Watford sign 8 players from Udinese

What a stupid comment. Instead of the usual worrying about getting to 52 points, we were dreaming of promotion til just about the last kick of the season. If that is not BIG difference, I don't know what is.

A couple of points

1 - What do you think the purpose of FFP is? To make it a level playing field? Of course it isn't, if they wanted that they'd have to introduce a draft system so the bottom clubs could take the best young players like in the NFL. No, the point is to stop clubs getting into financial trouble and to stop the absurd escalation of wages and transfer fees. And the Watford method is an absolute model of how to do that.

2-AFAIK Udinese have not bought ANYONE to 'give' to Watford. They have signed a couple of players (Acuna, Cassetti) who were out of contract; all the others were on their books long before Watford were taken over. McGugan and Ikpaechu were signed on frees from Forest and Reading. The Pozzos are just superb footballing businessmen.

 

What is is amusing is all the bleating about FFP. It was introduced to stop clubs building up huge debts by spending beyond their means. Who were one on the main culprits in the championship.... oh yes Leicester.

Watford have had all their transfers fully scrutinised and approved so from the authorities point of view they are not cheating . Leicester could have made an arrangement with another club overseas to bring in some loans but oh dear they voted like the rest of the league to close this so called loophole so this avenue is now closed.

Leicester's main problem is that they too many mediocre players earning big money, that's not Watford's fault is your own.

and yes the ground is a dump but we were'nt prepared to risk going into administration like you did and spend money you haven't got.

Life's not fair is it.... shame

 

Difference is we was paying for our players and the money spent was there for all to see. If clubs get into debt its their own fault and if things go wrong its their own fault. FFP will catch them out

Watford on the otherhand are cheating the system by hiding costs in another club. You have been found guilty of abusing the transfer system in the past and last season you found a loophole.

Fairplay with that, although i didnt agree with it you stayed within the rules but this season you have basically cheated

 

Thing is with Leicester is the money was not there for all to see, that's the problem.... you didn't have it. At the time whilst little old Watford ran a tight ship and only had a debt of around 10m Leicester ignored all this with administration and debts built up to around 100m. Their fault ... yes but if clubs were run prudently there would be no need for FFP in the first place.

How can Watford hide costs in another club?. All transfers have been scrutinised including the FFP elements and accounts have to be submitted for all clubs owned by the Pozzo family to the relevant authorities.

Guilty of abusing the system in the past? mmmm Yes there were proceedings takien against previous owner but that was due to mismanagement/incompetence rather than anything more sinister.

So basically cheating this season? show me a rule that's been broken

 

We did have it and still do. It came out of the owners pocket. FFP means we cant continue to spend not abuse the system and get another club to buy our players

 

with debts of over 30m

You went into administration with debts of over 30m so clearly you didn't have the money and you can't buy players as otherwise you would be spending beyond your means.

Watford are not getting another club to buy players. Most were already on the Pozzo's books and the owners still have to comply with FFP like everyone else.

 

Our losses are 30M, other then to the owners the club doesnt owe anyone a penny.

The loan to the owners currently stands at around 100M. Which of that includes spending on players and wages, buying the stadium and revamping it. Turning the training ground to one of the best in the country and making our academy a category 1 academy.

Players dont go onto the owners books they go onto a clubs books. Its against FA rules for a person to own a player (Check Carlos Tevez West Ham saga).

Udiense costs include buying players for Watford so that you stay in line with FFP. I doubt the players wages are being solely covered by Watford aswell giving you and unfair advantage in the transfer market especially with loans and free agents.

If any others club had been doing it you would have all have said it was cheating but as its you your just turning a blind eye

 

OLM again very selective memory. I said the owners could get around FFP by doing it which they can. Man City have already done it you really just look a twat trying to attack me with all this stuff all the time

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jul/08/manchester-city-deal-etihad-airways

All costs that we make are recorded through LEICESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB. Were not hiding them. Watford costs are being recorded through Udiense

 

How do you know this? As has been said before Watford have to comply with FFP like everyone else.

 

You signing them on free transfers. You really think Udiense arent taking a hit because there giving them to you

 

How do you know anything about Udinese's costs? No one has been bought for Watford. All players wages are paid for by Watford. Each club has to submit accounts to satisfy FFP

As I have said before its clubs like yours who have over spent for years which has brought in the need for FFP. You can hardly now complain about the impact it's having on you.

 

This thread seems to be confused. Some people think Watford have cheated - they are clearly wrong because this summer Watford have had all their signings scrutinised by the FA and EUFA before being allowed so in fact Watford are the ONLY club that can be said definitely NOT to have cheated.

At best you can argue that what they have done is unfair. Well yes it is unfair. We have a very rich owner. That is unfair on clubs that don't. Until last summer we were in that camp - struggling for money and to avoid bankruptcy while clubs like Cardiff and Leicester bankrolled huge purchases with debt. Cardiff spent over £80m - was that fair? Of course not - but it was within the rules. I shall not bother to talk about the debts of Leicester as you here should know them better than me.

So really as almost nobody goes on and on about clubs with big debts being unfair it cannot really be the amount of money that gets under people's skin. It is that Watford are buying great players - and even worse - great foreign players. People are just jealous so they then trump up arguments about what is wrong

- Watford are denying young English talent a chance - WRONG - we had almost the best record of using young Academy players in the Championship last year and our young players are learning fantastic skills from these naughty imports.
- we have bought them on free transfers and so are flouting the FFP rules - well since the rules are not even here yet that seems dubious; had we bought them and incurred debt it would be OK this year. Even last year we paid our loanees wages and so did not "hide" costs. Let's see if anyone wants to charge Watford with irregularities in the future - I doubt it
- our owners own more than one club - true but across the world so do lots of others. It is perfectly legal and accepted by all football authorities - there are rules in place to prevent two clubs under common ownership from playing in the same competition. I think you Leicester fans should let us worry about that one if and when we ever qualify for Europe. Worst case we wont be allowed to enter - our hard luck not yours

Last year you all moaned that we had loaned players rather than bought them - even though it was explained that we intended to buy them all along but as the Pozzos only took over just before the start of the season they used legal loans as a short term measure. This has been corrected by signing them - to give you all what you asked for - and now you moan at that !!

Finally the transfer value of all the loanees we played last year amounted to about £10m book value. So even if we paid full value for them it does not come close to Leicester's or Cardiff debts. If the Pozzos had simply bought them from a variety of clubs and paid hard cash we would now have say £15m debt and none of you would bat an eyelid. Let's face it - which of you complained at the deal that took Saha to Man U and then loaned him back to get Palace promoted. Was that NONE of you ?

Get over it - all clubs have their ups and downs and for a short while we look to have bounced back from our near Administration thanks to a rich owner - try to be happy for us - we are a small club in a small town - not a big City like Leicester - we have massive London clubs on our doorstep drawing support their way so have to fight for support - your nearest half decent competitors must be 30 or more miles away and would never think of supporting you.

 

Every single penny Leicester City have spent has come out of the owners pocket. Although its a loan from the owners we arent exactly in debt.

Watford have another club paying transfer fees and wages for them.

More then likely the football league will tighten the rules again so this doesnt happen again next season

 

Of course we wouldn't care if you'd had this 15m debt.

That's the reason we're bothered about it.


You're avoiding the costs of buying these players by buying them for Udinese/Granada and passing them on for nothing.

If this isn't the case and all of the money is accounted for under Watford's name then I have no problem with it. It just seems that if it is the case then whole Financial 'Fair' Play scheme is entirely redundant as you clearly have a distinct advantage over the rest of the league.

As for not batting an eyelid on the Zaha transfer...if only you actually knew

 

It'll be ****ing ridiculous if they change it next season.

It's been a few years now since the FFP thing was first thought up and clubs are still finding holes in it. The way football is run in this country is nothing short of shocking.

 

Put it this way if Leicester City/Leeds United/Blackburn/QPR/Charlton/Yeovil or Barnsley wanted to sign these players from Udiense

Do you really think we would have got them all on free transfers?

Case closed

 

So if your owner were to leave would the club be in debt?

Watford's owners are paying transfer fees not another club... how can you keep on thinking this?

What rules need tightening this time? Multi club ownership is legal and there are plenty of other examples worldwide.

 

Not in England its not. If its international it is but your not allowed to hold shares in 2 clubs in this country.

The FA will look into it if they feel your getting an unfair advantage and cheating the system. The Football League have been a joke with the transfer embargo. Either dont let them sign players at all or dont put a transfer embargo on them.


Our owners arent going anywhere but if they did they would either have to wait for their money which has contractually been agreed between Leicester City Football Club and the parent company King Power International. If they owners chased it up they would probably put the club under unless someone else buys the club. Gary Lineker headed a consortium that saved the club from going with 70M debts because of we built a new stadium and the collapse of ITV digital. So someone might buy the club again

The owners are all about public image and outside of the champions League clubs Leicester City is the biggest supported football club in Thailand. While the football club is losing money, King Power's profit are going through the roof and who knows how much of a role Leicester City is having on them with the Stadium and shirt sponsorship.

No one has an issue with Watford having the partnership with Udiense its them bending rules thats getting everyones back up. Last season you basically loaned a team from them and this season your pratically doing the same thing. At the end of the season I bet most of them sign for Udiense on a free transfer

 

... if they decided to leave and call the loans in yes ... in exactly the same way that Chelsea or Man City would be ... but does that look like happening either? ... no because to these guys it's a hobby ... our owner's personal fortune has just rocketed ... he could now write off what the club owes him and it would barely make a dent in his last 12 month's profits, never mind his personal fortune ... not expecting him to have to do that because the ultimate, frequently stated, long term aim, is to establish the club as a competitive Premier League outfit ...