Ivic In

Equally, I don't buy it the other way! I don't think it would matter who we brought in, the combination of offensive players we've been able to put on the pitch over the course of the season would still serve us up a big steaming turd burger most weeks.

We have: no player that can finish a one on one in the squad, no player that can (or in Sarr's case, will) consistently dribble round an opponent, no player that regularly threatens with long shots, no player that can take a direct free kick, no player that can play a cute through ball to unlock a defence.

All season we've managed one goal as a result of passing through the middle of the pitch, Chalobah's shinned volley. Whichever way you shuffle the pack, we simply don't have the players to consistently play good, attacking football.

 

If Ivic can't get us playing like vintage Real Madrid and have us winning 5-0 ever week, then he's not the man for us.

 

To be perfectly honest, this revelation has come to me after a couple of glasses of wine post work but I'm going to stick with it. The squad is the problem, not the coach.

 

I hope you're having a lovely evening.

 

Yes....I was also being fooled by what he says. He's very convincing in his no nonsense style, which makes total sense when he explains things. But there is clearly a disconnect between what he says and what we see.

It's just not possible to say he wants to see attacking football, when we play the first half without any tempo or forward momentum. This has to be a deliberate thing. It's a case of saying one thing to the press and fans, but the truth is different. I think his method is to reduce a match from 90 minutes to 45. This is the only explanation for the way we play. It's entirely deliberate. We contain and conserve energy for one half. Sometimes it's the first half, sometimes it's the second half, but this MUST be what he's doing.

You can see how cautious he is. Everything is logical and methodical with him. His view on an injured player is very clear. Players have to prove themselves for a couple of weeks in training. Then they have a match on the bench, but unused. Then they get 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 20 minutes, then 30 minutes, before finally being considered fit enough to start the game. It's a very long process. Same with Hughes. He came through this process, and got to the green light stage only to get Covid, now has go back to the starting point again because he's been out for 10 days.

I do get it and buy into it to a degree. It's actually quite smart if you think of it, to reduce playing time to 45 minutes per match, especially in a crazy fixture schedule. However, I think he's far too rigid and mechanical in his thinking. Playing just 45 minutes really reduces our chances of winning. Sure, games will be tight so we shouldn't lose too many, but are we going to win enough? Norwich and Bournemouth are in the top two with a nice cushion, especially Norwich. I feel we've got to throw a little more caution to the wind. The great GT once said, "we won by being prepared to lose". This is not in Ivic's locker, so I cannot see us ending up in the top two under him. Only playoffs, which is a total lottery. Right now, if the season ended tomorrow, we'd have to play Brentford over two legs and I just don't see us getting past that.

This is why I think he could be gone by the new year. For me the crunch are the next 4 games. These seem quite tough, and if we continue to struggle, I think he'll be under a lot of pressure.

 

I tend to agree. Boring negative football to keep the points rolling in with our unbalanced, dysfunctional squad of past it has-beens, bottle jobs and future stars that never delivered.

The talk of having a great squad is, quite frankly, ********. A lot of the squad are technically great but can't / won't do it regularly in matches.

 

Enter the king:

 

I forgot about this clown, who ironically appears to be moonlighting as a children's entertainer.

 

Nice air freshener. Baileys flavour?

 

SLB and Ivic are right about the midfield. I said similar in a post at 12.28pm today in the Championship 2020-21 thread. Didnt hear or see the press conference, i could see it in the matches anyway.

 

I know it’s totally idiotic.

But...I saw the article on the website about him this week. And then saw the tweet they put out about him training. Coupled with Leventhal saying the club are furious with Gray and Murray going back in January...mix that all up in my head and I’ve convinced myself stupidly that Success is worthy of another chance and a run of games could see him as our best striker.

I do genuinely think the talent to be just that is there...and more. But it’s the application that has always been the problem. If Ivic can somehow get that nailed, we could (very unlikely) have something like the player we thought we were getting.

It’s the hope that kills you....

 

I am in exactly the same position. He is still the best actual hold-up player we have, and along with Okaka, have seen here, in a decade. What he does after that is a bigger question, but I can't stop replaying that goalscoring lone striker Carabao Cup performance at Spurs, and the fact that he actually is capable of playing that position, unlike everyone else on our books at present.

As you say, it's the hope that kills you, and it most certainly is hope, rather than belief/expectation!

 

Exactly that. He never looks terrible and like it is about to click, but never does.

I hope Vlad has been giving him the cold, quiet menace treatment and getting him to stay on his feet.

He needs to understand that throwing yourself to the ground and lying there is not going to get you anything other than laughed at in the championship.

Is Murray confirmed as going back and when is Success due to return?

 

For a moment I read that as if it meant Gray was leaving.

 

What a total mess it all us.

Pathetic recruitment finally catching up on us.

There are people in that department who should be made to pay the club compensation for all the damage they’ve caused us.

The two strikers signed in the summer have scored a total of 1 goal between them. One has been so bad, he’s being sent back to whence he came.

They also wasted their efforts on a central defender we’ve barely seen, and a midfielder we’ve been forced to play nearly every match who looks generally out of his depth.

And then they appoint in charge a pathetically negative Head Coach and you have the current joyless malaise we are all being forced to endure.

 

This is the Ivic In thread, not the Ivic Out thread. Positivity is advised.

 

Cheer up

 

He was being positive

 

Yes, it does look quite a lot that this is the case. He's just a bit too cautious. It not only is dreadful watching, it loses us the odd point here and there in matches that seemed definitely winnable. Bournemouth and Norwich seem more attack minded and I think it's paying-off for them; I cannot see us catching them if things go on as they currently are.
The play-offs are undesirable, not so much because they are a lottery, but because the winning club has the last pickings of the next season's signing. All the best deals are already gone. And we will need close-season signings!
Brentford, oddly enough, don't worry me so much, now: Sure, they looked much more assured and well-organized than us as we played them wrongly in the first half, but their defence is not all that and they rely heavily on Toney. He looks streets ahead of any other attacker I've seen in the Champ. Strong, fast, athletic and good ball control and full of confidence and game-control. If he is sold or injured Brentford will recede as a threat. Our centre backs were criticized after the game by many - but he, I think was the reason.

 

Disappointing result today. Not quite clicking away from home.

 

This thread can be closed now.

 

Gino as we all know doesn't have patience, this fella won't make the new year

 

First manager to drop Deeney for disciplinary issues gets a 6 month stay of execution in my book

 

Should this thread be merged with the “Covid does not exist’ thread?

 

The Watford Observer reporter: Ivic was asked why Deeney was on the bench at all if he had no intention of playing him, he said: "We don't have enough players to put on the bench"

No spot wasted.

 

Whilst at the same time giving Andre Gray 90 minutes...

Ivic is either an idiot or a liar

 

Or possibly both?

 

Jis won ov does days. Wee go agayn

 

Lock thread.

 

Agreed m8. Ivic back in pls.

 

Or midnight.