Good assessment in all. Lo-Everton definitely needs to go out on loan and be tested in mens football, it would be a waste to have him playing U23 football next season. They do need to find the right type of club for him though.
The “#8” is the more box-t0-box CM, basically what Doucoure was for most of his time with us (with the the “#6” being the more deep-lying DM e.g. Capoue, and the the “#10” being an attacking midfielder or second-striker, e.g Zinckernagel.
This is outrageous. The #6 is clearly the Alan Garner/Ian Bolton role. Who agreed these changes and why wasn't I consulted ?
Eleven. The National league doesn't finish until the end of May - it was badly hit by c19 & winter weather. Wealdstone 'may' be involved with a relegation battle.
Terrible day for any Wealdstone-based Hornets! At least Lo-Everton scored though, I make it his first senior game?
There's going to be a big shake up in the academy. Richard Thomas has been removed from his position with immediate effect and more to follow. AL has also written a piece on this, and although he's not stated we are going to apply to be Cat One, he has quoted a source saying Watford need a strong category one academy director overseeing things. The club want more players coming through to the first team and things have to change in order to get this realised. Exclusive: Watford plan academy shake-up with manager Richard Thomas the first to leave – The Athletic
We get through as many youth team coaches as 1st team managers! Not sure it does much for our reputation.
It's a very difficult task for us to bring any players through the academy of the required standard given that all the best ones will get nicked early by our PL rivals, but it's still abysmal that it's been over 15 years since we had an academy player break through to become a first team regular, heck, to even become a regular on the sub's bench. Can anyone even think of any other teams in the top two divisions who will have had such a miserable record with producing youth players for its first team in recent years? Surely basically every other club will have managed at least one in the last decade or so?! Our current lot seem a bit more promising than I've seen in recent years, but it's still unlikely any of them will make it.
I don't think changing the coaches almost each season can help really. Players get no continuity in their development with the same set of coaches.
Well the likes of Sordell and Murray were more like 10 years ago, and while we all thought they were the dog's ******** when our academy was fruitful when we were skint, they wouldn't have got into our Prem teams, and might not have made it into our team this season. Our young lads have been rather weak in recent years, been a slight pleasant surprise this season, but it's hard to envisage any of them breaking into the team any time soon unless they improve massively or we decline massively
I forgot about those two. Sordell was decent for a while, though I never really rated Murray. They were also both ages ago still.
Yeah, they were ages ago, but my point is, we had lots of players come through then (we had to or else we'd have fallen into League 1), but even with a platform for academy lads to progress to the first team, we still couldn't produce a real star who'd get in our team these days
Academy player of the season was Bosun Lawal. All I can really see online about him is that he is a midfielder and he is turning 18 later this month. Deeney has today compared him to Doucoure. Does anyone more knowledgeable about the U23s / Academy know how much of a prospect he is and if there is a realistic chance of progression to the first team?
"The following 13 players will leave the club: Mac Chisholm, Thomas Horsewood, Max Thompson, Phoenix Patterson, Bayli Spencer-Adams, Maxwell Statham, Mason Barrett, Sam Dalby, Harry Forster, Teddy Perkins, Toby Stevenson, Mitchel Bergkamp and Henry Ochieng." source: https://www.watfordfc.com/news/news-retain-release-list-confirmed
Hopefully teams like Wealdstone will pick them up. Spencer-Adams is a full international! (for Guyana)
Heard Spencer-Adams played a game for Burnley U23s recently, so I would assume he's off up north. Actually thought he looked quite good against Tranmere, it was only when he was subbed that it all went **** up, shame he's gone as he's still a baby in defensive terms
Another member of the Academy staff going . https://mobile.twitter.com/WatfordFC/status/1394740042346733578
Cukur has been called up for the Turkey u21 squad next month against the Ukraine in a friendly. Edit: date of the match is 1st June
Richard Johnson has been put in charge of the academy https://www.watfordfc.com/news/club/news-johnson-gilligan-taylor-made-for-academy Not quite the appointment I was expected when they announced they were making changes.
Hopefully not just jobs for the boys and they do the job getting more youngsters a chance but then it’s up to the first team manager at the time to pick them ..
I'm pleased to hear of these two appointments. JG is highly regarded as a tutor I think. Johnno clearly still loves the club.
