Fans' Protest Group

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by Lloyd, Dec 22, 2020.

  1. Lloyd

    Lloyd Squad Player

    Instead of relentlessly bleating about it on an anonymous internet forum why don't all those who think Watford FC is being so badly run, organise a proper protest group like West Ham fans have had for years and campaign to get Pozzo, Duxbury, Deeney, insert name of current manager here, etc etc out of the club?

    Possible action might include: pitch invasion (storming directors box optional); mass walk out (assuming, of course, we're ever allowed in again); hire of light aircraft with offensive anti-Pozzo message to fly over stadium on match day; group chucking of tennis balls into penalty area to halt play (this can be done several times during a match).... I'm sure others can come up with other ideas.

    Of course, none of this will actually achieve anything, but it's probably a more satisfying way of letting your feelings known than furiously bashing away at your keyboards all day every day. And the fresh air will do you good
     
  2. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Well we have a long time to plan it all as I don’t think fans will be in a ground for a while ?
     
  3. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    Down with this sort of thing
     
  4. Steve Leo Beleck

    Steve Leo Beleck Squad Player

    Saw the title of this thread and thought you were setting one up. Thought to myself, that is exactly the kind of thing I could support by bashing away on my keyboard and relentlessly bleating on about things but then saw that you were actually proposing doing stuff in real life and immediately lost interest.
     
  5. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    The 1881 when they get the chance to be in the stadium create their own banners showing their disappointment with Gino.

    I suspect he won't be pleased. And like all those who are insecure dictators he might ban their activities. No criticism allowed from anyone. But Watford fans are far too polite. Always have been generally. Gino needs to understand he has crossed a line in the sand. Player power is not the answer.
     
  6. BeersThen

    BeersThen Reservist

    might mean we get a few more shots on goal I guess.
     
  7. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    COG’s not happy with the way things have turned out?

    Easy. Alleviate that feeling by ignoring the fact you were told what would happen and instead inform those that told you, that they are not militant enough and this forum is not the place for people to be both negative and correct.
     
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  8. mrciff

    mrciff Reservist

    Say whaaat?
    4 points off autos, dashing new coach with a swashbuckling style and Pozzos still at the wheel of HMS PTL. All looking fine in COG towers this evening my friend.
    P.s I think you may be taking this all a bit too seriously. When the fun stops etc.
     
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  9. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Ahhh you’re back! Missed your gloating/baiting at the final whistle on Saturday! Must’ve been tough for you.

    Glad you’ve had a good few days to recover your COG senses! Being so wrong about things can take a few days to recover from, I understand.
     
  10. mrciff

    mrciff Reservist

    Okaaay......Nurse!
     
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  11. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

    After all your "Aren't I the bestest, most reasonable, Burnsy" and the "we all support our club, don't gloat" pleas to the "positives" after we got a good result, has passed you by now you think that you've been proved right, and you and the other few suspects like Going Down are giving it large with your "you were wrong" gloating to the nth degree.

    No way have the "positives" been proved wrong nor the "negatives" been proved right. We are fifth with the team playing poorly, we now have a new positive coach (who most of you had written off immediately), and may play better and get promotion, and you and the others will be have been proved wrong (and quietly disappointed).

    So curb your celebrations and gloating until we actually do miss out on promotion - you've "won" nothing yet.:D
     
  12. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    The sense of entitlement on this forum is quite stunning really. Yes a really disappointing 18 months and not everything is rosy in the garden but we're 5th in the champ. You get the feeling some are really upset that they can no longer talk to their Spurs, WHU and Chelsea mates on equal footing. Better get used to it chaps.
     
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  13. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Where have I said everyone was wrong about things? My post was directed at one person.
     
  14. cyaninternetdog

    cyaninternetdog Forum Hippie

    At the moment all we can do is send angry emails to the club or swamp the clubs social channels with our fury. Anyone able to provide email addresses of Gino, Duxbury or anyone else high up at the club? Could send them to this Dave Messenger chap I have seen mentioned on here and ask him to forward them on as he actually seems like a decent chap.
     
    Burnsy likes this.
  15. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Not the worst idea. However, it's not hard to imagine that he's never spoken to Gino in his life...my theory would be that you email him and the very best you could expect is he passes them on to Duxbury who bins it.

    I just think the club would ignore hundreds of angry emails landing on their desks. As I say, it needs an organised fan-group like the 1881 and the Roy Moore bloke to actively turn on the owner IMO. Someone/group that already has the clubs ear and whose opinions are already valued. Whilst I could see the value in a protest group being started, I think its counter-productive to have them going up against a group like the 1881 who just won't turn - and our support base isn't big enough to have warring factions of fans. I just don't think there's enough fans who currently dissent who would be willing to be vocal about it either...

    Plus, and I speak only personally, I just don't have the time to get involved properly in such a venture!
     
  16. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    HMS Pisstheleague Support Group?
     
    Rozerhorn likes this.
  17. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

    The alternative, of course, would be to help and create a more positive culture behind the club as they make a last dash for promotion (a novel idea, I know). I doubt if suppporter pressure will actually make any difference at this stage of the season and protests will merely be a distraction, a hindrance rather than a help.

    I've seen much worse than this in my time. So I will do my best to get behind the push and leave the complaining to the those that think they are so hard done by.
     
  18. cyaninternetdog

    cyaninternetdog Forum Hippie

    The Golden Shower cant still be on board with Gino surely.
     
  19. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Read the thread on the new manager. Plenty of fans who are dubious about the clubs choice have stated they will get behind him and wish for him and the team to be successful.

    There are protest groups at other clubs who support the team/manager but have major misgivings about wider issues at their club.
     
  20. Loyalhornet

    Loyalhornet Reservist

    I remember seeing the protests at West Ham ( which seemed to just revolve around whether the team was performing on the ouch or not ) and thinking it was embarrassing .

    I feltgrateful that Watford supporters would never behave like that’s I still hope that is not the case and that this forum is not representative of our actual fans.
     
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  21. El distraído

    El distraído Johnny Foreigner

    Personally I don't believe it's a sense of entitlement in any way, shape or form. I think this argument is a rather lazy way of explaining the frustrations suffered by Watford supporters.

    Rather, I think it is the continued frustrations of fans that those who are high up in the club have been making the same mistakes for 18/24 months now but are seemingly oblivious to this fact. It has been made abundantly clear to me that they have no learnt from their mistakes.

    They aren't held accountable, player power continues to rule the roost, many players don't want to be there and I for one have never felt more disconnected to this 'team'.

    Just my opinion.
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2020
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  22. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

    Of course there are. You can join ours if you like, it is a free country and I think there is a time and place for such a group.

    But you know as well as I do, that there are several examples of "fans" on our forum that laugh when we concede, look for reasons why our goals should be disallowed and revel in defeat, gloating at others who wanted a win. They say that only be losing matches and failing in this relegation push will we get changes in ownership/direction, so their joy in losing is actually because they "support" the club.

    I find that weird. I also think that one way (maybe the best way) of changing ownership would be if we were to get promotion in a positive way, and make ourselves a more exciting (and more expensive) opportunity for new owners, should the Pozzo's want to sell.

    So I have just stated that I certainly won't be protesting, as I prefer (at this most critical stage) to support, rather than hinder.
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2020
    lutonh8a likes this.
  23. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Sort of back fired in their face when they invaded the pitch attacking players and starting abusing the families of the owners and poor Sir Trevor Brooking had to be left sat on his own in the Directors box one game!
     
  24. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    Is it time for a protest group? In my opinion no, but that's not to say there wont be a case for it in the near future. It all very much depends on how Munoz shapes up.

    We've had 6 years of almost total success followed by nearly 2 years of baffling decisions that have sent the club in the wrong direction. Right now are we better off than we were before the Pozzo's took over. The squad is still a lot better and the stadium is vastly improved. However, the financial state of the club could well be perilous, but that's not all down to Gino and the board. The moment they got so much wrong coincided with Covid and Brexit. Both are massively damaging to finance. If any time we needed to stay in the EPL, it was last season.

    But we cannot ignore the poor recruitment; the lack of awareness as to the lack of strength we had in defense; the decision to spend so much on one player and chasing him all last transfer window to the cost of other areas of the team; sacking Gracia then making a rash appointment in Flores; sacking Pearson with two vital games to go; and now hiring a guy with virtually no experience of coaching let alone management.

    These are all things they have to answer to. However, we have to see how Munoz gets on. I don't expect him to last more than 10 games, and I suspect this will be another failed experiment, but I don't know that for sure. I do believe in one thing Munoz said though in his interview. Everyone has to be together. Without everyone pulling in the same direction it will not work.

    Now he's come in as a Mr Motivator. If that is all he is, he wont go too far, he will need a lot more substance than that. But being motivational is certainly a step in the right direction. His first three games will be hard for him to shine, but if we get good results in these games we could well be set up for the season. Everyone needs convincing. Players and fans alike. The proof is in the pudding.

    If Munoz is a hit then all this bad feeling instantly melts away and this thread will be closed. This is what we all want. However, Gino has taken the biggest gamble since he took over the club. I really feel this is a tipping point and on the face of it I just don't see how Munoz will be a success, so it could all rapidly go downhill from here.

    But, we live in hope. The next two games will either be a success and we go forward with real excitement of a better tomorrow, or it could be a unmitigated disaster and threads like this one will pop up all over the place.
     
  25. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    All fair points.

    All I would say is that those people on here you speak of can be taken in different ways. You see them in the light you have set out and that’s fair enough. I see it as a case of the club’s hierarchy acting in such ways that some fans become so disenfranchised to the point that they find humour in the same mistakes being repeated because they’ve gone beyond the point of anger or frustration.

    I still don’t genuinely believe that ANY person on here revels in defeat or wants the club to lose. The myriad of reactions when we do is just a reflection on the differing viewpoints on matters surrounding the team in my opinion.
     
  26. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    You are correct about the fans. We have the oddest fans like yourself. It’s why Pozzo treats you with utter contempt.
     
  27. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    Goodness me. We’ve had “fans” in inverted commas. And also “support” in inverted commas. All in the same post!

    Guess it hurts when you are wrong all the time.
     
  28. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

    Every single club has odd fans in one way or another.
    There will always by people for or against. People want to create one please do so. Would I get involved, I highly doubt it. But it doesn't mean fans shouldn't voice their opinions.
     
  29. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

    Never mind only a few more days, and you may get the opportunity to celebrate our next loss.
     
  30. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    “Tool”
     
  31. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    All a matter of opinion of course I agree. I'm sure they're highly aware of their failure given their investment has plummeted in value. We have to watch teams like Rotherham and Wycombe, Pozzos have effectively lost say £200m as it stands. Should Scott be sacked ? Well maybe. Gino relies on Scott to make the right calls alongside the calls he makes. "The model" was incredibly successful, at least results wise up until 18m ago. Then complacency over the competance of our defence, lack of motivation of the players after realising 11th place and getting spanked in front of the whole world was as good as it was ever going to get at WFC ? Certainly the management changes were odd but it's also easy to judge those with hindsight. Gracia was booted very quickly and the QSF appointment seemed to have some logic given we were leaking goals and he had a history of keeping things tight at the back. When that wasn't working they were again quick to act and the appointment of NP for some time looked inspired. Most of us were very happy with the Ivic appt at the start of this season. No-one knows what's happened behind the scenes but clearly we are pretty skint at present with no in ability to sell players to realise significant cash and reduce cost base, and no gate money. Maybe Ivic felt let down by factors outside the Pozzos control, maybe he was just too ****ing miserable ? Maybe the new manager will be an inspired choice, maybe he will fail. Player power isn't a new things and isn't limited to our club.
    Like most in these boring times I'm looking to WFC to brighten up what are pretty miserable times. At the same times I'm feeling less attached to the club and feeling less excited by watching footy on tv with no crowds.
    But protest groups and demonstrations......really ?
     
  32. Careful now.
     
  33. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Probably doesn't help the football itself was so boring.

    I watched it with my family and of them went home or did something else before the end of most games!

    Had we been playing well and scoring goals this whole mess would have not happened of course.
     
  34. cyaninternetdog

    cyaninternetdog Forum Hippie

    I wont rest until I see the severed heads of Gino, Troy and Duxbury on spikes in the centre circle of The Vic.
     
    BigRossLittleRoss likes this.
  35. Loyalhornet

    Loyalhornet Reservist

    Well in terms of the oddest fans as I said am hoping they are mainly on this forum rather than in real life . I like to think most people are rational and logical and can see a protest is not really appropriate for’ good owners who have made some mistakes’
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2020

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