Normally unemployed managers in the studio are sympathetic to struggling managers because they've all been sacked. The players are being careless or unlucky or they aren't good enough for this level. But yesterday I felt that here were two guys who both felt they could do a much better job with this group of players and probably resented Xisco being given the chance ahead of them. Paul Cook would have been my choice last time, but Cowley would do a good job even if the football would be less entertaining than under Cook. But both are managers, and Gino prefers dispensable head coaches - which is why they'll never beat player power.
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No chance Emma would want it. As the first woman in men's football she'd need time to deal with any chauvinists in the squad and to adjust her style for the men's game. If she got sacked quickly she'd put women's football back a long way and getting the sack from Watford is the one certainty.
It doesn’t take an idiot to know that no established or stable manager or person would want to join this circus of a football club! It’s a clown show from top to bottom and we’re now slowly chugging along on the fumes. We’re indebted to other clubs, to our former managers, our owners are seemingly unbothered and give us nothing but empty promises time and time again, year after year. The same cycle will continue until the Pozzo’s are gone bringing in Johnny Foreigner from Whereverstan time and time again until the one in a million man comes in and ‘finally’ succeeds (to which he’ll be sacked weeks later) or the Pozzo’s are gone. I can only assume that the majority Watford fans were proud of our seemingly ‘ruthless’ and ‘savage’ approach of hiring and firing, proud of being that outsider and being far away from the status quo to now being arguably the most cancerous club in the country
I also think Cook would be a good appointment. However any manager will not be able to manage properly whilst Deeney is running the circus. We might as well keep Munoz until the end of the season as we have no chance of going up with the current strike force. Then A) Let Deeney go to Birmingham or some other Championship side. B) Appoint Cook or a similar manager with Championship/Premier experience. C) Pay off Gray D) Sell Sarr to the highest bidder and use the funds to buy a couple of up young enthusiastic strikers with potential, similar to Brentford buying Watkins and then Toney. E) Sell Foster (still a great keeper but not the future) and confirm Bachmann as number one with Dahlberg number 2. Do that and we will go up next season. We probably have the best group of defenders in the league, but excluding Sarr, the weakest strike force in the League.
I highly suspect that WHEN he goes (I say that not because I know... but I just can’t fathom a situation where he stays), the criteria will be for a British coach on a short team deal - which will subsequently narrow the field and probably turn off some decent candidates. I know I say it a lot and beat the drum - but I can’t see someone like Paul Cook agreeing to anything less than 18 months. There’s just little enticement to a 6 month deal. But I think that’s what will be on offer. Two other things - I can’t get my head around the theory of ‘there’s no point sacking him if Gino remains etc etc’...of course there is. That argument would have more traction if we had someone qualified in the role but Xisco isn’t that. I can see no reason for him being kept in his role, terrible ownership or not. Believing that it would definitely all be the same under a new coach doesn’t ring true for me - it’s possible sure, I accept that much. But it’s not guaranteed as much as us going backwards under Xisco is in my opinion. And lastly this belief that no coach/manager will come near us. Come on. Yes, it’s a circus but there’s some decent players here (even if there’s lots of questionable characters). A lot of them aren’t as good as they (or we) believe them to be - but there’s enough there to mould a winning squad, in this league, given the state it’s in. The table is bunching up a bit already. People like Lampard won’t come near us - and nor should they - they aren’t for us and we aren’t for them. But Cook, Cowley, Lowe, Moore and any number of actually qualified continental coaches will be interested...because we are still a big club in this setting, with fear factor (rightly or wrongly) and some players they will want to work with. Xisco’s appointment has been an aberration of decision-making. That doesn’t mean it will automatically be repeated. None of the above is an endorsement of the owner. Everyone knows my thoughts on him over recent months. It’s just that I do think there’s a route out of this in the immediate future. This season can be salvaged. But Xisco needs to go now - and the correct remit and parameters given to the search for replacement. I’m not saying they will get it right, they probably won’t - I’m just saying it’s not an impossibility.
While I agree with the broad points - We cannot keep Xisco is place out of apathy for this season. I’m convinced of that. A lot of irreparable damage could be done within the squad that even those you’d suggest keeping for next season won’t recover from I’d bet. Loads of them would want out by summer. Deeney won’t move elsewhere in the Championship. And Birmingham won’t be able to afford him. It’ll be MLS or he’ll stay I reckon. We simply cannot afford to pay Gray off. No more to say on that really. Unless he agrees to walk for free...
This is true but we could have sacked him for gross misconduct. Yes we would have had to waive any transfer fee but we would save on his wages which is probably the greater given his current form
For the first time yesterday I started to believe that the team is picked by those higher up than the manager. Starting Gray and Deeney (no more needs to be said) whilst have our 3 most capable and creative players on the bench. All this supposedly after a rebranded formation and style. Is this why every manager that is sacked is forced to sign a gagging order so they can never go to press on how the Pozzo’s and Duxbury operate. Trouble is, the chickens have come home to roost now because no one and I mean no one with any self respect is going to come and manage us and this circus will continue. The only way it will end is once the establishment leave. Their sheer incompetency has been exposed and we will gradually descend deeper into the abyss. Once all our “stars” leave this summer and we’re left with also rans like Masina and Navarro we will be in serious trouble next season.
Yes the players have to take some responsibility. Xisco was quoted as saying this post game.... "When we play away we have problems. This has not changed. Sometimes you need to take more risks to try and score. We need to try and change different things. It is not easy." "For the players I don't know if it is a confidence problem or not. Players need to give their maximum in games to try to score. The Championship is long - we need to continue working hard, we need to get better performances." I get the impression he 'geeed them up' for this game, something he implied he didn't do before the last one, but the players still didn't give their maximum.
After careful consideration last time around, Paul Cook would’ve been my choice but I will admit to have been massively underwhelmed and unconvinced about it at the time. After appointing Munoz, Paul Cook seems like the love child of Klopp and Guardiola by comparison. Perhaps that was the plan all along?
This may sound crazy but we can't simply change Managers and their crew every time the results and performances don't come up to expectation! how about and we wouldn't be the first club to do this (Brentford and Palace) two that come to mind we appoint from within the club/ownership model. Someone suggested Troy as Player Manager, would be interesting and cheaper than employing someone else to fail! Other than that the Cowley brothers would be as good a good bet as anyone, although that have no experience of handling big ego's!
I’m honestly not sure if the legalities of sacking someone over breaking lockdown. I doubt Gray would have just accepted the decision though. And it would set a dangerous precedent. What would we do if Sarr, Joao Pedro and Wilmot were found to have attended a party or something? Sack them too? Would fans back that? Yes, it’s whataboutism but it’s valid when talking of sacking someone else for the offence.
I agree the problems are not all down to the manager; the attitude of the players, almost to a man, is not right. But if he tried to “gee them up” and got no response it means he is not the right man for the job.
I doubt we’d have a leg to stand on trying to sack Gray for Gross Misconduct when we didn’t sack Troy for going to prison for GBH.
I think most accept that Gray, apart for being an obnoxious individual, is a liability on the pitch. The option of not paying him off doesn't actually save us money in the long run as we still have to pay him every week under his contract. It is possible that we could negotiate a lower figure than his whole contract sum, on the basis that he might get a signing on fee as a free agent and of course another contract with a new club, albeit on less money (there are other basket case clubs in the league). Financially it would be a benefit to him. Keeping him stinking out the club and taking up a squad place together with being a disruptive element does us no good whatsoever.
Equally, if the players were told they were getting an attacking coach but instead they got a leisure centre manager who's more defensive than the last one, it's easy to see why this lot would lose faith quickly.
It is another bad piece of judgement by not moving on Gray. They've had opportunities to do so in the past. The fact he's still here, on mega wages, has strangled Watford's promotion hopes. Not Gray's fault though. He's playing to the level he's been playing to for many years. The only people to blame now are the guys at the top for not seeing the issues and being intelligent about the situation. They've had years to sort it out and have done nothing about it.
True and from what I have heard he wasn’t the only one not doing as expected during the lockdown /off season but he was just silly enough to post photos on Social media . I get the impression from people lower down within the club that players basically do as they please.
No but it’s about working capital. I can afford to pay my accountant X amount every month for the next 2 years as I need him - but doesn’t mean I can afford to pay him Y upfront to terminate the contract we have if I no longer need him.
Deeney is the biggest problem I think. Wonder how we would do if PZ, Hughes, Cleverley, Gray (whilst he is here/ whilst Perica is injured), Sarr and Pedro all played and Deeney didn't. Someone else can take the penalties, give the Captaincy to another 'leader', and Deeney can stay away from team talks and getting into players' heads. I remember against Man U we were zipping the ball around to each other like we knew what we were doing when Deeney wasn't on the pitch. Deeney I think has too much power and influence, its holding us back more. We will always have players either no longer being good enough or never quite good enough like Gray, Navarro. etc coming through Watford FC and out again, that wont change. We just don't move the ball around quick enough any more the opposition defences are too comfortable, this has pretty much been the case with us since the return of football from Covid when Deeney was still playing even though he had a bandaged leg. Whilst I appreciate Deeney has been a club legend we need a fresh approach.
Just looked at his record ... Tbf it’s pretty good - I dismissed him in an earlier post but - would be very happy with cook having read up on him a bit more
