http://www.watfordfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10400~2866484,00.html A lot of people at other clubs have not been very happy with the new look. It looks as Mirfin is off to Scunny after all.
If the Mirfin move does go through, he goes with my best wishes. He didn't get the breaks at WFC, Scunny is somewhere he wants to go and knows that he's wanted there. As an aside, as Zola hasn't announced a new captain, I assume it's still Eustace.
So do I -but it looks like we'll have to wait a while to find out as it seems he's off back to Scotland for a year.
Looks like we are going to be in some sort of newly created youth system: GROUP ONE: Bolton Wanderers, Norwich City, Everton, West Ham United, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion, Reading. GROUP TWO: Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Watford, Sunderland, Southampton, Aston Villa, Stoke City. GROUP THREE: Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough, Chelsea, Liverpool, Fulham, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Be a good experience for our youngsters to play some top teams.
With any luck, they are all the Category 1 Academies. Yes, it will provide great - and much needed - experience for the kids. And more importantly, as I believe it is an U21competition, it will provide competitive matches for the older ones who currently kick their heels in the development squad whilst waiting for a first team opportunity.
Sorry to post all of this but the link didn't seem to be working. The Premier League is ready to bring forward its overhaul of youth-team football and introduce a revolutionary Champions League-style competition at under-21 and under-18 levels for the coming season. Representatives of 23 clubs â 17 from the Barclays Premier League and six from the npower Championship â will meet at the Emirates Stadium next Thursday to rubber-stamp the proposals, which will introduce the two new competitions, the Barclays Under-21 and Under-18 Premier Leagues, to replace the longstanding reserve-team structure. Queens Park Rangers, Swansea City and Wigan Athletic will not take part in the inaugural campaign, having not been in a position to apply for âCategory Oneâ status in the forthcoming grading of English clubsâ youth academies as part of the Premier Leagueâs Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). The six Championship clubs that have applied for âCategory Oneâ are understood to include Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The new competitions will consist of two group stages. For the first, which will run until December, the 23 clubs will be split into three groups â two of eight teams and one of seven teams â and will play the other teams in their group at home and away. At the end of this process, depending on where they finish, they will either go into the elite group stage, for the best eight teams, or qualification group tier one or two. The idea is that all 23 teams will still be playing competitive matches as they look to qualify for the end-of-season knockout stage. While the EPPP is primarily designed to raise standards in youth development, it was felt essential that a new league was introduced to replace the traditional reserve-team structure, which is regarded by many managers and academy directors as lacking the competitive edge needed to help development. Three over-age players will be allowed, plus an over-age goalkeeper, but the idea is that elite youngsters such as Josh McEachran, of Chelsea, Raheem Sterling, of Liverpool, and Will Keane, of Manchester United, will play regular competitive football against players of a similar level. Terry Westley, who has been on the EPPP youth working committee, has laid out the thinking behind the changes in the new Premier League Yearbook. âThe Barclays Under-18 and Under-21 Premier Leagues have been designed to offer an alternative,â the former Birmingham City and Derby County youth academy director said. âThe vision is for the best young players to compete against each other in a âbest versus bestâ scenario, which can only enhance their development and take them closer to the competitive nature of first-team football. âThe games will be structured to complement the Premier League match weekend. So, as a first-team manager there is a great benefit in knowing that you can have your under-21 player on the bench for the Premier League, but if he doesnât play then thereâs still the option for him to have high-quality football that weekend in the Under-21 League. A competitive situation, where fans are coming along to watch the next generation of talented young players, is what we must aspire to.â The initial plan was to introduce the new format for the 2013-14 season, once the various youth academies have been categorised, but there was an overwhelming feeling among the clubs that they should accelerate the process and base the first campaign on the projected categorisations. Provisions will be made for QPR, Swansea and Wigan to join the other Category Two clubs, which include most of the Championship, at a secondary level next season while they strive to attain Category One status. Champions of the future ⢠At both under-21 and under-18 level there will be three groups: two groups of eight teams (National Groups 1 and 2) and one group of seven teams (National Group 3). These will not be regionalised. Clubs play each other home and away. At under-21 level teams will be allowed to play up to three over-age outfield players plus an over-age goalkeeper ⢠At the end of the first group stage, the top three teams in National Groups 1 and 2 and the top two from National Group 3 will proceed to the Elite Group stage. The remaining teams will be in Qualification Groups 1 and 2, depending on where they finished. The idea is that the best players and teams will be playing against each other in the Elite Group, competing for three of the five places in the knockout stage. The clubs in the second and third tiers will also still have the opportunity to reach the knockout stage ⢠In the knockout stage, the teams finishing top of the two Qualification Groups will play each other to decide who makes the semi-final against the winner of the Elite Group Stage. The teams finishing second and third in the Elite Group Stage play in the other semi-final. The winners contest the final for the right to be crowned Barclays Under-21 and Under-18 Premier League champions http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/premierleague/article3488235.ece
Big Chris still banging them in for us then - must have been nothing in the PNE rumour! An 8-0 win over Barnet with seven different scorers sounds like a good hit out.
Report here; http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sp...850289.Hornets_breeze_to_Barnet_friendly_win/ Played 2 different teams again, so tonights game must be purely the youngsters. With the team winning 7-0 at half time, and looking at the team, would suggest that is going to be our starting line up come the start of the season!
Every now and again we wonder on here what has happened to various players and why they are not getting a game. This bit from the WO gives a good update on injuries and fitness levels. http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/9852318.Watford_injury_update/
Another try to get things working. http://www.watfordfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10400~2866484,00.html Can anyone explain to me why some people will see it immediately while others have to wait? It doesn't seem to make sense to my limited knowledge of how things work.
I'm grateful to the Wobby and to Zola for the update. What I don't understand is why we signed Vydra before being sure of his fitness. Isn't there a limit on season long loans?
Perhaps he is just so good that Zola didn't want to risk missing out on signing him? Well, one can dream........
Hear, hear Hopefully he will get a good turn out at the weekend.................He deserves it IMHO! Shame I cannot make it as I have husbandry duties, mainly making sure my other half catches her flight on Sunday afternoon
