A Straw From The Nest: WILL BUCKLEY please log in to view this image Most fondly remembered for: Being pivotal in the 2010/11 winning run Least fondly remembered for: Not consistently delivering on his obvious promise He was (and remains): A rough diamond While drafting this, I discovered that the legendary Stuart Hall has been passed up for a knighthood. I suspect it has something to do with remarks about Wayne Rooney’s language and Robert Mugabe’s leadership, and note that a certain Will Buckley was in the room on that notorious day. Regardless, in protest of the It’s a Knockout star getting an O rather than a K in the New Year’s list, my thoughts on this beauty of a player will start off a little more plainly than regular readers have come to expect. Will Buckley has as much talent as any winger currently contracted to a Championship club. Will Buckley is struggling to make the team at his second consecutive Championship club. The latter statement may seem harsh from a Watford perspective, given that he made 27 league starts last time around. But while the previous manager was appreciative of Will’s ability, he left Buckley out when fit on several occasions, and substituted him at least a dozen times after an ineffective hour or so. The aforementioned Scot cited a lack of self-belief on Buckley’s part when the pair of them were here. The ex-Celtic centre back knows Will better than any of us, but I do wonder. Bucko (as only club official sites ever have or will call him) has ripped many of the best teams in the Football League to shreds, and produces some of his best on camera. From the bench, he turned around the first competitive game at The Amex, instantly ensuring his place in Brighton history. He’s the only thing to have shone for Rochdale since they stopped using leather balls. Are those actions indicative of a shrinking violet? It’s not as if there’s much wrong with his game either. He doesn’t get too many crosses in, but that’s to be expected for a lad that started out as a striker. “Lad” is a term that is rightly going out of fashion, but in a football context is a fair description of someone a mere fifteen months older than Sordell. Buckley’s trickery and tenacity when he cuts inside tends to result in something, if not always an immediate killer ball, and he seems just as fast regardless of whether or not the cow’s backside is at his feet. When he does get a sight of goal his finishing is none too shabby. Defensively I wouldn’t describe his demeanour as being out of the ordinary for a winger, nor would I accuse him of not making himself available to receive the ball when his team wins it back. Yet amidst all that, all too often games seem to pass Buckley by. I guess having bought him, that riddle is now Albion’s to solve. Although if Buckley’s problem is purely a mental one, I question whether the forthright Gus Poyet’s approach will work. For sure, he's a talented manager and wants his teams to produce good football. But if the recent “big nose” remarks are anything to go by, Gus will most likely be telling Will on a weekly basis that he doesn’t perform often enough, could do with a haircut, and is white. No obituary on a Watford career would be complete without discussing the circumstances of the departure. My gut reaction is that we got rid of Buckley prematurely, and you can’t blame Brighton for taking a £1m punt on someone who under the right guidance has the raw materials to flourish in the Premier League. It wasn't a disaster for Watford though, making a tidy profit on a player who by his own admission only showed Hornets fans glimpses of his best. The real grey area is which of the player, ex-manager or owner was the driving force behind the deal. If Buckley forced us to sell, I like any fan of any club would be inclined to say good riddance regardless of talent. I list the second option for completeness, but surely something as explosive as out-and-out sabotage would be in the public domain by now. And wherever the signs may point, I’m reluctant to conclude an article with an accusation of profiteering on the owner’s part, without anything concrete to substantiate it. Judgement of the deal is in my opinion an ongoing process. My approach is to keep tabs on the current high-profile Hornet at a similar stage of his development to Buckley. If that player goes for an average Championship fee now, the short-sightedness of our player trading model will be laid bare. If on the other hand we hold our nerve until he starts to look the finished article (or truly silly money is forthcoming now) I’ll be prepared to write the Buckley sale off as a judgement call I disagree with, but one made for the right reasons. With thanks to: BSaD for the inspiration to do these articles. BHaPPY for being the closest current thing that I can plug. =================================================== I've invited Seagulls fans as this is a generally positive assessment of one of your players. I hope the comments about your manager will be taken in the spirit intended. Previous Straw From The Nest entries: Don Cowie Danny Graham
He was never the same after he got kicked into the Lower Rous against (I think) Burnley. After that teams picked up on the fact that that if you kicked him then he could be intimidated and be less effective. Liked him though.
Another good one NNW. i liked him too, and yes, he isn't reaching his potential yet, but is amazing when he's on the break. However, i do remember he got accused of diving quite a lot, and that became quite a problem...he did go down very easily at times. Jury is still out here too, as to whether it was a good sale or not, but i fear for his future if he's not getting games at Brighton either...
The only thing consistent about Will was his inconsistency! Can see him moving again in this window !
A very fast and skilful player, but rather too inconsistent and a tendancy to go down very easily - but the jury is out if he will become a Premier class player and our transfer policy flawed or he will float around many lower league clubs like som many other players before him and we cashed in at the right time.
Whilst he stayed on his feet he was quick and could beat most players, but once he got tackled roughly shall we say he didn't like it and yes in his early days he fell over far too easily, best described as inconsistent.
Excellent value for money - for us but not for Brighton. Too lightweight, too inconsistent & doubt that he will ever improve enough to make it to the top.
