I'm not saying Jokanovic wasn't great but this obsession with him being the best coach the Pozzos have had is absurd. If you put any of Quique, Mazzarri, Silva or Gracia in the Championship with the squad we had then they'd have got us promoted in as well and probably as Champions.
I have absolutely no obsession with Joka. I merely think that - in contrast to our other coaches in the Pozzo era - you can’t definitively label him as “flawed” because he didn’t get a chance to prove himself. He might have turned out to be brilliant, he might have turned out to be terrible, we just don’t know.
Lawrenson is an absolute farce of a pundit. He must have some operation yewtree dirt on people high up in the BBC to still get paid a portion of the licence fee we all pay to give an opinion on anything. He thinks football should still be like it was when he played in the 1940s or whenever it was. He thinks Daniel Sturridge will help WBA double their points total in 12 games and overcome a 10 point gap on us. We’ve ‘lost our soul’ despite being on the same number of managers as WBA this season. They ditched a relegation specialist to appoint Alan Pardew, that’s a proper football club right there, doing ******* idiotic things is his idea of ‘having a soul’
Well he might be right if Sturridge could stay fit for more than a game.. Mind you knowing our luck the one game he does play a good period of time for will be against us and the bloke gets 2 goals or something!
The UK's footballing expert is going up against an 8 year old in his score predictions this weeks score prediction no doubt he will loose.
Turns out he'll be available to play us as the FA have kicked back his deadline to respond to the charge until the week after our game. Shame. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43079270
Absolutely right. The essence is that they are old guard, and they are resisting, even rejecting the change. They may not like it, but it is not just happening, it is already here; the problem is that it is reported in a manner that still assumes the old ways are dominant; but it is reaching the point where they no longer are. We seem to be the most easily defined exponents of the new way in the Premier League, with some of the most professional, even fearless, football people in the world owning and guiding the club. They can't get everything right, they can't always attract the talent, playing or coaching (err, or medical) they want, but in Gino, I believe we may have the man that eventually breaks through the old guard, providing a new generation of press and pundits with a successful (I honestly believe, in time, we will establish ourselves at an 8-5th level in the Prem) and capable example of the new guard that they can use to push on through. One in ten of the articles on Silva's sacking 'got it', and frankly embarrassed the old guard for its naive, uneducated and ill informed response to Silva's sacking. Yep. There are bound to be a few Watford fans who also rail against the change. But they at least are Watford fans, and maybe just need a little reassurance that the change will bring positive benefits. I would say it already has. Don't be looking for the new 'Graham Taylor' in the role of a coach - our 'Project' now is no longer about obtaining a decent coach and hedging all our bets on them. Our Project and its continuity comes from Gino; he is very different to GT, but if you wanted to identify a person at the Club now closest to the great man's over-watch of the Club in the eighties, it would be Gino, mixed with a little Eddie Plumley and a smattering of Bertie Mee. I hope and believe that Lawro will have to lump it. There's a few of our fans that my have to do so as well, or go for the divorce. If playing in the PL is not your thing, Watford may not be the team for some over the next decade or so; possibly many more.
Maybe Quique. Pish to the rest of them (less Gracia, who I do not know enough about at the moment); not only would they seriously have struggled in the Championship (Mazzarri, apart from thinking it below him, would have gone before the end of the season if he'd had Beppe's/Slav's squad in the Championship, and Silva no longer has the character or humility to deal with players at that level - maybe a few years ago). What makes Slav a reasonable choice as our best coach under the Pozzos, is that he didn't get his ego confused with his ability, and he absolutely and totally accepted the Pozzo model, and applied himself within it. He is the only coach who achieved exactly what was required of him in a manner that satisfied both fans and management. Quique had experience at higher level, and was simply a better risk for our first season in the Premier League, and is likely a more broadly capable head coach. However, it is likely he had just as limited a shelf life as Slav, and with hind sight, and a couple of years reflection on it, was unlikely to be in charge for more than a season unless he seriously over achieved. Gracia, when talking, sounds very like Slav to me, in terms of his attitude and outlook. He just wants to win the next game, and though we haven't heard my favourite Slav quote from him yet ('F**k it' when referring to things he had no control over), he has made it clear, like Slav, that his focus is on what is in front of him, not his ego, not what he hasn't got, and not what he is disappointed Gino couldn't get for him. I can't say that Gracia will work out, but I have to say that one of the things I have been most pleased to see is that Slav like pragmatic approach; only a little less sweary and not so tall. Slav is my favourite Pozzo coach, and I think his attitude to the game also made him the best in many respects. The best technically, in my opinion, and by a country mile, is Mazzarri - but as i have said on numerous occasions, it is a pity he had gone barking by the time we got him, and he clearly couldn't handle it.
Agreed. I think like in other cases, nostalgia enhances the reputation. As you pointed out, a better coach would have won the league for us. His initial start, and a number of below par performances (culminating in the closing day) meant that Muff pipped us to the title. I would say his Fulham reign shows a continuation of that, great for spells, then prone to losing games they shouldn't.
Agreed, and those inconsistecies aren't recognised enough, despite Slav being my fav coach. But that is not an unfavourable comparison with the subsequent coaches we have had, even if you have to factor in the level being played at; all the subsequent coaches started well, then turned to complete poop. That didn't happen to Slav. For me, it is still valid to wonder if he was our best manager, or even to speculate that he may have achieved more than Quique and Walter with the squads they had. Probability may suggest he wouldn't, but there's always the possibility...
Apparently 4 West Brom players were arrested on their mini break for going on the lash until 6am and robbing a taxi!
Pozzo got Quique in for 2 reasons, I think: he had proven his ability to keep a small club up in the top league in their first season he was more likely to encourage better players to sign for us than Joka would
Shame, did they not have any cash? Individually and collectively as a team - they’re GOING DOWN. Serves them right for Ellington Edit: Just read the BBC article, the senior players not the kids STOLE the taxi in the early hours after Pardew imposed a midnight curfew - lol.
Surely when we play them, everytime one of the guilty players gets on the ball we should all together loudly hail a TAXI!
Sorry, but that comment might have made sense in December, or thereabouts, but he’s now got them into a great run of form at at just the right time - as he did last year, when they should have gone up and as he did with us. Whilst having to put up with an idiot of a now ex stats guru, who must have driven him mad. Beat a very decent Villa side today; nailed on for the play offs and may well rein in Cardiff for the automatic spot. Underestimate him at your peril. Edit - written from impressions, so thought I’d better check - last 10 league games, won 8, drawn 2 - sounds a bit like the climax of the promotion season... Next three: Bristol C away; Wolves Home; Derby away - we’ll know a bit more after that.
Papers today saying Pardew has two games to save his job at West Brom, the second of which is against us. Be interesting to see if his players actually want to play for him or would rather be shot of him.
He's doing well at the moment, aided obviously by having the most talented teenager in the country at his disposal. I just don't see how he's viewed like some sort of managerial guru. There are plenty of managers in the Championship achieving the same or better with lesser squads. Warnock and Rowett for example
Uber-gate is a sign of a frustrated and ill-disciplined squad. These were some of West Brom's best and most experienced players, acting in a ridiculous way to blow off steam. I can't see a new manager turning that club around quickly enough.
I don't think it's a bad thing for us; although knowing our luck Brom will play dreadfully in their next match and we'll typically end up facing them when they have a new manager bounce, as we so often appear unfortunate enough to do.
You can only play with the cards you're dealt. Fulham have a few talented players, but they also have an unbalanced squad. Last year's play off finish was highly impressive, and getting promoted with Fulham would be even more so. The number of games in the Championship and worse quality pitches favours teams which play defensive, bully-boy football and grind out results. Managers like Warnock aren't rated as highly as managers like Joka, as their turgid tactics are awful to watch and often well and truly discovered in the PL. Joka wouldn't be a guaranteed success in the Premier League - he's adaptable but a little too open and naive - but I'd without question opt for him over Warnock.
You're point is a good one about Warnock, and its always why I'm skeptical about judging either players or managers on their performances in the Championship. I don't care what anyone says, the jump in quality is massive, even if you take the bottom 10 sides in the Prem. I appreciate what Slav did for us, but I think his managerial skill is greatly inflated on here. He had an exceptional squad with 3 excellent strikers at his disposal, and I think most decent managers would have got that side promoted. Even Beppe managed 4 wins out of 5 at the start of that season.
If we beat Everton, we would be in a very strong position compared to West Brom. A mini revival by them would put more pressure on Stoke, Southampton, Crystal Palace,etc - than ourselves. If we are to lose any of our remaining home games WBA would be the least damaging. Alternatively beat Everton and West Brom and we could rest key players for the two away games with the aim of fielding our strongest team for the following home games against Bournemouth and Burnley.
I get what you're saying. I do think you've focused on our attack, but our defense and defensive midfield weren't anywhere near as good. Beppe did manage a few wins at the beginning of the season, but that isn't when Joka took control of the squad. He took over when we were in disarray, after two managers were basically pushed out through player power (even if one was clearly a massive mistake) and one had a heart attack. Some players have since admitted they failed to take him seriously at the beginning, thinking he was only going to last a few weeks. After taking a few games to get control of the squad, understandable due to the aforementioned reasons, his record then was excellent. If he won the league, following the distance Bournemouth had on him a few games into his reign, it would have been an incredible turnaround. True, we did buckle at the end, costing us our first trophy. But I'd put the blame more on the stupid kids who wanted their selfie on the pitch, which created a high-pressure and tense atmosphere, before which we were fully in control. I'd even blame some mad refereeing decisions throughout the season which favoured Bouremouth and cost us, before blaming Joka.
Our defence and defensive midfield weren't good? Cathcart, Ekstrand, Connolly, Angella, Hoban, Bassong, Pudil, Paredes, Layun, Tozser, Munari and Watson??
