Hi all, I am not sure what players will be away on the international break, but, hopefully, it has come at a good time for the squad and Zola. It appears from numerous comments that the squad need a bit of time to gel and get used to a new style of play. Moreover, to up the fitness levels a bit and maybe Zola can reflect on what has happened so far and take stock. What do you think? Personally, I reckon the break couldn't have come at a better time for us.
Yes it has come at a good time for us and GFZ. There have to be a number of the players who have arrived who are being given a last chance to show that they can make the grade somewhere. Zola will be glad of the time away from the public gaze to work out which ones are usable and which ones are here to enjoy the weather.
I hope he uses the time wisely, he really needs to take stock of what he has! I just wonder what influence he has had if any in who we get at the club U'Orns
Definitely a good time for us. With the Fans Forum coming up and the loan window opening it will be interesting to see what happens in the near future. I'm still oscillating between being excited and being worried about what is going on at the club. I was always deeply mistrustful of Bassini and, as my fears about it were, it seems, fairly well founded, I am happy that the Pozzos have taken over at least from the point of view of the club swerving regular fears of administration and finding its footing on more stable financial ground. It was regrettable that such a loyal servant as Sean Dyche was so badly treated, more so because he had built a team that had a sense of purpose and togetherness and which, with a couple of additions could genuinely have done well this season. I've seen him suggested for the Chesterfield job and hope he gets it. There have been a lot of changes at the club and of course any large scale alterations such as these need time to bed in. Some of those coming in seem genuinely exciting players to have on board. Vydra is a great addition and Geijo sounds an exciting prospect. At the same time there are reasons for concern. The downgrading of the academy is particularly disappointing as it was one of the exciting things about Watford that we would blood products of the club rather than having to buy or loan in from elsewhere. Clearly, from what I've read on twitter, the scholars are disappointed with the implications of that decision. If the Pozzos ever do decide to move on, if the experiment doesn't work, not having an academy at a suitable level could leave us high and dry. Its rather short sighted. This is especially so when you consider the potential reactions of the footballing authorities to the staffing route the club has taken. Acquiring multiple loanees from a parent club abroad circumvents the usual season limit for loanees but how long before that loophole is plugged? My concern is that we are flooded with foreign loanees with little allegiance to the club and inevitably that dilutes team spirit. It also makes it difficult for the manager to keep everyone happy and inevitably we'll see players who were in last seasons squad going out on loan when the window reopens or being sold on at christmas. If that includes players like Lloyd then that would feel like the heart of the club being ripped out to me. I was amazed that we sold Tiny, as most fans were, and its even more worrying that he wanted out because he was only being offered a limited contract. What I find even more staggering is that on the same day he was sold Dale Bennett was loaned out to afc wimbledon. Zola had stated days before that no more signings were coming in and then we loaned half a team in. It does make you wonder who is calling the shots in terms of signings and that in turn begs the question as to whether Zola is actually obliged to play particular players against his better judgement. I have a lot of time for Zola but I do worry about his tactical nous. No team should ship five goals against Derby and to play a left back as cb (a left back who is at best your second choice, possibly third choice, left back) when there are better candidates like Lloyd for the central role was very surprising. Even worse he didn't take decisive action to change something that clearly wasn't working. Some of his substitutions have arrived too late or not at all and he's really going to have to work on the team morale if he perseveres with the continental style as we could well see more Derby games along with more Birmingham games before things settle down. It will be interesting to hear what is asked at the fans forum and I'm also waiting with some trepidation to see who we let out on loan - I fear there could be some unpalatable surprises there. That said, it's a good time to settle the squad down and getting them working as a unit. For me half a season is a bit too long to wait and I'm hoping that Zola shows us what he is capable of in the five or six games after the break.
After the 5-1 defeat Zola will be glad to have a couple of weeks to sort the team out. Thank goodness that none of our experienced centre backs have been injured, sold or called up to their national teams...
F*****g internet crashed on me... just about to post as much Jsbarry, he most certainly has according to the Jamaican FA
I think things must be bad for teams like Coventry City and Portsmouth who are used to having weekends off and now they have to play. Perhaps this weekend is worse for Coventry City as their fans will see no match on saturday and forget where they are, because they meet Stevenage Borough on sunday.
I sincerely hope that at the fans forum the happy clappers limit their clapping to allow some solid questioning to take place i.e Why did we not offer Tiny a better contract, why so many loans of which some are very questionable, why such bad fitness levels, is Zola really in charge and calling the shots, is there dis-harmony in the younger ranks now that so many loans are here, is the Academy about to be forgotten........... Anybody think of others?
Well its time sometime off yet..by November you'd hope everyone will be fit enough to be in contention! I notice Vydra has been called up by the Czech so he won't be around to play with any new striker. Not sure if going by what was said in the Birmingham programme Geijo will be fit.
