time since the early 1960s. The 2002–03 season saw Walsall avoid relegation again. However, the 2003–04 campaign ended in relegation despite a storming start which had seen the club on the brink of the play-offs going into the New Year. A slump in form saw Lee sacked in April and the appointment of star player Paul Merson as manager did not halt the slide. Walsall were ultimately relegated, agonisingly by a single goal, despite a 3–2 victory over Rotherham United on the season's final day in front of a record Bescot Stadium crowd of 11,049.

Despite the club's relegation and no previous managerial experience, Merson was immediately appointed as full-time manager of the club in May 2004. A poor season in League One almost ended in successive relegations and the 2005–06 season then turned into a disastrous one for Walsall and Merson. After increasing supporter pressure following a string of bad results, culminating in a 5–0 defeat at Brentford, Merson's reign as Walsall manager came to an end in February 2006. However, it was too late and Walsall were relegated on 22 April 2006, after losing 3–1 to Huddersfield Town.

Richard Money was tasked with reviving the club's fortunes in League Two. An impressive start to the season was maintained throughout and, despite a mini-blip in February, Walsall remained in the top three for almost the entire season and were promoted back to League One after beating Notts County 2–1 away from home. On the final day of the season Walsall drew 1–1 at Swindon Town, thanks to a last-minute goal by Dean Keates in front of 3,419 travelling fans, to secure the League Two title.

Walsall's form continued into the new season, as the club performed strongly in 2007–08, including a run of 17 League matches without defeat and back-to-back promotions looked possible. However, a January transfer window that culminated in the sales of important first team players Danny Fox and Scott Dann to Coventry City caused a drop in form throughout 2008. The club's promotion challenge ended after a run of poor results in March leading to Richard Money resigning as manager in April.

The following seven seasons spent in League One saw largely mid-table security apart from a few flirtations with relegation. Notably, in the 2010–11 season the club sat in the relegation places from October through to March but ultimately survived thanks to an upturn in form following the appointment of Dean Smith as manager in January 2011. Walsall had been ten points adrift of safety, however, despite accumulating only 48 points by the end of the season they escaped relegation by one point.

The 2014–15 season was a memorable one for the club as it reached a Wembley final for the first time in its 127-year history. Walsall beat Rochdale, Tranmere Rovers, Sheffield United and Preston North End on their way to the Football League Trophy final where they were beaten 2–0 by Bristol City on Sunday 22 March 2015. The Saddlers were backed by over 29,000 supporters in a crowd of 72,315 at the national stadium.

Walsall started the 2015–16 season well, leading to interest in manager Dean Smith. At the end of November, with The Saddlers fourth in the table, he left Walsall for Brentford; at the time of his departure he was the fourth longest serving manager in the Football League. Walsall turned to Sean O'Driscoll to replace Smith. However, after a six-game winless run and just 16 games in charge, O'Driscoll was sacked. Ultimately, Walsall missed out on promotion by just one point and lost in the play-off semi-finals to Barnsley.

Following the decimation of their promotion challenging team, Walsall struggled for the next three seasons in League One and, after a disastrous spell in charge for former playing hero Dean Keates, were relegated back to the fourth tier at the end of the 2018–19 season. Following relegation, a new era began with Darrell Clarke taking over as manager and Jeff Bonser ending his 28-year reign as owner and chairman by selling his 76% majority shareholding of the club to Leigh Pomlett in July 2019. Walsall failed to make a League Two promotion challenge in the 2019–20 or 2020–21 seasons, finishing in 13th and 19th place respectively. Ahead of the 2021–22 season Matthew Taylor was appointed new head coach with Neil McDonald as his assistant. On 6 June 2022, the club announced that American sports investment firm Trivela Group LLC had purchased a majority of shares belonging to chairman Leigh Pomlett, becoming 51% majority shareholders.

Rivals
A 2013 survey revealed Walsall fans consider Black Country neighbours Wolverhampton Wanderers to be the club's main rivals. However, meetings between the teams are relatively rare, with Wolves having spent most of their existence in the top two tiers of English football. Only 16 competitive fixtures have been played between Walsall and Wolves, with the most recent occurring in 2014. Meetings with the Black Country's other professional club, West Bromwich Albion, are similarly rare, with The Saddlers and The Baggies having clashed just 14 times. However, the Black Country rivals did meet on numerous occasions during wartime regionalised league fixtures. A match between two of those three clubs is called Black Country derby.

More regularly-contested rivalries exist with Shrewsbury Town and Port Vale, who are often The Saddlers' geographically closest league fixtures. Walsall have the upper hand in the Shrewsbury and Port Vale rivalries, having won significantly more fixtures than they have lost.

The Chuckery
This multi-purpose sports ground was situated in a district near to the Walsall Arboretum. It comprised some 12 football pitches and four good-sized cricket squares. It was the first ever home ground for Walsall F.C. from 1875 until 1893.

West Bromwich Road
The new ground in West Bromwich Road, which had a capacity of just over 4,500, proved to be a lucky omen for The Saddlers between 1893 and 1896.

Fellows Park
Fellows Park was a former football stadium in Walsall, England. It was the home ground of Walsall F.C. from 1896 until 1990, when the team moved to the Bescot Stadium.

Bescot Stadium
Bescot Stadium, currently also known as the Poundland Bescot Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of Walsall Football Club. It was built in 1989–90 at a cost of £4.5m, replacing the club's previous ground, Fellows Park, which was located a quarter of a mile away. The ground was opened by Sir Stanley Matthews. Upon Jeff Bonser stepping down from his role at the club, Leigh Pomlett agreed an option to reunite the Saddlers with their stadium freehold "in due time". On 16 December 2022 the club executed its option to acquire Poundland Bescot Stadium and is now the owner of the stadium, the Saddlers Club, and the adjoining land. On Saturday 27 January 2024 the Supporters Club, formerly known as the Saddlers Club, re-opened as a sports bar under the new name The Locker!.

Directors
Information correct as of 25 May 2023.

Players of the Year
As voted for by Walsall supporters at the end of each season. Current players in bold.

 * 19??–?? 🏴 Tony Richards
 * 1968–69 🏴 Bob Wesson
 * 1970–71 🏴 Bob Wesson
 * 1971–72 🏴 Colin Harrison
 * 1973–74 🏴 Alan Buckley
 * 1975–76 🏴 Alan Buckley
 * 1980–81 🏴 Colin Harrison
 * 1981–82 🏴 Peter Hart
 * 1994–95 Kevin Wilson
 * 1995–96 🏴 Adi Viveash
 * 1996–97 🏴 Adi Viveash
 * 1997–98 🇫🇷 Jeff Peron
 * 1998–99 🏴 Jimmy Walker
 * 1999–2000 🇦🇷 Gino Padula
 * 2000–01 🇵🇹 Jorge Leitão
 * 2001–02 🏴 Jimmy Walker
 * 2002–03 🏴 Ian Roper
 * 2003–04 🏴 Paul Ritchie
 * 2004–05 🏴 Matty Fryatt
 * 2005–06 🇮🇪 Anthony Gerrard
 * 2006–07 🏴 Dean Keates
 * 2007–08 🇮🇪 Anthony Gerrard
 * 2008–09 🇹🇹 Clayton Ince
 * 2009–10 🏴 Troy Deeney
 * 2010–11 🏴 Andy Butler
 * 2011–12 🏴 Andy Butler
 * 2012–13 Will Grigg
 * 2013–14 🏴 Sam Mantom
 * 2014–15 🏴 Richard O'Donnell
 * 2015–16 🏴 Adam Chambers
 * 2016–17 🏴 Jason McCarthy
 * 2017–18 🏴 Joe Edwards
 * 2018–19 🏴 Andy Cook
 * 2019–20 🏴 Josh Gordon
 * 2020–21 🇮🇪 Liam Kinsella
 * 2021–22 🇮🇪 Liam Kinsella
 * 2022–23 🇲🇸 Donervon Daniels

Top goalscorers
Includes league goals only. Current players in bold.

 * 1994–95 Kyle Lightbourne (23)
 * 1995–96 Kyle Lightbourne (15)
 * 1995–96 Kevin Wilson (15)
 * 1996–97 Kyle Lightbourne (20)
 * 1997–98 🇫🇷 Roger Boli (12)
 * 1998–99 🏴 Andy Rammell (18)
 * 1999–2000 🏴 Michael Ricketts (11)
 * 2000–01 Jorge Leitão (18)
 * 2001–02 Jorge Leitão (8)
 * 2002–03 🇧🇷 Júnior (15)
 * 2003–04 Jorge Leitão (7)
 * 2004–05 🏴 Matty Fryatt (15)
 * 2005–06 🏴 Matty Fryatt (11)
 * 2006–07 🏴 Dean Keates (13)
 * 2007–08 🏴 Tommy Mooney (11)
 * 2008–09 🏴 Michael Ricketts (12)
 * 2009–10 🏴 Troy Deeney (14)
 * 2010–11 🏴 Julian Gray (10)
 * 2011–12 🏴 Alex Nicholls (7)
 * 2011–12 Jon Macken (7)
 * 2012–13 Will Grigg (19)
 * 2013–14 🏴 Craig Westcarr (14)
 * 2014–15 🏴 Tom Bradshaw (17)
 * 2015–16 🏴 Tom Bradshaw (17)
 * 2016–17 🏴 Erhun Oztumer (15)
 * 2017–18 🏴 Erhun Oztumer (15)
 * 2018–19 🏴 Andy Cook (13)
 * 2019–20 🏴 Josh Gordon (9)
 * 2020–21 🏴 Elijah Adebayo (10)
 * 2021–22 🏴 George Miller (12)
 * 2022–23 🏴 Danny Johnson (12)

International Saddlers
List of players who have earned full international caps while at Walsall. Current players in bold.

 * 🏴 Alf Jones (2) 1882
 * 🏴 Albert Aldridge (1) 1889
 * 🏴 Caesar Jenkyns (2) 1889
 * Jack Taggart (1) 1899
 * Mick O'Brien (1) 1929
 * 🏴 Roy John (1) 1931
 * Dick Griffiths (1) 1934
 * 🇮🇪 Mick Kearns (15) 1973–79
 * 🇮🇪 Miah Dennehy (2) 1975–77
 * 🇮🇪 David Kelly (3) 1987–88
 * 🇧🇲 Kyle Lightbourne (?) 1993–97
 * 🇸🇱 John Keister (3) 1999–00
 * 🇯🇲 Paul Hall (5) 2000–01
 * 🇭🇺 Gábor Bukrán (1) 2000
 * 🇯🇲 Fitzroy Simpson (10) 2001–03
 * 🇳🇿 Danny Hay (4) 2002–03
 * 🇯🇲 Jamie Lawrence (6) 2003
 * 🏴 Carl Robinson (1) 2003
 * Chris Baird (1) 2003
 * 🏴 Paul Ritchie (1) 2004
 * 🇹🇹 Clayton Ince (15) 2008–09
 * Will Grigg (1) 2012
 * 🇰🇳 Romaine Sawyers (15) 2014–16
 * 🇵🇭 Neil Etheridge (9) 2015–17
 * 🇨🇾 Jason Demetriou (5) 2015–16
 * 🏴 Tom Bradshaw (1) 2016
 * 🇨🇾 Andreas Makris (7) 2016–17
 * 🇨🇦 Simeon Jackson (2) 2016–17
 * 🇦🇫 Maziar Kouhyar (6) 2017–19
 * 🇬🇾 Liam Gordon (13) 2023–
 * 🇲🇸 Brandon Comley (3) 2023–
 * 🇲🇸 Donervon Daniels (4) 2023–

Players with 300 or more appearances
Includes competitive appearances only. Current players in bold.

 * 🏴 Jimmy Walker (535) 1993–04, 2010–13
 * 🏴 Colin Harrison (527) 1964–82
 * 🏴 Colin Taylor (504) 1958–63, 1964–68, 1969–73
 * 🏴 Nick Atthey (503) 1963–77
 * 🏴 Kenny Mower (493) 1978–91
 * 🏴 Alan Buckley (482) 1973–85
 * 🏴 Chris Marsh (481) 1987–01
 * 🏴 Peter Hart (476) 1980–90
 * 🏴 Brian Caswell (459) 1972–85
 * 🏴 Frank Gregg (445) 1960–73
 * 🏴 Stan Bennett (438) 1963–75
 * 🏴 Darren Wrack (384) 1998–08
 * 🏴 Sammy Holmes (381) 1888–02
 * 🏴 Ian Roper (380) 1995–08
 * 🏴 Albert McPherson (367) 1954–64
 * 🏴 Craig Shakespeare (355) 1981–89
 * 🏴 Tony Richards (355) 1954–63
 * 🏴 Ken Hodgkisson (352) 1955–66
 * 🏴 Billy Bradford (352) 1926–38
 * 🇨🇲 Charlie Ntamark (338) 1990–97
 * 🏴 Adam Chambers (331) 2011–19
 * Mick Kearns (322) 1973–79, 1982–85
 * 🏴 Dave Serella (304) 1974–82

Players with 50 or more goals
Includes competitive appearances only. Current players in bold.

 * 🏴 Alan Buckley (202) 1973–85
 * 🏴 Tony Richards (197) 1954–63
 * 🏴 Colin Taylor (189) 1958–63, 1964–68, 1969–73
 * 🏴 Gilbert Alsop (171) 1931–35, 1938–47
 * 🏴 Sammy Holmes (108) 1888–02
 * Kyle Lightbourne (85) 1993–97
 * David Kelly (80) 1983–88
 * Jorge Leitão (71) 2000–06
 * 🏴 Richard O'Kelly (65) 1979–86, 1988
 * 🏴 Bill Evans (64) 1934–39
 * 🏴 Craig Shakespeare (60) 1981–89
 * 🏴 Don Penn (58) 1977–83
 * 🏴 Ken Hodgkisson (56) 1955–66
 * 🏴 Jack Aston (55) 1896–99, 1903–04, 1905–06
 * 🏴 Moses Lane (55) 1920–21, 1927–29
 * 🏴 Wally Brown (53) 1938–44, 1945–48
 * 🏴 Jack Vinall (53) 1940–43, 1944–47
 * 🏴 Darren Wrack (52) 1998–08
 * 🏴 Nicky Cross (52) 1985–88
 * 🏴 George Andrews (51) 1972–77
 * 🏴 Johnny Devlin (51) 1947–52
 * 🏴 W. Robinson (51) 1907–09, 1910–13

Notable managers
The following managers have all made notable achievements for Walsall. Each has led the club to at least one of the following while in charge: winning promotion, reaching the final of a cup competition or recording the club's best result in a league season or cup competition.

Honours
League
 * Third Division / Second Division (level 3)
 * Runners-up: 1960–61, 1998–99
 * Play-off winners: 1988, 2001
 * Fourth Division / Third Division / League Two (level 4)
 * Champions: 1959–60, 2006–07
 * Runners-up: 1979–80, 1994–95

Cup
 * Football League Trophy
 * Runners-up: 2014–15
 * Third Division North Cup
 * Runners-up: 1934–35
 * Third Division South Cup
 * Runners-up: 1945–46
 * Birmingham Senior Cup
 * Winners: 1880–81, 1896–97, 1897–98, 1993–94
 * Staffordshire Senior Cup
 * Winners: 1881–82, 1884–85, 1922–23, 1926–27, 1928–29, 1967–68
 * Walsall Senior Cup
 * Winners: 1888–89, 2014–15, 2016–17

Club records
Competitions

Scores
 * Highest ever Football League position: 6th, Second Division 1898–99
 * Highest post-war Football League position: 14th, Second Division 1961–62
 * FA Cup: 5th Round, 1938–39, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1986–87, 2001–02, 2002–03
 * League Cup: Semi-final, 1983–84

 * League Win: 10–0 vs. Darwen. Second Division, 4 March 1899
 * League Defeat: 0–12 vs. Small Heath. Second Division, 17 December 1892
 * Cup Win: 12–0 vs. Warmley. FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round, 27 September 1890
 * Cup Defeat: 0–7 vs. Worcester City. FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round, 11 October 1913

Sequences

 * Most Games Won in a Row (7): 1959, 2005
 * Most Games Lost in a Row (15): 1988–89
 * Most Games without Defeat (21): 1979–80
 * Most Games without Victory (18): 1988–89

Attendances

 * Highest League Attendance (at Fellows Park): 25,453 v. Newcastle United. Second Division (now Championship), 29 August 1961
 * Highest League Attendance (at Bescot Stadium): 11,049 v. Rotherham United. First Division (now Championship), 9 May 2004
 * Highest Third Division (now League One) Attendance: 19,589 v. Notts County, 18 March 1950
 * Highest Fourth Division (now League Two) Attendance: 15,403 v. Carlisle United, 10 September 1959
 * Highest FA Cup Attendance: 24,045 v. Fulham, 4th Round Replay, 30 January 1962
 * Highest League Cup Attendance: 21,066 v. Liverpool. 4th Round, 17 February 1968
 * Highest Football League Trophy Attendance: 10,038 v. Preston North End. Area Final Second Leg, 27 January 2015
 * Highest Average Attendance (at Fellows Park): 15,711, 1947–48
 * Highest Average Attendance (at Bescot Stadium): 7,853, 2003–04

Players

 * Most Appearances: 534 – Jimmy Walker 1993–04, 2010–13
 * Most League Appearances: 473 – Colin Harrison 1964–82
 * Top Goalscorer: 202 – Alan Buckley 1973–85
 * Top League Goalscorer: 185 – Tony Richards 1954–63
 * Most League Goals in a Season: 39 – Gilbert Alsop 1933–34 and 1934–35
 * Most capped players:
 * 15 🇮🇪 Mick Kearns 1973–79
 * 15 🇹🇹 Clayton Ince 2008–09
 * 15 🇰🇳 Romaine Sawyers 2014–16

 * Highest Transfer Fee Paid: £270,000 (€300,000) – for Andreas Makris to Anorthosis Famagusta, August 2016
 * Highest Transfer Fee Received: £1,500,000 – for Rico Henry from Brentford, August 2016

title: Walsall F.C.


text:
Charles Walcott

Charles Walcott may refer to:

 * Charles Walcott (MP) (1733–1799), British politician
 * Charles F. Walcott (1836–1887), American Union brevet brigadier general during the American Civil War
 * Charles Doolittle Walcott (1850–1927), American invertebrate paleontologist

title: Charles Walcott


text:
Pania

Pania, often styled "Pania of the Reef", is a figure of Māori mythology, and a symbol of the New Zealand city of Napier. There is a statue of Pania on Napier's Marine Parade.

The legend of Pania of the Reef
Pania was a beautiful maiden who lived in the sea on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. By daylight she swam about with creatures of her reef world but after sunset would go to a stream that ran into the bay where the city of Napier now exists. She would travel up the stream to an area where she could rest among the flax bushes. Karitoki, the very handsome son of a Māori chief, quenched his thirst every evening at the stream where Pania rested because it had the sweetest water. He was unaware she was observing him for many weeks until one night she whispered a faint spell. It carried on the wind to Karitoki who turned around to see Pania emerge from her hiding place.

Karitoki had never seen someone so beautiful and instantly fell in love. Pania fell in love also, and they pledged their lives to each other and were secretly married. Pania and Karitoki went to his whare (house), but because it was dark no-one saw them enter. At sunrise, Pania prepared to leave but Karitoki tried to stop her. She explained that as a creature of the ocean, when the sirens of the sea called her each morning, she could not survive if she did not go to them. She promised to return every evening and their marriage continued on that basis.

Karitoki boasted to his friends about his beautiful wife, but no one believed him because they had never seen her. Frustrated by this, Karitoki consulted a kaumātua (wise elder) in the village who believed Karitoki as he knew ocean maidens did exist. The kaumātua told Karitoki that being a sea creature, Pania would not be allowed to return to the sea if she swallowed cooked food.

That night, as Pania slept, Karitoki took a morsel of cooked food and put it in Pania's mouth. As he did so, Ruru the morepork (owl) called a loud warning and Pania was startled from her sleep. Horrified that Karitoki had put her life in jeopardy, Pania fled and ran to the sea. Her people came to the surface and drew her down into the depths as Karitoki swam frantically about the ocean looking for her. He never saw her again.

When people now look deep into the water over the reef, some say they can see Pania with arms outstretched, appealing to her former lover. It is unknown whether she is imploring him to explain his treachery, or expressing her continuing love.

The sea off Napier is now protected by Moremore, the son of Pania and Karitoki. He is the kaitiaki (guardian) of the area, a taniwha (spirit) who often disguises himself as a shark, a stingray or an octopus.

title: Pania


text:
Barracudina

Barracudinas are any member of the marine mesopelagic fish family Paralepididae: 50 or so extant species are found almost worldwide in deep waters. Several genera are known only from fossils dating back to the Ypresian epoch.

The generic name Paralepis (for which the family is named) is from Greek - para meaning "somewhat", lepis meaning "scaled".

Description
Barracudinas are elongated, slender fish with large eyes, and a pointed snout containing fang-like teeth. This gives them some superficial resemblance to barracudas (family Sphyraenidae), although the two groups are not closely related. Barracudinas are actually related to lizardfish (order Aulopiformes; suborder Alepisauroidei) and are most closely aligned with lancetfish (family Alepisauridae), hammerjaws (family Omosudidae) and daggertooths (family Anotopteridae). Like their close relatives, barracudinas lack swim bladders and are simultaneous hermaphrodites, a reproductive mode which is rare among vertebrates. The largest species of barracudina grow up to 100 cm in length.

Barracudinas have some unique adaptations to life in the deep pelagic that are thought to help with camouflage: most barracudina species have a subdermal layer of guanine that imparts a kaleidoscopic color to their appearance in life and it is thought this refracts the dim light of mesophotic waters around their bodies. The smaller, more derived species of barracudinas in the genera Lestidiops, Lestidium, Lestrolepis and Stemonosudis possess very few scales and their skin is almost completely transparent, making it difficult for them to be seen underwater. Barracudinas, like many other deep-sea fishes, have darkly pigmented gut linings which are thought to help conceal bioluminescent prey such as lanternfish (family Myctophidae). Species in the genus Lestrolepis have a bioluminescent organ located ventrally along their stomachs which likely helps in countershading against downwelling light, camouflaging their silhouettes to would be predators below. Other species have a bioluminescent organ which have evolved from liver tissue.

Ecology and life history
Barracudinas are known to inhabit mesopelagic depths throughout the world's oceans, and are predators of fish, shrimps, and squids. While many barracudina species can be found at depths of 2000 m, their highest abundances tend to occur between 200 and 1000 m. Barracudinas are not thought to participate in diel vertical migration. While they are rarely caught by fisheries, they are frequently documented in the guts of pelagic predators such as tuna, swordfish, lancetfish, Cuvier's beaked whales, and blue sharks.

First-hand accounts from the Bathyscaphe Trieste reported behavioral observations of Lestrolepis intermedia rapidly swimming vertically through the water column like "silvery javelins" glowing "a brilliant yellow" from their bioluminescent organs. They were also observed hovering in the water and rapidly reorienting themselves from facing upwards to facing downwards as if scanning for predators and/or prey. If this behavior is common to all species of barracudina is not known, as it has not been observed since.

Very little is known of the spawning habits of these fish. While both sperm and eggs are present in gonads, spawning has never been observed. Planktonic disposition and transmission of their early larva indicate that the eggs are fertilized and dispersed in the plankton. While specific life histories differ among species and genera, postlarval barracudina size classes are found more frequently within proximity to continental shelf escarpments at certain times of the year. However, this could also be a sampling artifact, since barracudina are only rarely caught by fisheries-independent sampling.

title: Barracudina


text:
Kenneth Rexroth

Kenneth Charles Marion Rexroth (December 22, 1905 – June 6, 1982 ) was an American poet, translator, and critical essayist. He is regarded as a central figure in the San Francisco Renaissance, and paved the groundwork for the movement. Although he did not consider himself to be a Beat poet, and disliked the association, he was dubbed the "Father of the Beats" by Time magazine. Largely self-educated, Rexroth learned several languages and translated poems from Chinese, French, Spanish, and Japanese.

Early life
Rexroth was born Kenneth Charles Marion Rexroth in South Bend, Indiana, the son of Charles Rexroth, a pharmaceuticals salesman, and Delia Reed. His childhood was troubled by his father's alcoholism and his mother's chronic illness. His mother died in 1916 and his father in 1919, after which he went to live with his aunt in Chicago and enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago.

At age 19, he hitchhiked across the country, taking odd jobs and working a stint as a Forest Service trail crew hand, cook and packer at the Marblemount Ranger Station in the Pacific Northwest.

Poetry career
In the 1930s, Rexroth was associated with the Objectivists, a largely New York group gathered around Louis Zukofsky and George Oppen. He was included in the 1931 issue of Poetry magazine dedicated to Objectivist poetry, and in the 1932 An “Objectivists” Anthology. Much of Rexroth's work can be classified as "erotic" or "love poetry", given his deep fascination with transcendent love. According to Hamill and Kleiner, "nowhere is Rexroth's verse more fully realized than in his erotic poetry".

With The Love Poems of Marichiko, Rexroth claimed to have translated the poetry of a contemporary, "young Japanese woman poet", but it was later disclosed that he was the author, and he gained critical recognition for having conveyed so authentically the feelings of someone of another gender and culture. Linda Hamalian, his biographer, suggests that, "translating the work of women poets from China and Japan reveals a transformation of both heart and mind".

With Rexroth acting as master of ceremonies, Allen Ginsberg, Philip Lamantia, Michael McClure, Gary Snyder, and Philip Whalen performed at the famous Six Gallery reading on October 7, 1955. Rexroth later testified as a defense witness at Ferlinghetti's obscenity trial for publishing "Howl". Rexroth had previously sent Ginsberg (new in the Bay Area) to meet Snyder, and was thus responsible for their friendship. Lawrence Ferlinghetti named Rexroth as one of his own mentors. Rexroth was eventually critical of the Beat movement. Years after the Six Gallery reading, Time referred to him as "Father of the Beats. Rexroth ostensibly appears in Jack Kerouac's novel The Dharma Bums as Reinhold Cacoethes.

Politics
As a young man in Chicago, Rexroth was involved with the anarchist movement and was active in the IWW. Fellow poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti recalled that Rexroth self-identified as a philosophical anarchist, regularly associated with other anarchists in North Beach, and sold Italian anarchist newspapers at the City Lights Bookstore.

Rexroth, a pacifist, was a conscientious objector during World War II.

Last years
Rexroth died in Santa Barbara, California, on June 6, 1982. He had spent his final years translating Japanese and Chinese women poets, as well as promoting the work of female poets in America and overseas. The year before his death, on Easter, Rexroth converted to Roman Catholicism.

As author
(all titles poetry except where indicated)
 * In What Hour? (1940). New York: The Macmillan Company
 * The Phoenix and the Tortoise (1944). New York: New Directions Press
 * The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1949). Prairie City, Il: Decker Press (reissued in 1953 by Golden Goose and 1980 by Morrow & Covici)
 * The Signature of All Things (1949). New York: New Directions
 * Beyond the Mountains: Four Plays in Verse (1951). New York: New Directions Press
 * The Dragon and the Unicorn (1952). New York: New Directions Press
 * Thou Shalt Not Kill: A Memorial for Dylan Thomas (1955). Mill Valley: Goad Press
 * In Defense of the Earth (1956). New York: New Directions Press
 * Bird in the Bush: Obvious Essays (1959) New York: New Directions
 * Assays (1961) New York: New Directions (essays)
 * Natural Numbers: New and Selected Poems (1963). New York: New Directions
 * Classics Revisited (1964; 1986). New York: New Directions (essays).
 * Collected Shorter Poems (1966). New York: New Directions.
 * An Autobiographical Novel (1966). New York: Doubleday (prose autobiography)(expanded edition 1991 by New Directions)
 * Heart's Garden, The Garden's Heart (1967). Cambridge: Pym-Randall Press
 * Collected Longer Poems (1968). New York: New Directions.
 * The Alternative Society: Essays from the Other World (1970). New York: Herder & Herder.
 * With Eye and Ear (1970). New York: Herder & Herder.
 * American Poetry in the Twentieth Century (1971). New York: Herder & Herder (essay).
 * Sky, Sea, Birds, Trees, Earth, House, Beasts, Flowers (1971). Santa Barbara: Unicorn Press
 * The Elastic Retort: Essays in Literature and Ideas (1973). Seabury.
 * Communalism: From Its Origins to the Twentieth Century (1974). Seabury (non-fiction).
 * New Poems (1974). New York: New Directions
 * The Silver Swan (1976). Port Townsend: Copper Canyon Press
 * On Flower Wreath Hill (1976). Burnaby, British Columbia: Blackfish Press
 * The Love Poems of Marichiko (1978). Santa Barbara: Christopher's Books
 * The Morning Star (1979) New York: New Directions
 * Saucy Limericks & Christmas Cheer (1980). Santa Barbara: Bradford Morrow
 * Between Two Wars: Selected Poems Written Before World War II (1982). Labyrinth Editions & The Iris Press
 * Selected Poems (1984). New York: New Directions
 * World Outside the Window: Selected Essays (1987). New York: New Directions
 * More Classics Revisited (1989). New York: New Directions (essays).
 * An Autobiographical Novel (1964; expanded edition, 1991). New York: New Directions
 * Kenneth Rexroth & James Laughlin: Selected Letters (1991). New York: Norton.
 * Flower Wreath Hill: Later Poems (1991). New York: New Directions.
 * Sacramental Acts: The Love Poems (1997). Copper Canyon Press.
 * Swords That Shall Not Strike: Poems of Protest and Rebellion (1999). Glad Day.
 * Complete Poems (2003). Port Townsend: Copper Canyon Press.
 * In the Sierra: Mountain Writings (2012). New York: New Directions (poems and prose).
 * K. Rexroth: World Poems #17 (2017). Tokyo: Shichōsha (poems and prose in Japanese translation).

As translator
(in chronological order)
 * Fourteen Poems by O. V. de L.-Milosz. (1952), San Francisco: Peregrine Press. Translated by Kenneth Rexroth, with illustrations by Edward Hagedorn. Second edition. (Port Townsend, WA): Copper Canyon Press, (1983). Paperbound. Issued without the Hagedorn illustrations.
 * 30 Spanish Poems of Love and Exile (1956), San Francisco: City Lights Books.
 * One Hundred Poems from the Japanese (1955), New York: New Directions.
 * One Hundred Poems From the Chinese (1956), New York: New Directions.
 * Poems from the Greek Anthology. (1962), Ann Arbor: Ann Arbor Paperbacks: The University of Michigan Press.
 * Pierre Reverdy: Selected Poems (1969), New York: New Directions
 * Love and the Turning Year: One Hundred More Poems from the Chinese (1970), New York: New Directions.
 * 100 Poems from the French (1972), Pym-Randall.
 * Orchid Boat (1972), Seabury Press. with Ling Chung; reprinted as Women Poets of China, New York: New Directions
 * 100 More Poems from the Japanese (1976), New York: New Directions.
 * The Burning Heart (1977), Seabury Press. with Ikuko Atsumi; reprinted as Women Poets of Japan, New York: New Directions
 * Seasons of Sacred Lust: Selected Poems of Kazuko Shiraishi. (1978), (New York): New Directions.
 * Complete Poems of Li Ch'ing-Chao. (1979), (New York): New Directions.

Discography

 * Poetry Readings in the Cellar (with the Cellar Jazz Quintet): Kenneth Rexroth & Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1957) Fantasy #7002 LP (Spoken Word)
 * Rexroth: Poetry and Jazz at the Blackhawk (1958) Fantasy #7008 LP (Spoken Word)

title: Kenneth Rexroth