Watford Short News Items

Can only comment On the game I saw him "play in" He went missing! Mind you to be fair so did half the team that day and half the derby team as well! was a terrible game of football!

 

i remember a game at home against Derby were both teams were atrocious! Probably the same season Norway. But Hoskins often only played 20 minutes or so, it wasn't enough.

Ah yes, i saw the suit and panicked lol...good shot of the cup! lol

 

The derby game aI saw was at pride park! and I think it was the worst game of supposed Footy I had ever seen ! Derby won 1-0

 

Well I did not like Hoskins much - another Bovril and Marmite; Hoskins and Priskin; Doyley and Good Defender moments

 

New Watford owner has 'sympathy' for shareholders who have lost money
8:07am Saturday 21st May 2011
By Frank Smith »

Todays Watty Obs:

Watford’s new owner Laurence Bassini says he “sympathises” with shareholders of the club’s parent company who have lost substantial sums as part of his takeover.
Bassini’s Watford FC Limited has almost complete control of the club after paying 1p per share.
Watford Leisure Plc’s major shareholders formally accepted the offer of 1p per share in March despite the shares being worth 4p the night before the announcement, which amounts to a 75 per cent drop. And it was 7p a share when interest in the club was first revealed in December, which is an 85.7 per cent drop.
Watford FC Limited currently control almost 95 per cent of the club’s parent company and has recently started the process of ‘compulsorily acquiring’ the remaining shares.
A number of shareholders, who are often fans, have been angered by how their shares have become almost worthless as part of the takeover.
"I can understand where they're coming from," Bassini told the club’s website.
"Whether you put in £500, £1,000 or quite a bit more back then, it must be very disappointing to see the way the value of those shares has disintegrated.
"I do offer my sympathies to those who've effectively lost substantial sums of money simply through pledging their support to Watford.
"A lot has happened in those 10 years, but that's not something anyone can affect. I'm firmly fixed on the long-term future of this club. I'm here to invest in what the club will be, not to dwell on what it has been under entirely different ownership."
Watford’s article also stated the club will save around £200,000 a year by delisting from the Stock Exchange, which will happen on May 31.

Does not help those who lost out but at least it shows he is aware

 

Also from today's WO:

New Watford owner Laurence Bassini says there is 'no quick buck' to be made at the club
By Frank Smith »


Laurence Bassini has said there is “no quick buck” to be made at Watford and says he “will not be remunerated in any way” for his time.
Bassini is the man behind Watford FC Limited which is on the verge of gaining complete control of the Hornets’ parent company Watford Leisure Plc.
He told the club’s website: "I think Watford's fans will realise there is no quick buck to be made at Vicarage Road. I am not interested in short-terms gains.
“This club needs some real nurturing to progress towards the goal of sustainability that has been set out before my arrival.
"That's what the new board and I will be looking to bring. There will be no executive positions as such, which means no one at board level or myself will be remunerated in any way for their time."
"Everything takes time, but we're moving forward on matters such as the south-west corner, the PA system, giant screen, the Red Lion and the East Stand," Bassini added.
"Of course this is a key time in terms of player trading, so this is an area on which we're focusing particularly closely over the coming weeks and months."

More "right noises" and good to see he will not be paying himself several hundred thousand a year like Simpson and cronies did

 

Sorry - just found that last one has already been posted elswhere

 

Lenny, You have done what I have done, I opened a new thread on this subject earlier today!

 

Yes - see above #227

I usually post the "minor news" from the Watford Observer here for those who either do not have the link or whatever to their site. Saves them hunting around. For stories that might have more people contributing though it is worth a separate thread - so your thread is probably worth being there as hopefully many of us will have things to say about it. Cheers and sorry to have doubled up on you

 

Lenny, Norway has picked me on 2 things I have posted today, like you I generally put things on here rather than open up a new thread! Isn't great minds think alike or fools seldom differ?

 

Funnily for someone you would think to be quite relaxed Norway often comes across as the heavy dude - he often tells me off - I put it down to his hormones or that in Norway they don't know day from night and he compounds that with shift duties lol

 

I think I will stick to posting things on the Nest pages, unless I see a scoop in the wee small hours whilst on shift myself!

 

Not a heavy dude at all only 90 kg

 

Although I am getting more noggy in my attitude! ......which is bad ............very bad!!

 

Watford manager admits he doesn't want Saracens to stay at Vicarage Road
12:10pm Saturday 21st May 2011

By Frank Smith »
Watford manager Malky Mackay has admitted he is “not happy” Saracens will be playing at Vicarage Road next season.

It was announced last week the rugby club will be remaining in Watford for at least the first ten home games of next season due to delays in their proposed move to Barnet Copthall Stadium.

This will almost certainly mean Sarries will play at Vicarage Road until the New Year and there is a strong possibility the Premiership finalists could be there for the whole season.

New Watford owner Laurence Bassini said the club were “happy to welcome Saracens back” but it is not a view shared by Mackay.

“Purely from a footballing point of view, it doesn’t help that the rugby is played on the pitch as far as we are concerned,” Mackay said.

“So, again, purely from a football point of view, I am not happy they are staying – but it has nothing to do with who they are as I have nothing to do with them.

“But for the football team, to have rugby playing on the pitch, come November and December time we will have problems with the pitch again I am sure.”

Saracens star forward Schalk Brits is also not enthusiastic about the club remaining at Vicarage Road.

Brits said: “Personally speaking, I wouldn’t mind having my own pitch.

“Watford is OK but I can’t wait for the day we can call some place home.

“I think it helps quite a bit especially if you look at teams like Leicester, Bath, Northampton and Gloucester. You want a rugby community and family. You want them to have a home and Watford is not home for me.”

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall believes the club staying in Watford is a positive thing though.

He said: “I think it’s a good thing [staying at Watford] because it’s familiar to the players now as they wait for the new stadium.

“We’re all unbelievably excited about moving and what it’s going to bring to the club. But it’s nice to go to some familiar surroundings which Vicarage Road is and we’ll see how long we’re there for next season.”


No real surprise about Malky's thoughts there

 

Watty Obs this morning:

Watford boss Malky Mackay discusses impact of losing Birmingham City's Jordon Mutch and Middlesbrough's Andrew Taylor
11:00am Sunday 22nd May 2011

Malky Mackay concludes his reflections on Watford’s season with Frank Smith

The end of the 2010/11 campaign became something of an anti-climax after Watford’s season-long play-off chase petered out.

Looking back over the last ten months, it has often been a case of ‘so close’ and ‘what if’ – whether it be the dramatic late goals and refereeing decisions which led to points being dropped against Coventry City and Doncaster Rovers early in the season or the unfortunate injury problems at the beginning of 2011.

But the question which I have often been asked by fans in recent months is where would Watford have finished had the influential loan duo of Jordon Mutch and Andrew Taylor not returned to their parent clubs in January?

Watford were agonisingly close to re-signing both players at the turn of the year and while you will never know definitively what the outcome would have been, it is highly likely the Hornets would have won more than five of the 22 games after the pair had left Vicarage Road.

So what does Malky Mackay think? Where would Watford have finished had Mutch and Taylor stayed at the club?

“If those two had stayed and we had managed to bring in another couple then in my opinion we would have been in the play-offs, or at least thereabouts,” Mackay said. “We certainly would have been in a better position than we finished.”

The gap between Watford and sixth ended up as 14 points but they went into the final three games with a play-off place still mathematically possible.

The Hornets picked up no points from a possible nine and steadily slid down the table.

But draws with the likes of Norwich City and Leeds United could easily have been turned into wins and several of the defeats in the closing months were closely-fought contests.

So had Watford come away from those games with three points instead of just one or none, which is definitely feasible, then you question whether the added motivation of a play-off chase would have seen the Hornets pick up more points in the final few fixtures.

Which brings you back to ‘what if’.

Had Watford been in a position to invest a little more in the January transfer window, then would they have reaped the rewards of a play-off place and a potential big-money pay day?

Mackay admits the financial position of the club can be “frustrating” at times but insists he is “realistic” when it comes to the club’s position.

“I know the situation of the club as I have been part of it and I know the financial restraints on the club,” Mackay said.

“It is frustrating when you know how close you are to being at the top end of the table but when you step back from it and say ‘wait a minute, look at the size of our squad, the age of the squad and the budget’, you cannot lose sight of the achievement of the group.

“You are coming up against teams where it is not a level playing field in terms of that, so I am realistic.

“I am like anyone and like our supporters – I desperately wanted to keep hold of the group and challenge and be successful for Watford.

“I honestly thought it was something we could have achieved this year but I am also realistic enough to know the situation I am in and the situation our club is in and what goals we had going into the season.”

Watford had a good start to the campaign and their seven-match winning run in all competitions in December and January resulted in the Hornets being four points off second-place Swansea City with two games in hand.

The winning run was exceptional as everything seemed to click into place, which Mackay believes is largely down to consistency.

He said: “I think having the same team was a huge factor, we had nearly the same team playing every week. Maybe one or two would come on but it was the same group of players consistently playing every week to a high standard.

“The loans at that point had got match fit and were contributing regularly, youngsters were stepping up to the plate and the experienced players were performing consistently.

“Add to that the discipline and the organisation and a real willingness to be competitive, for want of a better word, and that was the reason we had such a consistent winning run.”

The departures of Mutch and Taylor were big blows for Watford but it also coincided with the club’s worst spell of the season for injuries.

Don Cowie was ruled out for several weeks, just as captain John Eustace returned to fitness, and in February they were followed by Lloyd Doyley and Will Buckley, who had been the shining light during the Hornets’ winning run.

Results picked up a little in March as Ross Jenkins filled in well for Stephen McGinn but they soon dropped off again and Jenkins joined his team-mate on the sidelines for the final four games of the season.

Mackay insists “you can’t cheat the system” and believes his young squad’s inexperience eventually told.

He said: “I knew where we were in terms of the squad. We were basically plugging holes with youngsters who had no experience at that level.

“You can’t cheat the system and that actually showed at the end of the season.

“You look at individual games – recently we played Norwich, Leeds and Leicester and in the Norwich and Leeds games, but for a turn of the ball, they could have been wins. In the Leicester game, something different could have happened there.

“But we were close to beating teams that are actually pushing for promotion so I take the perspective of how are we playing? And I have to look at the group.

“If we had the same group that beat QPR at Christmas time for the last period of the season then I would think differently but looking at it from January onwards ... you can’t lose loads of your starters from December and not replace them for like-for-like. If you are replacing them with youngsters then you will get the up-and-down results.”

Watford’s form in the first half of this season led to Mackay’s reputation increasing substantially and the Scot is now often linked with vacant managerial positions, with former club West Ham United the latest.

The 39-year-old was rumoured to be a target for the assistant manager’s position at Newcastle United but it was the top job at Burnley that caused the most concern for Hornets fans.

He was on the final shortlist for the Burnley job and the Lancashire side were keen to talk to Mackay in January before Watford publically stated any approach would be rejected.

Mackay insisted the constant speculation was not a major distraction, saying: “My whole focus at the time was on us doing well.

“The fact is there was a game to prepare for every three or four days so that means after a couple of days speculation, it goes to the back of your mind again. It becomes tomorrow's fish and chip paper.

“At the time you obviously have to deal with it but after that, there are guys at the training ground every day that we need to train and we need to organise before the next game.

“It is something that you quickly forget about.”

But when you consider Watford look set to reduce their wage bill again this summer, is the lure of bigger-spending clubs not tempting?

Mackay replied: “Like any one, you always look to the future and what lies ahead but at the time, I had a top group of individuals that I have loved working with this season and at that time, I was in the middle of a season that I wanted to complete. And I wanted to do the best I can for the club, as did my staff.

“We wanted to make sure that we achieved those targets we were asked to do.

“There is that drive inside me that I wanted to complete something here so certainly that was in my mind during the season – the fact that we can stay in this division with this group of players. And it is something that drove me on every day this season, my staff are the exact same.

“We had an inner belief in our own ability but we also had an inner belief in our players’ ability – that we could succeed this season by staying in the division and wanted to prove ourselves right.”


It is good to see that Malky believes we would have been in the play offs if we had been able to get Mutch and Taylor back - shows his confidence in the squad

 

Hmmmmmmm and thats a short news item!

 

Bryan and Hodson called up to the N Ireland U21 squad for qualifier

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/9043301.Watford_duo_called_up_for_qualifier/

Hodson along with Thompson are both int he full squad so does this indicate Thompson may play and Hodson less likely??

 

Give them both a good experience ...hopefully!

Be good to see Bryan get game time!