The first half of game 1 was excellent - the second half of game 46 was ropey. In between there were a few bright moments towards the end, but also a whole shedload of mind-numbing mediocrity. Looking forward to next season with hope - hope that the Nigerian witchdoctor curse has been laid to rest.
Some decent goals. Broke the away curse too. But, ended up where we belong. A worrying summer coming up. It'll really show how financially strung we have become.
A good start then bad form before a pick me up in the run up till Christmas but a very average 2024. Second worst in the league apparently.
The Pozzos and the fans will have to accept that for the next season or two we will have to try and be successful with Academy players and very cheap young transfers in plus the odd loan player looking for experience We have been there before many many times and still had some good success, we need to give Tom a fair bit of leeway to begin with and hope his connections in the top clubs will be kind to us with loanees and transfer tips At least we have a great ground now and hopefully a reconnect between club and supporters
Cleverley did say at the fans forum last week there will be 3/4 youngsters who train with the 1st team squad in Pre season but then they will decide who who stays and who goes out on loan .
I hope Tom gets a good run at the job, he has started well and I would not like to see him dumped like previous managers, he has been loyal to the club. If he does not do well then back to the U21's would be good. I am sure he went in with his eye's open and is just getting some good experience whatever may pass.
Looks like Tom will know what he has to work with soon . https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/24300173.cleverley-watford-two-big-weeks-meetings/ Does he know Bayat well ?
Speaking of Bayat - I think this was him... https://sportwitness.co.uk/wasnt-dr...gent-cheated-player-court-appearance-already/
The positive was that I feel there is more of a connection between the fans and the team, and the ownership did genuinely appear to change their approach to giving the head coach more time (I know Valerien was ultimately sacked, but he was given a lot more time than others, and I think another Champ side with that run of results would probably have made the same decision). For me though, this season does feel like the end of something. I don't know whether/when the Pozzos will sell, but we're literally back where we started in terms of league position, and maybe in terms of finances too. It feels like the Pozzo ride is over. If we had somehow built a team on the cheap with an identity this season and got promoted, maybe we could have got a second wind with PL money, but obviously that didn't happen. I'm basically resigned to Watford being a bit more like the pre-Pozzo era: a Championship team relying on player sales to keep afloat, not much ambition beyond that. If we're lucky, we might have a season where everything clicks, an unheralded striker gets on a purple patch, other teams stutter, and we get promoted (Boothroyd style). If we're unlucky, the signings don't work out, we have a rotating door of coaches, we have an injury crisis, we can't sell players to raise funds, and we accidentally drop into League One. Either scenario is equally likely I would say, as is just bumping along in the Championship not doing much for years.
Well put...sums up what a lot of us are thinking...... It has been an interesting ride with the Pozzos...and we have a good ground now...I tihnk we will see over the summer what their commitment now is....and maybe that is linked with Udinese staying up??
I am a bit worried about Udinese getting relegated. One advantage we still have over other clubs is that link, and ability to borrow/lend players between the clubs. That was a big factor in the early Pozzo years in getting us promoted originally. That's going to be very different if Udinese drop into Serie B.
Udinese and Watford have had the same problem this year, far to many drawn games and with Udinese long term injuries have caused a problem. Not enough goals scored by either team. They need at least one win from somewhere.
They have quite a lot of our ex players too who didn't exactly perform here or as you say had injuries troubles.
In 2012 we had a lot of theirs on loan - ten from memory, most of whom were fringe players in their squad. I wouldn't be too keen on getting any of their current fringe players - unless, of course, they were the likes of Abdi, Cassetti, Vydra, Ekstrand and Forestieri - with maybe a Battocchio for good measure.
Watford and Udinese are both small town teams, who survive by spotting talent at an early stage, and selling when the price is right. When the talent is not as good as you hoped for, and many much larger clubs have bought players at very high cost, then find they do not perform for whatever reason, that income does not materialize. Udi have flirted with relegation several times over the past few years, and the current crop of players there are certainly very average. Watford still rely on the Pozzo scouting system to find the young players, especially from South America, but you cannot expect an 18 year old to be a regular first team player.
Unlike Luther Blisset, John Barnes, Kenny Jacket, John Terry, Nigel Gibbs, Nigel Callaghan etc Edit Plus Jimmy Gilligan, Keith Mercer, Gifton Noel Williams
