Manager For The Championship Season 22/23

I admit I cannot stomach the bloke and I would be joined by 100% of Stokies I'm sure. His abject efforts there, I think from a quick look 5 wins in 35 matches, tells something of a story, as you say. He's a one-trick pony and the red flag you mention is more than enough to suggest he'd be returning to the Kennel for a 3rd time pretty quickly. I don't see him as a viable choice at all.

 

Why does being successful at one club (on two occasions over many years) mean we should disregard as him being a one trick pony but doing badly at one club is something we should give a lot of weight to? I am not sure that’s the best way to evaluate managers.

He might not be the best option but is he not on par with the other managers doing well in the Championship such as Corberan and Warburton. I think he is of a similar quality, personally and should be in the discussion.

Any manager who has taken a side from L2 to the brink of the playoffs merits discussion, in my opinion (even if they’ve failed elsewhere). I believe only Jones and Mark Robins have done that in recent years and both merit being in the discussion at the very least.

 

In other news, in the Conference League clash of two very desirable (to me) options for next season’s manager: Postecoglou’s Celtic are 1-0 down to Kjetil Knutsen’s Bodo/Glimt.

 

2 things.

1.) The rivalry with L*ton will never be defunct.
2.) Nathan Jones can f*ck off.

There’s a lot to hate about our club right now. But appointing a scum manager would send many, including me, over the edge.

 

The bloke looks and sounds like a weasel, what is wrong with people.

 

It’s stealing their Crown Jewels not getting their hand me downs. Like Arsenal getting Campbell.

Maybe defunct is the wrong word. But prior to last season we hadn’t played Luton for the vast, vast majority of my time as a fan and it’s the rivalry is not as passionate as it would be if fans my age had actually experienced watching great games against Luton.

 

As others have said Kjetil Knutsen of Bodo/Glimt is looking like he’d be a great appointment. Has kept them competitive in Europe across 2 seasons whilst rebuilding his team in both years. I think it’s undoubted that he’s a talent and will move on - he may even be a coach that’s beyond us now.

Was being linked with Norwich when Farke went so I guess it’s possible.

But he’s like a more realistic Diego Martinez for me and I’d be very very happy and hopeful if we were linked. But again, he’s a coach that would require significant changes in structure.

 

Irrelevant. Having ex-L*ton players was barely palatable. Having one of their managers is beyond the pale. If they go to 2-3 places between then it softens the situation - but no direct transaction/swap should ever happen.

Just no. I appreciate that the rivalry isn’t strong for some...but it’s part of the fabric of this club. Some things in modern football have to be kept to keep it fun and interesting - and one of those things should be the hatred for at least one other club. I wouldn’t care if Sir Alex Ferguson was L*ton manager. It’s a hard no and always would be.

The idea that some fans would be willing to accept all sorts of stupid things to happen at the club, just to be successful, isn’t one I like.

Also, Jones would fail. No way does he succeed with his mannerisms and attitude under this owner.

 

I don’t think I’m saying that I would accept us embracing Luton with open arms. I’m talking about coaxing their best asset away.

Whether he’d succeed is another question but we’d be getting one over them. As I said it would be like Campbell moving from Spurs to Arsenal.

I would definitely much prefer Knutsen or Martinez.

 

There is no way on this earth that Nathan Jones would be coaxed to come to Watford. His life would not be worth living and he knows it! When he left Luton for Stoke he received the most vile abuse from Luton fans (who saw him as a traitor) but that would be like nothing if he came to us. It was amazing he went back to Luton after Stoke but it was a gamble where both parties had nothing to lose - Jones' career was in tatters and Luton were sliding out of the division. The gamble paid off and he has recently signed a new, five year contract. He is a God there now with an emotional cause to see the Hatters back in the top tier in their new stadium.

Is he a good manager? Well, he is for them. He learned a lot as assistant to Chris Hughton at Brighton. He is very good at identifying the opposition's strengths and weaknesses. Remember how he put a marker on Will Hughes in the game at Kenilworth Road? He also as a very strong recruitment team. They have brought in some decent Championship players including a striker called Adebayo who is a right handful.

 

Utterly bizarre were talking about going for a Luton manager, really what is the point? He’s not even that good, we go through managers like bog roll as it is, and if we’re suddenly going to change that and hang our hat on one longer term, that should be Nathan bloody Jones? It’s absolutely mind blowing. It’s a big world out there and I think not withstanding the fact he’s Luton’s manager, we should probably be aiming a lot higher.

If nothing is going to change and we’re still going to churn through managers like clean underpants (most likely outcome) then I couldn’t think of anything more pointless than going for the Luton manager and probably sacking him after two months, what a way to get the fan base onside! (See also Rafa Beneitez at Everton).

We’ve never gone for an in work manager since the Pozzo’s took over, imagine that the first time we actually did in an entire decade when you consider all the decent managers we could’ve approached instead of the some of the no hopers we’ve actually appointed, that it was for Nathan bloody Jones the Luton manager, absolutely ******* LOL!! You literally couldn’t make anything more ridiculous up. The Pozzos finally ripping their blue print up…. for Nathan Jones, Amazing stuff!

it’s like shagging your best mates wife and she’s not even fit, a terrible idea and an absolute waste of time all round.

 

Benitez at Liverpool was different. That was getting your rivals hand-me-downs not their Crown Jewels.

I think he is a good manager and if he were not the Luton manager he would be firmly in the conversation given how well he’s done there although I don’t think the conditions at the two clubs are similar. He wouldn’t be my first choice or even my tenth choice and I don’t think he’d come here.

 

Would he be in the conversation though? What about Gino’s ten year reign suggests he would be looking at appointing an english manager from a championship club who hasn’t even achieved promotion from it? The only time he goes British is sheer desperation.

 

I think it’s pretty clear we won’t be hiring any of the long-term up and coming rebuild/project managers discussed in this thread. The conversation is who the club should look to rebuild with not which lackey we will hire and fire within 6 months. But yes there is 0 chance Gino will hire Nathan Jones.

 

Exactly. Plus we know we'd end up paying L**** a couple £m, they'd tread water for 6 weeks until we sack him, and then re-appoint him, quids in.

 

We’d at least get to watch the fans who had burned effigies of him and sent him death threats having to greet him as the returning Messiah.

It’s growing clearer to me by the day though that Knutsen is the answer - regardless of our division next season.

 

He wouldn't be gone too long, in other words?

 

Supreme pun.

 

Would rather see Nathan Lane taking over in the dugout next season. Beat Wrexham at their own game.

 

They seemed very impressive.

Knutsen it is then.

 

You could say the team needs a complete Knutsen bolts restoration.

 

He has dominated against weaker sides in Norway but shown that he can mix it (while retaining his style) against ‘bigger sides.’ Which is perfect for a side like us seeking promotion and retention of status.

 

It won't happen but I would love Kjetil Knutsen.

 

Spot on. He definitely adapted the style yesterday and still comfortably beat Celtic in atrocious conditions. It was interesting to see how he would go about the second leg after being 3-1 up. They weren't so free flowing but still carved out three excellent chances first half. Second half I expected more from Celtic but Bodo weren't really troubled that much, a few half chances.
When you think he won their first ever title, had to replace 60 goals from Hauge, Junker and Zinckernagel. Replaced them by utilising free transfers and youth players and went on to win their second quite easily in the end. Again he's lost their two best players in Botheim and Berg but he just carries on and makes an average looking group of players look like a proper team.
Bodo gave him time and that's the one thing we as a club don't give.
We could do a lot worse than this fella and he should be out of contract soon.

 

I fear his European exploits have set him for a better opportunity than us.

 

Possibly. But they did relatively well in Europe last season too and he still was on the shortlist for the Norwich job this season.

I don’t think he is beyond the club - I think he may well be beyond Gino though as I’d say it’s pretty obvious the 2 aren’t compatible at all.

It’s been said enough - and the debate here is all well and good (and interesting) - but we could suggest any and all managers….nothing changes until Gino changes. If that doesn’t happen, you can rule out 90% of the names on this thread I’d bet. Likely more.

 

Anybody with a genital sounding name like Knutsen gets my vote, just switch two letters round when we have decided we have had enough of him too.

 

To be fair Knutsen does seem like a fairly similar profile to Ivic (ie success in top tier lesser foreign leagues). He’s probably more likely than the various Championship managers listed.

No idea what conclusions Gino will have drawn from the Ivic tenure though.

 

Bielsa now actually available. Would be one of my top choices along with Knutsen and Martinez and would bite your hand off for him regardless of the division.

Can be a difficult figure certainly but he never likes to sign a deal of more than one year so that could work quite well (unironically). Entertaining brand of football which can dominate a division and be credibly mid-table in the PL.

Let’s try and snap one of these three up for next season ASAP. No point waiting until May and they have multiple offers in the table. Would be great appointments regardless of the division we’ll be in next season.

 

I was wondering if he would ever be considered yesterday, but wouldn't his insistence on total control of playing staff and decisions, even to the point of refusing to sign players he didn't feel were needed even when the hierarchy were desperately trying to get him to agree to sign them whilst at Leeds, utterly rule him out of our circus?

Obviously, his pedigree and ability to get a squad of majority Championship level players operating at a far higher level is manna from heaven for a penny-pinching relegated team like us (should we, indeed, be) but getting the players he requires would require quite major surgery, would it not? I feel like very few of our midfielders would fit the bill/be able to deal with him, and he wouldn't want to be working with the geriatrics we like to employ. Cleverley's legs would literally fall off.

 

“Defend at all costs” Hodgson’s to “Gung-ho” Bielsa would be a hell of a leap

 

It’s exactly how we approach each new managerial appointment.

 

Not sure we’ve ever seen that level of change though. Just imagine that first training session.

 

There’s more chance of Sheridan Smith being the next Watford coach than there is Marcelo Bielsa. And she’s in everything at the moment.