Zola/Duxbury to Watford?

[Chuck D]

Still kept us up though, didn't he...

Roeder kept us up with Harry's squad, and got us to seventh. Its when managers lose those players, and have to decide which ones come in that cause problems.

I hope he does well at Watford in fairness.

The Chelsea Chimp seems to be a nice man, very genuine, Unlike Dux.

Maybe Zola can turn Watford into an italian club?

[bspur1]

People slate Zola really need their heads tested we should NEVER have got rid of him for Grant and we only done so because we were paying him a ridiculous wage.

Zola according to the 'devil with tits' did insist we sign Benni McCarthy... you can't get em all right.

We didnt get rid of him for Grant, we got rid of him because he was incompetent manager not up to the job.


We advertised the position and successful candidate was Grant. Zola wasn't keeping the job no matter who was available.

Nice guy and wont begrudge him any success , however if he was still at West ham IMO wed be in the bottom half of the championship.

[Morocco Mole]

We advertised the position and the cheapest candidate was Grant.

[carnage]

Roeder kept us up with Harry's squad

A ringing endorsement of Roeder if ever I saw one.
Can anyone really knock any of Roeders signings given the lack of support he got for the 2nd season? I am talking 2nd season signings (who were all free iirc).

[chalks]

Can anyone really knock any of Roeders signings given the lack of support he got for the 2nd season? I am talking 2nd season signings (who were all free iirc).

gary breen (shudders)

[Up the Junction]

Zola sold Zamora, Ferdinand, Paintsil and McCartney?

Zola released Freddie?

The things you learn on here.....and from the boss too.

You know how I said the other day that you'd been getting things wrong for years, Chuck?

Have another look at my post... specifically the words we/Zola (ie the club or Zola).

Roeder kept us up with Harry's squad, and got us to seventh.

Not in his second season, he didn't...

[prophet:marginal]

Zola signed Italian hero Diamanti, and played him at RM.

For the record, I'd have rather had Kia, dodgy as his money may be, at least its actual money.

Where would you say we've recently seen Diamanti playing in the Euros, out of interest?

As for Kia's money, all fur coat, no knickers, I reckon; hence his total failure to become anything other than one player's organ-grinder since that fateful late-August 2006.

He knows how to pull the odd string, no doubt, but hasn't truly got the backing to actually take over a club and make it any kind of success.

[beckton]

I feel sorry for Watford fan's if it's going to be Duxbury and Nani sorting out their transfer deals.

[York Ham(mer)]

I'd like to wish Watford the very best of luck. They're going to need it.

[Lincolnhammer92]

Poor Watford. No club deserves Zola/Dux/Nani.

[Trevor Montana]

The Leaman bros of football. With their ponzi scheme they named the project.

Do you know what a Ponzi scheme is? Ridiculous statement, especially as the 'project' was just a way of trying to turn our dire situation (being skint) into a positive for the bank managers.

[Jabsco79]

Zola didn't have a prayer once G&S took the club over. He could have finished 6th and they'd still have got rid. Rationale based on their previous (and current) managerial appointments all from the same DNA; solid, boring, experienced. I imagine they shuddered at seeing a novice manager in charge of one of their businesses.

[window74]

The Leaman bros of football. With their ponzi scheme they named the project.

Do you know what a Ponzi scheme is? Ridiculous statement, especially as the 'project' was just a way of trying to turn our dire situation (being skint) into a positive for the bank managers.

I have $162 million reasons why I will never forget what a damn Ponzi scheme! Gggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

[prophet:marginal]

Zola didn't have a prayer once G&S took the club over. He could have finished 6th and they'd still have got rid. Rationale based on their previous (and current) managerial appointments all from the same DNA; solid, boring, experienced. I imagine they shuddered at seeing a novice manager in charge of one of their businesses.

I think you're right there, Jabs, save to query the attribution of 'solid' to Zola's replacement Grant.

It leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth to think how they undermined Zola. Its history now of course, but I still wonder whether we'd have been relegated if they had just let their first manager get on with it. Maybe, but maybe not.

[bristolhammerfc]

Do you know what a Ponzi scheme is? Ridiculous statement, especially as the 'project' was just a way of trying to turn our dire situation (being skint) into a positive for the bank managers.

Yes Trevor.

Put in the simplest terms it is using investors money to pay off other investors pretending that everything is rosy.

So when Mr Duxbery started paying off transfers from money from SBOBET and started paying one of our investors with money from another that is "footballs equivelent".

The project was a way of hiding what was going on at the club. If you remember, Duxberry was telling all who would listen that we were going to be in profit the following year.

So thanks for the advice Trevor, but I stick by my metaphoric example.

[the pink palermo]

Amidst the BBC article there is some , small, passing, reference to Watfords current Manager and the fact he has led them to their best league position for 4 years .

He's dull, boring, uncharismatic , but he has got on with the job .

Whatever the merits of Zola et al ,wouldn't it be nice for Dyche to be given a chance to continue to learn his trade ?

[JBs Caravan]

Stay tuned for Mondays headlines a certain Italian club sell players to Championship club for zillions
remind you of another clubs experiances
Their new kit for next season is yellow with black arrows on it, "love you know who"

[Hammer83]

Good luck to Zola I think he wil do a good Job one day for someone once he has built up some experience.I am worried about him taking up with Nani again though keep an eye out for any transfers between Bresica and Watford.

[thespider]

It leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth to think how they undermined Zola. Its history now of course, but I still wonder whether we'd have been relegated if they had just let their first manager get on with it. Maybe, but maybe not.

If we'd had Zola in the 2010-2011 season, I personally don't think we would have been relegated but it's all completely academic.

[Chuck D]

[quote="Up the Junction"] You are wrong Chuck (paraphrased)[quote]

What, specifically,have I been wrong about?

Re Dux

When plenty on here were sucking Duxbury's cock, I mentioned he didnt have a clue. Was I wrong about that? You did a fantastic piece on him. That makes interesting reading now.

We'd been told that the sale of Anton/McCartney & Zamora/Paintsil, along with the release of Freddie balanced up the books. That wasnt true was it?

We were told that AC didnt have a leg to stand on over his constructive dismissal.....

We were told that Sheff United had "no case in law".....

He put out lies about our players - saying Bellamy stormed out of training, and that McCartney wanted to move up north - both of which the players denied, Bellamy sued the newspapers successfully over it.

The money we got for Bellamy had much more to do with the Craig's friendship with Hughes than to do with the negotiating skills (you've seen how well he did on the Dyer deal)

He was a muppet.


Re Zola

What relevance does the sales of a load of players pre Zola's arrival have to do with the job he did with the (excellent) squad of players that remained?

Ashton, Bellamy, Cole & Di Michele. Have we ever had a stronger set of forwards?

We signed Behrami, Di Michele, Kovac, and Illunga (the good one) that season too, to counter act the players you suggested had left.

Added to a squad including Gabbidon, Collins, Upson, Neill, Green, Bowyer, Etherington LBM, Faubert, Mullins and other Premiership quality players. Plus great youth prospects like Stanislas, Hines, Tomkins, Collison, and Sears.

We found the money to sign one of the best prospects in European football (apparently).

Best squad ever left to a West Ham manager. Perhaps not the best team, but certainly the best squad.

We allowed Mullins to leave cheaply, and Bowyer on a free, then spent more money on a player (Kovac) who had proven to be of a lower quality to either of them in the six months he'd spent here on loan.

We sold Etherington, and bought Savio......

The following year, we released Neill, and signed Jiminez on the wages we'd refused to give Neill.

We sold Collins and bought Diamanti with the money - whether or not the SBO money was used is irrelevant - the money we got for a defender was used to sign a forward.

We signed two "number tens" then played without one, sending one of them back to Inter.

But, we managed to sign Da Costa in a make weight deal with the Savio sale at a massive loss....

Which genius was behind that transfer strategy? The idea of allowing Premiership players to leave for buttons, to be replaced (on similar wages) by Italian related imports that were ill suited to the league they were playing in seems astonishing, but its exactly what they (along with Nani) did.