Valerien Ismael - Manager

Nothing wrong in digging for information. Make it exaggerated and at times you get a denial of something less.
Every media outlet adopts similar tactics.

 

Like most (it seems) I was disappointed to hear of Ismael's upcoming appointment, but having had time to think about it, apart from the style of football (at least he has a style, unlike our ragtag outfit this season) and some unfavourable comments from West Brom fans who didn't give him much of a chance after one bad run (they were 5th when he was sacked and they haven't improved since) and seem to think their club is above certain kinds of football, I'm not sure how one could be against it looking at the facts.

What he did at Barnsley was quite miraculous (at one point they went on a run even better than the one we went on under Xisco the same season) when you consider they normally finish well in the bottom half, sometimes flirting with relegation or even going down (similar to Huddersfield), and especially when you consider they were only in a position to finish 5th in the Championship because of Wigan's harsh points deduction the previous season and the next season they declined massively to finish on 30 points. There was an improvement of 29 points under him, with that we'd be going up automatically and possibly as champions. But maybe football isn't that simple...

 

I am pretty indifferent. Undecided either way. But let’s face it, who we appoint is irrelevant. As soon as he has a sticky patch our b3llend owner will sack him.

 

It says - He immediately took to Pozzo. "I spoke to a lot of owners and that was the first time when the feeling was we were on the same page when we talk about football". "It was his passion and his knowledge about the football, his club, his team. He's at the training ground, I see him, and that's something different but something very good because of the daily communication with him".

 

With Gino, Giaretta, presumably Manga, and Ismael all there, they will need to build a stand soon to accommodate all the on-lookers.

 

Atmosphere must be tragic. Manga and Ismael trying to get on with their jobs with the bulletproof stooge Giaretta spying on them to report back to the rich kid.

What an awful set up.

 

You had me fooled there WT. I thought you’d been drinking from the BW Kool Aid fountain for a moment there .

 

Flags ?

 

Rich kid really does fit. Like an Italian Veruca Salt, wanting instant success whilst buying any old crap from his mates, who kiss his arse, to deliver it. Expecting a manager to provide him with constant wins, before snapping and screaming "Get out! Get me another manager! Get me promoted!".

 

Exactly... Toxic. A few weeks of giaretta poking his nose in and I can see VI telling GP to stuff it...

 

Wonder what odds you can get on him being sacked or quitting before next season starts?

Might be worth a punt.

 

I just don't understand what Giaretta's role is alongside Manga unless the reality of Manga's role is purely to come up with a list of potential player acquisitions which he hands to Giaretta, who then vets them, crosses off 90pct of them and hands it to VI.??
So maybe the reality could be VI and Manga both saying no thanks we're off.
With GP also sticking his nose in it just can't work.?

 

The club really needs to clarify these roles....

 

That'd be pretty odd though wouldn't it, given he presumably did his due diligence and decided he could work within this structure? Plus despite people speculating over the past few years that this head coach or that would throw the towel in and walk, no one has. It can't be that intolerable.

I agree it's a confused structure from the outside looking in though. When Giaretta was interviewed for the club website in 2021 he pretty much described his role then as Manga describes his now. So it's not clear what he has left to do. And it's more baffling because all involved insist Gino is there at the training ground regularly, actively involved etc. If he was absent a lot I could possibly understand him having a representative on site but not when he's there too.

 

Who knows maybe Ismael needs the money? His reputation isn’t exactly high at present.

With regard to the other point, everyone knows how trigger happy Pozzo is so may as well stick it out for a couple of weeks and get the payoff rather than resign to make a point.

 

Do you think he was lying about the 'several projects he turned down'?

 

Yeah, I figure if even experienced coaches like QSF 2, who knew the gig and grumbled about the interference after they left, were prepared to have their mouths stuffed with gold, no one else is going to walk.

 

Define "project" would be my question.

 

A job offer from another football team, I presume?

Also 'project' was my term, not VI's. He explicitly said he had other interviews and discussions with other owners.

 

Like the Alan Parsons Project?

Which I believe was some sort of hovercraft.

 

Surely we all “turn down projects” in our mind all the time when between jobs? The fact the buggers haven’t called us back is completely coincidental.

Ismael is an uninspiring, disposable manager. Maybe he’ll be allowed to develop his ideas and build something . Or more likely Pozzo will be selling his wonderful project to the next contestant in November. We will have to wait and see but I know where my money is.

 

I was thinking a "project" like re-doing his bathroom or releasing an app.

 

"to extend outwards beyond something else"

 

https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/s...oach-ismael-shortlist-former-watford-players/

Wants to add a Watford 'legend' to his coaching team. Has a shortlist of three players.

#WelcomeHomeDonCowie

 

I'm hearing Gary Fisken.

 

Hopefully it's Tommy Mooney so that we don't have to listen to him on commentary again.

 

Why are people complaining about his preferred style of play? Could it literally be any worse than watching the s***e served up over the past 4 seasons haha?

 

Hopefully it's Victor Ibarbo.

 

Or Collins John.

 

Calumn Davenport so I've heard.

 

Andre Gray

 

Clear admission that they have appointed the wrong man, so are lining up their replacement early.

 

In a slightly more serious answer, this is yet more empty symbolism from the club which is carefully calibrated to pick off those fanbase who happily point to things like renamed stands or murals as signs Pozzo cares, while ignoring a hundred million quid of debt.