Sounds like Gerhard Struber might be off to the New York Red Bulls in the MLS. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/spo...c-and-new-york-2985108?itm_source=parsely-api[/img
I'm not being dismissive, I never said anything about his chances of overall success, and I think it's quite possible that he'll be something of an asset to us this season. But we all know full well, and have had it paraded in front of our eyes time and again, that he doesn't have any ******* PACE!
To be fair I set the target at winning every game when the fixtures came out - we are already 2 off the pace. Ivic out.
https://www.watfordfc.com/news/team-news-sarr-troost-ekong-available-for-reading Team news from today's press conference. Sarr available as is WTE. Deeney likely injured but looks like a late fitness test. Hughes and Gray back during the international break. I like that he's kept his cards close to his chest re fresh injury problems. Said there are a couple of issues with players from last week but wouldn't say who. I've always wondered why managers are so open about who will be playing when they can secure a marginal advantage by concealing info. So I appreciate these games from Ivic. Chalobah presumably who he was referring to. Any ideas re anyone else?
Leventhal said he's out the group awaiting his move (along with Welbeck and Capoue). I haven't read direct quotes on Suarez yet from this press conference though. Seems that he is in Malmo with Granada already so you'd imagine confirmation is imminent.
There a few examples of a player sticking with a club for having taken the chance on them but it seems to diminish year on year. Barely played for us as well. Half a season of availability and the sum total of ten matches game time.
A telling interview, fair play to him. Don't want to play for Watford FC **** off to a quiet corner of the training centre and don't bother me again. The first coach we've had with man size nuts since Dyche.
Any of these guys who currently want away that are left on the shelf so to speak will not know what hits them once the window is shut, and Vlad is in control of their destiny's. Vlad will probably go in hard ball with those guys and they will either get down to hard work for the team or rot away in the stiffs, which will do nothing for their future chances of getting a decent move away from WFC. They will either give 100% for the club or see their careers wither on the vine, they will just have to put up shut up and get on with playing for the team end of.
I'd say the difference this time is that Vlad appears to be walking the walk as well as talking the talk. It's clear from his press conferences that he has drawn a very, very distinct dividing line between the players who are onboard and those who are not.
I really do like the cut of his jib. The faces he makes when a journalist asks a stupid/or repeated question is great. A look of “didn’t you just hear me say to other journo, I’m not telling you.”
I like him a lot. Doesn't take **** off the pitch, and plays good football on it. Fast becoming my favourite since Zola.
Genuinely read that link to suggest he was available for reading. Like he would be doing story time for some of the younger players.
Nice honesty from Vlad re the 2 groups those that want to play and those that don’t . I feel like sone managers ( eg Pearson ) would have swerved questions like that . He certainly appears to be fully in charge and know what he wants . I also like the way he says ‘ he’s the guy who....’ about everyone
Talksport this afternoon had an American who is based in Israel on to talk first about Spurs' match with Haifa and then Ivic's fledgling reign here - even he again reiterated the line about players buying in and wanting to be there, saying that if you are a club full of players who will work under him entirely and want to pull together in the same direction, he is the man for you; if you are a club full of players who aren't that bothered, he isn't. So, it really does seem to be Vlad's chief MO, and perhaps the Pozzos awareness of that is the masterstroke and chief driver behind his hiring. That's all positive and good to hear, obviously, but it also doesn't stop those wantaway players from being absorbed back into the fold to contribute should they not get their moves - especially if it's down to a lack of interest/sufficient offers, rather than just being denied them. It's clearly down to the individual players.
It is more than that. If they leave it too long to come on board they will not be included in the registered squad. It won't be a matter of rotting in the stiffs till they see sense, it will be rotting in the stiffs till January at the earliest. To contradict all that, what will be really interesting, in an objective sort of way, is whether the club hierarchy will back Vlad or insist that any players still on our books after the window has shut, such as Welbeck and Capoue, are included in the squad.
Interesting answer to the 'is Deeney still captain' question, as the club clearly edited something out at the start. But in a nutshell, he's club captain. Didn't get the impression it was a done deal that he'd be captain on the pitch if he was fit though. If Ivic sticks with Cleverley then it really is a change in culture and be interested to see how Deeney responds.
Yep. As far as new captains go, I really like what I've seen of WTE in interviews so far. He'd be a good captain choice for a new era on the face of things.
This guy is a gem. A lot of these players have played fewer than 10 professional matches and we have 7 points from 9. No goals conceded. Scum dispatched. There are good sides and we will have bad days as youngsters can't perform consistently, but we have the right man in charge and the right players on the pitch. Come on you Orns!
Yes a bit like when Gray played with Carillo and Richarlison either side of him. Looked mobile and linked well.
Vlad seems to be doing everything to sideline Troy and downplay his role as much as possible. This follows his answer in the interview the other week when a journo asked him whether Troy will be his number 1 striker when fit again and Vlad stated no, Gray is his number 1. Vlad's only been in the job a few weeks and even he seems to be getting tired of the press constantly banging on about Deeney.
It's seems to me from his latest press conference that Vlad might actually be the main reason that our want away stars are not playing right now, not that they are refusing to play. Vlad keeps talking about two groups, which are those who are committed to WFC that appears to be around 21/22 players and those who are not. However I think the day is fast approaching when that will probably all change, and that will be when the window shuts. Because Vlad will then be completely in control of all the players who are still in contract with the club for probably the first time since he has been here. When the window is shut I think Vlad will let them all know in no uncertain terms that they need to knuckle down or be banished to the stiffs. Therefore as that would not be good for either the want away players or the club hopefully the players will knuckle down then Vlad will be able to field a really strong Championship winning team, at least until January, but hopefully for the rest of the season.
It seems odd at first sight that Vlad, who's on a one-year contract, is conducting (and apparently winning) a power struggle with players who are much more secure. He seems to be cut from the same cloth as Nigel, who lost the power struggle. My reading is that Gino wanted the dressing-room sorted out but made the mistake of appointing a British manager to do it. That divided the dressing-room between Brits and foreigners. But we don't have any Serbs in our squad, so to Vlad they're all foreigners. That has helped a lot.
NP seemed to more of a motivational manager. He had an eye for the right type of character, but CS seemed to be the brains of the two moreso, especially with the rumour of us offering him a contract after NP was sacked and the joining Villa almost immediately. VI is the best of both qualities in that he's been ruthless with the squad mentality and has severely bruised the wantaway's egos by not letting them sulk within the playing group if they do not want to play for the club and give their all. Sarr being case in point where even though he may want a move he specifically asked VI to play as he will not let it stop him giving his all on the pitch and that is respected by VI. He's also shown a strong tactical nous by adopting a lineup that makes sense every game and a clear philosophy of football regardless of personnel which is extremely impressive, especially as he hasn't really used 5atb previously.