http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21402835# Was catching up on the Championship games on FL show and saw Holloway interviewed about Watfords numerous loan signings. For once I think he has a point. Is it right that Watford can field so many imports? If this catches on how will any home grown youngsters progress? Fully supportive of having the best players playing in our leagues but as with cricket within agreed limits. Views
Didn't Bristol City try an experiment of signing big players on short terms loans...didn't seem to work.
I found myself nodding in agreement with Ian, which is very unusual. I like Zola, he has done a great job, but just simply, how is that allowed? Crazy.
Seems strange, what happens if they go up? They might keep some of the players but they'll still have to build a whole new team, and that don't work.
If they go up they'll probably sign some of the loanees and maybe get some more loans in! I think Holloway is right, though it amused me he wasn't aware of the issue until he looked through the Watford team sheet. Seems a bit sour grapes to me. I expect he'll be on the phone to the chairman asking for some foreign loans as we speak.
This loophole is crazy...rules should be the same for loans from abroad or at home. Watford are able to do this because the owners have two other clubs abroad which can supply the players. This is disgraceful....we could be Barcelona's B team.....is Cortese missing a trick
They have already signed 3 of the loan players I think, the owner of Watford has also said if Waford go up most of the loan players won't be coming back.
Indeed, I saw Holloway being interviewed on late Saturday night/Sunday morning and nearly decided to start a thread on the subject myself. He makes a good point, and even if you take it to the extremes that he took it, it seems perfectly possible to do. There must be a loophole that needs closing. I like Zola too, but agreed, how is that allowed?
But imagine if they get promoted and then most of thier squad get recalled by thier clubs, they would be royally in the ****
The three clubs are in essence one entity, so they aren't likely to pull all of the players. As they have already done, they'll probably just transfer the contracts of some to permanent deals at Watford. I'm surprised by how well that little experiment is going; I wouldn't have thought that a team consisting largely of Udinese's reserve squad would perform as well as they have in the Championship.
Holloway, like everyone else must have known about this all season. Just likes to find excuses for not winning games! The loophole isnt just availible for Watford.. The opportunity is there for all, that being said, it is a rule that surely will be nulled soon.
Hmm, I don't think so. Holloway might have not been anything like aware that a club could sign unlimited loans from overseas, because they are not classed as loans, but transfers. And I very much doubt that Crystal Palace's scouting system extends to the point where they could exploit the loophole, whereas the trinity of Watford, Udinese and Granada seem perfectly set up for the system. Even if the loophole is closed, the Pozzo family can exploit the actual transfer system, but moving players between the three clubs without paying a fee, where and when the players are needed. To be honest, I think it's a brilliant idea. There's money to be made too, by taking the smallest club, shoving a bunch of better players into the squad, getting it promoted, and then selling the club off in the close season, whilst transferring the players you really want to keep, back into the remaining two. Then you go and buy another tasty prospect of a club in a lower division and do the same. I don't know why someone didn't think of it before. Of course, you have to have a bit of dosh in the first place for it to work.
The worst thing about the system is they can bypass the recently approved £105m rule if they go up, by signing players for extortionate sums for one of the affiliated teams and just loaning the players for free to Watford.
I doubt that they will, because spending massive amounts to make Watford into a contender isn't really their intent. However, there's validity to what you're saying, insofar as other teams are concerned. A club could be operated as something of a shell company, signing players on behalf of another club, and loaning them out for part-wages. It would be patently obvious, but I'm not sure what the PL could do about it.
It's sour grapes from Holloway and if he was not aware of the transfer policies of one of his opponents then he is further up his own arse than previously suspected. It's clever work from the Pozzo family. The richest game in world sport is the play off final and promotion is worth even more this season. They're likely to make more money from a Watford promotion than Udinese qualifying for the champions league. I've never seen anything from Holloways own transfer policy to suggest he gives two ****s about English footballers.
I get everything you say, and agree the tri-club family under the Pozzo's really is interesting, and more that it works! But my point is, Holloway has played that Watford team with two clubs this season, if he has only just realised they are all on loan, then he is a bigger arrogant prick than i already give him credit for! You play the team infront of you. And since when does he care about domestic players, he signs players from all over the place, sour grapes for me.
I do also know what you're getting at. Holloway has seen the implications with the games he's had against Watford and he wanted the TV interview format to get it out into the open. I don't think it's sour grapes [well OK it probably is], but although he's got a gob on him, it isn't totally scatter-gunned. He certainly has a point. I think your issue is the timing and the way in which he makes it. Yes, if Palace had won we possibly wouldn't have heard a peep from him. But perhaps we might have as well. Right or wrong, he's not afraid to voice his opinion and it's certainly an issue I bet 90% of football people didn't quite realise or care enough about. Until now.
