Is there anyone still prepared to argue his corner? The bloke is a joke. He came to us with a pretty unimpressive record and he has been at best average here. GFZ had control of 20 games this season getting us 25 points at an average of only 1.25 points per game (include last year though and he averaged 1.46) BP has 26 games and got us 35 points - so marginally better at 1.35 points per game - but GFZ resigned on HIS poor record. Worse is that in BP's first 13 games he got 20 points - an OK 1.53 points per game but in the second 13 he got only 15 points - a miserable 1.15 points per game which over a season would not leave us far above the relegation places. So he actually got worse not better as he went on. People don't like sacking managers but our managers are not appointed as they used to be for hte long term - nowadays a year is an average term of office unless you get lucky. He is a journeyman manager who hasd no feeling for the club. His style of play does not especially impress me and his away form is atrocious - 8 points from 13 games - ONE win and 5 draws. - and two of those were his first two games. He cannot motivate a fly - his players have no passion, he has not found a leader and he makes pathetic noises after each defeat. Under him next year we would not get promotion - which amazingly would please some of us it seems - but more likely we would face a relegation battle. Is Malky still available - perhaps the Pozzos need to consider humble pie and getting in a Championship manager Oh - did I say I was no longer sitting on the fence ?
As I said on another thread my feeling was that he was brought in as a stop gap. He was given a contract to the end of the season, with an option of a further year. He was available, the Pozzos knew him and they might just have got lucky. Well they didn't and now they have to make up their minds, if they haven't already, what to do. Far more than just changing or not the head coach, they need to decide where Watford stand in their list of ambitions. Do we continue to have players who are just coming back from injury or cannot get game time with their current clubs, or provide the best players in an attempt to gain promotion? I would have thought that they need to invest in WFC as promotion would lead them to the big money. Sell a few players each year which is the normal way they make a profit will not work in England unless they are in the EPL. Deeney for example might be sold to a PL team, but who else would be worth £Ms. Jon Marks was discussing what Deeney might be worth and thought somewhere in the region of £5M. That sort of money might keep us in the black, but we have often lost that amount or greater sums quite frequently. To my mind though there have to be questions asked about the coaching staff as well as the man at their head. To be honest I haven't a clue who they are. Just why have we had so many injuries all season? Some like the one that Abdi had is unusual and can affect anyone, but there have been countless other injuries, not knocks, that could come about from the training methods. I have to agree that the aim at the start of each season should be promotion and things need to change if that is to happen. Malky had a player who was a leader when they achieved promotion, but he was very lucky to have that player for a number of reasons. Now they will be joining us again next season, Malky is no longer there, and they have had a season of turmoil with an owner who thought he knew better than everyone else. For them it was a case of better to struggle to get there than it was to arrive, unless you just look at the balance sheet.
Another thing that has annoyed me is our disciplinary record - I cannot remember so many cards against us - I do not like Watford rightly or wrongly , fairly or unfairly being associated with being a dirty team. Agree with you OFH - getting rid or BP is merely the start but please please let us start there -- and soon - we need someone to bed in before the season starts
Just posted this on the other thread: 'Earlier in the thread I said 'yes'. After going today I'm really not so sure. He seems like a guy who genuinely has the club's interest at heart but I'm now not sure he's the right man for the job next season. What contract is he on? I've forgotten...' OFH has answered the contract question and had also raised a point I was thinking about: the Pozzos need to decide where we stand on the priority list and therefore what standard of player we get sent. We need some top drawer Udinese/Granada players to get out of this league, especially as I'm more convinced than ever that Deeney will go.
I'm not convinced by BS. There has been little evidence that over the whole time he's been with us the team has developed. The commitment of too many players is suspect, there's no leader on the pitch and the body language and lack of movement when we're in possession suggest he's not really established a playing system that the team has confidence in.
It is clear that our expectations have changed. Similarly it is clear that there is something wrong with the way things are done at the club. The obvious examples are the late goals conceded, the number of red cards, and the loan signings that never play for us due to injury or lack of ability. I would be interested to know how much Park cost us, for example. The question is whether these problems are the fault of the coach, or a deeper, structural failing of the Pozzo model. It is a model that works in Italy and Spain, but it has yet to prove as successful in England. Then again we have to decide what our definition of success is. A stable club, financially, with money going into the infrastructure, and increased crowds could all be classed as success, and a good base on which to build on field success. Having said all that, I can understand the deep level of frustration that the end of the season has created. As for BS going? I only want him to go if he is replaced by someone better.
1. Indeed they have, and I'm grateful to the Pozzo's for this. Especially as their own expectations set the trend. 2. Agree.
Has he managed to get the best out of the players? Has the team gelled? Have we got a cohesive motivated team on the pitch? My thoughts are no to all the above, I would expect a replacement in line with long term plans this coming few days but we'll see. Another nice guy, another character but the man for the job? Probably not. Losing 4 on the spin at the end of the season and the manner of todays performance disappointing to say the least.
Ironically had we won those last four games we would be in the play offs despite all the failures earlier inn the season
His players didn't help his cause one jot yesterday. Insipid at best, comical at times, woeful for the most part. Difficult to see how he will be allowed to continue after that performance... it was so bad even I couldn't be arsed to throw any toys out of my pram. And I bought the new shirt for the first time in three seasons.
I doubt the Pozzos were too impressed yesterday and he will be under pressure to deliver results early next season..
At the risk of being called an "idiot" by some on this board because I have voiced dissent and expressed an opinion which is not shared by them, Sannino has only done his level best with a bunch of extremely mediocre players. The fault lies not with BS (who I find very likeable) but with the Pozzo's/Nani/Duxbury (and possibly Alex Chamberlain) for sending us substandard people. They don't seem to have grasped what type/kind of players are needed for the English game. I could reel off about 10 foreign lads who just didn't cut it in the championship and that shows that ignorance on behalf of the management. Sadly I would like to see BS go and for the Pozzo's to bring in Eddie Howe and leave it to the manager to bring the new players in not some office bound flunky!
I agree with nearly all you write Yellowvoice and I would never call a fellow Watford supporter an idiot (well there is 1 exception) - particularly this scatter gun approach of brininging in loan players like Park and Neal who will never play for us and the quality of some of the other players from the Pozzo stable. But I just do not see them bringing in a manager like Howe, it just does not seem to be the way they do things. I also agree 100% about the GK coaching - we continue to turn 'keepers who have great potential into poor 'keepers with very little confidence.
12 goals conceded In the last four games. The defenders who played are not that rubbish. It's just that they weren't organised. Why not? I didn't listen to the Charlton game on hornet player, normally something very important would have to happen for me not to listen but not this time, but instead watched Real Madrid and Bayern. It was a joy to watch the Real defence be so organised. Maybe we need a manager who understands the championship and can relate to Italian management. Does such a manager exist? I don't like to wish anyone out of a job, but if BS remains I cannot see anything but conceding 2 or 3 goals a game next year which would make a top 6 finish a very, very distant dream.
Yellowvoice - I hope nobody on here calls anyone an idiot for expressing a view they genuinely believe. Like wy I tend to agree with much of what you say above. The Pozzo model does not seem to be working but they hopefully will review what has happened and will make changes - not least to their approach. I am still pleased to have backers who have been in football a long time and are not likely to get us into financial trouble. For me that now has to be a major starting point. As for BS - he could be my best friend and an extremely likeable chap - but a successful manager he is not and never will be. All good managers seem to have a rod of iron running through them - even our own "cuddly" GT was no teddy bear with his players.
It does appear that after the charlton game there was a player revolt against BS wanting to cancel their day off ,if true not good there are a lot of things wrong at the vic on the playing side at the moment , a clueless manager and too many prima donna players that dont love the club or give maximum effort for the fans . I think we will see a rather busy summer at least I hope we do and this from a guy who usually advocates consistency and stability , at least we have that off the pitch! It could be worse we could still be under Baz .
