A Straw From The Nest: Marvin Sordell please log in to view this image Most fondly remembered for: His goals and celebrations Least fondly remembered for: Leaving too early He was: Progressing very nicely I was going to post this a couple of weeks ago, but tragic circumstances made holding it back a no-brainer. I'm sure all Hornets will join me in expressing delight at how well Fabrice Muamba's recovery has gone, and wish him all the best for the future whether within or outside football. In that spirit I also re-jigged this article. That's probably for the best, because I get to start with everything that was good about Marvin Sordell, the Hornet. Where shall I go? Stats? 27 goals in 81 appearances, 58 of which were starts. Good by anyone's standards, borderline great when you bear in mind how quickly he got up to speed, how prolific Danny Graham was, and how poor the service was in 2011. Off-field? Well liked by fans and teammates alike, and much like his former strike partner goes out of his way to keep in touch with friends he made from both of those groups. Raw talent? He's a great finisher, is comfortable with the ball at his feet and has lighting pace. Positionally he has good instincts but at the same time plenty to learn, and while he doesn't quite match Graham or Deeney in the work rate stakes, for a player in his mould it's very good. Sordell's work rate vs Priskin's, anyone? On that point, there are a couple of myths that I'd like to dispel. In particular I take issue with the idea that he was in some way lazy. From August 2010 through to January 2012, he played almost every Watford game for 18 months, not to mention regularly flying around Europe with England, having only played a handful of games at any level before that run. Any kid is going to struggle to make that transition and go full pelt in every game, as Hodson, Jenkins and even some of our successful loanees have found out in the recent past. The other myth is that he was selfish. It's true that from 81 games he only had seven assists to his name, but in my book you're only selfish if you shoot when you shouldn't. The only time he has been guilty of that is this season, but who were we expecting him to pass to? At the end of Sordell's last Watford game, his five strike partners had scored five goals between them all season. Right, Bolton. They behaved entirely amicably during the transfer, and whatever Owen Coyle's future I'm convinced that he has done a good job for them there. But I hated Bolton before they bought Marv, and hate them the same amount now. A mild dislike probably started in the 98/99 promotion season, and the football they played under Allardyce probably didn't help. But it's Phil Gartside who really gets my goat. He is the single most vocal supporter of abolishing relegation from an expanded Premier League, which would amount to the systematic slaughter of clubs who might fall on the wrong side of that line. Clubs like Watford. Clubs like Doncaster. And I daresay clubs like Bolton, if they were to come down and stay down for a few years. What I'm sure Bolton fans would say in response is that we should think less about individuals at their club and more about doing what is best for our club. And I'll heed that. For as long as I can remember, crucial to the future of Watford has been for us to both do, and be seen to be doing, what is in the best interests of our players. Where our vision and the player's vision don't align, we need to be seen to do the best we can to make it work for all parties. Bassini and Sky Andrew disagree about who wanted Sordell to leave Watford, and as that argument edged uncomfortably close to litigation I'll steer clear of judging it. But once the decision was made that Sordell was to leave, I think Watford did achieve the best possible outcome for all concerned. Make no mistake, I'm very firmly of the opinion that Marv should have stayed here another 6 or 18 months. He would've been worth more money to Watford, his first contract at the new club would have been for a higher weekly wage, and with a full pre-season under his belt would have had much more of a chance of making an immediate impact on the top flight. But I say that it was a good outcome in the circumstances for all concerned, because if we had to sell him when we sold him then the fee was very good. With that same caveat, if he had to leave then Bolton is the right size of a step. Marv has gotten a little taste of Premier League football, and as far as his career is concerned I don't think it matters too much which division Wanderers find themselves in for 2012/13. If they go down he will probably become a key player for them, if they stay up I'm sure he will eventually get the chance to stake a claim. I do wonder whether in hindsight he wishes he had stayed here just until the summer. We have had two sensational months, and I can't help thinking that playing with Alex and Murray out wide would have done his club and international prospects no harm at all. But in spite of disagreeing with his decision to move, I unconditionally wish him all the best, even if it means Bolton getting a good player. And however it pans out, Marv still has (in my opinion) a better chance of getting into the Olympic squad than any other current or former Hornet. If it happens, I for one will be cheering him as if he were still our own. With thanks to: Sean Dyche, for maintaining a feel-good factor despite the loss of Scoredell. BSaD for the inspiration to do these articles. BHaPPY for being the closest current thing that I can plug. =================================================== Previous Straw From The Nest entries: Will Buckley Don Cowie Danny Graham
Excellent work NNW, a very well balanced view of what can be a prickly topic. I'm with you on most of your points, especially on the subject of Marvin being lazy - I think his head went down a few times and more to the lack of quality service he was getting, than being lazy. Also agree that from his perspective the move to Bolton was too early... Great stuff, looking forward to future Straws...
Thanks. Although I'll be just as happy if I don't have another one to do for a while, as that will mean we haven't sold anyone.
I am interested to debate where we could be if MS had stayed. Would the rest of the team carried on relying on MS or played better as they have done? And a good article.
i think we've done better since he left...coincidence? We relied on him far too much and he was just not able to play the long ball game, which we played far more when he was with us. Good article NNW,. though i agree with Hockdude, there were times he was lazy.
Obviously the balance has been better since he went but how much of that is down to kaka..... and sorting it out at the back by giving Scott a break? We'll never know but the fact is life goes on as it did after Danny and it will after ??????..... The club is bigger than a player and I'd argue that Watford is one of if not the best team in the country in terms of 1+1=12
Look how good Deeney has been since Marv left!!!! Infact, look how many points we have picked up since he left!!! So glad we sold him!! The moment he got his first goal for England under 21's his work rate and performances significantly dropped off for us anyway. He's a talented player, but he's not a TEAM player. So although he did well in temrs of goals, he was never a proper Watford player in my eyes.
He's only had 5 minutes vs. Norwich, and was decent. Those stats look decent, hope he turns out to be a good PL player. And we don't like the chairman's comments as well, they are usually rare though
Have to say that I was pleased when he moved on. We struggled to accommodate his talents and never looked a balanced side when he was in the starting line-up. I used to watch Owen Coyle in the 80s and 90s playing for Airdrie, Dumbarton and Clydebank. A hard working, energetic centre forward who despite his lack of physical presence was a proloific goal scorer. Owen obviously saw enough talent in Marvin to consider taking him on despite Bolton really needing a proven Premier League performer at present to ensure their top flight status. Will be interesting to see what happens to Marvin, Bolton and Owen Coyle.
Delighted to see that he has made the Team GB squad. With any luck that will be a little bit of a turning point for him, as far as his Bolton career is concerned.
Best raw talent we've had in a while. It is a shame to see him go but the plus side is now we work better as a team !
