They would have definitely been right - there are ZERO ZEEERO 0000000000.00000 (none, nada, zilch) CBs playing in the PL at the same age as Wilmot.
Because the vast majority of young players bought have been non-EU and not full internationals, they wouldn't get a work permit to play here immediately anyway. One of reasons for loaning the young players out is to get dual citizenship (or whatever it's called) so they can play for Watford further down the line OR make them a more sellable asset if they're not considered good enough. That works for both Watford AND the player remember. While they're in the holding process of getting a European passport over 3 years(?) they also get to play some competitive football. It may not be of a massively high standard but it's better than the u18/u23 rubbish over here even if they were eligible. Watford will also learn about the character of the person. Penaranda is a case in point. He may well be a talented footballer but if he's unable to apply himself within a team or club, as the rumours and reports seem to indicate, then he's never going to make it. For the players themselves, they're getting a good opportunity of being attached to a (for now) Premier League side, have the security of a lengthy contract and if things go their way, play in one of the most televised divisions in the world with all of the financial rewards that brings. Put it this way, if a young South American player gets a 5 year contract at the age of 19 and is loaned out to clubs in Spain, Belgium, Italy or wherever while knowing full well he'll be employed until he's 24 - that's not a bad way to spend your early 20's! Seeing different cultures, playing football and getting paid more than you probably would do back home while all the time having an outside chance of progressing upwards to full financial security... where do I sign up!
They might have been. But if you don't put youngsters in they don't develop. Sometimes a minor reduction in current ability is worth the upside.
So maybe we should have been happy this season to have sacrificed 3 or points to blood some inexperienced youngsters ?
Britos didn’t even play in any league games? Nor has Gomes the last two seasons. Points aren’t at risk. If we had to play Gomes for 8 league games we were stuffed anyway.
It’s a bad example anyway because any games Britos played in so did Wilmot anyway from memory so it wasn’t an either/or.
I don't believe many hero worship him but we are in a better state than when he arrived in most things, communication not being one of them. He is arguably the best owner we've had and at the very least second so I do believe he should receive a fair amount of credit and also does appear to be in it for the long haul. He doesn't get everything right and there are certainly things that he has done since taking over that have not been great but he's done far more good than bad in my opinion
Because he very rarely has anything good to say about anything to do with the club although Pozzo is the brunt of it most of the time.
Whereas you are rarely critical of anything the club does. Mainly because he's the 'best owner we've ever had' in your eyes. Which isn't hard as we've only ever had two decent owners. And Giraldi is the one that gets most of my criticism.
True. Maybe Pozzo should have stayed away and we could have stuck with Baz. I'm sure that would have worked out better
I will criticise if I feel it's deserved and quite often do so in match threads but I like to focus on the positives rather than the negatives. So he's one of the best two owners we've ever had but you don't like him. Do you not feel he has achieved a lot? Where do feel this club should be in terms of football hierarchy? God himself felt that top 30 would be where we should aim at yet we seem to be top 20 currently and have been for a few years now. I'm not saying Gino is better than GT by the way as nobody will be better than him. I'm just not quite sure what you expect a club like ours to achieve?
And this is the moment where you move away from the point at hand and move to a more generalised view in order to skew things towards the point you believe. Yes, he's one of the best owners we've ever had. Yes, he's done a lot for the club. No, he's not immune from criticism over the recruitment of players, the average age of the squad or the future direction of the football club because of the above two facts. If you believe he is, and you aren't alone, then more power to you.
I get the average age and to a lesser extent the recruitment side but the future direction I'm not so sure about. Not sure what you mean by that
I think after an excellent spell Pozzo is now performing poorly. We consistently rack up external debt while the squad is ageing. How many genuine assets do we have to sell? Sarr, Doucs, Delefeou? You can add to that some chaps on loan doing well. Pozzo trades away and promising players are immediately sold while we are left with duds throughout the squad in Peneranda and Success. The first team squad deteriorates season on season as it ages, and we are just used as a debt vessel for his player trading. When we need additions he just shuffles in an Udinese reserve. “Other” Expenses in the account are huge compared to similar teams. We spend a lot on agents as well. I’m largely alone but I’d be very pleased to see the back of him as I think he is wasting the premier league funds now which won’t last forever.
Indeed. We will see. I think as each year of accounts come out and people look at the value of our players people will start to feel the same. Time will tell.
It's just the go-to statement whenever an answer isn't available to the genuine concerns out there. It'll still be said in 10 years time when a 40 year old Cathcart starts in central defence.
Again, I refer the kind members of this thread to the fake letter, and the Zuniga case. And the Mbaye case.
Maybe it's the agent talking but this guy clearly doesn't want to come to us. https://mobile.twitter.com/WD18Fans...2?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^tweet
It's just that parasite agitating for more money. Despicable breed of human. I'm sure there must be a circle reserved for them in Hell.
