Slaven Bilic - New (for Now) Watford Manager

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by wfcSinatra, Sep 26, 2022.

  1. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    How do you explain the Blackpool result? More witchcraft and bad luck?
     
  2. Manatleisure

    Manatleisure Squad Player

    So would our so far most solidist CB Cathcart I reckon.
     
    The undeniable truth likes this.
  3. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    No. A few injuries but basically a really crap performance. Oh no, wait a minute, as "a Pozzo disciple, Cult of Gino, Pozzo apologist" I mean bad luck/witchcraft/stars weren't aligned => "we woz robbed sir",
     
  4. Lubaduck

    Lubaduck First Year Pro

    For me the writing was on the wall after 30 secs when Millwall just booted it forward and WTE nearly gave a penalty away . It then when all down hill from there .
     
  5. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    I don't blame Bilic. He probably cannot believe the standard of some of the players in this amazing squad according to Duxbury that is.

    This is what happens when you lack a psychologist and incredibly poor recruiting. A team that collapses at the slightest adversity and no backbone or stomach for a tussle. Or defenders who cannot pass and two midfielders at the base of the pyramid who don't know how to pass a ball.

    That usually renders the strikers impotent. Asprilla bless him and Louza have that spark. Lost one and the other cannot dominate games just yet leaving whatever we have upfront meaningless. You're not going to get promotion with an unsettled backline and idiots who cannot defend. I mean WTE is back in the side and terrible as ever. Not one person aside from Louza with leadership qualities in getting stuck in, motivating others and so on.

    Appalling would not describe it. The club needs a new owner and a complete overhaul in the squad.
     
  6. RS2

    RS2 Squad Player

    I hope he goes soon. Nothing against the bloke, I just want the fanbase to turn on Pozzo even more.
     
  7. Hornpete

    Hornpete Squad Player

    My thinking is that Bilic has walked into a mess created by Roy/Ranieri/Edwards/Pozzo and is generally picking up the pieces one by one and finding more broken things behind the fixes.

    Every time we improve we show Bilic another side of our weaknesses, whether that's our inability to defend long balls, our soft underbelly, our inability to pass, our lack of confidence or our aging defence. So at the minute we are up and down. I'm quietly confident Bilic is doing as well as anyone might expect and the Luton result drives us on to a point where most of our fixing is done and the sum of our good parts substantially outweighs the remaining bad parts.
     
  8. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    Out of all the coaches we have hired, Bilic is right up there as being one of the best, certainly as a Championship club. So, for me he's the perfect fit for Watford. He's at a good age with ambition but is very experienced. He knows English football very well, has pedigree and has achieved a promotion. I was actually a little surprised when West Brom sacked him. He had just got a credible 1-1 draw at City before they pulled the plug on him. So, he probably feels he has some unfinished business in English football with something to prove.

    I just hope we give him time. I'm under no illusion had we lost on Sunday playing like we did at Millwall he'd be gone today. I'm sure that's why the board are dragging their heels on appointing D1cks. Give Bilic what he needs. Give him the staff he wants to work with and listen to him during the transfer window and free market suggestions. Do all that then I believe he will get us into the play offs minimum.
     
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  9. Happy bunny

    Happy bunny Cheered up a bit

    I liked Bilic's comment that while he was very pleased with yesterday's performance he was also angry that they didn't play like that in every match.

    I do believe that he's on the way to getting the team playing to its potential, even if the potential of some of our players isn't very high.
     
  10. luke_golden

    luke_golden Space Cadet

    Yeah, it would have been easy to revel in the victory, but I’m glad that he basically used it as a motivation for future performances, making the point that in isolation, it’s really meaningless unless we’re able to reproduce that level of desire and commitment week in, week out.
     
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  11. cyaninternetdog

    cyaninternetdog Forum Hippie

    Some interesting videos .





    Talented guy.
     
  12. Arakel

    Arakel First Team

    Just got around to watching the Bilic cam from the Scum thrashing.

    I really like that he clearly gives a crap, and I also like that he looks ready to throw down at any moment - he's physically intimidating in the way he conducts himself.

    Came across clearly in one altercation with the Luton bench, and at the end of the game where you see the players/staff coming back into the tunnel you can see a clear body language difference with how he was treated by those waiting versus the players/staff who came in before him; it went from jovial slapping and high fives to respectful restraint in a flash as Bilic walked through. Good to see for me.
     
  13. ITK platypus

    ITK platypus Squad Player

    Bilic now has a 57.1% win ratio, the third highest in this club’s long history.

    Only Jokanovic and Munoz have a better ratio, tied at 58.3%.

    A win at Cardiff will see Bilic surge clear and from there I don’t see him looking back over his shoulder.
     
    domthehornet likes this.
  14. WatfordTalk

    WatfordTalk First Team

    But he's lost the same amount of games as Rob Edwards, or something?
     
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  15. Supertommymooney

    Supertommymooney Squad Player

    Why, has he got a stiff neck?

    He'll never manage the Owls of Sheff Wednesday without getting that seen to.
     
  16. reids

    reids First Team

    [​IMG]

    Early days but we're trending upwards in terms of average xG created (the dotted green line) whilst our xG conceded each game has remained relatively stable all season. Out of the 7 games under Bilic we've only created less than 1 xG in a game once (Blackpool) compared to 4 times (WBA/Burnley/QPR/Blackburn) in 10 games under Edwards. I would cautiously say that the best is yet to come.
     
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  17. wingco

    wingco Reservist

    Aside from the wasted chances at Preston, I can't really remember any situations where we've had an attacker played in behind for a 1v1.

    Not sure if that's down to a lack of midfield quality, or its down to sides playing deep to stop that threat.

    Definitely seems though that Bilic has encouraged a lot more risk taking Vs Edwards. Probably why we've not seen a draw yet
     
  18. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    Asprilla had a 1v1 against Swansea just before half time, had he put that away it would have been 2-0.
     
  19. reids

    reids First Team

    According to Statsbomb we've had a few:

    Gaspar vs Birmingham (cleared off the line)
    Bayo vs Blackpool (just put wide)
    Manaj vs QPR (awful miss)
    Manaj vs Preston (awful miss)
    Sarr vs Middlesbrough (saved)
     
  20. Heidar

    Heidar Squad Player

    Keywords: Manaj. Awful.
     
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  21. Robert Peel

    Robert Peel Squad Player

    Was he a Mogi Special or just pulled out the bargain bin?

    I don't think I've seen one, let alone two, one on ones messed up quite so badly.
     
  22. RS2

    RS2 Squad Player

    I don't know who saw him and thought he'd be an asset. I'm sure his signing was a favour for someone, not our unofficial sporting director though.
     
  23. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Don’t think he was one of Mogi’s stable.
    I think we signed him on the basis that he was free and had Barcelona on his CV, in the same way that we signed Fletcher as he had MU on his cv and Sinclair (for £ms) because he was a real live Liverpool player.
     
  24. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    Does that count as there was someone on the line to clear?
     
  25. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    It’s almost as if that might be a **** way of doing business from the best scouting network in the world.
     
  26. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    almost
     
  27. leighton buzzard horn

    leighton buzzard horn Squad Player

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  28. wingco

    wingco Reservist

    Hause is the perfect example.

    He's probably fearful another injury and his lucrative career comes to an end, and has sports scientists in his ear telling him he's not "100%".

    It's just modern football unfortunately
     
  29. Since63

    Since63 Squad Player

    They also get paid vast amounts of money whether or not they are 'fit to play'. Strange how players of old would always want to be fit when their wages were largely dependent upon bonuses for appearances/wins/draws/goals etc.
     
  30. Ilkley

    Ilkley Formerly known as An Ilkley Orn Baht 'at

    Interesting that the upward trend predates the manager change… or am I misinterpreting this?
     
  31. SkylaRose

    SkylaRose Administrator Staff Member

    I agree but with our squad mentality seems to go along with fitness. I do agree with what AF and Bilic said in that peice as well. It's impossible to know the real ins and outs of it all but when players do things like what Kabasele did at Muff and we all remember when Kiko "subbed himself off" that game, some players' may use a very minor injury as an excuse to not try if they really cannot be bothered. It sounds harsh I know, but I really do believe some players in football do this. It's like us going to work and faking a headache or something to go home early. I do honestly feel for players when they get badly injured (Louza) as it must really suck to not be able to do a job you generally enjoy. I never fully accept what our medical experts say nowadays anyway, as we have seen so often a minor setback can turn into long term (Cleverley) and that is beyond anyone's control. With the vast majority of our squad over 30 nobody is a spring chicken anymore.
     
    Dorset-Orn likes this.
  32. reids

    reids First Team

    Nope you're right, we were improving towards the end of Edwards reign as well
     
  33. Ilkley

    Ilkley Formerly known as An Ilkley Orn Baht 'at

    m
    Thanks Reids. Fascinating how trends, averages etc can shed light on the confusion created by conflicting data points (eg Millwall cf Lootown performances). I wonder what a five game moving average of xG and xG conceded would show?
     
  34. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Boo..

    Out of the play offs .

    Sack him .
     
  35. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    And Pozzo decides to sign him. So so poor and predictable.
     
    RS2 likes this.

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