There have started to be calls for Gianfranco Zola to be replaced following our recent poor run and the manner in which the defeats have come about. Yet I find myself wondering just how much say he has in the recruitment of players that he might want. Gian Luca Nani is the technical director, and although I am sure he must talk to GFZ, he seems to get the players to the club and lets Zola try to produce a team. The Pozzo family with their vast scouting network seem to be using Watford as a place to give younger players a chance to show their worth even if they have little experience of playing regular football because of better players at their clubs or because they are coming back from injury. Last season maybe we were lucky after a tentative start and did not worry too much about the system of producing a successful team. This raised expectations that even if we lost one twenty goal striker, then another would be provided. We all know that they do not grow on trees and it is quite likely that after one good season that player will not do it again. I am not sure either that you can import a player from Italy or Spain and expect to fit them in straight away with them adjusting to Championship football. What I am suggesting is that with a system that has transfer windows, and a chain of clubs involved, it might take time to find the right players to get us back on track. What I do feel sure about though is the club has to succeed. The Pozzos have invested money on quite a scale one way and another and will want to see a return. So just where should the finger be pointed? Nani, Zola, The Pozzos or even the players. Or could the system not be working?
I am starting to feel sorry for Zola... as he has to work with the players he has. Also worried as he may become the fall guy
Wasn't it the same Nani and Zola combination at West Ham? I to fell sorry for Zola, but he needs to start thinking about what it takes to continuously win in the championship and act accordingly. Firstly we need a leader on the pitch, someone who can steady, direct and drive the team, then we need to strive for consistency. Of course we have had big injury problems, but when our key players are available they must play, week in week out- no changes for changes sake. Lastly we need another striker..yeah I know it's obvious.
The buck stops with zola on this one. Too early in my mind to call for change but I'm thinking we must win next week or something is very likely to happen the Pozzos not known for being slow in the managerial change area. The ingredients are there they just need mixing fermenting and maturing correctly. Zola knows the score, I really feel we're missing an on field general and I'm thinking that the person I'd be molding into that is Forrestieri, I never liked having the keeper as a captain, it's the first thing he needs to change in my mind. Get the on field general sorted and the machine will click into gear.
The problem with FF is that he is a good flair player... but.... on his own he is not enough... Deeney has seemed a shadow in recent games ( the ones I have seen live or on TV)... we were crap defensively last season... but, as WY notes, we had Vydra, and he was a direct player.. and when he went off the boil we had Deeney and others.
We have almost all the ingredients, there is no cherry for the icing. Last season we had Matej Vydra, but this season there is nothing special at the front to make people say wow. Troy does his best but he is not the same as Matej was.
The Pozzo model may have a flaw if it means that a team is created for a season, only to be broken up at the end of it, either because it was successful (sell the best players at peak value) or if it was not successful (bring in new players from the vast scouting network in an effort to improve. ) Each season a new team has to be built. No continuity, and no chance for a manager to evolve his team. At the same time the Pozo's have dozens of players they want to try out, so the temptation to move them around between clubs is great., whatever the managers think. This season the team is certainly proving to be less than the sum of its parts (Spurs anyone?) Automatic promotion is out of reach and a play-off challenge (probably ending in defeat) is the best we can hope for. I think we must already look forward to next season and start building for then--giving Zola some continuity and his own pick of new recruits.
Wasn't it always a 3 year plan to get us up? First just to steady, 2nd to be at least pushing for promotion, then the third to achieve it? I think we were spoilt with the success for last year so expecting the same, or more, this... even with a number of personnel changes. We are missing Vydra and his partnership with Deeney - which still took time to develop. FF plays deeper than Troy so we don't have that type of playey Vydra was - or his natural finishing abilities. We are also missing Abdi who was that link between midfield and attack. I'm not sure how effective he will be though if FF is playing, as they may get in each other's way! It will be interesting to see what happens with Vydra in January if he's still not getting games. Worth asking if West brom will cut short the loan and send back to us....? It's not disastrous yet... we are still close to play-offs. It would be interesting to see how many points we were off the automatic spots at this time last year too. Gifting goals needs to stop though!
I find it amusing that some are questioning how things are being run. Yes we all have an opinion but last summer (2012) our club it seems if what we hear about Bazz was true nearly self imploded. The Pozzo's saved WFC last year from something I really do not want to comprehend and certainly something which would not have resulted in what we have witnesed in the last 16 months on the football field. To correct a point above the Pozzo's do not assemble a team every season and then disband at the end of each year a little research into Udinese and Granada will show you that. The reason for doing it at Watford last season was well documented and clearly stated it was a one off. I think a lot of people had over exaggerated expectations for this season and are being brought down to earth. As i have mentioned in posts over the weekend I agree things are not going well for a varity of reasons and there are issues that need addressing and soon hopefully. But those of you that are questioning how things are being run.. please wake up see reason, enjoy the new stand that is being built for us and our club, see how things HAVE improved in such a short space of time since Bazz's era, be thankful for what we have and as we have seen if the Pozzo's wish to change anything in the future if they think it will have an advantage to the club they will. We know what their business plan for our Watford is, so be patient my fellow Horns, be patient and just get behind GFZ and the boys.
Maybe this could be written about Watford. http://www1.skysports.com/football/...o-pozzo-has-backed-manager-francesco-guidolin
From what I have paid good money to see over the last few weeks/months - I put it down to Zola. It is his insistence we play the passing game. It just isn't working any more and he needs to look at the tactics again. On Saturday we passed and passed and passed without creating anything and that is down to Zola. It was the same at West Ham who then went on to gain promotion with Allerdyce. Zola needs to learn quick that to win games we sometimes have to play hoofball or play dirty and at the very least get in decent crosses etc. If he doesn't he'll be on his way back to an italian dole queue by Christmas.
As I have said on this board before, when you pay your money to see a football match, you have no idea what you will get for that money. Having wasted countless pounds over the years, I find that you never learn and just keep on going in the hope that the next game will be better value than the last one. That is maybe the difference between the real fan and the one who only goes to see successful teams.
So true...however poor the performance I can't imagine not going, even though it's a 160-mile round trip.
I've been watching Watford since 1970 when they drew 1-1 with Norwich and were relegated and Norwich promoted - week in and week out - spending out whether we are going up or down - so don't accuse me of being a fair weather fan - I too travel 200 odd miles each week. I never said I wouldn't go next week I just pointed out I had spent good money to see the rubbish i saw on Saturday - as I have done many times over the years and will continue to do so.
Not saying that you are a fair weather fan yellotoyou, and I am sure that you are not. I was just making the point that unlike most other things you buy, you have no come-back if you get a rubbish deal on a game. I think that you might agree that there are plenty of people around who do not have any affinity with a club, and if you ask them who they support will simply name one of the largest clubs in the country. To my mind it is the ones that go week after week to a smaller club and put up with poor matches, sometimes for a whole season, who keep football alive. Every now and again they have their day in the sun. I just hope we are all happier after next Saturday.
We start hitting it long we start kicking the opposition then certain fans will moan about that , we miss Abdi and to a point Iriney, Abdi makes us tick he's a huge loss , To even mention Zola and sacking in the same sentence is ridiculous , having watched watford since 1970 like you said you should know better than that , The clubs on the up ,
I hope they do not play dirty. We are being awarded too many cautions currently so to play dirty would only encourage the referees to wave their red cards.
I suggest that what yellowtoyou really means is to play hard, not dirty, close the opposition down, don't let them play, "manage the game" as one of our dear former managers used to say, and win. I remember what Bob Paisley said to GT once when Liverpool had beaten us 3-1 at Anfield. GT complimented Paisley on Liverpool's flowing football. Paisley replied that he told his team to go out, do what it takes to impose control on the game and only after this is achieved, then play the flowing football. I'm not sure that we have the players currently to "impose control" on a game.
