For one reason or another I haven't been on not606 for a while, so I thought I would write about our recent excellent form. Being at uni/abroad for a bit, I haven't been to many games recently, but its evident to see that Sean Dyche deserves a huge amount of credit for how we have played this season. He took a lot of stick at the beginning of the season and many called for him to be sacked , and it seems even now should we have a couple of bad results back-to-back then the same old critics emerge. I'm not sure why this is, because when comparing it to Malky Mackay's time here, he did not have as much bad feeling directed towards him during his tenure. Dyche had a really touch job in the summer as we had sold Graham, Cowie and Buckley, leaving us with a really young team with gaps that needed filling everywhere. Dyche and Bassini has successfully done that. The majority of their signings have been very good, when you think of Hogg, Bauben and Nosworthy, whilst the likes of Dickinson, Yeates and Garner have done their jobs, without excelling. Dyche has also plugged gaps well in the loan market. We haven't got many quality permanent wingers in our squad, but with Kightly and Kacaniclic Dyche has filled those gaps. He has managed to convince Nosworthy to take what must have been a substantial pay cut to join us, whilst Kuszczak has shown his class since replacing the inconsistent Loach. There is also the job he has done with the players we had from last year. In particular, Deeney has seem to have found his feet at this level and he has starting producing the goods with a number of goals recently. He has always shown a lot of heart, but not manged to step up to the next level. Now it seems he is finally showing he is a Championship level player Mariappa not leaving in January is also significant, as it means that there is a good atmosphere at the club. We got a decent price for Sordell, and Dyche has introduced Sean Murray very well into the first time squad. Not only that, but we have effectively signed a new player with Stephen McGinn starting to return to full fitness. The results and our position in the table are really starting to show the fruits of his work. We have had some great results recently, with no one predicting we would get 7 points from Burnley at home and then away trips to West Ham and Derby. Unlike the two seasons under Mackay where we tailed off badly, this squad is more experienced, more balanced, and overall probably better. Great job Dyche!
Welcome back E. I hope all is going well with your studies. I find myself agreeing with all you have said. Dyche has done a fantastic job on a shoe string budget and with only a handful of first team players to begin the season. His knowledge of the loan market has been second to none. To pull Kightly Nosworthy and Kacaniklic out of the hat is inspired. Also i would hope that, as Kightly is now playing 1st team for Wolves, our relationship with them will benefit us in any future loans. The same with Kacaniklic, if at the end of the season he is as good (maybe better) than he is now, i would hope that he might make a few appearances for Fullham and they trust is for any future youth development loans, or even senior loans. The only doubt i have is about TK, he seems very indecisive and there seems to be little understanding between him and his back 4. I am hoping that this ends soon, as we have now conceded 4 sloppy goals as a result, and we cannot keep this up. It is simply the icing on the cake that having turned MM down when asked to go to Cardiff Dyche said no, and is now bettering MM as well, with a supposedly weaker team. I think the biggest reason Deeney is now performing is because he is playing in his preferred position. It would be unfair to ask a right footed defender to play on the left wing, so it is the same for a natural striker. Now he gets the service he is turning into a decent player. But i never doubted the lad. I have to think that the morale of the team must be sky high right now. We are playing some fantastic passing football, just as Dyche promised at the beginning of the season, and we are grinding out wins. If we can keep a clean sheet some time soon, it would cap it all off.
well said emiatss and Dan...and welcome back emiatss! Your words of wisdom have been missed . Completely agree with you both and can't really add anything to what has already been said
I've got little to add to what has already been said. Fans can, do and always will criticise the small things they believe are being done wrong, and relatively small things have been done wrong (paying Burnley £50k for a player they probably wanted to give away, using Buaben as a winger etc). But in the grand scheme of things, Dyche has been faultless. His job was to keep us in the Championship and rebuild the team at a profit, and he's done exactly that. I do want to make a point about what he's doing in the longer term. Unlike his immediate predecessor, if Dyche were to leave in the summer he could honestly say that he has left something for someone else to build on. Much as when BR left, controversial though the circumstances were, he could justifiably say that he had left Malky something better than he had inherited from Boothroyd.
I would agree with almost everything, Don Cowie was not sold he departed at the end of his contract, but this is a minor point. The thing I would like to add to the general good feeling about SD is he has had to construct his coaching staff from almost nothing. Alec Chamberlain remained from the previous group but all the others took the bus to Wales or Wales after Brighton. I can not remember if Ross Wilson arrived before MM left or afterwards but keeping him may prove to be gain of value.
Agree with just about everything here - at the start of the season we would have accepted staying up on the lasst day of the season on goal difference. Instead Sd hasbeen steadily improving the squad and his own experience. I like the fact that he is clearly his own man - it would have been so easy for him to bow to pressure and play the youngsters more - but he had strong views on it and is being proved correct. Well done him
Lets not underestimate Wilson in all this either. Looks to me like he's settled in extremely quickly and proven highly effective especially as Malky took the filing cabinet with him on the work in progress signings. This area has been highly impressive and they do not bow to external pressures but get on effectively with the jobs in hand.
definitely some good points made there. i personally don't see why we can't be a little bit ambitious and: a) try for the play offs this year ; b) failing to do that buy a few players like kightly, let go of some (iwelumo unfortunately) and twiddling with the squad to find the best combo. let's not forget that dyche has managed to propel us to the same position as malky left us in (albeit rumours were he didn't try in the 2nd half of the season). give him the right players and we could do it
It has helped we have pace in the side out wide in Murray and Alex K along with Deeney finding some real form whilst we have a fairly solid defence who can be reliable on a good day.
Every hole we had in terms of the type of player we were looking for has been filled, and Wilson was central to that. The only exception is a like-for-like replacement for Sordell, but those don't grow on trees. Wilson has a large input in identifying the players we can afford and that he thinks will be most cost effective, and again deserves credit for a solid record in that area. What I would say though is that the credit for determining where the holes were is Dyche's. The recruitment department will look at all types of player, but whether they actively pursue holding midfielders, wingers, left backs etc is down to Dyche.
I agree but I think you should swap Yeates with Buaben in the Good Signings Category. But you're right Dyche is awesome.
SD has done well so far but he himself would argue that you must judge a manager over at least a couple of seasons. I have lost track of the managers at Vicarage Road that seemed to have cracked it only for everything to fall apart (for various reasons admittedly). In recent years you only have to look at Aidy - touted as a potential top flight boss and England managerial material after one season here. Even after relegation he was still regarded as a good manager for at least half of the following season. Then look what happened! Glenn Roeder was another - he guided us to the giddy heights of 7th in Div. 2 in his first full season (94-95) and prospects looked rosy (Jack Petchey apart). Sadly we plummeted out of the division the next season. So without wanting to put too much of a damper on feelings, there's a long way to go yet..............
As far as what Dyche can get out of the team is concerned, I agree with everything you say Vic. He could easily lose the plot and get us relegated next season or the season after. But in terms of what his legacy will be when he leaves (whether he leaves as a hero, villain, success or failure), it's already clear that he will be handing his successor a more balanced squad from which to build than that which Malky left him. Also, and I have to admit I didn't think this three months ago, it now looks as though Dyche's tenure won't harm the academy's medium term prospects. It's far too early to tell whether his selection policy will enhance our reputation for youth development. But the sale of Sordell, progress of Murray and success of several youngsters in fully professional leagues should ensure that parents of talented youngsters continue to see Watford as a good bet for their boys.
That is possible i would think. But it depends on what loans he gets before then. If he manages to get to a lg2 team this season and proves himself there, then he could move to lg1 at the start of next season, and get a few halves towards the end of next season i would think.
Yes I agree that the squad is stronger and more balanced than at the end of MM's tenure, I hope that continues - player sales, injuries and loss of form can radically change things very quickly - Roeder had a fully fit and firing Kevin Phillips for the latter part of 94-95 - a year later he had been injured and (temporarily) lost his form, along with Ramage and several other first team members. Currently, it is looking very promising though. With regard to the Academy, so long as the club continues to believe (& invest) in it, then the future is bright whoever the manager is. After all, many of the youngsters touted as the next great hope by folks on the board were recruited when Ray Lewington was the boss! Sadly not many managers are remembered for their Academy legacy - it's first team results that matter.....
Well, I wouldn't say that "we haven't tailed off like Malky" when I'm fairly certain that we were in with a much more realistic shout of the play offs nearing the end of last season. There's still time to go on a massive winning spree, or a losing spree....but we finished around this position last year, despite a terrible end of season.......
