STAN COLLYMORE Silva has the hallmark..he just needs to do the service
COLLY
Follow us on Twitter: @peoplesport MARCO SILVA reminds me of Mauricio Pochettino.
Particularly the way he came into the English game.
When he rocked up, everyone was, like, “Who? Oh, yeah, another low-level mate of a mate of a mate”.
But, actually, he got to grips with English football and its unique demands very quickly – and proved, in no time at all, to be the real deal.
Like Pochettino, Silva (right) has charisma and personality, which is why he has the ability to demand and command respect without alienating and upsetting his players.
That’s not easy when you have a group from all corners of the world, earning £20,000, £30,000, £50,000, even £70,000 a week.
To imbue team spirit and combine it with competitiveness at Watford, on the back of what he did at Hull last season, proves he’s no imposter.
So I’m not surprised Everton have gone for him on the back of Ronald Koeman’s sacking.
But, even so, I’m not convinced that he is the right man for the Goodison Park job just yet, because what Everton need is someone who is used to managing really big clubs here or on the continent.
Manchester United and Liverpool fans are probably yelling that Everton aren’t a big club right about now, that they haven’t won anything for years.
That doesn’t matter, they remain one of the traditional powerhouses and managing those clubs still comes with its own pressures.
Ask Steve Bruce how his job at Aston Villa compares with his previous managerial roles and he will tell you it’s pressure on another level.
There is an expectation that comes with those clubs and, while Silva looks to have everything in his locker as a manager, he has not built up the bank of experience to deal with that just yet.
Everton have just seen off Koeman, for goodness sake, a man with a good playing and managerial record.
Silva would have needed every single bit of luck going for him to get beyond the usual two or so years at Goodison.
Communicator
Yet, with a couple more seasons’ experience, he would be a more rounded manager and better prepared to get into a club like Everton for the long haul, as Poch has done at Tottenham.
That is why I’m convinced he is better off staying at Watford for the remaining 18 months of his contract and seeing what his options are then.
The Hornets are getting 20,000plus crowds and have started the season much better than Everton.
And, if Silva were to get them into the Europa League, then it wouldn’t just be an Everton, Southampton or West Ham hovering around, but big clubs in Germany, France, Spain and Portugal too. What I like about Silva is that he seems an honest, straight-forward manager, a good communicator who doesn’t bull**** the fans.
He’s a bit like Sean Dyche, in that respect – when his sides don’t play well, he admits it and explains why.
As a player, you have to believe in the person you are going to follow and Silva’s players seem to know he isn’t going to let them down.
He won’t say something to your face, then something else on TV, as a lot of managers will.
It’s the same as anyone would want from their boss in any industry – honesty, trust, good organisation and a vision, moving forward.
What I want to see from Silva now is him navigating his way through through the tough winter period, making a couple more good signings in January and perhaps being cute by offloading the right players.
Then, by the end of the season, we will have a better idea of what he can offer.
On top of his experience with Espanyol, Pochettino did a season-and-a-half at Southampton before moving on to Tottenham and he has not looked back.
If Silva does well within a similar time frame with Watford, then that is when he should start thinking about making the important step up. GARETH SOUTHGATE deserves a lot of credit for what he is doing with England’s youngsters. It’s a very good, solid job. Is it spectacular? No. But he is being bold and ensuring he will leave a legacy. There are only two people in English football who could guarantee excitement – Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. And there’s as much chance of either of those managing England as me doing it. I CAN understand why West Ham’s board went for David Moyes, but the reality is he’s a sticking plaster. And every defeat or poor performance under him is going to leave David Sullivan and David Gold wide open to criticism from West Ham fans. After axing Slaven Bilic, the Irons’ owners should have been bolder by going for a Marco Silva, manager of today’s opponents Watford, or an up-and-coming boss of his like.