Nigel Pearson - Sacked

Other questions to ask would be:

- "How many years ago did Deeney and Gray perform well in the Championship?"

- "How old is Deeney now comparative to his Championship days, and how is his comparative physical state as a now 32 year year old, way past his prime, with a dodgy knee?"

- "How much relevance do these past performances really hold in 2020?"

- "Why are we so desperate as a fan base to make excuses for all of our players despite how little they seem to care and despite how obvious it is that many of them have regressed as footballers and/or are now well past their prime years?"

 

I'm not making excuses. I think it would be a travesty if we persist with them. We need to look at younger prospects, who can get us promoted and keep improving.

I expect the Pozzo logic to be that Troy and 'Drey' will still do a job. They would score goals (Deeney could easily get 8 penalties ffs- 15 isn't actually that great), but it's not a good long-term strategy.

 

When I said about him not having suddenly lost the ability to control the ball, I worded it badly. What I meant by that was that he probably never had it yet he still scored goals at championship level.

Irrespective of that, if you seriously think we’re going to strengthen our team when we get relegated I think you’re in for a nasty shock.

 

It depends how you define "strengthen". There are multiple better strikers playing in the Championship right now than both Deeney and Gray, and there are potentially vastly better options already at the club.

Suarez seems to have infinitely more about him than either of them if we could convince him to stick around. Penaranda has infinitely more pure talent and skill than either of them. Pedro has infinitely more potential than either of them. And they're all much younger too.

I'd be perfectly happy in the Championship with a strike force consisting of Suarez, Pedro, Penaranda and Cucho (again, should we be capable of keeping him) and maybe someone like Toney who we've been linked with. It's young, it's fresh, it has talent, skill, pace, and none of them have the stench of complacency and failure that ageing cloggers Deeney and Gray have.

They are both poster boys for our complete lack of progression and horrendous recruitment (in Gray's case), and they need to go.

 

Because we aren’t performing on the pitch. Deeney’s time on the pitch is optimal when Gray’s isn’t. All Gray is guilty of is not providing a better challenge to Deeney’s spot in the team. Deeney has worked his way into the very fabric of the club and that’s not good for the club - because he’s not a very good player.

 

So it's Pearsons fault then.

 

Won’t hear me disagree with that either.

 

We need Zola back

 

Difficult to dislodge Deeney always has been. To dislodge Deeney you have to score almost every game when he's not there otherwise the inevitable happens and the Captain returns. To get that sorta striker you'll need to pay a premium. Gray would do well in the Championship I think if we keep him (and he plays) as I said before. His record for us was 14 goals in 36 starts in Premier League as an out of favour striker. So basically that's 14 goals in near enough a whole season's worth of starts. He deserved more starts but that is only because i favour a 2 up front team. I don't care about his limited technical ability or Luton connection, it's us having chances and scoring goals that makes me the most happy.

I don't know how long Deeney has left. His body is slowing down.

 

If anything it shows if he keeps us up we should sack this no hoper and bring in the tinkerman

 

I would be perfectly happy with all of those as well. The reality is most will probably be loaned out or sold, but that’s less likely as none of them are proven yet so the owners won’t get the value they’d hoped for. I can’t see us selling Deeney to another championship club, it might happen but I just can’t see it, I think he’ll see out his contract and then retire. Nobody is buying Grey from the PL and nobody could now pay his wages in the championship, not with FFP and Covid. So I would say it’s almost certain Deeney and Grey are both With us next season, therefore there is no way all of the forwards you listed stay in the squad, maybe two of them at a push. Of course whoever stays would be preferable to start over Deeney and Grey but a lot of that would depend on who is our manager as well. FWIW I think despite once being a good championship striker Deeney has declined so badly he’d probably now struggle there are as well. You still need at least some pace and movement to do well at any level and he has neither now. Like it or not barring a miracle about 100 times less likely than us actually staying up this season, Grey will be at the club next season and I expect him to feature in the championship.

 

The Pozzo’s have sacked managers that have done well. The chances of them not sacking Pearson if we go down, seems unlikely. I don’t see anyone buying Gray as he is not PL material, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a low end PL team came in for Deeney with a low offer. I suspect we would sell to get the wages off the books.

 

I doubt Deeney would want to go somewhere that he is not considered 'the main man', probably captain. Who on earth would do that?

 

Define a ‘low offer’...

I reckon we could get £10m for him from some promoted mug club desperate to stay up. The Deeney folklore runs deep.

 

I doubt we would get more than £5m. His age is a big factor, and his wages will be high. His goal-scoring record from open play is less than impressive. But he could do a job, for a newly promoted club. Personally I think we will be desperate to offload high earners in the current climate, so I don’t see why anyone would need to offer £10m. If we were offered that it would be an absolute no-brainer to sell

 

People would take Gray's Championship goals but would they take on his wages and also pay a fee for it?
A 3 year deal is 10m in wages and 10m in fee. That's 20m for a player proven to be limited to the 2nd tier of english football.

 

I'd argue they are the same problem. If Gray was any good, would Deeney play?

 

A promoted team with a short transfer window, 150m of promised tv revenue, a desperation to stay up and nobody saying yes (say Villa last summer, but obviously not them for troy) and I can see a team convincing themselves that Troy has 'Proven'
Premier league qualities that make him worth bringing in for 10m. His highlights reel alone on YouTube would sway most. It's only after watching 180 minutes of him gesturing for people to put balls into spaces that he wont ever get to, falling over and trying to sumo wrestle a centre back to no effect, that people might realise he's a busted flush.

 

I don’t think we are transparent enough as a club for a decent coach to be interested in the job - hence why we get coaches who either have no interest from elsewhere, or have a history of having a different job every season.

That’s why I think the ‘model’ or ‘philosophy’ of the club needs to change. A decent coach may be interested if he can see what we are trying to achieve, and the steps we are laying out to be successful. At present, I bet any coach around Europe just see’s an opportunity to be employed for a year, where you get watched over by Giraldi, have minimal input in signings, and inherit a squad who are largely unlikeable. Not all of the coaches who left us have done so in disgrace - but it’s hard to see who has worked under this regime and has left after growing their reputation. Hardly an attractive proposition for a coach.

There needs to be an acceptance and admittance from the clubs hierarchy that their way of working, is no longer working.

 

Could see him going to Leeds

 

Personally I would like to see Pearson stay but don't think he will because I suspect he would not like being micromanaged with Giraldi always in his shadow taking notes, with no influence in shaping a squad for next season and having a weak willed unbalanced squad he has admitted has passengers in it taken into next season

 

I know I'm in the minority on this forum, but I really don't get the hostility towards Giraldi. He's the guy that does all the negotiations with clubs, he does all that bullsh1t brinkmanship stuff. His job is probably equivalent to getting into the sea every day and swimming with the sharks. I wouldn't want to do it for sure.

He's not the owner. He does not sign the cheques. He's just an employee who does the bidding for Gino. They all sit around a table, Gino, Giraldi, Roy, Duxbury, some other scouts, and all discuss the type of player that is needed. It's then down to Giraldi and his team to go and find these players, who would come to Watford and would be someone we can afford. The current head coach would also have an input too.

The thing that irks people is his high profile on matchdays. If you didn't see him, then I think fans would have a more relaxed view about his role.

When it comes to Pearson not being micromanaged, I totally agree with that. He walked out on Derby because the owner was spying on his training sessions with drones!!

I don't think that's the case here though. They seem to have a good working relationship and he doesn't appear to have an issue with Giraldi's presence. Believe me, if it was an issue, we'd all know about it by now.

Pearson has recently spoken about the support he's received from board level and having got an emotional attachment to the club. These are not comments from someone who has issues with how the current set-up is.

 

From an interview with Giraldi on the Watford FC website:-

"He regularly runs the rule over training, attends team meetings and is a presence in the dressing room. "I'm close with the Head Coach as that is what I love to do. I will do my best to help them in every aspect. We will have confrontation but we want to have one voice from the club to the coach."

I think it speaks for itself.

 

Yes.....he is very involved, but the point was made that Pearson wouldn't like to be micromanaged. He clearly doesn't have a problem with Giraldi being around, or else we'd know about it.

If it wasn't Giraldi, then it would be some other suit doing it. This is what Gino wants and how he wants to run things. He wants a close team where everything is understood at all times. It works for him. No secrets or barriers.

Now the issue is, is he interfering? I guess that's a no. Pearson would walk if someone was telling him what to do. Clearly Pearson is confident in his own ability and does not feel threatened by someone observing what he does.

If the coach is threatened by it, then that would be a sign of weakness in my eyes. I can't remember if it was Flores or Gracia, but one of them mentioned they did not like it. For me, that's more a reflection a lack of confidence in a coach to feel intimidated by someone like Giraldi.

 

I think the only thing in our favour now when it comes to appointing coaches is that when the inevitable sacking comes, it’s not really going to damage their reputation because we’re seen as a basket case in that respect.

 

lol

 

In Giraldi’s defence (which I can’t believe I’m saying), he’s Technical Director now...not Head of Recruitment or Chief Scout - which I believe were his previous roles. So it’s likely his job to be doing what he’s doing.

Whether he’s qualified enough to do that job though. These kind of roles do seem to have a shelf life - Paul Mitchell, Monchi, Edu, Michael Emenalo...all people who do the same role who have moved on with regularity more like a manager or players do. Giraldi has been at the club a long time. Whenever things go wrong, we move the manager out and don’t look at Giraldi as the constant.

I think it’s time for him to go and for the players and coaches to hear a different voice. And there is no excuse for him being so visible on matchdays. I’ve never ever seen someone else in his role do that at another club.

Whether people like Leventhal and his stories or not, a lot of his pieces carry questions about Giraldi’s role - when you read between the lines, I bet he has sources who question Giraldi’s continued employment.

 

Rumours saying he's been sacked.

 

He has.

 

If it's true then what a joke of a club we've become.

 

Was always on the cards after recent games. Fortunate to win the games we did. Been completely apathetic since the restart.

Must have been something sudden mind you. The official club Twitter was posting an interview with him just 2hrs ago.

That said, I’d rather have kept him for the final games. Putting Mullins back in charge just brings more unsettlement.

 

What? Eh?

 

Suspect contract talks for next season were going no where. Will they ask Shakespeare to see things through or Mullins? Or QSF back for a third stint?