Best Players To Have Ever Come Through Our Youth System

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by EB Hornet, Feb 3, 2021.

  1. EB Hornet

    EB Hornet Reservist

    As the title says I'm interested to know the best players to have come through our youth system at any point in our club history. I'd like to know who they were, if they played much for the club and what money they made us when sold. The (rough) year they came through, played and were sold.

    Basically I enjoy the Academy section which the Recluse does a great job of keeping us updated with (Drew being a very helpful aid) and I've asked a question about wages that's got me wondering how cost effective the system is now, and how well it has served us over the years.

    If you want to chuck out the names but can't be bothered with the other parts no problem!
     
  2. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    Kenny Jackett.
     
  3. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    Johnny Williams. Local lad signed from Bennetts End youth club (Hemel) at the age of fifteen in 1962. Left back for more than a decade. 419 appearances in which he have nothing less than his all. Loyal servant and stalwart and much missed just passing away recently. Given a free transfer in the end.
     
  4. GoingDown

    GoingDown "The Stability"

    Panos Armenakas
     
    Pozzo Out likes this.
  5. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

    Young
    Gibbs
    Sir Lloyd
    Page
    Porter
    Smith
    Robbo
    Jackett
    Callaghan
     
    BigRossLittleRoss likes this.
  6. WatfordTalk

    WatfordTalk First Team

    You won't be laughing when he tears it up for *checks notes*...Zulte Waregem's reserves this season
     
  7. MIlton Dammers

    MIlton Dammers Reservist

    Cally for me. On his day he was a good as Digger, if not better.
     
  8. The Voice of Reason

    The Voice of Reason First Team Captain

    Totally agree about Cally, although Ashley Young has to be right up there.
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2021
  9. Knight GT

    Knight GT Predictor extraordinaire 2013/14

    Gary Porter and Nigel Gibbs
     
  10. The Voice of Reason

    The Voice of Reason First Team Captain

    Someone who despite what happened to him is a club legend and might well have gone on to possibly be our best player ever had injury not cruelly ended his career, he was our youngest ever goal scorer in both the league and the FA cup and that man is.......................................

    GIFTON NOEL-WILLIAMS
     
  11. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

    I believe Cally had a much better assists record than Barnes. But those two on their day were an absolute joy to watch.
     
  12. leighton buzzard horn

    leighton buzzard horn Squad Player

    Mariappa
    Young
    Gibbs
    Doyley
    Sean Murray when he first broke through
     
  13. 3000

    3000 Reservist

    Ashley Young was brilliant.

    Is the Harefield academy still in operation? You never hear anything about it these days but 10 years ago it was all the rage.
     
  14. Heidar

    Heidar Squad Player

    What Ashley Young has achieved is phenomenal really.

    Promotion against all odds with us, then Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Europa League winner and a World Cup Semi-final. Captain of Man Utd.

    For a kid who was on the verge of being released for being too scrawny. Not half bad.
     
    Bubble likes this.
  15. GoingDown

    GoingDown "The Stability"

    Imagine being the youth academy that nearly released him! You'd close the place.
     
  16. YellowKicks

    YellowKicks Squad Player

    Aside from the obvious outlined above, Jadon Sancho is of course up there, along with Harry Kane who spent a year at the academy.

    Sean Murray was outrageously talented and could have been whatever he wanted - but a lot of issues off the pitch, and Marvin Sordell, a good player, has gone on to do amazing things off the pitch which is testament to the education he got at Watford.

    In recent years George Byers, Andy Yiadom and Britt Assombalonga have gone on to be good championship players who would definitely start for us now.
     
    folkestone orn likes this.
  17. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

    Grant Cornock
     
    Chewitt likes this.
  18. WatfordTalk

    WatfordTalk First Team

    Got a warm fuzzy feeling seeing Murray score in the Europa League for Dundalk, was great fun watching his breakthrough here.
     
  19. YellowKicks

    YellowKicks Squad Player

    Yep wasn't amazing for us for long but that period will always resonate really well with me. If it wasn't for some really unfortunate personal circumstance he'd of been a prem player for sure. Nicest bloke you could ever hope to meet too. Him, Bond, Marvin and a lot of the others that didn't make it (Whichlelow, Bryan etc) were all credits to the club in those years.
     
  20. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Tough call. Jamie Hand, Gary Fisken or Lee Hodson. I'd probably go with Hodson.
     
  21. Guy

    Guy Squad Player

    Dean/David Holdsworth
    Rod Thomas
    Iwan Roberts
     
    With A Smile likes this.
  22. MIlton Dammers

    MIlton Dammers Reservist

    Great list of names on this thread with Murray being the most recent, getting on for a decade ago. It's actually criminal that there's been none since him

    Edit (other than Sancho of course)
     
  23. Knight GT

    Knight GT Predictor extraordinaire 2013/14

    I'm fairly sure we did release him but he begged to stay and train
     
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  24. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Ashley Young has probably been the most successful in his career, but for sheer talent I would agree with those who have gone for Nigel Callaghan.
     
    The Voice of Reason likes this.
  25. hornetfan

    hornetfan Academy Graduate

    I am surprised that no one has suggested Luther Blissett, who progressed to the first team from our youth set-up. He may not have been the most skillful player to play for Watford, but he is our highest goal scorer and he made the most appearances (over 500) for the club. He played 14 times for England (scoring a hat trick against Luxembourg) and was sold in 1984 for £1 million to A.C. Milan, who did not play to his strengths. Luther returned to Watford for £550,000 after one season playing in Serie A. He also played more than 100 times for A.F.C. Bournemouth, for whom he had a goals-to-games ratio of nearly one goal in every two appearances.
     
  26. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Malcolm Allen
     
  27. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Never heard of him.
     
  28. MIlton Dammers

    MIlton Dammers Reservist

    I think that's because he was spotted playing for Wembley & was already fairly mature when we signed him (I think he was 17). Could be wrong, but I don't think he was in our youth system for long before he was playing for the seniors. Great player though, obviously.
     
  29. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    As YellowKicks has said, Jadon Sancho looks a lot like he may well end up being the best ever, or at least joint.

    I thought Kane was only here for a few weeks before he played in a tournament against Spurs and they saw him and snapped him up. Could be pulling that largely out of my arse, though, also.
     
  30. hornetfan

    hornetfan Academy Graduate

    I remember Luther as spending some time in the youth set-up. According to Wikipedia (although admittedly not always accurate): "Blissett began his career with Watford as an apprentice on leaving school in the summer of 1974. He turned professional for the 1975-76 season, making three appearances in the Football League Fourth Division and scoring one goal."
     
  31. hornetfan

    hornetfan Academy Graduate

    Jadon Sancho may well be the best ever player developed in Watford's youth system, but he was never allowed to come through our system because he was signed at the age of 14 as a youth player by Manchester City.
     
  32. hornetfan

    hornetfan Academy Graduate

    Tony Currie was a very special player.

    Tony Currie was released by Chelsea after a trial in October 1966, but he had been played out of position. He was signed by Frank Grimes (Watford’s youth team coach), initially on a six week trial basis, and completed his apprenticeship (which had started at Chelsea) at Watford. He played as an attacking midfielder in Watford’s youth team and also won a number of England youth caps.

    Apprentices had to perform various chores around the club and one of his jobs was to wash the manager’s car with fellow apprentice, Mike Packer. Tony Currie accidentally reversed the late Ken Furphy’s Humber Sceptre into some railings. He was very worried because he was just about to sign his first professional contract in May 1967, but Furphy said that he would let him off this time – as long as Currie promised to send two complimentary tickets when he played for the full England national side. The comment may have been said in jest by Ken Furphy, but it shows that Furphy recognized Currie’s enormous talent.

    He made his first appearance as a substitute near the end of a 2-0 defeat at Stoke in the League Cup. He hit the crossbar twice and played so well that he made his league debut in Watford’s next game against Bristol Rovers in September 1967. Tony Currie (eighteen years old and playing in midfield) scored two goals in the 4-0 victory, but failed to score in the following game (0-0 away draw at Barrow). He scored a hat trick in the next home game against Peterborough (4-1 win) and another goal in the following game against Oxford (2-0 win). Tony Currie was not able to maintain his amazing start (six goals in his first four league games), but he scored another hat trick in a 7-1 home victory against Grimsby (featuring the late Graham Taylor at fullback).

    Sheffield Utd. signed Currie for £26,500 in January 1968 (after they had won 1-0 at Watford in the F.A. Cup). Tony Currie did not play in that game. Jim Bonser (Watford’s chairman) needed to fund the East Stand extension and Stewart Scullion had rejected a £20,000 move to Sheffield Utd. in the previous month. Tony Currie scored 9 goals in 17 league appearances (playing as an 18 year old attacking midfielder) for Watford. His performances could be inconsistent at that age, but Tony Currie was two-footed, and he had a tremendous shot. He also possessed great skill on the ball and was difficult to dispossess, but he did not always work so hard when not in possession.

    Tony Currie went on to make more than 300 appearances for Sheffield Utd. and more than 100 appearances for Leeds Utd. Top teams such as Manchester Utd. tried unsuccessfully to sign him when he was at Sheffield Utd. He was recently voted as the greatest-ever player for Sheffield Utd. by their supporters and he played for the England national team on 17 occasions – scoring 3 goals. He ought to have made more appearances for the England national team, but there was a mistrust of flair players at that time.
     
  33. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    He was signed by City about two weeks before he turned 15, and he had been here since the age of seven; he's our youth player, and that's what counts.
     
  34. hornetfan

    hornetfan Academy Graduate

    I did write that "Jadon Sancho may well be the best ever player developed in Watford's youth system". My point (which does not contradict what you have written) was that Sancho was not given the opportunity to progress to our first team because Manchester City signed him while he was still a youth player. Unfortunately, the fact that Sancho was our youth player for more than seven years counted for very little when Manchester City were allowed to poach him for considerably less than his real value due to the unfair EPPP rules and to put him in their youth academy.
     
  35. hornetfan

    hornetfan Academy Graduate

    Luther was only 16 years old when he signed for Watford.
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2021
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