Whoever we get in next 100% has to either of played or managed in England for a number of years and or be English ..... it is imperative they understand and have worked in English football. No more unqualified, inexperienced managers - it’s not fair on them or us.
Was I spot on? That's wild. But no, that was pretty much the long and short of it from his interview on Sky Sports which they cut after about 30 seconds as he was muttering and not remotely answering the questions.
Why, though? English football isn't some doubly complex, bewitching special thing that's above anyone from outside it - what we need is a qualified coach who has any kind of tactical awareness whatsoever, any kind of ethos or game-plan, and is capable of basic recognition when it comes to appropriate formations and lineups. Whether they are English or not is really neither here nor there - it hardly worked out at the time for Pearson, did it?
Experience is experience. I do think if someone is good enough then their experience elsewhere is transferable - look at Pep, Klopp, or Bielsa and Nuno who came in and took the championship by the scruff of the neck. Xisco’s problem is/was that he had no qualifications/experience. He was an intriguing pick with some early success in a small league and the club took a punt on him. It wasn’t that he lacked familiarity with the championship, it was that he lacked the skills necessary to learn about the championship. I think the variance with a foreign manager is higher. Paul Cook or Slaven Bilic definitely strike me as safer options than foreign managers but someone like Luciano Spaletti (almost certainly a little too ambitious) would I think be very good for us. The key thing for me is that the next bloke must have a clear style of play. We’re in the championship, we have some great players (not the best squad in the league but definitely up there), we need to set out to play the game in a certain way with actual patterns of play.
I thought this too, but he's referring to them as UK or UK-experienced managers versus coaches who have never set foot on this shore in a footballing sense.
Read the post I responded to. @RMT79 was calling for a manager with prior experience managing or playing in the U.K.
If this thundering dullard hasn't been shown the door by high noon tomorrow then firstname.lastname@watfordfc.com will be getting a strongly worded email from me.
I understand what you are saying re experience .... but our success in the championship came from hiring Zola and Jokanovic..... both with English football experience. We have no money now .... klopp, guardiola and Nunez have had shed loads .... Bielsa not so much but I understand he was given the running of the club top to bottom. Coaches of Nunez and Bielsa’s calibre are well out of our reach now due to finances, our reputation or at least our perception. We are a club that is complete disarray and in my opinion right now a manager with some English football experience is a fundamental criteria for us right now. We blew it with Pearson but that’s the type of manager we need. Don’t get me wrong we are rotten to the core and our strategy has to change. We need to recruit a manager carefully and thoughtfully.... give him a 3 year deal and say to him that come what may we will stand by you while you build a side and we will get the players you need to do that - our disregard for how a manager / head coach is perceived at our club has to change now - what we do doesn’t work with our finances and crap recruitment- Xisco is the last of that strategy - the next guy has to be the stay of a new one
I broadly agree with your point. I think now is a time to go for a more long-term appointment, with a manager given the rest of the season as a free hit to implement their philosophy and the target to go up next season, with a young hungry side with a decent striker and some of our well-paid players moved on somehow. Definitely some of the sexier foreign managers wouldn’t be interested, though there could be the right person out there. Domestically, I’d only take Paul Cook (or Eddie Howe or Ryan Lowe but don’t think either would take it) but there are probably a larger number of qualified managers currently abroad and without domestic experience. Any other managers with domestic experience you’d like to see?
Agree with your list ..... but I’m not sure about Paul Cook .... Lampard I’d have in a heartbeat - but again there’s no chance of that - I’d take Thomas Franks as well ..... but he won’t leave Brentford for us ..... more realistically I would add Darren Moore and Darren Ferguson to the list..... I’ll need to think on as I’m sure there are other possibilities.......But looking at it - it is slim pickings though I must admit
Thomas Frank is totally unattainable. I also think Brentford’s success doesn’t have much to do with him but maybe I’m being harsh. Darren Moore seems a better option than Darren Ferguson who has only really had success at Peterborough. Maybe Michael Appleton also from L1, they play quite attractive football. But if you’re not sure about Paul Cook I don’t know why you’d want them. Lampard I don’t think would be interested in us.
Indeed, Lamps will 100% see himself as next in line for whichever Prem job happens to come up first, despite the fact that I'm not really sure what he's ever done or demonstrated that makes him worthy of it.
He wont be sacked yet. Hes had a 1 game blip at home v qpr after some decent results. And the away form hasnt been good all season anyway. I think he will be given more time to sort it out.
Poor at Spurs, AV and then Swindon. Turns everyone against him. Other than an initial honeymoon period at spurs, nothing but failure and acrimony.
The man should have never been appointed in the first place but sacking him now will only see him replaced by another no-hoper. No decent manager will want to join us. I'm tired of the constant hiring and firing of managers and every single time it happens it creates more uncertainty. As much I dislike half our squad the thing footballers need is a a bit of stability. They all need to man up and work harder to make things work on the pitch instead of shrugging their shoulders. I know it won't happen though. [random Estonian 3rd division manager] will be appoointed next week and the whole 4 week cycle will start again.
Give it to Emma Hayes. All the men have failed to blend this group together and if we're not going to change our MO then try a different route. It will never happen of course as Gino is almost certain to appoint someone else that even their mother doesn't know. How much longer will Gino and SD continue with this 'plan' when it's as plain as the nose on your face that it's not viable?
Read the latest piece by Leventhal in The Athletic if you can...I'll put it in the safe. Amazed he's not gone yet. Some highlights: Atmosphere similar to last days of Ivic. Concerns over effort of 'senior and celebrated' players from above and within the squad. Deeney left St.Andrews in his own car whilst everyone else was by coach. Clubs media contacted Sky to clarify Munoz's answer to a query stone. that was answered after being interpreted wrong. Spent midweek on training 3-5-2 - and abandoned it on matchday. Hierarchy watching closely. Chalobah openly questioned Munoz in the first-half over his mixed messages.
First of all you can write off anyone that's employed. There are plenty of more than capable managers out there with experience who should of got it before the laughing gnome.
Can I ask why you're not sure about Paul Cook - but would take Lampard in a heartbeat? One of them is far more suited to the situation and it ain't Lampard. Darren Ferguson has been poor everywhere apart from Peterborough - he struggles away from there for whatever reason.
That's not looking good for Xisco is it? The only point I would not raise an eyebrow at is the TD part. Given that he lives in Birmingham or surrounds I think this has happened before. Should not of course but another sign of the general sickness at work.
We might get Mason Mount on loan if Lampard comes! Paul Cook is a fantastic manager, did such an amazing job under such difficult circumstances with Wigan, but I can't imagine him being up for the job, or Deeney taking a shine to him...
I see Leventhal has been given his usual job of laying the groundwork for a next head coach sacking in his article this morning. Amazing the access he suddenly gets when the inside info in question pins the blame mostly away from Gino and Scott...
Honestly no real reason on Paul Cook just a hunch, maybe he would be ideal. Lampard ( who will never come) just because I thought he did well at Derby, I thought he did ok at Chelsea and he introduces youth players - he would command respect and won’t be bothered about the Deeneys of this world as he is a much bigger deal ..... to be honest that appears to be half the battle and getting in someone they respect or is very strong minded ..... I wonder if anyone I suggested is right tbh .... mine is just an opinion nothing more really - surely we have bottomed out now on crap managers - whoever we appoint will be better than this poor guy. Mind you we haven’t given fat Les from the Red Lion a crack yet
Deeney eventually doesn't take a shine to any manager - so may as well employ one who the others respect at least. Rather that than one they walk all over... Some will say we had that with Ivic. But we didn't. He was just cold and distant etc - he was walked over too. Paul Cook called us a big club yesterday who still have a fear factor. I suspect he'd jump at the chance if the proper remit was put to him and the hierarchy relaxed their puppet-master ways a bit.
Leventhal, WD18 kid, the banner guy have judged where the wind is blowing and going in hard on Xisco today. I assume so they can all say they told you so to their band of throbbing followers. 'Out of his depth' seems to be the repeated phrase. Won't be long.
No point in sacking him, the squad is poison. As soon as they are asked to work hard they down tools, they then get someone nice in and the squad take the proverbial. Gino and Scott have made a road for their own back and we have to suffer for it. They need to resolve it fast.
