And the new Manager will be?

It was AS English article on Twitter - I’ll try and find it again.

Leventhal this morning has said on The Athletic that Mullins will still be in charge against Palace and perhaps beyond. Squad want a homegrown manager but we’ve made approaches for foreign coaches - best comment I’ve seen someone say is that it all points to the club having a huge identity crisis.

 

Mullins looked like a graduate being made to do a presentation in front of a board of directors last night. Seemed to be very nervous and scared.

The managerial position barely seems to matter as the squad is such a mess. The club need to get a proper coherent strategy together for how we're going to get rid of the deadwood, finding some players with balls and passion and stay in the Championship next season.

 

I really don't care who comes in now because they will still have to work with the same aging, can't be arsed squad. Complacency by the hierarchy has got us in the position we find ourselves. I started getting worried when people were saying our squad is good enough for this league but they weren't reinforcing the defence or bringing in younger blood who can compete in the first team.

 

What is concerning though is that a squad that has underperformed so woefully, seems to be quite happy sleepwalking their way to relegation and ignorant to fans displeasure - are actually being given an input as to what type of coach they want.

 

I will summarise The Athletic this morning.

Mullins will be given the match against Palace for sure. They have confirmed this. They have also said Mullins is a contender for the job.

The process for a new coach will continue in the background, and they are not ruling out the possibility of a new coach being announced before the Palace game.

Players have been impressed with Mullins with Foster quoted as saying "He's been great". The players seem to want a British coach and he said this week has been really good in training. (I would say, if you want Mullins as the manager, you better start winning for him then)

There were talks with Hughton but these have not advanced. Apparently Quique Setien is not interested in the role, although his odds shortened, which is in conflict with what his representatives are saying.

There were talks with Kuko Ziganda and these are still open.

The biggest stumbling block appears to be that Watford are only offering the job until the end of the season, which is putting candidates off.

 

That Ziganda guy looks absolutely appalling with zero pedigree beyond a terrible spell as Bilbao manager (a job he inherited). Bilbao learnt their lesson. It has to be Mullins over him.
Disappointed that Setien isn’t interested but not surprised if true. If we can’t find a quality candidate from somewhere, I’m afraid I have to revert back to saying Allardyce.

I have only just realised that Udinese still have a caretaker manager having sacked their coach weeks ago - having looked at Italian media this morning, it seems to be a carbon copy situation where they are struggling with a lack of interest.

It really really does look like the ‘Pozzo model’ to coaches is imploding before their own eyes. And they have never legislated for it. Much like their ‘model’ for building a balanced squad.

 

It does seem that way. What I don't understand is they've been so focused and ahead of the game for so long, always having the answers before they arise, that how they've acted before and during this season is a complete contrast. I can only think it's been a severe case of arrogance and compliancy that has taken them to this point with us and Udinese.

Is it 30 years at Udinese, and this this the seventh year at Watford? Even though we sailed close to relegation under Mazzari, we've always survived and this season looked like we could finally kick on after a slow building process. But they just didn't understand the problems with the defence. I cannot fathom why that did not register with them. So many bad choices and decisions. Once something gains momentum it's very difficult to change direction.

It's a huge ask to expect Mullins to take over and change our fortunes. Sure, you may get a little bounce, and we'll see if that's true against Palace, but that will come crashing down at Liverpool no doubt a week later. If they give it to Mullins, then the board have admitted defeat. Not that I'm against appointing a young progressive manager, and the media would love us for it, but we need an experienced man at the helm right now.

 

Thanks.

I don't get this "the players want a British coach" thing. I can't see that the British players would be that bothered (about anything) and I struggle to picture Doucoure, Deloufeu, Prodl, Holebas etc. etc. sat round with serious faces, saying "you know what boys, the next guy has to be British", before showing each other Instagram posts of bulldogs, Churchill, the white cliffs of Dover and Bobby Moore holding up the world cup.

If they speak good English, have good tactics and are the sort of person you want to play for, then what does the nationality matter?

 

I'm sure the British players would like a British manager, but I'm also sure the foreign ones would like a countryman of their own nationality as well. It stands to reason to think that way. The trouble is with a young coach like Mullins, will he get the respect once he becomes familiar? Sure he'll be ok during the honeymoon period, but that's short lived, as we all know.

 

I think there's a couple of old fashioned phrased that nicely sum up their management of us and Udinese:

• Resting on their laurels
• Spreading themselves to thinly

The most worrying thing is that if us and Udinese go down, that might blow a hole in the accounts too big to cover. One or the other going would mean they have time to keep it all ticking over and rebuild.

 

The key after going down is retaining the players. Ok, these players have got us relegated and are now used to losing, but their quality will be higher in the Championship. I don't think it would take too much to turn us into a very good side in the Championship. But like I said, we have to keep the bulk of the squad in order to do it. We'll have one season to get back up, after that, we'll have to sell a high percentage and start all over again.

 

The dream for me is to find a Bielsa type character. Play decent football, trust youth and won’t bail at managing in the Championship should it come to that.

This squad has just needed quiet and steady evolution each season - failure to do that means it now needs revolution.

 

Nothing against Mullins but everyone knows you can’t play a back four with Kiko in it

 

Might as well sell off all our saleable assets in January while they still have value then... since the club have no interest in even trying to stay up.

 

Fixed.

But with Janmaat out, what else can he do?

 

I think if you read through the last two pages of this then it is apparent that nobody knows what's happening. Leventhal doesn't seem to know either. I would be surprised that if we were in discussions with anybody that they would announce that was happening as that is not the way we work.
We are probably going down this season but I still feel that this next appointment is hugely important to the future of the club. I also don't get this thing about players wanting a British coach. How many players said this? Not many I would think.

 

You can imagine it has come from just a comment of some sort in private....

Leventhal: ‘Bookies are linking Hughton. Any opinion Troy?’

Deeney: ‘Well he’s British so it would certainly be a change.’

Next thing you know, the media believe the squad have requested it.

 

Also Hughton and fat Sam waiting on the vacancies that are imminent at West Ham and Everton so everyone is stalling ?

 

I give up lets have Fat Sam and have done with it

if he keeps us up (he won't) he will have proved he is a good manager
if we go down at least we can blame Fat Sam

Is Pedro still coming to us in January ?

 

Well, there's Foulquier - but this just goes to show the wisdom of Gino's philosophy that you cna never have enough right backs. More centre backs, left backs and strikers might be nice, though.

 

No way do either of them take Allardyce back. I’d argue it’s more likely Setien would be waiting for one of them.

 

We don’t need more of them. We just need ones who aren’t awful and can stay fit.

 

Is this the longest we've ever been without a head coach?

 

Setien has Everton written all over him. The style of play the owners want and thought they were getting with Silva.

 

Just give it to Mullins.

I actually think we will stay up with him in charge.

We will beat Palace this weekend. Win this weekend and the teams around us lose, that only puts us 4 points from safety with 22 games left. Plenty of time to save the season.

I feel like Mullins is having that Harry Redknapp moment. We’re the players see him as a mate and Mullins is just telling them, just go out there, play football and have fun.

Deeney got 87 mins under his belt which is great for us.

We played the formation that everyone has been crying out for. The only thing left to do now swap Femenia for Foulquier or Janmaat if he’s back, drop Doucoure for Quina and drop Hughes for Pereyra.

Foster

Foulquier Cathcart Kabasele Masina

Capoue Quina

Sarr Pereyra Deulofeu

Deeney

That team is more than capable of beating Palace.

Obviously outback Janmaat in if he’s back and if Kaba is still out then Dawson. Even still, that team should beat Palace who are potentially missing 3/4 of their starting back 4.

 

They can be missing the whole defence and it wouldn't matter because we don't effin shoot.

 

There's no effin shoot.

 

Foulqier??!! Got our full backs are rubbish. Thank god Palace don't have anybody of note on the left side of the attack

 

Setien out to 4/1 now, then Allardyce at 9/2

 

Chosing between Femenia and Foulqier is like choosing between being stabbed in the hand, or kicked in the balls.

Zaha usually rips us apart. He'll have a field day at the weekend against the worst defence we've had since promotion.

 

Looking back over the last few days, given how much the clubs official media are making a big deal of Mullins at present, and the fact we were told something was ‘imminent’ and it’s near 5 days later with nothing - I think the club really are gearing up to give it to Mullins until the end of the season.

If it was Allardyce, I think it would have been done by now. Managers like Setien and Schmidt will know what time of the season it is and likely be waiting for better opportunities.

It’s all gone very quiet in the media and it all points to little progress being made. My worry about Mullins/Stack getting the job is that they don’t have the experience or kudos to make our better players step it up. If they take over, I think this season really will just stay this way right until the end.

 

Allardyce 5/4 on SkyBet.

Setien will go to Everton.

 

Problem with us staying up and what manager we get is that historically 40 points has been enough for safety, I’m not sure that’s going to be the case this season. Man U , Chelsea and Tottenham have been loosing a lot to bottom 1/2 teams, with the exception of Liverpool , Leicester and Man City (ish) no body is winning consistently and with the exception of us nobody is loosing consistently.

I think points will be more evenly spread at the bottom than normal and could easily see three teams at the bottom with under 30 and the next being 40+ . I will however be the first to admit this is based on nothing other than a bad feeling

 

Kiko v Zaha could be carnage for Mullins. Id play Capoue right back for the emotional fear aspect in Zahas head and all thr Palace fans heads.

 

I think it's likely the club is torn between someone who can get the most out of what we ahve to try and stay up, or someone with the ability to play and grow youngsters. Ultimately our only successful business model is through promoting yoof (be they homegrown or European raised).