Good to see the club are finally looking to make stronger connections with clubs and their academies in the local area with what looks to be a new position within our own academy. https://www.watfordfc.com/index.php/news/careers-academy-lead-schoolboy-scout Also encouraging to see we're putting more resources and focus on schoolboy scouting. Is it all another pointer to limited funds for swathes of transfers in the short to medium term or a realisation producing younger talent with an actual pathway to the first team is actually viable? Who knows. However you see the academy and whether it's a success or should be binned - a recent England under-19 side had 4 or 5 players start the game who originated from Watford's academy, albeit with just one player still here, so it's doing something right! - it's important to continually try to improve the set up and make it an attractive proposition for young players and their families. It would be interesting to know if the budget for running the academy has been increased (hello Mr @AFWO ) for these new directives or if funds have been diverted from elsewhere within it, but overall it looks a positive thing in the long run.
Good news for the bigger clubs. We might have even more decent prospects coming through our conveyor belt for them to cherry pick.
It’s still there, just outside Ricky and on the border of London. Part of the ULEZ now I understand. Sad times.
Sorry LR, I've deleted my waffling initial reply as it seems I can no longer digest a sentence with more than half a dozen words so didn't read your post properly Yes, we probably do have a Head Scout for this remit but it looks as though the 9 to 14 year old age group is being targeted specifically now and possibly given its own mini section within the academy. The new role also tries to forge official relationships with the academies and junior set ups of local clubs so has a broader scope I'd imagine than any position the academy previously had.
Sorry if this has been asked before, but to those who have seen some U21 games, how far is Abbott in his progress? Considering we only have three senior center backs…
Myself and a couple of others have been talking about this recently. Here are the upshots of our conversations... Physical attributes. It's nigh on impossible to tell from under 21 games if any player stepping up will be physically strong enough and, as a central defender, it's a very important part of his defensive ability. We've not seen him get bullied by opposition forwards but then he doesn't dominate those he's playing against either. As with his strength, his speed is another attribute where it's not easy to tell where Abbott is at. Personally, I think he'll struggle against those with a modicum of pace. Reading the game. He does get drawn away from his central position quite easily but this may be down to inexperienced full-backs losing their position. One obvious thing watching Ryan Andrews at under 21 level was the number of interceptions he made which, in my book, shows a good starting position and good decision making as to when to go for the ball or when to allow his opponent the ball and defend from there. Now it's impossible to directly compare Abbott with Andrews because they play in different defensive positions but I cannot remember the former stepping in front of a forward very often to nick the ball away. So he's either 1: a bit slow/indecisive as to when to step up for the ball, 2: sits off his player because he doesn't have the pace if the ball is played beyond him or, 3: the coach doesn't want him to do it! I'm sure there are other possible reasons but it's not something he seems to do naturally. In the air. Not a particularly strong point when defending, say, kick outs from the keeper but is able to get on the end of free-kicks/corners when in attacking positions. This suggests to us he is weak overall as he doesn't appear to have either a natural spring or enough strength to out jump an opposing player who has the momentum of running before jumping for the ball. On the flip side he does seem to find a path to the ball when attacking it from free-kicks and corners. On the ball. Always makes himself available to his keeper, full-back or deep lying midfielders when they have the ball. Appears calm with the ball at his feet and seems confident in tight corners, happy to try to pass out of trouble. He isn't reliant on tiki-taka though and isn't adverse to putting his foot through the ball, generally looking to get it down the left side as far as possible. Doesn't overplay when bringing the ball out centrally and looks for a safe short pass rather than a defence splitting killer ball or a raking cross field pass. Tackling. Doesn't dive in or make rash, aggressive challenges and seems to try to stay on his feet as much as possible. I personally think he could be a bit stronger when looking to win the ball. By this I mean I'd like to see him challenge more with his body than I've seen him do so far rather than trying to nick the ball away or make perfect, clean tackles as this appears to make him relatively easy to dribble around, especially in or around the penalty area. Overall. I think he'd struggle initially with the pace and power of 1st team football right now but if he were to adapt quickly to those parts of the game he may be an asset going forward. It's a really difficult position to step in to and adapt from lower levels - Pollock seemed to do well in League 1 and he's struggled badly in his time on the field for us so far - so I wouldn't expect Abbott to come in and be the answer to anything other than emergency situations for now.
While I'm on here I've noticed three former academy players have scored in their respective matches so far tonight... Dennon Lewis for Woking (National League) Bosun Lawal for Fleetwood Town (League One) on loan from Celtic Michael Folivi for Farnborough (National League South)
Forde scores an equaliser in the 6th minute of added time for Orient after coming on after 70-odd minutes Baah taken off injured at half-time for Burton
Nice easy tie for the kids ! https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/23931666.watford-drawn-home-manchester-city-fa-youth-cup/
Play the youth reserves ! If any of our best youths play well, they will have joined Citeh by the end of the evening.
Damnit. I wonder if they'll have Galvez playing for them. Hopefully the club at least shows this on youtube as they did with the cup game vs Arsenal last season.
I don't know if anybody is actually bothered or I've just not seen the posts, apologies if that's the case, but these players are out on short term loans. Hamzat Balogun (18, defender) - Bedford Town (Southern League Division One Central) until November 30 Charlie Stallard (20, defender) - Hayes & Heading Utd (Southern League Premier Division South) until December 3 James Collins (18, forward) - Royston Town (Southern League Premier Division Central) until December 10 Victor Wachowicz (17, defender) - Thame Utd (Southern League Division One Central) until December 10
Looks like they've all been loaned out to Tier 7 and 8 clubs. Doesn't bode well for their futures in the professional game...
I agree, at face value they don't look encouraging moves but there may be one or two possible reasons/explanations why those particular players are out so far down the leagues For all of them, as it's outside of the transfer window there is no way they could move to a league side even if they are good enough right now Despite being way down the leagues, they will still be more competitive games than academy football offers Why so low down the pyramid? Presumably the club want them to get game time at a standard higher than the academy rather than the odd cameo off the bench if they were at, say, a National League side They'll have to prove their worth to play rather than the virtual guaranteed starts for their respective academy sides Simply being away from London Colney for a month and the relative security they have there, it will help test/develop their maturity off the pitch - or show them to be not ready as people for longer moves anywhere else OR worthy of taking up their contract options as the season goes on It could be to see and for possibly other clubs to see what levels they're at to try and get loans higher up come January OR, again, the club have already decided one, two, three or all of them will be released next June and are helping them find clubs/putting them in the shop window away from Vicarage Road If it's the latter point above then it may also be the club trying to secure ties with local clubs as was mooted in a recent job description advertised by the club The academy sides are quite bloated this season so loans for any player means potential game time spreads out across the squads at both Watford and the loan clubs. These players need to play so while it may not be at a standard we, as fans, would like to them to be at, it's better for their development to be playing somewhere than not at all Looking at them individually and with rose tinted glasses... Victor Wachowicz. Still very young, he won't be 18 until next March. Yet to play for the under 21's (I think) so for him I'd say it's a positive loan. Better standard of football, competitive games and a good all round test for him. Will be interesting if he moves up to the under 21's when he returns Hamzat Balogun. 6 months from turning 19 so still young. I'd have hoped for a higher loan though personally I don't think he'll make the grade here. Regularly plays under 21 football so maybe the club feel those games aren't stretching him enough. Playing against bigger, stronger men will test him and may be what he needs to develop further. Possible higher loan in January? Charlie Stallard. Turned 20 in October and has experience of being at a league club (Cambridge United, zero appearances) before coming here from St Neots. Will be playing at his highest level so far but at 20 and Albert Eames (18) seemingly getting the nod over him for our under 21's, you'd have to wonder if this is the club easing the young defender out James Collins. Will turn 19 at the end of December and is playing a level higher in his current loan than his previous club Hertford Town, from where he joined us last January. Has done well at under 21 level so this could be seen as a gentle progression which will hopefully see him get some minutes and contribute the odd goal or two rather than throwing him into a higher level where he doesn't play, loses development time and, possibly, confidence in his own ability
Please keep posting things like this as I think quite a few of us are interested in what's happening in the academy especially as we may rely on it in the future
The club have announced young 'keeper Roraigh Browne (18) has extended his loan to local side Northwood (Isthmian League South Central Division) until January 2. Apparently he's been there since '..late October..' and appears to be playing regularly. https://www.watfordfc.com/news/academy-browne-extends-northwood-loan-spell I don't think they actually announced the initial loan so it begs the question - who else is out on short term deals?
Nice finish early on by Shaq Forde in his first start for a while https://x.com/CentralWigan/status/1728436644338954406?s=20 Mixed bag for the other academy loanees in the 1st half today Balogun played a part in Bedford taking a 1st half lead Stallard subbed off with a head injury Collins out of the starting XI but named as a sub Wachowicz shouldn't be playing as he was sent off on his debut last week. No team news from that game so not 100% sure Browne conceded a goal inside the first minute and in the final minute of the 1st half Baah named as a sub, still coming back from injury
The U21s/U18s play at Tring Athletic tomorrow night in the Herts Senior Cup. It would be good to see a few Watford fans there.
More details here . https://twitter.com/tringathletic/s...6?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^tweet
Amass apparently playing excellently for United’s U21s. It’s bizarre we didn’t give him a clear route to the first team
Probably weren't going to throw him in at 16 but yes must be that good if he is impressing for their Under 21 team.
He would have had a clear route to the first team - when he left we had a crap Kamara at first choice, and a crap Morris as back-up. Now he'd just have an on loan not great Lewis, and still a crap Morris, and an out of position Sema. He could have been making his debut as a 17 year-old come the end of this season. We also supposedly offered him more than we had done any other academy player we'd had. But prospects of his calibre will always be near impossible to hold on to when the major clubs come in. And yes, he supposedly has been impressing for them.
So is the FA Youth Cup game vs Man City not going to be shown online anywhere eg the club's youtube channel? Would be a shame and a bit strange given them last season.
