The Second Coming Of Quique Sanchez Flores

This is either going to be a masterstroke or a disaster and whiffs slightly of desperation. If he keeps us up it will be the former.

 

Careful, there are some posters on this forum who regard you as a “grammar Nazi” if you use correct names etc. Apparently spelling, grammar etc is just a matter of “preference”.

 

Flores will get a great welcome and the Sky viewers next Sunday vs Arsenal will hear a great song.

The new sheriff’s back in town to shore up our disastrous defence and keep us in the EPL.
Looking forward to seeing how this season pans out, but I believe we’ll be fine.

And at least it’s given us something to really moan about depending on yer opinion on Javi and Flores, compared to moaning about having nothing to moan about in the international break.
Normal moaning service is resumed

 

At least our special fans won't have long to wait for a game under floodlights, so they can get their phone torches out and make us look like football's funny farm again.

 

I'm quite happy with this appointment. For the first time in a few weeks I am not genuinely worried about our survival, and think we will be fine this season. QSF will have massive improvements on the squad that he had during his first season, and whilst we faded in the second half of the season he wont be relying solely on a Deeney and Ighalo scoring streak that defied rational logic. He played players out of position like Abdi on the right wing granted but Gracia wasted two years of Will Hughes life by sticking him in the same position. A lot of people have posted that this smacks of desperation but I think the Pozzo's have wised up that there are no truly terrible teams in the league this year and the new boys will hold their own. We have got to go back to basics, and we have more than enough forward talent to win games if we keep it tight. Whilst it is sad to see Gracia leave, I think no one will forget the majority of last season and the cup run and he will hold a special place in WFC history, but football is a horrible business and standing still is effectively going backwards. Oh and one final mention for the chant, my favourite as a Watford supporter, I really really cant wait to belt out the QSF chant out at Vicarage road again.

 

I do not understand this at all. Not with this group of players and their potential. QSF resigned as Shanghai Shenua head coach in July, giving 'personal reasons'. From all accounts the Club were not happy, and one account said his achievements in the league made his position 'untenable'. I know it must be difficult to manage/ coach in China, but if you're going to go there (most obviously for the money) and leave like this, I don't know what signal it is sending to the current squad and new signings. I cannot think that this is anything other than an interim and temporary 'solution' ... if history is to repeat itself will it be first time as tragedy, second as farce, as the old refrain goes...

 

Liked for double use of ‘whilst’

 

I know you’re not the only commenting on this so I apologise if you think I’m picking on you. I would like to bring up the lack of youngsters and the falling apart points.
Which youngsters should he have picked?
It’s his fault that the second half of the season was poor but he had nothing to do with the first half, that was down to Ighalo.
I’m not sure everybody was happy to see him go actually and it will be interesting to see how we set up as we have far more attacking talent than when he was here before

 

Lol seems like the Pozzos have written off this season already then

4 games in and we're resorting to a coach that plays 4 center midfielders

God help us all

 

What? WHAT ? I mean what ? What has just happened?

 

Gracia played 3 and a number ten in a midfield 4

 

Interesting viewpoint.

Why Quique Sanchez Flores & Watford May Live to Regret Their Rekindled Relationship
Max Cooper07 SEP 2019

Ah, the temptation of an old flame. You were so happy before, how did it ever go wrong? It'll definitely work out the second time round, now you're older and wiser, right?

Wrong.

We're only four matches into the Premier League campaign, and we already have our first managerial victim. Javi Gracia has been shown the door by Watford following a poor start to the 2019/20 season, in which the Hornets have claimed only one point from a possible 12.

Gracia guided his side to an FA Cup final last season, but their early season slump means that the former Malaga boss is the first manager to lose his job in the top flight.

Watford weren't messing around either. About half an hour had passed before Watford announced the new face in the managerial hot-seat.

Well, not that new.

Quique Sanchez Flores returns to @WatfordFC as club part company with Javi Gracia
Quique Sanchez Flores has stepped back into the lion's den, where no manager would normally dare to return.

The former Hornets boss did an admirable job during his first spell at Watford, securing a mid-table finish and reaching an FA Cup semi-final, all in the club's first season back in the Premier League.
But that's where the love story ended. His dismissal at the end of his debut season was met with anger and disbelief amongst plenty of pundits, who were shocked by the Pozzo family's decision to move on from the Spaniard after less than 12 months in charge.


But there were signs that Sanchez Flores had his own shortcomings. His initial success was rooted in a blossoming strike partnership between Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney, who tore the Premier League apart with their raw power and clinical finishing. It was down to the two forwards that Watford sat in seventh at the turn of the new year.

But then the honeymoon ended, the love faded and everyone was gradually brought back down to earth.

Sanchez Flores failed to get any real consistency during the second half of the season, and as his previously trustworthy strikers began to misfire, the Spanish boss showed serious tactical limitations when scrambling for a plan B.

The Hornets' promising first half of the campaign was followed by a miserable second, and although a 13th place finish appeared very respectable to the outside world, a worrying slump had begun and Pozzo had seen enough.

Sanchez Flores also had great difficulty in managing the dressing room, and there were inevitable grumblings about a lack of first-team football which contributed to the Spaniard's demise.
Graham Taylor managed Watford for more games than Brendan Rodgers, Malky Mackay, Sean Dyche, Gianfranco Zola, Giuseppe Sannino, Oscar Garcia, Billy McKinlay, Slavisa Jokanovic, Quique Sanchez Flores, Walter Mazzarri, Marco Silva and Javi Gracia. Combined.

Overall, it seemed that a split was best for both parties. The classy and impressive manager left with his reputation intact, and the Watford hierarchy made a quick decision that they foresaw as a definite probability in a few months time.

In the roles that followed, the newly re-appointed Hornets boss has hardly proved his employers wrong since they brought down the axe.

The 54-year-old had a solid first season at Espanyol following his Watford exit, but once again he was unable to motivate his players over a longer period of time, and he was sacked during his second season in Spain.

Sanchez Flores then spent six months managing Shanghai Shenhua in China, which is hardly the move to make in the hope of proving yourself as a top level manager. Overall, his contribution to the managerial world has been underwhelming.


Watford are a club on the cusp of something special. Their owner has assembled a talented group of exciting players, who need a manager to help prolong their success over an entire season, and not just the opening six months.
Sanchez Flores has already proved that he's not capable of achieving that feat, and whilst he may be an adequate stop-gap until the end of the season, his presence in the dugout will only delay Watford's progress as a top-half Premier League side.
Top players such as Gerard Deulofeu and Abdoulaye Doucouré will be desperate for success in the near future at Vicarage Road, and Sanchez Flores is the type of unambitious appointment that may force these stars to consider their immediate futures.
The new Watford boss has shown no signs of adapting his managerial style since his first stint in the Premier League, and there are no suggestions that he's learnt his lesson three years on. It may prove to be a trip down memory lane that both manager and supporters live to regret.

An ex is an ex for a reason, Quique.

 

Taylor did pretty well when he come back.

 

But Gracia at least let the midfield play with some sense of freedom

I'm pretty sure Quique played Capoue on the wing at some point which is a crime in itself

 

I am not sure about this but not down about it.

We are into the season now and limited choice out there.

We cannot afford to be so open as the last 10 games. Maybe board don't want to risk s newbie to the prem like Potter with no pre season.


We have best potential attackers I can remember since the 80s

Anyone who can come in, organise the team defensively and motivate the group should keep us up comfortably.

QSF can be that man. We'll really see what he's made of now he's got some more options.

 

It's good that we can mock ourselves.

It makes everyone else mocking us seem in some way largely insignificant.

 

I'm not going to dress it up. I couldn't be happier about this appointment.

I didn't want to sack Javi, But if we were going to...I applaud this move.

 

I think Javi had to go, but this does feel like a short-term hire. We’ve already experienced the limitations on QSF’s mindset and approach to playing. It seems unlikely that this will be the time for QSF to throw the shackles off and allow us to play with more freedom. We do have much more by the way of attacking talent this time around, so maybe he’ll be a little more willing to give them the freedom to play.

That said, we are in trouble, and perhaps this is what we need in the short-term. He’s proven before that he can organize us into an effective defensive unit, and you’d hope desperately that he’ll be given further defensive reinforcements come January.

It seems mad to say it 4 games into the season, but it already feels like survival alone would represent relative success.

However, I can’t help but wish we’d have appointed somebody on the way up who’d have been able to reinvigorate the squad and really utilize the attacking talent we have, and improve the way we play. Of course, that comes with a fair amount of risk, especially once the season has started, and it’s not easy to think of somebody who’s available and fits the profile of a young manager on the way up. I still hope this is the long-term plan, but I’m willing to accept that maybe now, we just need a steadying hand who’ll make us hard to beat.

 

Announce Mario Suarez

 

Not in the Premier League

 

Finally got him back from his loan at Villa.

 

Maureen from the canteen must have turned the job down.

 

Gino you sly old dog you.

Correct call for Gracia to go at this point, and as much as I was completely charmed by QSF before am very surprised to see him back.

I’m cautiously optimistic. He’ll get the defence sorted. Hopefully now we have a few actual ‘flair’ players he can show a bit more attacking ambition too.

Wouldn’t surprise me if this is a short team deal until the season ends with an agreement to talk long term then.

 

Javi was also in the relative wilderness in Russia before we took a calculated risk on him, going off the beaten track doesn't necessarily mean your career is finished. Not exactly buzzing about this, but he might be exactly what we need to get out of this slump, he can organise a defence, and he has much better attacking players at his disposal this time around

 

Good decision to tin Gracia. Baffling decision to bring back QSF.

Pozzo is clearly out of ideas. Gracia was sacked partially because of the awful defensive recruitment over the last few windows which was no fault of his own. QSF is the comfort blanket to try and plaster over the cracks with his strong defensive organisation.

Pozzo is all over the place, thrashing around trying to keep his head above water.

 

I will be making my usual visits to the Vic this season and this appointment will not change that.

I wish him the best of luck on his return and I am hopeful that he can shore up our defence, as this has been a clear problem. Our defenders are not in the top bracket when it comes to quality, so we need to adapt the team to play a more defensive approach. We still have good attacking players with the young Brazilian and the two Colombians to come in down the line. It cuts like a knife when we concede goals and no fan shouts "well at least we don't play dull football" after we concede or lose. Sarr, Deulofeu, Wellbeck, and even Success are possibly ideally placed to play a counter attacking game.

We need to cut our cloth and, as matters stand, he might just be the man we need.

 

For all that you've sacked plenty of managers in the last few years, it's always felt like there was at least a plan you were following.

I stand to be proved wrong, but it really doesn't feel like it this time.

 

Ok, just seen this on BBC sport website, erm, not impressed is my first reaction. I dont get it at all.

 

Plot twist. Oscar Garcia will be re-installed within the next 30 days after QSF resigns leavesand the UK, for health reasons!

 

I think some of the reactions are a bit OTT, I think we'll finish top 10 and perhaps even a Cup final now that the legendary QSF is back.

If Jurado returns though I'm off to support a non league team.

 

I have just landed in Hong Kong for work and it feels like the twilight zone. I’m going to sleep and post about this in the morning because it’s so very unexpected! But....

My initial thoughts are I think it’s a good appointment. Good pragmatic manager. Gets a tune out of awful defenders.

The owners must have seen some alarming signs at London Colney act in my opinion.

 

#Imagineif we re-appointed QSF and signed Jurado

 

Just my two penneth regarding this.

I'm hoping...and I stress hoping the situation has changed slightly in terms of playing style. Our first season was all about staying up, so he made us very hard to beat and played a pragmatic system. He achieved the goal of staying up comfortably and with games to spare and got to a semi final.

Defensively we're not great, but offensively we have weapons, so I'm hoping there is a degree of pragmatism but also releasing the shackles unlike last time.

As for Javi, lovely bloke and I will look back on his time fondly (except for the cup final), however I think we're undercooked for the start of the season, the players look like they've never played together and the performances since the semi final have been abject. The decision to let him go was justified.

So, QSF is back, he has my support and backing...let's hope it's amazing.