Taken from the WO report on the accounts. The Watford Observer understands there were two groups that had meetings and discussions with the club with a view to a minority investment, which could be increased over time. One of them stepped away towards the end of 2023, while it’s understood conversations continue - albeit at a slower pace - with the second group. However, it is believed their senior officials, in particular, had made it clear any personal exposure would be unwelcome. So now it becomes clearer, whoever these people were/are, they didn't wish to put their own wealth at risk. So many clubs are now owned by entities that wish to asset strip clubs without being real benefactors. Obviously when the Pozzo family first became involved they could see that the investment would hopefully earn them a profit, but £51M is a lot to be owed, and not have some of that burden lifted by decent investors.
Please will someone explain how Watford can still afford to pay Scott Duxbury such a high salary when the club is having to cut costs in other areas. It might not have solved the financial problems, but it would have been a welcome gesture if Duxbury (as Chairman and CEO) had offered to accept a larger pay-cut reflecting the club's new league status. "In the year ending June 2023, he was paid £948,000, a small drop in comparison to the £966,000 he was paid the previous year (21/22) when Watford were still in the Premier League." (Andrew French reporting in the Watford Observer) Kieran Maguire (football financial expert) reports that only Luton had a higher paid director (£1,344,000) and that Nottingham Forest was the one other Championship club (apart from Duxbury at Watford) with a director paid over £800,000 (£915,000). Both those clubs are now in the Premier League. The highest paid director at 20 Championship clubs earned £513,000 or less.
I do understand that difficulty, yorkshirehornet, which is the reason that I wrote "it would have been a welcome gesture if Duxbury (as Chairman and CEO) had offered to accept a larger pay-cut reflecting the club's new league status". The reason for my question (how Watford can still afford to pay Scott Duxbury such a high salary) was because I keep reading reports which give the impression that the club appears to be cost cutting in order to avoid serious financial problems in the future. Perhaps a pay reduction, in the event of relegation, should have been written into Duxbury's contract (as it was in the case of many of the players). The highest paid directors at other recently relegated clubs to the Championship are nowhere near as highly paid as Scott Duxbury.
...and because of employment law we will probably never know. I dont disagree. My guess is that he is face of the Pozzos and thus they reward him well for that......
They meant they wanted negotiations to be private and not plastered all over social media. That's what they were upset about.
Apart from the fact that talks were underway for some investment, did we know then or now just who these people are? I think that Gino is very good at keeping his mouth firmly shut.
Reported by Adam Leventhal in the Athletic. I do not understand why the club have offered a four year contract to Jeremy Ngakia (who is out of contract this summer) in view of his injury record. Has the club not learned lessons from what happened with Daryl Janmaat?
Shaq Forde coming back next season with a new contract apparently. https://www.londonworld.com/sport/f...wonderkid-contract-after-belter-brace-4508747
This is stupid as ****. It really is. The lad, albeit decent at times, is made of glass. I reckon some players, a LOT now, that have had contract extensions, must have some compromising pics that they share around. It doesn't make any sense to me otherwise. How can this happen with such frequency? FFS. This is good news, maybe he can step up a bit more.
Nearly 1,000 items from Elton John's Atlanta home are up for sale in New York. The listing includes John's costumes, platform boots and luxury car. Christie's auctioning house estimates sales could bring more than $10m. Perhaps he will be putting the proceeds into a small part of the club.
Udinese beat Juventus 0-1 away tonight. They are having a weird season having only won 3 matches so far but drawing 13!
Nice to hear that Tobi Adeyemo is back in action. https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/s...rns-watford-youngsters-topple-league-leaders/
Hurtado is wowing them at Gillingham apparently. https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/2024/february/stockdale--the-lads-love-him/
