Gianfranco Zola - Ex Manager

I'm sorry, I forgot that 7 out of a possible 33 points (if we lose) is an acceptable amount.

 

Let’s wait until Saturday

Personally, I don’t believe Zola can manage his way out of a paper bag but I would be delighted to be proved wrong, starting with a good win on Saturday!

 

I'll be booing irrespective of score line and performance.

Quite frankly, their form this season so far warrants boos until the end of the season.

 

Going to football is nothing like going to a restaurant. If you boo the waiters they will squeeze a curly into your soup before it gets to your table.

 

This is why I only boo at the end of the meal and the match.

 

I think any fan can boo or clap and that is their right. Personally I clap when we've played well and won, I clap if we've lost and tried hard. After Yeovil I just left at the end in a state of abject misery. I just cant find it in my heart to boo the club I love and have supported for 45 years.

 

A one Direction groupie?

I just support my team, support that is it. What good does Booing do? It is embarrassing going to home games these days because most people are so god damn negative. Support the team, our team. Or **** off

 

Completely agree, having lived away from the area for most of my adult life I relish every chance I can to see Watford play and of course I prefer to watch them win. Boo? never for me but as Bert says, each to their own.

Question for hjw, if Zola is so dire how did we get to finish third last year and please don't repeat last few games etc. Truth is the championship is and always has been a tough league and last years performance proved Zolas ability

 

I would like to add that if the team doesn't try hard and lose then I'll sulk. But in this case I can understand booing.

 

To answer your question rochdale away,

We came 3rd last year in spite of Zola’s management ability, rather than because of it. Last season we tended to play well for 15 -20 min patches and then look half asleep for the rest of the game! We got away with it because Vydra was banging in the goals and other teams were **** scared of us. Vydra is not with us anymore to cover over the cracks, particularly the defensive problems.

I feel a better manager could get a lot more out of this team

 

:dismay:

 

I understand your view, and actually agree with a lot of your points, but you cannot get away with saying we came third in spite of Zola. That's taking it to the extreme.

You can question certain things Zola did throughout the season, and sure he got some things wrong, but he also got a hell of a lot right too and you have to give him credit for that. He took a group of individuals and formed them into an effective unit, merging new players with old and keeping the team spirit very high.

He did a remarkable job, given what he had to cope with. After 13 matches (last season) I had my doubts about him, but he showed that he has got what it takes.

To say we came third....THIRD!!....in spite of Zola is very unfair.

 

I can see how it could be considered harsh, but it’s very fair In my opinion

Zola didn’t get us up last season. When it really mattered he didn’t have enough about him to get us over the line

Does Zola have enough managerial ability to reverse the slump and get us back up that league table where we can be challenging for promotion again this season ?

In my opinion the answer is NO, but I guess we will see in the coming weeks

 

Absolutely outrageous comment.

 

I think this part is a little harsh.

The number of refereeing decisions that went against us last season was beyond a joke. If we had received even average luck with decisions at the tail end of last season, I have no doubt we would have finished in second. Between red cards that were later rescinded and penalties we didn't get but should have, referees cost us more points than any other season I can recall since I attended my first game.

Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case this season. I do think we shouldn't lose sight of the fact we got a very raw deal last year on important decisions, though.

 

Based on managerial ability, does anyone believe Zola is a better than any of our previous 3 managers - Sean, Malky & Brendon ?

 

At this moment in time, I don’t believe so J.B

 

Jesus farking christ i cant believe what im reading
Hjw hang your head in shame

 

I don't understand all the arguments with HJW. He has a view, that I also disagree with, but why bother arguing with him over several pages? Looking back at some of his posts last season, he was hardly getting stuck into Zola then. Now he is looking back with the bonus of hindsight. So what?

 

******s.....both of yer
Dont know your born

 

Since Zola joined us we have watched some of the best football being played by a Watford team since the early 60's including GT's days. Some of these fickle supporters have obviously forgotten a lot of the dross during this time. Clubs that chop & change managers rarely do well.

Lets all cheer them on Saturday, including the manager.

 

I have to agree with this. I don't really agree with HJW's position, but he is entitled to his opinion and has made rational points to support it.

There's really no need for a stream of ad hominem.

 

Yes, we finished third in the second flight only bettered by 2 other managers in our history and lets be fair i think with hindsight we can all agree that Aidey got lucky the year he took us up.

 

Entitled to your opinion, personally I don't buy the played well for 10 or 15 minutes only. For large parts of the season we were unstoppable,reflected by points,goals for and goal diff. We were undone by the sort of bad luck/ref decisions that at times beggared belief.
Obviously we've missed vydra and Abdi, wouldnt say that makes Zola a bad manager

 

This 'in spite of Zola' is absolute nonsense. The reason we didn't get promoted was a collective or individual not turning up for key moments or for whole games, not tactics. Wolves away, Charlton at home, Bristol City away, Barnsley away. A result at any of those would have seen us promoted. The one game where we might have done better tactically was Crystal Palace at home.

Did CP get promoted in spite of Holloway? Did Brighton and Leicester make the play offs in spite of Poyet and Pearson? You could argue yes in all cases, but you would be wrong.

 

Either Zola's critics are wrong (in which case you can enjoy bumping their posts and creating your own 'I told you so' posts) or they are right and we are doomed for mid table mediocracy or a scrape with the relegation battle. Either way, I agree with ZZ, they are entitled to their view. I don't agree with their assessment of his tenure. One thing is remarkable though. Some people allow expectations to run wild so quickly. We are still in the running for a promotion push. That type of season should not be taken for granted. Couple that with our financial stability and we should be content at least. Our recent poor form is very disappointing, but I am happy to believe it is short term. I am also sure that Zola's critics on this forum will be happy to be wrong.

 

Zola out!

 

I would be delighted to be proved wrong!

 

Different opinions? People entitled to their own view? What do you people think this is, a ****ing football forum or something?

 

Isn't a forum not only about putting forward your views but also challenging the merits of others?

 

It is impossible to say as all these managers have different talents and faults. Clearly Zola was a better player than the others but as we know that doesn't follow on that he will be a better manager.

Zola's main fault in my eyes is that he is too nice a guy and hasn't got the character to be ruthless and firm with the squad.

Out of the three you mention Dyche and Malky would have set up the team better defensively at the expense of creativity in attack, but whether we would have earned more points is debatable.

Personally, whilst I detest the man, I think Brenda would have got us up last season with the squad we had.

 

Why so serious? :whoosh:

 

Sarcasm 1
Scully 0

 

I was agreeing with you hornet.


dur!!!

 

So he took a group of complete strangers, most of which had never played in England before, let alone The Championship which is an incredibly tough league and moulded them in to a team that very nearly got promoted and you are suggesting that it's Zola's fault. Since we failed to go up many different reasons have been offered as to why we didn't go up. Bristol City away which I admit was Zola's fault. Conceding late at Wolves, not turning up at Peterborough, the keeper situation against Leeds, Deeney getting sent off against Leeds, Vydra's goals drying up and various others. How many of these can you attribute to Zola? Who would you have instead? A big factor in a lot of the players coming here has been Zola so who could come in with that kind of influence. For years we've had nothing out of Arsenal due to the way we played and then we start playing better football and a manager who wants to play better football and we get somebody they rate very very highly.