Who should be the next Watford Head Coach?

The impossible job.

I’m going to attempt to do something Gino Pozzo hasn’t done in nearly a decade, and that’s apply logic to decision-making.

So, my idea of being successful is normal to most people, most being the operative word. Everyone is on the same wavelength, working towards a set goal. No shortcuts, no sudden changes of plan. Basically, no funny business is going on. But what I would say is the idea of how to get to that goal is always subjective, even if the result you wanted is agreed. Previously, I’ve stated that I want the next head coach to have already shown certain things, so there aren’t any unknowns. However, the more I think about it, the idea simply has to align with the squad’s play style. Appointing someone who’s won promotions before, when that manager has had a form of talent advantage, is nonsensical. Watford appointing someone who’s a long-ball specialist who prioritises survival football is also nonsensical. League table appointments are a fast-track way to do the opposite of what you think you’re doing, and that’s not get the results you’re after.

Starting with the academy. The club has done a very good job restructuring the age groups. Bringing back former players like Lloyd Doyley, Paul Furlong, Adrian Mariappa, and Dan Gosling — the latter two now involved in the first team alongside Charlie Daniels, who was the U21 coach previously. So there’s an obvious friendship and solid working foundation that is already there and continued to be built by Richard Johnson (another former player). To me, it’s unfounded not to take this as a factor for the next head coach of the club. We’re no longer a parachute payment team — we’re a lower mid-table side financially in the second tier. The time to utilise the academy for what it’s there for is now. These young players are the money savers, the game breakers. Should they be good enough and have a chance to impress, they have to be coming into a stable environment rather than the toxic waste dump that it has been for years.

The players. Watford’s squad is a bit of a mismatch. It’s mostly made up of players who want to run and get after the ball. There are a couple like K9, Irankunda and Baah who aren’t as intense in their defensive work and would prefer to conserve their energy in attacking areas, which is fine, most speedy players do that. But it’s also a big rebuild job, should what I’ve been told be what they want to build from. Of course, things could change, and some of the loan players could come back. But mostly, this Watford squad is suited to fast, counter-attack football. Bove and Kyprianou have been in midfield, where their side is set up to dominate the ball; however, Roma and Peterborough back then were in the top 6 of their division in terms of talent. Watford are back where we started prior to Gino buying the club.

Recruitment. Don’t just buy players because you think they’re good. Buy them because they fit what you already have. Look at what players are in the squad and buy someone that compliments their playstyle, either next to them or ahead of them. Think of it like a puzzle; every piece needs to make sense for the picture to be perfect. Otherwise, you’ll have a puzzle that’s meant to look like Michelle Keegan, but instead you’ve created Ian Dowie.

Culture. This summer has to be a complete reset. Sell the players you want to sell, but the head coach has to be looked at as a key part in everything. I don’t mean he becomes Sir Alex Ferguson of everything, and he is the club. I mean, make it clear to the players this is our guy; if you don’t like it, you can go. I don’t want to see the next appointment to be someone on a one-year deal, even two years will annoy me. I want the next head coach to have a three-year deal and be given time. Be realistic with your process, too. Budget speaking, Watford are roughly around 15th. Don’t expect to reach your goal after one season. Let us know it’s a three-year build, and we want to gradually get there. The best teams that are set up for long-term success know what they are, they act accordingly — they overachieve because the trust and foundation they’ve built with coaches, academy and recruitment is solid. Let the academy coaches, coaching staff and head coach build something together, get some synergy into everything you do.

The main candidates (1-3).

1. Jon Dahl Tomasson

My number one pick for the job. Has a history in youth football, has a history in the Championship, and has a history of overachieving with younger players. Favours attacking football with speed. Has no issue dipping into the academy to pick players, too. Fits the idea of what this squad would enjoy. The wide players are the goal scorers, or if things don’t go well, can change shape and turn Vata into a 20 goal player like he did with Sammie Szmodics.

The only thing that will stop him from taking the job is Gino. I don’t think there’s ever a better fit than JdT for where we are right now. He’s a former big-name player too, so the players will get a bit of a spring in their step.

2. Eirik Horneland

A fluent English speaker. This one is a bit left field, but it’s mainly due to his time at SK Brann. He managed to build, over time, a relentless attacking team that had multiple modern ideas that our young group of players would understand. 4-3-3 style that is high intensity on and off the ball. He’s very much in the mould of a Jurgen Klopp-style coach. His stock is currently extremely low due to being sacked by Saint-Ettiene, despite every underlying metric having them as the best team in the league, despite results not showing that. But two years ago, this coach was voted as one of the top 10 managers in world football. This one is very Kim Hellberg led.

3. Ryan Mason.

This one is purely Tom Cleverely theory. He will have the players onside, he will have the place an enjoyable place to be and whilst he did have his flaws in terms of player selection issues, game management. I don’t believe he would have been sacked if he had Selvik in between the sticks. We want to build, we want to allow managers to grow. Ryan Mason with a good coaching staff, could be a risk worth taking. Again, not everything is underlying numbers, but West Brom were around the 9th best team, but weren’t picking up results; partly due to him, partly due to bad keeping and finishing too.

Championship table on expected points from start-end of Ryan Mason’s WBA career.

The reason I haven’t included Struber in this is that he’s never played with wingers. He’s always been a back-three guy with wingbacks or 442 with attacking midfielders ‘wide’, and I don’t think that aligns with what we have.