I would only have Mahon as a pay per game played contract if we have to.. Unless we have a serious injury problem I see no point in wasting money on another midfielder when we need other areas to improve such as another striker because Sordell is the only real goalscorer we have as Big Chris is a target man whilst Deeney just doesn't have it in him to perform for me. Interesting we have a left back..maybe another Jay DeMerit type situation? Pluck someone from non-league and turn him into a decent Championship defender.
If these two should sign and we then get another couple in on loan, Baz will have done what he said he would. That surely though is not good enough. Just what have we spent from the sales, very little? It is begining to look as if we need a play maker and they can be more difficult to find than left backs.
Dont mind seeing James at the club, but i think we have plenty of midfielders and Mahon would only add to that. A striker on a permanent and another on loan would keep me happy.
Would still like another lb just in case Mr james is a flash in the pan or gets injured , one of the areas of the squad we are still very weak on! agree the need for another striker , and an attacking mid!
Yes- we should be beatibg teams like that etc eetc- no pre season is about fitness and experimitation! But im not sure mahon should be signed, i cant see him and eustace working as a partnership- too imobile/similiar
I heard that Mahon was just playing so that people could have a look at him...not for us at all...but who knows..
I dont think so. There have been no approaches for JE and where would he go to be club captain? Also SD is building a team, not demolishing it. I have nothing against Mahon, but i think he is a big step back from what we have.
i agree with you BHD..it does seem like a step backwards. But i don't think he'll be playing for us. It's strange to see him cheered on tonight though, last i saw him he was getting boo'd off! There were a few who played the full 90 on Saturday that weren't played tonight, just to give them a rest
I'd like to have him as cover for Eusty when he inevitably gets injured or suspended as im sure you will all have realised Josh Walker is more of a passer than a ball winner. People were giving Prince a lot of stick tonight but I don;t think they realise he's been out of training for an extra month sue to the difference between the English and Scottish leagues (and before someone says this- big horse has been training with us for longer than PB)
It must be late, but I don't understand the last reference .... big horse? Talking to a few guys tonight, the consensus was no-one would be surprised if James & Mahon filled the 2 vacant shirt numbers on a permanent basis. James looks so much like Andrew Taylor that I did call him that more than once - LOL! These two would certainly be cheap, but that would leave Dyche with a "huge surplus" in his player budget.
I think Josh Walker is fast becoming a permanent and much needed member of the team. Prince did look weak tonight, jury is still out, i hope he picks his game up, he didn't seem to be making a huge effort to win the ball, but i'll give him the benefit of the doubt and put it down to lack of fitness.
Baz said Watford would be signing 7 players - I believe he put it in print a few weeks ago. Well Sean Dyche has signed 5, and there are just 2 gaps left in the squad numbering sequence. IMO there is no room for multiple permanent AND loan signings. I've had a dig (thank you Tony Kempster) and found Tom James played for Stratford Town FC in Stratford upon Avon last season. They are in the Midland Alliance league - Step 5 of the non league ladder. To you and me that is level 9, whilst the Championship is level 2. If Tom were to sign, there is no doubt it would be a huge step for him. The funny thing is he looks so much like Andrew Taylor! His demeanour and bodyshape are very similar, but he is a few years younger! Gavin Mahon is our Marmite ........ as you can see on the Watford Observer site!
Thanks for the info on James - I was just going to ask who he was as have missed everything last night so come back into it all a bit late! Does sound like it would be a very big step. How did he look last night? As for Mahon, while it seems he is an 'obvious' candidate for the number 18 shirt to make up the 7 signings, I can't see it to be honest. I think centre midfield we are pretty set with. When they mentioned the 7 signings, they did say (after Forsyth and Mirfin signed) that they wanted 2 midfielders, 2 Strikers and a left back. We brought in Yeates, the Prince and Iwelumo... leaving a left back and a striker. If this is to be believed, then I can't see Mahon being one of these 7! If the Vokes story is true, this would make more sense, and then it would just be the left back! Maybe Mahon will sign, on a short term, low contract - especially if there isn't interest from elsewhere - but I would suggest this would be taken out of the loan funds rather than one of the '7 signings' funding.
Hi Roo I dont think you need to worry , I saw on twitter that players that have already played 90 min games were being rested to give others game time! Eusty fell into that category!
If James is good enough then fine - sign him. But he cannot be ready for Championship football - how many tiers below has he played? So we were previously talking about an experienced LB to come in and now this. Frankly I'm quite concerned about the standard of all the recruits. They just appear to be numbers to bolster the squad but not add quality. True, Forsyth was well thought of and can be another of those that blossom here at the Vic. Apart from him Yeates who whilst frozen out at his previous club may have talent but it needs to be delivered consistantly which his past does not show. Also Iwelumo was being frozen out at Burnley - I have hopes for him as well but he was not the player on our radar surely? I was hoping for much more as we clearly have hardly spent a penny yet so don't tell me we have to a budget - of course we do - but we are opperating well below that now.
Gavin Mahon wasn't good enough last time round, so why on earth would he be a valuable addition now, when finances are even tighter? I don't care if it sounds harsh: sporting success isn't based on sentiment. Mahon always gave his best in a Watford shirt and I thank him for that. This doesn't change my firm belief that signing him now would be a step in the wrong direction.
