Next Manager - Ivic Confirmed

Here's some information on Vladimir Ivic, from a fan's perspective.

https://www.babagol.net/blog/2020/7/30/ivic-watford-job

He would represent a huge risk. It could go either way. The club will be taking a gamble if they took him, but then we do that a lot and it usually pays off. If he flops he'll be gone quickly I suspect.

The only downside is the time he'll get to prepare..... virtually none. It will be very difficult for him to understand the league and get the team working his way in a short space of time. There's no fast tracking that.

I think he's going to need assistant who knows the Championship well, just to give him a chance of hitting the ground running.

 

I agree, this is why getting Joka would be a much wiser move. It's possible they did approach Joka, if they did I wouldn't be surprised if Joka said no knowing that he would not get a second season irrespective of whether we went up or not.

 

I really can't see Joka returning,given the manner of his departure.
He doesn't strike me as the kind of man that you upset.

 

Why would Joka take it unless it was for an amount of money he couldn’t turn down.... but we’d never offer such an amount.

 

I'd love Slav back, but not sure they'd approach him - bridges were burnt.

He's not the only manager we've had where there were claims and counterclaims and no one knew what actually happened. Almost like it was engineered to look blurred with leaks to the press.

 

I thought it was fairly clear at the time? We didn’t really want to keep him on, so offered him a low ball insulting package which he naturally turned down.

 

Bottom line was that his contract had come to an end and therefore was never sacked. I reckon he would have loved to have stayed but what went on behind the scenes is unknown.

 

I thought given the way it ended, contract not renewed, questions about what package he was actually looking for, it actually seemed to end reasonably well on both sides. I'm sure he's said that he was really garteful for the opportunity etc. My guess is he loved the experience here and would love to come back. He could always sign a 2 year deal with no early cancel clause so at least he'd know he'd get a wad if he was let go early, unlike last time.

 

That was one side of the story. The other was that we we were open to keeping him on but he wanted a longer deal than the Pozzo's traditionally offer - which opened the door for them to approach QSF who they'd courted for a while.

I did read an article the other day that suggested that the club and Jokanovic were actually ok with each other and it ended on better terms that some claim...

 

If I was him I’d want more money (than the going rate) and assurances I’d be kept on if promoted, as well as assurances about what the pay would he should this happen and contract extension etc. If we can’t give him any of that I can’t see why he’d want the job. He’s already got two promotions on his CV, why take a job for no more money where the only upside is achieving something he’s already done.

 

I just loved to watch him struggle to get across his views in interviews with his apologetic broken English. That may not be as much fun now after another year or so managing at Fulham. Loved the guy and his football and his in-game decision-making.

 

Ivicarage Road?!

 

One substitution on 30 minutes in a crucial match does not make the man a better decision maker than the know-it-alls on this forum.

 

Why do people want Slav back? Have we not learnt from QSF? Slav has proved he's great in the championship but not good enough in the PL. I thought we were all agreed we need someone who can build us a new side that could potentially take us up and be a success.

I think Watford as a club has an unhealthy obsession with bringing back previous players/managers. We need to have a complete reset IMO.

 

Reported this morning that Lamouchi staying at Forest.

Also, I’ve started listening to the From The Rookery End’s latest podcast on managerial suggestions...

Their first one? Roberto Martinez. Bizarre. Like he’s going to walk out on Belgium for us! He was linked with Barcelona not long ago?!

 

I think it’s based upon the idea that if Gino/Giraldi aren’t going to change their ways, it’s safer to go with someone that has worked in that environment and flourished in it.

As for the obsession with bringing people back, I totally agree. Although now we are in Championship, I’m more inclined to listen to those who want Vydra back a bit more seriously...

 

Couldn’t agree more. It’s odd a lot of our fans can’t see beyond players and managers that did well for us 6+ years ago. Like how Chesney Hawkes could only ever write one song.

 

The Vydra one now has a bit more credibility, but even then it’s questionable. He’s not cut out for the Premier League, but if he does well in the championship and we get promoted there will be the temptation to think he’s good enough, and we’re back where we started with Troy etc. There are also other options out there.

 

I'd take him back in a heartbeat. Why because he got us out of the Championship at the first attempt. Playing some excellent, strong football. He knows the club, owners, the area and most of all what will be expected.
He kept Fulham up, then got them promoted in his first full season and let's be honest they were in a complete mess, worse shape than we are now.
Yes he didn't last long in the Premier but it sounds stupid go say ,I believe Fulham went up to quickly. If that's even possible! Going through the playoffs leaves you weeks behind everyone else in the transfer market. He had loans go back to parent clubs that were mainstays in the Championship. A crazy amount of players came in during that Summer and I believe three on the final day. He was so far behind the rest from the very start. So I'm not going to diss him for being sacked.
All I see is a proven manager at Championship level. Who has got two teams promoted. What is not to like about that?

 

Despite all the criticism they attract from the outside football world for being seen to be manic hirers and firers, as HB1 also said earlier the Pozzos generally get their appointments right, even the seemingly left field ones.

Zola was a kick away from automatic promotion. Sanino stabilised the ship. QSF did as he was asked to do and kept us comfortably up on the usually difficult first season in the PL. I don’t look back with much fondness on the Mazarri season but he did keep us up without much panic too. Silva looked like we were going places until he decided he wanted to be going places himself. Gracia was an inspired choice who gave us our highest finish. Without Pearson, we could well have been down much earlier.

So, the second QSF spell apart, they do generally have a decent record coach wise, and I trust their judgement if they decide Ilic is the man.

 

Don’t forget how many players we brought in when we got promoted, was it 11? The same will probably happen if we get promoted again, so if he was in charge of us back in the PL he’d have similar challenges to what he had at Fulham (and failed with) if not greater.

 

Mullins and Stack will still be at the club.

 

Purely its and buts. We're talking about getting promoted from the Championship. Slav has more than proven that he's capable of achieving this. Of course there would be changes on promotion to the Premier, that's obvious. But you can't even compare the Watford squad that got promoted to his Fulham squad. We got automatic where as they went through the playoffs leaving them weeks behind the others straight away.
You're getting ahead of yourself. We're a Championship club that is looking to get promoted.

 

My point is your excuses for him failing at Fulham in the PL would have/will apply equally if not more so at Watford.

 

Yes but we're not in the Premier! Promotion charge first.

 

True. You could also argue that he's learnt from his experience with Fulham and will be a better manager for it.

 

I think the need for ‘championship experience’ is overstated. There won’t be many games next season where we will be worrying about responding to an opponent

The relative strength of our squad should allow us to mould a style and ‘play our own game’ each week, regardless of what the opposition are doing. We’ll get caught out occasionally of course, but I don’t feel we need a manger to focus too much on how our opponents will set up

 

Agreed, a few years ago, it was the done thing to bring in a battle-hardened British manager, but since we went up with Joka, it is shifting. Since then, we've seen Karanka, Wagner, Nuno, Farke and Bielsa emulate him (possibly to be joined by Thomas Frank), and while most of these didn't go up first time, they didn't have any experience in British football prior to joining

 

Maybe Joka can be a good PL manager, maybe not, but it's this thinking we have to get rid of, we need someone we can build around and trust for a few years, not someone who we'll just get rid of after a year whether we go up or not

 

The managers we've plumped for definitely didn't all tick all the boxes (not least QSF mk II!), but in general, they've done a job (not always an outstanding one, but mostly decent). The problem we had in the Prem is that we went for short-term fire-fighter type appointments, but it seems like we're trying to move away from that now, and it does seem like the Pozzos are doing more due diligence this time than any time in the past few years

 

A disciplinarian who gets his teams organised first and foremost? That's certainly what we need, there's obvious talent in the squad, sometimes you just need a fresh start and someone to whip them into shape and you get results. The article mentions his European record with Maccabi (I think it's a Middle Eastern site?), which is poor, although in his one full season at PAOK he did better, after losing in the Champions League qualifiers, he got some good results with them and got to the Europa League round of 32

 

Ivic and Struber are leading candidates according to Leventhal via The Athletic.

We have supposedly approached Barnsley regarding Struber. Release clause of between £1m and £2m. Also has offers from Eredivise and one other Championship club. Understood he would be interested in taking over.

Ivic has held initial discussions and is now back in Greece waiting to see if those initial discussions turn into something more formal. Has turned down clubs to in Turkey and feels Watford would be a good place to show what he can do in England.

Eric Roy has left. Unclear if Giraldi will stay in his role or move to a position based purely on scouting.

 

Oh yes! Ivic sounds very interesting indeed, but Struber has utterly transformed Barnsley since he joined, I think he'd be my preferred option

 

We desperately need to go out and get Struber if he wants to come. It's the absolute perfect appointment.

 

For those underwhelmed by Struber: He took 40 points from 30 games with Barnsley, also this season whilst Wolfsberger manager they destroyed Gladbach (who have just finished 4th in the Bundesliga..) 4-0