What have the Romans (Pozzos) ever done for Watford

The Pozzos have been in charge for ten years, Elton and GT were in charge for ten years, both periods had success including an FA Cup Final and ended in relegation back to the 2nd tier of football

Just a general discussion about the highs and lows of both periods and what we can and the club must learn from the two periods in our history

Plus one very important question

Would we as long term supporters prefer the Pozzos with the possibly of going up and down on a regular basis unless we /they learn from the recent errors of judgement, or to be taken over like Newcastle by a Middle East state with a dodgy recent history on humans rights but have the possibility of buying suucess in the short term future

I know my views and I think I know the views of most of our fans on here

 

Strange that you ask, but last night I was re-reading that Watford were within two hours of going into administration when the salad kings held the reigns. This led to the Bassini period of total chaos, and only the foresight of Ashcroft, someone that I have no respect for, with prompting from GT and Stuart Timperley brought about the Pozzo era.
GT said that Watford were a top thirty club, and the idea that it could ever finish second in the top division again was impossible. He based that on the club just not being in the right place, or having the fan base to be one of the big boys.
The Pozzos knowingly inherited a broken down three sided ground and promised to fix it. They kept that promise and we now have a decent stadium that looks the part of a modern attractive venue. It has meant that corporate facilities have become important, something that was expensive to install, but without them the income side of the balance sheet would suffer. The Pozzo family have had long experience of owning Udinese who are not one of the big clubs in Italy, so we are owned by people who are very experienced in running a club our size.
Since they took over we have seen some very good players in our colours, but I do think that the current crop have not been good enough. Players will come to Watford if the money is right for them, they believe that it is a stepping stone to even better things, or they want to play in England. From the clubs point of view they need to have a wage bill that they can manage. This means that some players they would like to sign will go elsewhere and ones that they would like to keep will have to be sold.
While the Pozzos may be rich by my standards, they are not in the ultra-rich group of owners either. We probably have a very good match for us, as they have given us some very fine days, but at a price we can just about afford. I doubt that any of the ultra-rich would be interested in us as we could never generate the income to make it worthwhile for them. I am happy enough to be a top thirty club, and feel that by modern standards our fans are getting a good deal. Never again would I want to see my club being within two hours of administration.

 

That is how I see it Frenchie

When GT took us from the 4th Division to the !st Division it cost £1m

For the Pozzos to get us into the Premier League and keep us there for a total of 6 years probably cost £100m

For us to compete in the top four now would probably cost £1billion

 

Some people, not here thankfully, seem to think that clubs can buy success, but clubs such as Man. Utd or Everton prove that to be an illusion. Man.City and Liverpool do spend loads of money, but they both have large established squads that they build on year by year. You might be a large club by ground size, Sunderland, but without decent stewardship it can all go badly wrong.

 

Yes, but apart from
1. Financial security
2. A four sided modern stadium
3. A cup final
What have the Romans ever done for us

 

Promotion?
If we get relegated a few times we may enjoy promotion celebrations more often?

 

Thankyou Frenchie for a superb accurate and sympathetic (but NOT hagiographic) account. I concur . I would add that the training facilities have also been seriously upgraded.
My only criticism is the lack of first team players who have come through the academy. But after Sancho, and now Galvez, I can see the problem. To fix that one needs input from the spineless blazers. Some hope.

 

All in all ...a good fit for us...
BUT please... lets play some decent football and not keep changing managers

I lost the will to watch them this season!

 

Agree. Some of the football we played during that first season with GFZ was exhilarating to say the least - and of course gave us the lasting memory of that goal by Troy against Leicester.

 

I think the worry from some is that we don't given what the newest accounts suggested but who really knows.

We can all speculate and worry but sure they have a good plan if promotion doesn't happen next season.

Our wage bill won't be as high as it once was and we will get money for the likes of Dennis and Sarr.

Just need to give Edwards and the new manager time - not go into panic mode in the boardroom or stands if things start a bit iffy.

 

I did too at the end. I just felt if they couldn’t be bothered, why should I? But Gino is a super fit for our club IMHO and has done a terrific job. Some on another forum suggest the wheels have come off because we have been relegated, which is absurd. If we had stuck with any of the several previous owners we would have been severely up a certain creek. What happened to them up the M1 could certainly have happened to us.

 

Yes...realism is needed.....Football is not like Football Manager etc
Can hope for better next season eh

 

Quite.

People complaining that some of the players from this season might be here for the next one .

Well we’re hardly going to literally bomb out everyone sp a few will remain.

Sure we need new players but not 24 new ones !

 

Naturally there will be disappointment about the key players potentially leaving and frustration that they might not be replaced adequately but do feel some of the reaction to the Pozzos etc very dramatic and OTT.

Take this comment from the WFC forums.

“Which stage are you at?

Shock
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance and hope
Processing grief

I’m at bargaining. Bargaining in my head that it’s not all bad and that Gino will deliver us 3-4 signings this week. Failure for that to happen and I will be feeling depressed about the season ahead.

Acceptance and hope will come when Elton gets more involved and someone buys the club.

Then I will be able to process my grief of the past 3-4 years”

Football is an emotional game and people react as such but can think of other more pressing and important issues to be “angry and depressed about “

But maybe they live by that famous Bill Shankly quote that football is more important that life!

And goodness how they might feel or react if we do spend time not getting promoted and staying in the Championship?

Sure if we slipped through the league then that would be a different matter of concern .

 

Comment below.

 

Football is not a matter of life or death (despite what Bill Shankly said). There are more important things such as family. personal happiness and good health.

However, football does provide an important release from the stresses of everyday life for many people (including myself). It does provide a major focus for my weekends, although sometimes there have to be other priorities such as family gatherings, entertaining the grandchildren or going to a concert.

 

Agree on that but usually the football is away of escaping from the realities of life and trying to relax or enjoy it but got the feeling this particular person doesn't.

How will he feel if we don't buy anyone, stay in the league and aren't promoted anytime soon!

 

Yesterday, at Deepdale, and not for the first time , my grandson ,son and me had to endure and endless stream of mindless foul-mouthed criticism from a WFC 'supporter' at everything the team did. Why does anyone pay money to spend half a day (off) getting angry and generally annoying everyone around them ?

 

Have heard in the past the club are worried about the behaviour of mainly younger fans (if he was that) as the club try to keep up their family friendly image but as I say modern football brings out the worse in people with their instant emotional reaction at the game and on social media.

Or he could have been not very sober!

Fans don't feel any connection to the players and manager now - particularly if you have aa bad season like we had last season.

Some probably think they are paid enough to win and play well in every game.

As I say if this is reaction now god help them if we slipped back into being a Championship mid-table team as we were before the Pozzos came..

Presume that is why when I first starting going in the 90s we hardly got crowds of more than 10k going up to 12k-13k when GT returned?

Unlike some teams our gates wouldn't stay the same if we went stale and didn't really go anywhere and fans drift away from going to games.

Although clearly if this chap drove to Preston he must be fairly "loyal" and seen many a poor games/players even in the last 10 years.

I will say the finishing wasn't great but seen Sarr and Pedro slash at chances and not do what might have been expected.

 

Neither Sarr nor Pedro are "prolific strikers", one is a winger and JP10 ought to be JP8 in old school parlance, a more skilful but less prolific Lumplard type. Manaj might be a poacher, in the Wilko/Heiðar mode (big ask, either way) if he he settles. Bayo may have "it" and here is where he'll prove his mettle. I
We shall see. Pozzo's are still well in credit with me.