The Forgetten Man OK, so I lied a little bit- forgetten men is more accurate. Namely; Josh Walker, Tom Aldred, Eddie Oshodi and Rene Gilmartin. Moving into the 2011/2012 season, it is these players futures I am looking into with great intrigue. A myriad bunch of players who have never really gotten their chance and are all at different stages of the development cycle that has apparently become part of the famous âWatford Wayâ. Firstly, for those of you not well-acquainted with yellow affairs, the âWatford Wayâ is our club philosophy- not one entirely born out of principle, like at Arsenal, where youth is given a platform to perform on, although academy youngsters rarely make it to the first team (Jack Wilshere an obvious exception); or because we have no choice, like at Crewe, where the term âselling clubâ is often unfortunately taken to a ridiculous level- their excellent youth produce bought too soon for their fansâ liking. We take a middle-route (I would hope) where our Harefield Academy- now the pride and glory of Watford fans (who yearn for something to be proud of when things arenât going so well on the pitch or behind the scenes)- has been âthe envy of Europeâ; with Premier League officials and Dutch giants Ajax among our most prominent admirers, is used to develop some very gifted players that have great potential. While most clubs are lucky enough to produce maybe one or two youngsters who could force their way into the first team each season or so, Watford produce three or four. And we are only just starting to see the benefits, with the first Harefield products coming through. Some of these youngsters are Eddie Oshodi, Piero Mingoia and Matty Whichelow. The latter two have seen their talents showcased this season, albeit mostly in sub and cup appearances, with Mingoiaâs debut game and goal and Whichelowâs chip at Derby some early highlights. My main focus out of the three however is Eddie Oshodi, a player who has been in and around the squad for this season and the last and as yet, has been relatively unused. This is strange considering the âWatford Wayâ tends to thrust youngsters into the first team, essentially dropping them in at the deep end and seeing how they cope. Stranger still, that as Watford have had a very well documented left-back problem in recent seasons, Oshodi, a âleft back come centre backâ has not featured. Oshodi has now passed through the first stage of the development cycle at Watford. Tom Aldred is currently in this stage, having just been loaned out to Inverness Caley Thistle for six months. The Caley Jags are delighted at this capture and that only serves to reinforce the view that Tom is a player with a bright future ahead of him. Oshodi spent a spell on loan at Rushden & Diamonds, who have recently been expelled from the Football League due to a precarious financial situation. This hopefully should not have had a detrimental effect on Eddieâs development- a stint with a club in dire times will help prepare Oshodi for tough times in the future. As I said this is the first stage of the cycle, as Eddie now returns to train alongside the more experienced pros with the first-team squad along with teammate Josh Walker. Josh is different from Eddie however; having risen through another very highly rated youth system at Middlesbrough, and at the anger of the Boro fans, allowed to join us on a free at the start of the 2010/2011 season. I must admit, I had not expected Josh to be loaned out this season, but a move ensued after a frustration at a lack of first team appearances. Josh though has been on loan before, and will have a hunger to prove himself in the coming season. Bring on the second stage of the cycle- sub appearances and the push into the starting XI. Fleeting glimpses of talent ensue, some standout- like those of Adam Thompson and Sean Murray (latterly) and some not so much, like those of Gavin Massey (who I fully believe will come to fruition, his form in the U18s and Reserves suggests potential at Championship level [we hope]). These short cameos can often be unfair on young players, forcing them into games too late to have any impact, but cup appearances may make up for this. With Stephen McGinn injured, it may be time for Walker to ârise and shineâ- a three-way tug of war looms between Murray, Walker and Jenkins. This can only be good for the club, to have three very talented youngsters fighting for the same first-team spot, pushing each other to be better every day- this is how goalkeepers tend to develop, and why the best âkeeper coaches are successful former shot-stoppers themselves. Rene Gilmartin is currently putting pressure on Scott for the no.1 jersey, having shown signs of his ability in pre-season matches, he was unfortunate in the game against Brighton when a poor goalmouth area more helped Brighton in a game where they were dominant. The third and final stage comes with a tinge of sadness for someone. This is the moment where a regular starter is replaced by a young starlet. The sadness may be for an older player left behind by younger legs. Or it may be for the fans, who see an old favourite sold on as part of the âWatford Wayâ. This can however be incredibly exciting, both for the youngster and for the fans who get to see a player grow and play their own game. This stage is the longest and most valuable. The majority of new signings, by our club at any rate, are often players in this stage, as we have most recently seen with Danny Graham and Steven McGinn, who last season came on leaps and bounds, with Danny earning a well-deserved move that means he can finally test himself at a higher level. For McGinn the season ended with an unfortunate injury and I know fans and footballers alike will wish him a speedy recovery. And now, onto brighter things, with the âones to watchâ for the coming campaign; Tom, Eddie, Josh, Rene, Piero and Matty of course have all got a chance to prove themselves in their respected areas this season. ---Craig Forsyth, recently arrived from north of the border seems comfortable anywhere on the left- having played at left-back in his youth and then out wide when he finally broke into the Dundee side. Watch out for the scot in and around the box, as he has quite a knack for scoring from midfield! ---Deeney arrived last season for a fee estimated to be similar to that of Danny Grahamâs incl. add-ons. Perhaps he will have as glittering a second-season as the 2010/2011 player of the season did? Either way, Troyâs attitude while playing out of position shows he more than has the drive to claim his starting spot. ---Adam Thompsonâs appearances at Vicarage Road were very impressive and he showed ability and determination that instantly endeared him to the âOrns followers, and will provide very good competition for the right-back spot with Hodson and Doyley- one for the next few years maybe. ---But the one that really has the potential to be the next big thing at the Vic is Sean Murray. Attacking players always attract the most attention, but with Sean this is not for the sake of it. Having turned down Manchester City to sign professional terms with the Golden Boys, his appearances in the U18s have earnt him many admirers. For those that didnât see his cameo appearance at the last home game of the season, I suggest watching his 40-yard free kick and his display against Chelsea U18s at Stamford Bridge on YouTube. I fully expect that Sean will move on for big-money in the next few seasons, but I hope he can make a contribution in the meantime. ---And that, ladies and gentlemen is that. Good luck to all of footballâs youngsters in their pursuits, but in particular good luck to the lads mentioned above, letâs hope their hard work pays off. QUE SERA, QUE SERA.
I'll keep this brief, Oshodi - when the likes od Sordell describe a player as having a "short attention span", then you have a problem. Walker - certainly showed his agressive side on Saturday. Its this season or bust for him. More of a Scholes than a Keane. Mingoia - lovely lad, but I think he's stopped growing already. Aldred - surprised he was loaned out so early for so long. Make or break for him. There are so many players on the fringe, if they are to compete with all of the "expected top quality signings" then they will have to step up.
Kingy http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/?JavaScript=1&search=watford we know its in the wrong bit , but Mick is working on it! and well done your the first hornet to get an article in Newsnow!!! Well done
I think Matty Whichelow can take over and better Cowies position and i am sure Forsyth will fit in nicely where Bucko left off. Mingoia is a more central player in my mind, getting forward to help out the strikers and split defenders. He is a pocket rocket and he will do just fine i think. Walker is my only concern, i have not seen anything of him nor heard much about him so he could be a wildcard and could flourish or flounder.
Well I agree with you about Whichelow - there are goals and creative play there. Walker came to us with a lot of people singing his praises but was sent out on loan and he made it clear then that he was unhappy and didn't get a fair chance. So this season he again has that chance to impress early season. Maybe that rejection will have given him the steely mental attitude needed to succeed.
In my view Forsyth and Whichelow would start off on the wings, although we'll probably end up loaning someone as competition. Deeney should be playing up front, as even if he only scores half the goals that Graham did, he is the only striker we have capable of playing in a similar way. I think Mingoia will get games out wide, although I agree with Dan. I remember watching Walker in the FA Cup last season, and he looked far, far too good for a team that went on to win promotion to the league below us. Although with McGinn scheduled to come back from injury near Christmas and young Murray looking likely to step up sooner rather than later, Josh needs to make his mark quickly if he wants to be any better than first reserve.
Matty W I think has a very good championship future ahead of him, and I could see him being part of a good promotion-winning side when he is older (whether that is with us I don't know) Piero I think can be a john harley/scholes tackler sometimes and can make up for his err...lack of aerial ability, he was also underestimated by the opposition at times when he played last season and I hope he can push on and prove all his critics wrong. Josh was very highly rated at boro and apparently once scored a wonder goal against bayern? ~(remember reading this when we first signed him)~ and I have high hopes for him. Tom obviously has the potential otherwise we wouldn't have signed him at such a young age, and ELIXIR (you take pessimism to a whole new level ), the poor lad spent a lot of last season injured and working on his fitness (and I think was on loan for a wee while too). Expect him to come back and be reassessed in January depending on how much game time he is getting, any injuries we might have and our position in the league. Eddie, unfortunately, Is someone I cannot ever remember seeing play, but I expect that seeing as he's still at the club, and SD has been with him from the youth team up, it can only be a good sign. As for the cowie gap, I like matty on the left more than the right, but maybe that's because he didn't get much of a chance there. Anyway, please don;t let me ramble on, I had to stop myself from writing more- football is all I have, and unfortunately I chat my dad's ear off at the vic with all I have to say about it.
The issue there is we have Forsyth to play on the left and unless SD bought him with the intention of him being our LB (there has been no mention of this) then we are wasting him. We have lost both wingers and have bought in a Left footed player so why not use him in the empty space on the left? Whichelw is right footed isnt he? Which surely would lend himself best to playing on thr right to take over from Cowie. This is just my opinion and if you can refute anything feel free. Fanstastic post though Kingy!!
Maybe its because matty's a fairly decent threat on goal when he cuts inside from the left wonder what his delivery is like...
then maybe they will do what Bucko and Cowie did and switch for periods to confuse the defence. We can only wait and see cant we.
