Statements like this always amuse me. Did Silva "know English football"? I mean he hadn't played or managed in England before Hull and did remarkably well there. Does only managing for half a season in the PL then qualify you as "knowing English football"? What is there to know about the most watched and written about league in the world that you only get from playing/managing/coaching in the league? The whole thing just sounds like a reason to blame a foreign manager for failing.
The way Fulham are playing at the moment we might well have Joka back at the Vic next season - if we stay up.
Full record of opening games (competitive) for managers in the Pozzo era.. Zola- Won 1-0 at Wycombe (LC) Sannino- Drew 1-1 at Ipswich (Champ) Garcia- Lost 1-0 at Charlton (Champ) McKinlay- Won 2-1 home to Brentford (Champ) Jokanovic- Won 3-0 at Sheff Wed (Champ) Flores- Drew 2-2 at Everton (Prem) Mazzarri- Drew 1-1 at Soton (Prem) Silva- Drew 3-3 home to Liverpool (Prem) * Sorry Malteser didnt spot you'd done the same. Great minds
True but you could have said the same at the start of the season of most of the teams in the division. Good chance of a strong team for the cup game.
A good reminder (I'd forgotten) that Zola was the last Head Coach before Gracia will be to open his campaign with a cup match, not league. As somebody rightly said yesterday (sorry to forget who posted it) Harrison started his reign with an FA Cup replay against Hull, after Bassett was sacked for drawing the original tie.
Actually it was a second replay. Tom Walley was caretaker for the first replay. Three different managers for one cup tie! Surely that is the only time that's ever happened?
Btw Boothroyd is the only Watford manager to have suffered defeat in each of his first three league matches. Let's hope that stat doesnt change over the coming weeks!
And the last WFC manager/Head Coach to fail to win any of his opening 5 (league) matches in charge was...?
Now relegation is a distinct possibility, all emphasis will be placed on getting enough points to stay up, starting with Stoke. I would be surprised if we select a strong team and the same view may be held by the Saints, although their back ups are probably a lot stronger than ours.
In a funny sort of way, the FA Cup tie now becomes almost like a 'pre-season friendly' for Gracia. Or even a 'behind closed doors' type of situation. A match with which to be able to look at the players, best eleven, formations etc. I'd expect us to be at full strength.
We won 8 of the first 10 league games.. plus a win, loss & draw vs Reading in The League Cup. League games as follows.. 20 August Stockport County Away W 3–1 27 August York City Home L 1–3 3 September Doncaster Rovers Away W 1–0 6 September Grimsby Town Home W 1–0 10 September Huddersfield Town Home W 2–0 14 September Reading Away W 3–1 17 September Barnsley Away L 0–1 24 September Darlington Home W 2–1 27 September A.F.C. Bournemouth Home W 2–1 1 October Rochdale Away W3–2 He was never anywhere near getting the sack.
He lost at home to York. That’s rubbish. He did well keeping his job after that. Seriously though, I’m sure I read it somewhere he had a bad start. Maybe it was another season, not his first. I’ll have to revisit that, or maybe my mind is playing tricks on me.
Darlington H in that sequence was my first game. 8th at the start of play, 4th at the end, top after the next game, beating Bournemouth, my second game. I bet the great Sir Bobby wouldn't have lost to York .. Think Brian Pollard ran us ragged which is why we then bought him.
Actually that was the only home loss all season (York were relegated) GT got off to a stormer.. and never looked back.
Sorry not relegated.. relegation position i meant, of course. Yes Southport not re-elected, Wimbledon came in.
Would reading the riot act be the right thing to do? he needs to remotivate the players, demonstrate that he knows what he's doing and can make a difference, and doesn't need to alienate those members of the squad who liked Silva on a personal level. Difficult balancing act when you need to get results immediately. One public trial match and then he's in to the relagation battle.
And if they hadn't, IBB would have had to think up a different nom de website. Butterflies flapping their wings and all that ....
Hope not. If your new boss comes in on day one and gives everyone the hairdryer treatment it's not going to end well. If he's any sort of manager, he'll introduce himself, give an idea of tactics and suggest that no-one;s starting place is certain, he'll be looking at the whole squad over the next few weeks.
Anyone have any idea of whether this guy has brought his own staff with him? I remember Silva brought a couple of guys in with him so I assume they've gone as well.
That might be it. I distinctly remember his career was nearly derailed before it got started. Could well have been Lincoln.
