Ivic Out

Can we add BW to the COG list please

 

Should be BW “supporter”.

 

I really want it to work out for Ivic. When he came in, he made all the right noises about unity, only wanting players who wanted to be here and would give their all to the cause, and his reputation seemed to be quite encouraging in terms of finding a way to win, sometimes with style.

I thought we were pretty good against Middlesbrough, very good against Luton and had a really good 10-15 minute spell against Coventry which resulted in us turning that one around. Apart from that (and I haven’t watched every game), I don’t really have any idea what his ‘plan’ is.

Someone else mentioned this season being a unique opportunity (apologies I can’t remember who) and I completely agree; with the correct tested fixture list and fans not being allowed into stadium, we should be using the quality we have in the squad and in my opinion, should be doing much more professional jobs on the weaker teams in this division.

He is way, way, way too cautious and seems obsessed with battening down the hatches and protecting a 1-0 lead if ever we’re lucky enough to go in front. Great teams can do this - see some of the classic Italian teams from the past - we can’t do this, it isn’t feasible.

I’m very much on the fence with him but starting to think he’s nothing more than hot air and an inflated reputation from a league you can’t really compare with the physicality and intensity of the Championship. Hope I’m proven wrong.

 

Very,very badly as well you know!

 

I get where you're coming from and I believe we could be on the cusp of a downward turn. The next 3 or 4 games will show how this is going to pan out. The Pozzo's will not tolerate a nosedive in form, you can bet your life on that.

Ivic's press conference will either prove to be a kick up the backside for the players, or prove to be the beginning of the end. Openly questioning attitude (even though I am totally with him on that) rarely works out. We've seen all too often how our players respond to that type of thing.

There have been far too many under performers in our team. I can think of only two players who have been consistently good and that's Foster and Sema. The rest have ranged from adequate to poor. I can't blame the attitude of players like Cleverley, who is really on board, but you cannot say that about everyone.

Ivic is not blameless though. It's his job to create a team unity. Players all pulling in the right direction with a common goal. I'm not really seeing that. The way he handled to QPR match was worryingly poor. Two substitutions at half time, without apparent need, then no further substitutions, even though he could make another three under the new rules, was baffling, when it was crying out for a change.

I think the Bristol City game is an important one for him, in terms of his authority. It could go either way. Let's face it, with the quality we have we should be commanding in virtually all games. Hand on heart, the only game I think we've deserved to win was Luton. To have picked up 6 wins shows we're getting the rub of the green so far and chinks of individual quality have just swung things our way, but that will not continue, it never does.

Something has to change. Watford have to put in a spirted, commanding performance at some point. Our lack of cutting edge up front is really hurting us again. Only 15 goals from 12 games is a poor return for a top side. Even though our strikers stink at taking good chances, we should still have enough quality to hammer sides. The formation we're using limits our forward play, and that has to be put at Ivic's door also. We need to play a far more offensive game and take it to the opposition, not snatch a goal and sit back in fear.

 

Well he’s on MNF tonight. He’d never come here, though. Would make absolutely no sense for him and he’d want more money than we’d ever pay for a manger. He’d want either the prem job or the England job, or a club that would give him full control and be willing to give him time, i.e. absolutely not us in any way shape or form.

 

That's more his age and him still being a sulky teenager. The lack of pace, intensity and strength to his game, again in part due to his age, doesn't help the impression that he's not doing enough to get involved. I also wonder if he's getting enough sleep? One of the reasons Greenwood is supposedly being left out of Utd's squad lately is that he's supposedly up too late playing video games and turning up to training tired. Teenagers need a lot of sleep and that can also be difficult with early starts.

I wouldn't be surprised if we sold him if we got a decent offer for him though - in our current situation we ideally need players who are ready to perform consistently already; we can't afford too many long-term projects.

 

It's pretty difficult for Ivic to not take any **** from our overpaid prima donnas when a combination of lack of ability to shift them, injuries, and lack of quality replacements in the squad, means that he has little choice but to play them.

It's not really possible to say that this is Ivic's squad, I don't think the club did as much dealing in and out in the summer as they would have liked, not helped by covid. Ivic has also remarked that he was a bit surprised by the physicality and intensity of the league - he knew about it beforehand, but stated that he got a more significant impression of it once he was on the touchline. He seems to have realised now that not as many of the players have the necessary level of fight and intensity for getting out of it - but then will he get the opportunity to make the necessary tweaks to the squad in January?

I still have big question marks about his tactics, but in general I think his team selections/personnel choices from the squads available to him have been sensible overall. I reckon he'd bring in the right types of player now to the team if given the chance. For that reason alone I'd be tempted to give him another transfer window if we're still in the promotion mix and the board are willing to listen to him.

 

Yep, def seems that way and I can understand why:
Murray - gone
Ngakia - not good enough going forwards to work as a wing back
Garner - too wet behind the ears still to be involved enough in games at this level.

I still think Perica will become our first choice striker though if he can stay on the pitch (though he's no Toney), and T-E looks a solid addition. No coincidence either that these two, unlike the other three, are players in their peak years.

 

Giaretta has links to CSKA Sofia - and who have they just hired as their new technical director?

Alan Pardew.

He’s getting closer.

 

I disagree on Garner - he has looked impressive to me when he has played this season and should be starting every week in my view.

 

Christ, Pardew is about as ‘Technical’ as an anvil.

 

Nearly worked for the coyote.

 

....but goals happen around him, mishits, own goals, deflections. He needs to play every game with Sarr and Sema/Pedro either side. Looked dangerous first half. It was madness for Ivic to change it.

 

Could do a job.

 

I think, as you hint at, it's pretty difficult to hold out any hope for this being the case when they couldn't be bothered to furnish him with a single left-back despite his pleas and left him with a squad that, to varying degrees (depending on whether you are Vlad, a COG, a BW, or anything in between), is literally deficient of any player capable of playing one of the 11 positions on the pitch in his favoured formation.

 

We are also up to the eyeballs in debt as well which is going to heavily restrict any activity. Especially with Deeney and Gray wages still on the books, neither of whom have been able to contribute this season for one reason or another. It’s the reason I’d sack Ivic now. We are stuffed if we don’t go up this year so the manager needs to be getting the maximum out of this squad, whatever idiocy the board have been up to. Ivic simply isn’t.

 

Ooohhh

 

Yep.
Would also be a damn sight more watchable, too.

 

I doubt he would come here - there just so many aspects about the way our club is run that would put him off. But I have to admit to being very impressed listening to Eddie Howe talk tonight on MNF.

Plus, given where he started at with Bournemouth, and looking at some of the players he had, he squeezed every last bit of juice out of them in their rise up to the PL - given the way this season is going...and the way we may need to cut out cloth accordingly with lesser names next season, a man in his mould wouldn’t be the worst move we could make.

But the club would need to make some fundamental operating changes which simply won’t happen.

I don’t see the point in sacking Ivic right now. His replacement would be someone just as frustrating I suspect on an equally short contract.
It’s only worth changing Ivic if it’s for a fundamental change in outlook in both style and way of operating from the board down - won’t happen.

Should have gone all out to convince Struber when we had the chance and put aside our doubts about him.

 

I think Bournemouth letting Howe leave is more baffling than any of our managerial changes, especially since they have hardly changed anything else.

 

Interesting about the set pieces as well. Him and Tindall would spend hours thinking up routines all the way of the leagues, so they had a huge catalogue of them by the time the got to the PL.

Imagine we did that and it yielded just one or two extra goals last season?

 

Huh? Why? Barnsley started this season crap with him in charge, they've been better now since he left.

 

He needs to start getting a tune out of this squad or he is in trouble.

 

His body of work goes beyond the first handful of games this season.

And he's more track minded than Ivic. Thats why.

 

What does "track minded" mean?

 

Typo - was meant to say attack minded...

Anyway, moot point now.we didn't go for him and have to hope Ivic comes good. But I don't think he's suddenly gonna make us play expressive football and empower our attackers more overnight. This is his style now...and he'll try and ponder us to promotion.

 

He also favours an even narrower system which would have been even harder to fit Sarr and JP in to.

 

Heres one:

If Ivic was sacked, would you take Marco Silva back?

Because I would.

 

Perhaps. But Ivic preferred a different system before joining us as well. He played with width in Israel and has largely abandoned that with us.

Anyway, as mentioned...moot point.

 

He was crap though? Crap for longer than he was good with us and crap for the entire time at Everton.