I sat virtually next to Slav at Fulham last season. The whole match he stood, stock still in his long coat, like an off duty undertaker. If not exactly touting for business, at least being very visibly present in the case of any tragic occurrence.
When I saw the post match interview of Javi after the Chelsea game his smile reminded me of Tommy Cooper.
Well that 'added bit of extra grit and tougher tackling' is quite important actually! I defended Silva for a long time. Not anymore. Fickle? Sure. I'm a football supporter.
Personally I think that Javi looks like the Joka's cadaver (despite any previous female contributions) with weird wooden teeth purchased from a chemist's in Augsburg with no regard to the fire risk. Cue an IBB contribution. No matter. I'm entirely onside again and positivity has returned big time.
Gracia is the new Alex Ferguson. Although a bit less Scottish and speaks to the BBC. Oh, and hasn't won anything just yet. And not Sir Javi yet. But apart from that very similar.
https://www.watfordfc.com/teams/first-team/team-news-west-ham-0 Love a bit of Javi, could listen to him for hours
How Watford’s latest coach Javi Gracia united disparate squad to destroy Chelsea Much-travelled Spaniard has the temperament and experience to be the ‘perfect fit Matt Hughes, Deputy Football Correspondent February 9 2018, 12:01am, The Times Gracia has had 11 jobs in 14 years since starting out in coachingMARC ASPLAND/THE TIMES With players of 16 nationalities having been used this season, Watford possess the most diverse squad in the Premier League, but to Javi Gracia, the new head coach, they almost seem a homogeneous bunch. In his previous job at Rubin Kazan, Gracia required five translators to ensure that instructions given in Spanish were accurately relayed to his players, so being able to address his entire squad in English has come as something of a relief. Gracia’s clarity of purpose and calm delivery is the essence of his appeal, the main reason why Watford plucked him from relative obscurity to succeed Marco Silva three weeks ago. The club’s La Liga-obsessed owner, Gino Pozzo, had followed Gracia closely since his Málaga side secured an eye-catching win over Barcelona in the Nou Camp three years ago — as well as drawing with the soon-to-be European champions at home in the same season — and a hastily arranged interview by Filippo Giraldi, the technical director, last month confirmed that he was the man for the job. Match highlights: Watford 4 Chelsea 1 As is often the case in footballing appointments, Watford have plumped for the opposite of what came before, with Gracia’s geniality and inclusiveness contrasting with the intense and occasionally divisive approach of Silva. The atmosphere in the players’ canteen was relaxed on Tuesday morning having beaten Chelsea the night before, with a visiting Adidas rep organising new outfits for the back-room staff and midfielder Will Hughes being bearhugged by the club’s kit-man. Those who are at the club every day insist that that has been the mood since Gracia’s arrival. One of Gracia’s first acts was to welcome back into the fold players who had been ostracised by Silva, such as Étienne Capoue and José Holebas, with both playing key roles in the goalless draw away to Stoke City on Wednesday last week, which preceded the thrilling 4-1 win over Chelsea. It was the perfect first home match in charge, which was made even more impressive given that Watford were down to their last 17 fit players. “There is no magic,” Gracia says. “We’ve only had two weeks in charge, but we’ve proposed certain things and the players are professional so they’ve adapted. We need time to settle in and to put our ideas to the players. With confidence you get good results, and with good results the confidence gets higher. Beating Chelsea was very important as it will help the players believe we can achieve good things. “It was a great night and a great debut for us at home. Chelsea are not having a very good time, but the most important thing for us was it was our first home match and we wanted to show what we’re building to the fans. This is a new era for us.” In addition to his temperament, Gracia’s CV suggests he may be a perfect fit for Watford, as he is a peripatetic globetrotter who has quit and been dismissed from jobs more times than he cares to remember. The 47-year-old set the tone for his career by resigning from his first management job at Pontevedra in the third level of the Spanish league, citing it as a matter of honour after he had failed to win promotion. He also left Almería on a point of principle after leading them to the top flight because of his objection to the owner’s plan to completely overhaul the squad. While friendly and engaging, he is clearly no pushover. Gracia has had 11 jobs in 14 years since starting out in coaching with Villarreal’s youth team after a 15-year playing career in La Liga, and as a result seems relaxed about working for a club who have had eight managers in the past four years. While his primary task is to keep Watford in the Premier League this season, he has an 18-month contract and is optimistic about seeing it out. “When I sign for a club I don’t think that things will go wrong,” he says. “I am positive. I don’t think about how many managers they’ve had in the past, how many have been sacked and how many will be sacked in the future. I try to enjoy my work, to give my best and to enjoy training with the lads. “I came to Watford because it’s a humble club with big ambitions to grow. The only objective at the moment is to look to the next match against West Ham. In the Premier League there are seven clubs in a different league and the rest are fighting to survive. Our ambition is to finish as high as we can in the league and not to have problems surviving. Gracia enjoyed a 15-year playing career in La Liga, before going into coaching “With Watford everything happened very quickly. They made contact with my agent one night and the next day I was travelling to London. I had options in Spain, but they weren’t what I wanted at that moment and when this chance came up I thought it was ideal for me. This is the perfect club, the perfect location and a great chance to take them forward in the Premier League.” In keeping with his sanguine approach to life, another Gracia characteristic is his flexibility, and he has already used different formations in his two Premier League matches. The variant of 4-4-2 deployed at Stoke was changed to a 3-4-3 against Chelsea and he will continue to tinker from match to match while encouraging attacking football. “My tactics depend on the situation of my players,” he says. “We played against two teams with two different shapes so had to adapt. I don’t believe that we have to play in a certain manner and the same way every time. We have to be able to adapt to different circumstances and to make things happen. “The most important thing for a manager these days is to win. That will give us time and continuity to work with the players, to help them improve on the pitch. We can speak about attacking, defending, different shapes or formations, but I believe in balance. The likes of Capoue, frozen out under Silva, have been welcomed back into the fold by Gracia “I like to take the initiative, to have lots of possession and to attack, but it must be a balance. You have to defend well, to manage set plays and to control everything around the game. To me that is playing well and that’s my philosophy.” Gracia’s emphasis on coaching also suits Watford, who struggled with Silva’s incessant demands for new players. In contrast Gracia was relaxed at being told he may have to amend his planned team selection because some players were on the verge of leaving during last month’s transfer window, with his attitude to football perhaps best summed up by the fact he describes youth-team and academy coaches as his inspiration. “We all pay attention to managers who win things because we all want to be like them, but there are teams who don’t win things who have great managers,” he says. “For me the most important coaches have been the youth-team coaches I’ve had in the past. I admire them because they have little resources, but from those small resources they do great things and develop big players. ”
He has a wonderful voice. And he’s not unattractive. I’m heterosexual and male but my opinion is still valid.
I nearly gave up at the mention of having used 16 nationalities this season. I ignored my instinct and was rewarded with a decent read although I am concerned by the mention of Hughes being bearhugged by the kit man, maybe this type of horseplay adds to our lengthy injury list. Put him down big fella!
How do you know he's not a gay black transgendered muslim in a wheelchair? EDIT: Sorry if I just assumed anyone's gender there.
Got today completely wrong, I question if any of his team watched wet spam videos of the last few seasons because he really screwed this one.
He may have initially got it wrong but his changes changed the second half. It's just a pity the final ball in, the final cross and the tempo were too pedestrian or not forward thinking enough allowing the opposition to reorganize their defence.
