Perhaps even more impressive than 50 debuts is just how many of them have gone on to make a real go of their careers, or still have a good chance of doing so. I've also listed a few who, despite their careers not particularly taking off, have done things that I believe would not have happened had they not started off at Watford. 1. Assombalonga: Still at Watford. Was lethal in the lower leagues, and has started in the Championship this season. 2. Bangura: Claimed to have had his life saved by not being deported, which in turn happened as a result of being a Watford player. Played 16 games in the Premier League, and a total of 94 games for clubs currently at this level. Is still earning money from the sport at Forest Green. 3. Bennett: Still at Watford, and has played over 50 professional games. 4. Blizzard: Has yet to drop into non-league, and has played nearly 200 professional games. Was unlucky to suffer long term illness when he did, else he would probably have had at least a taste of top flight football. 5. Bond: Still at Watford. Has played in the Championship, been called up to the full Wales squad, and has also played below the Conference, in the Conference, in League Two and seems set to play in League One. Still only 18! 6. Bouazza: Played in the Premier League for multiple clubs, has played for his country, and has over 200 professional appearances to his name. 7. Brooker: Played for Watford in the Premier League, and went on to make a big impact in the Football League with 294 appearances and 86 goals for various clubs. Sadly injury curtailed his career. 8. Bryan: Still at Watford. 20 Football League appearances to date, and no-one will ever be able to take his Northern Ireland caps away from him. Plenty of time to rebuild his career if he leaves Watford. 9. Diagouraga: Played in the Championship for multiple clubs. Has made 235 professional appearances and counting. 10. Doyley: Living legend. 11. Eagles: A little strange to count him, but he did start off in our academy and did play for Watford, so fair enough. Over 260 professional appearances, currently in the Premier League and he has even played Champions League football. 12. Fisken: Worthy of recognition for his 36 professional games for Watford and Swansea, in a career constantly plagued and as far as I can tell finished off by injury. 13. Forbes: A shining example to those that don't quite make the cut at a club like Watford first time around. According to Wikipedia he played over 100 league games for Wealdstone, is now a regular for Forest Green, and has been capped by England C. Remarkably he's still only 21, and could yet carve out a Football League career. 14. Francis: Another one who, after putting the yards in the lower leagues, is now earning from football in the Conference. Still only 25, so could yet get back into the league. 15. Gibson: Still very young, still in professional football with Yeovil, still not quite sure what his level is. Worth a mention. 16. Grant: Over 150 Football League appearances at the reasonably young age of 24. Currently injured, but when fit has been a first team regular for Wycombe this season. 17. Hand: Has played well over 250 games for League and Conference clubs. A perfectly respectable career if you ignore the blip this season. 18. Henderson: Whatever his goal tally, the fact is that he has notched up 85 appearances for League and Conference clubs, and managers at his current potential are still confident that he can realise his potential. 19. Hoban: Still at Watford, far too young to make a definitive conclusion about. 20. Hodson: Watford regular, Northern Ireland regular, and only turned 20 a few months ago. His career to date is all the more remarkable given the competition he has faced in his position. 21. Ifil: Over 300 professional appearances, the vast majority for clubs in the Football League and SPL. 22. Jenkins: 93 Watford appearances to date, and it's worth remembering just how magnificent he was in his first season. If he leaves in the near future, I'm sure his next club will be a fully professional one. 23. Kiernan: Has had a very strange career path, signing for a Premier League club before making a true impact here. The fact that we were disappointed about it shows that there is definitely something there. Still very young and could easily break through: currently on loan at Accrington. 24. Lee: Has spent his entire career in the top three divisions. Fondly thought of here regardless of how good we think he was, and has made a big impact at Brentford. 25. McNamee: Medical issues and diminutive height notwithstanding, he played for us in the Premier League and has carved out a solid league career. I question whether another club would have taken a risk on having him in the academy. 26. Mariappa: Watford legend. If sold this summer it will be for a sizeable transfer fee, even if that fee doesn't reflect his true worth. 27 and 28. Massey and Mingoia: Still at Watford, and in my opinion still have another season to break through here. Have both played in the Football League. 29. Murray: Clearly something special. Whether he can be the next Ashley Young from our perspective will depend largely on how long the owners are willing to hold onto him. 30. Norville: Not every player is as gifted as Murray or Young, and cynics might ask whether I'm putting Norville in the list to bump the count up. But I'm proud of the fact that this lad made over 50 professional appearances and played for his country, and believe these things happened because he started off here rather than elsewhere. 31. O’Toole: The right player for the system we played during his time, and did a very good job at a very young age. Has spent the last three years at Colchester, and despite an injury of Stephen McGinn proportions he's still going strong in the game (at a better level than Boothroyd, I note). 32. Oshodi: In my opinion we released him too early, and he could easily have ended up at a League One or Two club. Nonetheless, he is a first team regular at a fast improving Forest Green side, and has been capped by England C. Surely it's only a matter of time before he gets back into the Football League. 33. Parkes: Has made 75 appearances for Football League clubs, still only 22. 34. Perpetuini: Scored a winning goal for us in the Premier League, played several other big games that season. Made around 150 appearances for professional clubs (mainly in the Football League) before eventually going into part time football. 35. Theo Robinson: A victim of timing at Watford, but that hasn't stopped him from proving his worth at this level. The best might well be yet to come. 36. Jack Smith: Didn't reach the heights of his brother at Watford, but has carved out a very respectable career for himself with over 250 professional appearances. Worth pointing out that he is younger than Doyley: there are plenty of games left in him. 37. Sordell: I think in the long run he'll look back and concede that he left us too soon, but he's an adult and capable of making his own decisions. Can't fault the job he did for us, and he earned us a hefty transfer fee. I believe he'll break through in the Premier League, but not at Bolton. 38. Thompson: Teenager, professional footballer, full international, highly rated at Brentford as well as here. Injury and continued effort permitting, it's solely a question of where he will make a career for himself, not whether. 39. Whichelow: Has gone off the boil this season, but let's not forget that he is still a professional footballer at a Championship club. Unquestionably talented enough and still has time to realise his potential. 40. Ashley Young: Sorry, don't know too much about him. We made £11m from him in the end though, so I guess he must have been okay. 41. Lewis Young: Still knocking around in professional football, and seems to be doing a good job for his old Watford boss at Northampton.
Ah Perpetuni! I had completely forgotten about him! I thought he looked quite a good player when I saw him. Then he joined Gillingham and his career seemed to go downhill ever since!
Writing about those players was a trip down memory lane (and a read up about a few players I must have watched yet still can't remember for the life of me). Even by restricting myself to 41 players who I feel can easily be sold as successes, I've left out a player who has played in the Premier League, someone who played youth international football, and someone who is still only 20. There are very, very few academy debutants who have truly faded into obscurity, and even they can justifiably say that they played professional football at a high level, and were better than the vast majority of their peers.
Wow thanks for that NNW some very insightful comments too Also worth noting , most go on to be Nice professional gentlemen , without resorting to the more criminal and violent thugs some footballers turn into ( or so the press would have us believe )
Something like that. The Wobby produced the list, I simply went along with it and pointed out that it's a little odd to count him. Even without Eagles, at least 40 out of 49 players making something of the opportunity is a pretty good record.
