Didn't learn to play like that at Watford? I'm not laying the blame at Ray Lewington or Aidy Boothroyd's door, but play like that he did (theatrics wise I mean).
Very disappointed in Troy...no excuses. Note the club aren't saying anything yet..maybe waiting to see what the new potential owners think.
Just my two pennies worth but I'd like to see the club terminate his contract and demonstrate what Watford fc is all about. And I don't care if we play in Div One because of it. I just think of all those kids who would give their right arms for a fraction of the chance Deeney has been given. If upon his release he seeks council-ling, meets his victims (if they are ok with that) and shows remorse and humility, and wants to help others not to go the same way then and only then should the club consider making him part of the Watford family once again. But that decision has nothing to do IMHO with our need for a striker! And I think comparison with Ashley and even Marlon is irrelevant. The circumstances were/are very different with regard to Watford's involvement. Sometimes football is just a sport, and having your head kicked in by a group of cowards is in a different league. ps. Haven't been around for a while so happy summer one and all, c'mon U'orns
Don't see the argument here at all. Watford terminating the contract of Deeney is not condemning him to eternal damnation. The guy has done a terrible thing. He kicked a defenceless human being in the head not to mention punching him beforehand. Now he pays the price with a jail sentence, and so we should terminate him employment for three reasons: 1. Bringing the clubs name into bad press. 2. He is no use to us while he is behind bars. 3. And most importantly, prison is used to take criminals out of society for a period of time for a reason. I see us as an employer failing to emphasise the fact that kicking someone in the head is wrong if we do not sack him. If he can just walk back into his current job after his prison sentence it massively devalues the idea of a punishment and he will not learn from his lesson.
I don't mind him walking back into employment (possibly here) once he's out of prison. Equally I don't have a problem with the club taking tough action. For me a bigger deal is the fact that if we keep him, he will be on full pay while in prison, yet if he performs remotely well in February, March and April, he can and probably will leave us for a midlands club on a free. So the only way keeping him makes sense is if we somehow ensure that we can keep him until 2014 if we choose.
Interesting point re. bringing the clubs name into disrepute and if I were the club I'd take legal advice on suing him, my action would be if possible, terminate contract and sue for damages equal to the value of his contract to date and against future earnings. Footballers need to know they're in a position of priviliged responsibility and failure to live up to expected level of moral performance should lead to financial pain as well as the custodial.
This could lead to problems with future player recruitment, which is why I don't think that any club would do it.
Reading around various sites tonight there certainly seem to be a majority of folks who want him out of the club. Did the club hope that when they gave him a new contract that he would not get a prison term but a community service order which would have been easier to deal with? I don't know the thinking behind it, but as he sits in his cell tonight I hope that he reflects on his victims and the pain they have suffered. If he was not the guy who scored goals for Watford last season, but a thug who injured someone in Watford High Street on a night out, would there be a chance of any sympathy for him?
Deeney is not just some random thug though, he's a player for our club. I don't really expect him to get sympathy, I just want Watford to do well. He's not shown a thuggish, unreliable, Barton like side to him on the football pitch. I do not see any footballing reason not to want to keep him. He is our main striker, he will score goals for us, if he signed a contract then he's worth quite a lot of money. Will other clubs take the same "We're too good for this player" approach? No... (not all of them anyway).... and we're big underdogs as it is. I'm just fed up of it..... I understand those with a different view, but worse happens.... Deeney deserves another chance. It could be that he's out in a few months and would be back for most of the season.
Seeing both sides of the arguement, but agreeing with Lux on this. He deserves a chance, especially, as i said before, if he shows remorse and an intention to teach others what he has learned from the experience.
I am a great believer in restorative justice ( may be cos Mlle Yorkie has been revising it for A level) some stats: § More than five million people in the UK have convictions for crimes that could have involved imprisonment. § Just unded 10% of convictions are for violence to the person. § One in three men under 30 years of age have criminal records. § It is estimated that at least 20% of the working population has a criminal record. § 82% of offenders are male. § 50% of offenders are under 21 years of age. § 55% of the prison population have qualifications. § Home Office statistics show that if a person with a criminal record finds settled employment, or receives training with secured employment at the end, the chances of re-offending are cut by two-thirds. § Current estimates suggest that it is at least eight times harder for a person with a criminal record to obtain employment than somebody without. I guess want i want to say is that everyone should have the chance to rehabilitate. From the stats above one in 5 has a criminal record. That is a lot. You cant just write people off. So I join the views of those who say he should be given a chance.... BUT under the terms H suggests.
Totally agree Yorkie - I see not evidence that TD has been a habitual thug and as stated above does not behave "Barton like" on the pitch either. If he does his time, gives something back whilst doing it, I have no problem with him wearing a Watford shirt again....
The point I feel needs to be made is that if Deeney wasn't such a key player for the side would some of you suggesting he could return to Watford after his prison spell, as long as he has shown remorse and does a lot of community work? If he was just a reserve player, I doubt many on here would be advocating that he stayed. At the end of the day Deeney seems like a nice guy when sober, but obviously with alcohol he changes. I may despise the man but Neil Warnock is spot on about when talking about Marlon King when he said that drink can change a lot of normal, law-abiding people for the worse. We all make mistakes when drunk sometimes, but Deeney is 23 and none of us kick someone's head in when we have had too much to drink. From what has been described Deeney fully deserves his sentence. I also hope we as a club take a stand and sack Deeney, even if we have to wait for the takeover to be complete. We are known for being a family club and having a strong community spirit, and the idea that people's hard-earned money is going towards the wages of someone sitting in a jail cell is not easy to digest. Once his sentence is complete, he has the right to try to find employment again. But as much as I liked the guy, I really hope its not with Watford FC.
Does this mean as a family club we should discourage people with criminal records from attending games and being fans or working in other positions in the club? Would it be OK for someone with a conviction for affray to work on the turnstiles or in the club shop then?
I think it would be wrong to cast him out. Yes he broke the law, yes we are a family club, but he is not a mindless thug. He did not start the fight, he only got involved when he saw his younger brother was involved. I bet any of you would defend your siblings if the situation ever arose, this is all Deeney did. As far as i am aware there was no alcohol involved, it was simply the 'red mist'. Also i doubt he will be sacked, we activated the extra year knowing about the charges and the possibility of him being locked up.
