Slavi*a Jokanovi* - Manager

If you were impressed by that, you're going to enjoy Saturday mate - rumour has it that PDT has been saving this move for the last day -



Apparently the subs have voiced some concerns, so Keith Andrews will be drafted in to perform as Paolo's unwilling victim.

 

Already rumours flying around about Slav 's new contract stall with apparently Sunderland about to offer him a contract.
Welcome to the world of Premier League media.

 

Wasn't that before the weekend? And Slav said he wasn't speaking to anyone about a contract at the moment.

One of the most bizarre things about having the Pozzos as owners is that as much as I want him to stay (and expect that he will), if he does end up going I trust them completely to find the right man to replace him.

 

Well done Slav! Lot of fans from Serbia are very happy for the result. Can't wait for that next season!!!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

Sun reporting we may 'lose' him this morning.

 

Perhaps he can be found along with Anya's wallet?

 

Wouldn't surprise me at all if the Pozzos didn't give him a new contract and went for someone else.

 

Don't the club an the option to extend it for another year?

 

Wouldn't surprise you at all? Not even the tiniest bit? Really?

 

For me - keeping Joka is the most important piece of business we could potentially do this summer. I'd be confident of at least staying up with him at the helm, regardless of which players we end up signing.

 

I haven't heard any info on that sorry .

 

First off, congratulations on your fantastic promotion from a Serb football fan. Secondly, the promotion race was extensively followed in Serbia these last weeks because of Jokanovic obviously. I personally am a Red Star fan, while Slavisa both played for and managed our biggest rivals; Partizan. But he's one of those guys you can't help but admire even if they played for your rivals if you know what I mean.

Anyway, since you guys only get the Slavisa with a modest grip on the English language, I thought I'd share an interview he did a day ago with a renowned Serbian sporting site. You'll see that there's even more there than what meets the eye.

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'I feel like any other day. The phone keeps ringing and people are sending their congratulations, meanwhile I'm getting ready to go to London and watch Chelsea-Arsenal. A fairly typical day.'

'We did our job in Brighton and won a difficult game, but honestly we didn't expect things be to done in this round already. We've all been caught by surprise by the promotion to the EPL, so we haven't yet had the time to organize any big festivities. We'll prepare the party for next weekend when we await Sheffield Wednesday and get the chance to celebrate the promotion with our fans.'

On the Championship and tight finish:

'This is the Championship alright! The entire season has been like this. Last week we squeezed out a win Vs Birmingham when they got 3 big chances at the end. But, that's the way things go in this league, things haven't been hard for us alone. Every team plays for the full 100% and wants to win. There are no easy points to be gained. The Championship might not be on the level of the Premiership, but it's retained it's English flavour and style of play. I enjoyed the atmospheres in the league, the fans dedication, but I'm happy we're moving on up and I hope it won't be for a short run. It has definitely been an interesting experience. You play non-stop with no less than 46 games in a season.'

On the many nationalities in the squad and the way it's affected Watford's style of play to be more 'European':

'That's the way our squad is built and that's the type of profile players we have. We have players from all over the world. We wouldn't stand a chance if we tried to play the classic English style that you can see in the Championship. It was only logical to use the resources we had available. Besides, the fact that the club hired a manager like me should tell you enough about their orientation. I have playing experience in the English league, but also in other leagues. Naturally we had to create a mix between the two styles to be successful.'

About how he got appointed in the first place:

'I've spent many years in footballing circles and I've built many friendships in different countries because of it. Also in Italy, from where the bosses of Udinese hail. That's how I got the job.'

On the Pozzo's:

'The Pozzo family is the right example of how to lead a club. They've turned Udinese into a respectable club, they've stabilized Granada in La Liga and now they've awaited their success with Watford as well. They have an excellent scouting network and are a fine example of how to turn football in good business.'

About next season and possible signings:

'First we'll set the priorities and then we'll see what we have to do. We have a couple of players whose loans are about to expire. It's clear though that some things will change that we'll look to strengthen the side with the funds we've now earned. The bosses have a proven business plan that has brought us results so far and we'll decide everything for the club's benefit. We know a hard battle awaits us in the EPL. You just have to look at the sides that got promoted last season and you see that Leicester, Burnley and QPR are battling against relegation. That's the way it usually goes in the EPL.'

About his decision to make the substitution after 25 minutes:

'I had to respond! Brighton for the first time in the season decided to play with 3 at the back and two wingbacks with whom they fortified the wings. I waited until the 25th minute and saw I had to switch formations. In the end that brought us the result.'

On the many formations he's used:

'That's mostly because I have players with distinct characteristics and depending on their quality and the strength of the opposition I looked to make full use of them. We also played with 3 strikers, but that didn't work too well.'

On Deeney - Vydra and Ighalo:

'It's true, I had a lot of choice, but at certain points I had to pick them aside, talk to them and explain them why they couldn't all be on the pitch at the same time. Not because of their (lack of) quality, but because of the tactics. We also have Forrestieri who's the fourth striker and also talented. Because of all of them many opponents feared us!'

On who he learned from:

'I picked up things from all my former managers. But most of all from Antic and Heynkes. But football changes and evolves, so I had to learn some new things along the way as well. This season in the Championship has really helped me improve. But if I had to pick one of my former managers it would be Antic. He trained me in Spain and the last 12 years I lived in Madrid where we hung out and talked a lot about football.'

About the freedom he had in Watford:

'Total freedom! Some things allowed me to organize the team exactly the way I wanted it. I exclusively get asked when to cut the grass, when to water it, on which pitch we train, when we eat, when we rest...That is a bit complicated, but it allows you full autonomy and the chance to actually realize your ideas. That way I've also enriched myself as a manager. Unlike at some other sides, at Watford I had total freedom. My decision was to quarantine the players the day before a match. Local players weren't used to that. You see, in England it works according to the system; 'sleep, eat and play the game'. But in my squad I had many continental players who were used to this type of situation. The club allowed me to organize everything up to the finest details.'

And finally, on how Serbia responded to Jokanovic's achievement.

'I'm happy a lot people in Serbia followed our success. My friends told me that as the season went on, people started following Watford more intensively and that we got a lot of sympathy over there. I'm happy about that and about the support of my compatriots. The entire day congratulations are pouring in from all sides.'
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Best of luck in the EPL and if there's something to share, I'll be sure to drop by.

 

Brilliant thank you Serb

 

Thanks for that.

Good to hear he has total control on everything except the financial side. The Pozzo's aren't as hands on as I thought then which is good for Slav as it helps him feel in control.

More good vibes

 

About his decision to make the substitution after 25 minutes:

'I had to respond! Brighton for the first time in the season decided to play with 3 at the back and two wingbacks with whom they fortified the wings. I waited until the 25th minute and saw I had to switch formations. In the end that brought us the result.'

Slav in a nutshell...preparation and scouting...then flexibility and let the players go out and win the game.

 

Excellent post. Good to hear we have some sort of following in Serbia to add to Miguel's millions of Mexican minions!

Best bit is that he is seeing this as an ongoing job, and I hope that is confirmed soon.

I don't doubt that the Pozzos are capable of letting him go, especially if it was to establish Granada as a stronger threat in Spain's top flight, and that they would sort us out with someone capable, but Slav seems to have something very special about him at the moment, and I am very keen that he be given the chance to realise his potential here.

 

Thank you Mr Serb, your post is appreciated!

 

Any insight into what "quarantine the players" means? My first thought was that it means a media blackout, but it could mean a variety of things.

Regardless, it's brilliant to hear that the club let Joka do whatever he wanted and implement his own systems. Thanks for the translation, great insight.

 

Sorry mate, it means he and the squad spent the nights before games together, presumably in a hotel? Away from all possible distractions anyway.

Bit like what you have in your signature.

And no worries about the article. It was fun reading these forums the last couple of weeks and I'm happy for all of you, including Slavisa of course.

 

Shame. I was visualising spacesuits & zip-up tents like in the film Outbreak

 

Excellent, thanks for the clarification.

 

Great post Serb, keep up the good work it will be great to hear more from you :sign15:

 

Interesting to see that the main influence on Joker as a manager was a former Luton player.

One of very few Luton players to go on to manage both Real Madrid and Barcelona, if my information is correct!

 

I hope that when the Joka's contract is renegotiated (and I bet it's being drawn up already) that he's offered a financial deal beyond whatever our best players might be offered. Imho, the manager/head coach should always earn just a bit more than the best players and in particular a man who is so vitally important for our success next season.

May I add my thanks for your quite excellent OP Serb? It's fascinating to hear the Joka's fully considered thoughts translated from his native language. Much detail is often lost when he's interviewed in his halting English and even when his thoughts are written up in our local newspaper. I hope he can improve his English a bit over the summer. Maybe you can be offered a contract to help him!

 

Serb, did Jokanovic have any chants in Serbia? I'd rather try my hand at a new language than take part in the murder one...

 

Он долази из Србије , он ће јебено убиство ви

(Western text: On dolazi iz Srbije , on će jebeno ubistvo vi)

 

You can be damned sure our Head Coach won't be on £30k+ a week. The Pozzos don't mess about when it comes to managers and if we're bottom of the table with no hope, he'll be replaced. Then we'll have to pay out a year and a half contract at £30k a week-about £2.5m.

 

It might be your opinion (and fair enough you're entitled to it) but I doubt there are many clubs where it works like that in practice. Manager earning more than the best players?

 

I bet (and hope) that's exactly around what he'll be offered. Who more than him has been instrumental in our success this season?

 

Nope.

 

Good post Serb.
Please make sure you come back and fill us in on any more Serbian interviews that you see or hear. Sounds like he opens up more to the Serbian media!
It does sound very much he is planning for the EPL. That was something he didn't revea much in the past few weeks so I'm pleased about that!
For me Joka is why we are at the top! And maybe even tonight will be the title holders. I'm that confident in him. The players get him, the owners get him and the fans do now as well. Total confidence.

 

Serbians enjoying our 2nd against Brighton (if this works).

https://twitter.com/lamponemalina/status/592430312560427008

 

Behind the steely gaze of the gaffer...

https://instagram.com/p/T8GMChjPaO/

 

Quality!

You have to love how the Pozzos have managed to attract new fans to the club since coming in. Layun's one million followers, Joka's pull with the Serbs, random advertisements on the side of buses in various eastern countries...