Next Manager - Ivic Confirmed

He'll fit in well, a match made in heaven!

 

I mean any chosen manager will get a chance as the fans obviously can't pick and choose in that respect. But there are a number of awful managers who have one good run at a club. This guy is literally the opposite of what we need. I, like you, would normally heed caution on being too critical without giving someone a chance but I would break that train of thought on this guy - it would be a truly awful appointment and I hope to god it's not true.

In nearly 40 years of management, he's won 3 titles - in the mid 80's regional Italian football, early 90's regional Italian football again, and mid 90's at Serie C1 level which is somewhere between L2 and National League level. Thats it. His career is littered with sackings after 12-18 months, sometimes less than that. How he got the Italy job is beyond me but no one was surprised how that ended. Yes, he was okay at Torino but after his sacking by Italy, it's telling that his two jobs have been Chievo where he lasted 4 games and they were bottom - and Salernitana who weren't even in the top division and he again, failed at.

 

Jesus wept. I'd rather have Ace Ventura and I hate everything Jim Carrey has ever done.

 

If what we have been told is true, then a shortlist that has Ivic, Struber and Ventura on it is bizarre - as it has managers who offer very different 'philosophies' on it. Muddled thinking and signs of a rudderless search...

 

Don't Panic.

And don't believe everything you read on the internet.

 

Wow. Ex manager of Italy coming to manage little old Watford ? Just WOW. These are crazee times to be alive.

 

Believe every twist and turn as played out solely through social media rumour and life really will become very stressful.

As is the case with players too, we will get linked with lots of names. Some will be genuine candidates but many others will be names merely thrown into the mix by those whose jobs are to keep a story bubbling along when it seems to have gone quiet.

My money remains on Ivic and an announcement this week, ready for when the players return to training. We shall see.

 

Unless it's a good rumour. Then believe it.

 

Perhaps Gino is just playing with us for a laugh. What next....lunch with Pardew ?

 

But then what if I choose not to believe your comment (which I just read on the internet)?

That would mean that I should believe everything I read on the internet.

But then if I do believe everything I read on the internet, it would have to include your comment claiming that I shouldn't just do what I was already doing.

You've just created a vile paradox.

 

Until reality hits.

 

Yes.

And no.

I'm now off to put a cat in a box.

 

To be a manager of an international team must mean he has some ability. Look at Steve McClaren, Chris Coleman, Michael O’Neil

 

We were relegated 16 days ago. The new season starts in one month tomorrow.

We don't have a Head Coach, and we haven't made any moves player-wise, other than to let one of our longest serving and most senior players exit very awkwardly out the backdoor with no fanfare whatsoever and an apparently third-choice goalie disappear on loan back to the middle of nowhere.

This is quite possibly the most crucial transfer window in our recent history; why is it starting to feel a bit like we are carrying on with our usual recent lazy 'it'll all be fine' profligacy?

 

Or knowing the comms team at WFC, we appointed a new manager a week ago, have signed 4 new players (though 2 will actually play for Marseille) and sold 8.

 

Ian Dowie or Chris Kamara?

 

Would be very surprised if we spent any money on transfer fees outside of the PL. Will be free transfers from here on I presume.

 

With regards to outgoings, this is clearly a good thing. We need to keep this squad intact. It's the only way we'll bounce back immediately.

I said if we kept this squad together, then Coco the Clown could get us promoted. I hope Gino didn't take this literally.....after being linked to Ventura.

Quite clearly we need a new backup keeper. With Gomes now saving souls instead of goals, and Dahlberg not being able to Hacken it at Watford, we're just left with Bachmann as Foster's backup. The gap in class between the two is too big. It's a similar situation to what we had with Gomes and Arlauskis.

Bachmann as a number 3 is fine, but we need a good stand-in for Foster. A slightly younger Gomes would be perfect.

I do expect things to hot up over the next couple of days regarding the head coach. Ideally he could use the rest of the week to plan and get acclimatised before meeting the players on Monday.

It's also important to get the right man, to send out the right message to the squad. There will be some who want to go no matter what, but there will be some players who are a little undecided. It's these players we need to convince staying with Watford is the best things for them. We have to show some ambition, or else players will decide Watford's good days are in the past and they don't want to stick around for 3 or 4 seasons to get promoted.....and that's fair enough.

 

I don't disagree about player outgoings, but I also don't believe for a second that activity in that particular area up to now reflects on what will actually happen, particularly given the fact that the transfer window stays open until October.

I think in terms of what you say about showing ambition, a signing is a good potential way of doing that, and as it stands we don't appear to be being proactive about that. This preseason will determine how we play, as well as who. There's no point going through it with all our current squad if half will be jumping ship as soon as they get the opportunity.

 

Alrighty then.

 

If those undecided players are met by 72 year old Ventura who is speaking through a translator, they will decide pretty quickly.

 

Some will have you believe we’re going to be upgrading our whole team.

 

It's not likely though. We had this last week with Gotti.

To row back on this slightly, the only prospect of this is if we missed out on key targets and he is a short term fix (notwithstanding that every coach we have is a short term fix). But I think the chances are pretty low.

 

Most in UK football are on or have been on holiday and little is going on publicly at any club.

 

The Pet Detective is sneaking up the odds table. He's now 17/2 with BetFair.

 

Lol not the entire squad, just the deadwood. Get with the programme

Let's hope we can manage to keep hold of your potential 17 goal Premier league scoring star Gray

 

If they jump ship halfway through, then so be it. However, while they are still Watford players we have to use their qualities to get early points on the board.

But I admit, it does seem to be only bad news right now. Being linked to a no-hoper coach, who can't even speak the lingo, Sarr linked with a loan move to Palace, Dunkley our choice of centre back. There seems to be nothing to look forward to or get the fans excited. The prospect of this season actually being a good one appears to reduce by the hour.

 

Where did you get 17 from?

 

Most in UK football/most clubs aren't in the position we are, arresting an abysmal performance freefall that culminated in a defining failure with a squad whose mentality, confidence and togetherness appear to be shattered and who will have multiple agitators trying to fight their way out amongst the senior players, whilst also on the search for a new Head Coach to take over preseason and implement a new style of play whilst the squad is reshaped to one degree or another around them. If there's been work going on behind the scenes and the results are both good and suddenly revealed then fine, great, but we really should be seeking any advantage we can get and being as proactive as possible. I obviously don't know for sure at this point, just like anyone else, but we certainly haven't had any good news yet, and we're well into our third week of this new reality.

 

And we look like we will be playing in skins.

 

*Watches tumbleweed roll past and listening to church bells.

This is going well isn't it?

 

Not a bad plan if this weather continues. Will need some factor 50 on though.

 

Fixed...

 

Trust me I didn't. That's what he stated due to some stupid stats he created.