mmm..... I am not sure I agree.... more to do with the owners..... In the 80s we had a great time... now Sky has come along... have things 'improved' ?? Enjoy... OMG Awful! This whole day =
mmm..... I am not sure I agree.... more to do with the owners..... In the 80s we had a great time... now Sky has come along... have things 'improved' ?? In all likelihood our owners would not have bought in the UK if the Sky money had not been there. Unfortunately the 80's turned into some miserable periods for WFC, dubious owners and an embarrassing three sided ground. The sky money and new owners have improved WFC's lot immensely. We had some magical times under Zola and last season was great fun. On balance yes we have gained tremendously. It is a bit upsetting watching players leave that have become almost friends but they fully understand that it is how football operates today. I fully expect some of the new players to become stalwarts in future. I much prefer watching Watford's international players than journeymen like John Williams and Mike Packer.
I think the Sky issue is a bit of a misnomer.... it is the same for all... so without out it all clubs would still be constellated similarily... To my mind it is more the luck of the draw with owners... hackney and I were saying at the match that given our state if the Pozzos hadn't stepped in we were in a parlous situation... and Sky money or not some owners have milked their clubs... eg. Blackpool and to some degree Newcastle. Of course the other factor is a half-decent manager to use the players brought in...... we have been fortunate there too.... and the Pozzos have chosen well. TBH - I grew up to Williams, Packer, Endean, Eddy and co.. Some of these guys will always be heroes..... My preference would be for the game I grew up with..... I was reading the Fessi article and he talked about sentiment and he did love his time with us.. even bought a house in the area <yike> But yes the world has changed... and taking this season match by match. Hopefully in a couple of weeks time we will have a secure squad and be starting to get the wins we need.
I feel that one of the reasons why our owners bought into English football was that all other roads were closing. Italian football has very few clubs making money, and crumbling stadiums with little infrastructure. Germany is closed because of the 51% ruling there - nobody can own a club like Bayern Munich other than the club itself. The tendency in Spanish football is towards different types of fan ownership schemes - the big 2 Real Madrid and Barcelona are both fan owned, Athletico Bilbao are run as a cooperative, and there are many others. This leaves only England as a country where millionaires can come in and buy whole clubs, often without them having been vetted properly. The way of modern football is not the way you imagine - have the extra millions involved in English football bought success ? Have the clubs owned by millionaires who regularly change half of their playing and coaching staff been successfull as a result ? Take a look at the best clubs in Europe and you see continuity - Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid - none of those clubs would change more than (at the most) 2 of their starting players from one season to the next.
Yes the sky money has benefitted all clubs but WFC has especially profited by attracting the Pozzos who would not have had such an investment opportunity to fully utilise their strengths. One of my all time Watford heroes is Stewart Scullion, one of the best ever dribblers of a ball, unfortunately he would beat an opponent several times before a final dodgy pass, bit like Fabbrini or Fessi. If only he raised his head up occasionally. I know our supporters have golden memories but apart from the first GT era a lot of what I have watched pre Pozzo was far inferior to the recent years.
I fell in love with WFC when Scully was with us I have always enjoyed wingers and the old inside forwards... Cally always frustrated many supporters but he was one of my favourites ( taste in music aside)
Getting older does carry the risk of rose-tinted spectacles but the game has changed. If like me you're getting on a bit but have watched and loved football all your life you do feel differently about the game then and now. It's not easy to pin down exactly why I feel differently but it's something to do with immediacy. I've watched a few National League games this year and it's reminded me of a closeness to the players I used to get standing behind the goal as an 8 year old. I still love the Horns and always will but Sky Tv, huge salaries, regular throughput of players does make me feel it's a different world to the one I live in...and I speak as someone has seen over 500 games at Vicarage Road.
My experience watching the horns for nearly 50 is almost the opposite to yours. As a young supporter in the 60's the players were not accessible to mix with whatsoever. Fortunately I have got to know quite a few of the recent squad through corporate events and open days such as the summer day. I can assure our fans that Fessi, Gabby Troy etc whilst playing for our beloved club probably had a closer relationship with the supporters than many players from earlier eras. I hope the new guys will be just as good.
At the high level I do not care why the Pozzo family bought our club from Michael Ashcroft Baronet after he took away from Laurance Basin because we were doomed otherwise.
Very much what I feel Theo. However, although football has changed, it has changed more in England than elsewhere - because English society has changed and football is a part of that. Strangely enough there are many English football fans travelling regularly to Bundesliga matches now - who find that at places like Dortmund, St. Pauli or Schalke the atmosphere is more similar to the old Anfield or Old Trafford than to the new versions.
i to was a great stu fan and bert slater was as brave as they come but we have to move on the current team mite end up boring but its a results business
Yes.... I saw a TV programme on this.... We Brits seem to sacrifice our traditions for ... what ..... Mammon???
DRINKS ALL ROUND!! I don't think I have witnessed a transfer few days like it. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
I remember when I was younger hearing a rumour that the Spanish Royal Family bailed out Madrid on at least 2 occasions - was that true?
Its been a great window for us,. In years gone by i always fear losing our stars Now i fear keeping too many LOL Come On You Horns
Glad that is over until it all starts again in January. Some of the goings on are quite ridiculous. Anthony Martial's €60m from AS Monaco to Manchester United seems crazy for a player who has only played 29 league games. I believe that Olympique Lyonnais payed €12m for a Spanish youth international, but as in the UK only a few teams can pay out large sums. €2.5m is the more normal transfer fee, but the whole football structure here is much smaller and Canal+are not in in the same league as Sky.
But we have lost them Brian - pudil, fessi, vydra, angella and toszer all gone. Sure, not for the same reason this time but it's still sad to see them go. Still, we move on and welcome the new arrivals and hope they do well. I don't like it much though.
