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Gianfranco Zola: the Watford view

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Gianfranco Zola is a man who will always be loved by Watford supporters. He was the man in charge for one of the best seasons the Hornets have had in recent memory, when he guided the club to the Play-Off final during the 2012/13 season. Ultimately, it was a season that would end in disappointment with the Golden Boys losing to Crystal Palace at Wembley, but it is still a year that many Watford fans look back on with great memories. 

Under Zola during the 2012/13 season, Watford played some of the best football I’ve ever seen during my time as a Hornets supporter. We played some lovely football and we tore teams apart at times. With the pace of Matej Vydra up front, we knew we could hit any team on the break and that’s what we did to great effect. 

With the likes of Almen Abdi and Nathaniel Chalobah in midfield, we had players brimming with quality and they could pick a defence apart with one perfectly weighted pass. Zola got us playing some lovely passing football and Championship teams just didn’t know how to deal with us. We conceded lots of goals, but we scored a hell of a lot more. I’d pay anything to be able to go back and relive some of the games during the 2012/13 season, as they were a joy to watch. 

The question with Gianfranco is whether he has enough ideas as a manager. A plan b so to speak. When things aren’t going well, the Italian doesn’t seem to have an answer. In the end, his second season in charge wasn’t to be as memorable as the first, as the Hornets were sussed out and Gianfranco had no answer. We were conceding far too many goals and teams knew that by sticking 10 men behind the ball, then they would effectively be stopping us. Dismal home defeats to Bolton, Yeovil and Sheffield Wednesday capped off a miserable run of results and in the end, Zola resigned from his position. 

But despite this, Gianfranco will always have a fond place in my heart. He was a great ambassador for Watford during his time at the club and I have no doubt that Birmingham fans will warm to his infectious charisma. He will always have time for supporters and will really embrace the club. 

But, here’s the important question – If I was in charge of Birmingham, would I have sacked Gary Rowett to bring Zola in? No, without a shadow of a doubt. I think Rowett was doing a superb job at St Andrews and was rather harshly sacked by the club. He was a bright young manager and things were looking bright for the Blues. I think given time, he would have taken you back up to the top-flight. 

Whatever happens, you can guarantee that watching Birmingham will certainly be exciting under Zola. But whether he’s the man to guide you back to the Premier League is another question. 

Bradley Hayden (thewatfordblog.com)

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