Thread by @jordiconnor

Two schools of thought have emerged on Watford Twitter this season.

On one side the 'The hierarchy are awful' lot, on the other the 'You don't know how bad it used to be' brigade.

After another disappointing result, I'm still stuck in the middle.

Here's why...

Let's start with what brings us together.

Three little words.

Watford. Football. Club.

The Ann Swanson gesture, the murals, the Sensory room, supporting the NHS, many employees, the naming of the stands.

This shows that the hierarchy get the 'Watford' part and deliver on it.

Renovating the stadium, the infrastructure, the training facilities, keeping us financially safe and so on, suggest that they get 'Club' bit.

So that's two out of three that seem to be going fine.

Which leaves the 'Football' part.

For a few years, it felt like they got this part better than most.

An influx of players, better than we were used to and suddenly we were up in the Premier League and fighting our corner.

An unorthodox model, but it was working.

However, lately it hasn't been.

When we first came up we were ruthless with Slav - thanks for getting us up, but no new contract for you.

Both QSF and Walter had a season to navigate and both kept us up without fuss.

Then we kept Javi on despite not being confident in him.

We sacked him early, brought in QSF which went awfully.

Then Pearson came in, but it was too late.

This summer we had a choice and opted to follow the latter model with what increasingly looks like a similar outcome.

Today Brighton showed us the benefits of sticking with a manager and allowing them to manage the 'Football' part of the club.

There is no point in recruiting good players if they aren't cohesive and are low in confidence.

Eleven individuals will never beat a 'team'.

So I'd argue that it is the 'Football' part of the equation that is currently letting us down.

I can understand the thinking and fear of a manager leaving the club and leaving a big hole, but currently none of our managers are going to be poached.

It feels like the Silva episode just made the hierarchy double down on their 'anti-manager' stance.

Maybe the model can work.

I just wonder whether we have the people to make it work in 2022.

We are almost certainly going back to the Championship.

This could be an opportunity to reset.

Perhaps we needed some humility.

To keep on doing the great 'Watford' and 'Club' parts of the equation, but to get in someone who is going to oversee the 'Football' part of things.

Someone who sets the template on the playing side, picks the team, who has a big say in who is signed, who the players know will be around for the long haul, who influences all age groups.

It would be a big change from how we've done things, but perhaps our model needs to evolve

Attacks on the whole 'Watford have a new manager' thing were misplaced up to Javi, but we risk self parodying ourselves when we repeatedly have two or three per season.

That alienates fans and doesn't make us appealing to players who want to make the step up.

So anyway, that's my two penny on #WatfordFC.

Lots to be positive about, even in these trying times.

But perhaps time to try something new.

#COYH