I think the January window will need some planning soon. Which random 20 players shall we discuss for 4 weeks before watching them all sign for other clubs ?
They should just about be dotting the 'i's and crossing the t's' on Penaranda's passport application by then.
See you all tomorrow for the nightmare. Thank god I'm going on my honeymoon on Friday...I'll need it.
I am not normally pessimistic but am beginning to get that way now. The whole window has felt completely random since the early securing of GD and since the sale of Richy has felt quite a big let down. Could be a long season - we are short of cover in some key areas and havent addressed the obvious flaws left over from last year
Embarrassing transfer window. Insubstantial recruitment and farcial offers being made at the end with seemingly no strategy in place. If they don’t pull something out the bag tomorrow we deserve the car crash of a season that we’ll get.
If what you read is true. If you choose to ignore most it as bollix of the first order, you'll feel better.
Watford fans embarrassing themselves on twitter, with one even claiming we 'deserve' to go down if we don't sign anyone tomorrow. No one 'deserves' anything in football. You work hard or not, win or not. We can certainly do well in the league - spending an arbitrary amount just to please fans is the road to ruin. Gosh, would I feel better if we paid some free transfer mercenary 100k per week? Let me see...er no.
Sadly it’s hard to escape the perception that the Head Coach is a man so delighted to have bagged himself a PL job that he’s unwilling to go to the powers that be and rock the boat by saying he’s not happy about the overall make up of the squad. While I actually remain confident we will see improved returns from Gray and Deeney this coming season, I cannot believe the Head Coach/Manager of any other top flight side would be content going into the season with just those two as out and out forwards plus an often injured Okaka. This is supposition of my part I know. He may well have told Gino he’s not happy. That’s not the impression one gets though. A genial yes man content to work with what’s he got even if what he’s got is clearly not good enough seems a more likely description.
The fact is Pozzo is delivering a relegation standard squad. Comical centre backs beyond our best pair and no striker improvements. We have regressed significantly against the competition and that’s before we get to our abysmal medical and recovery record which is already in full swing. The owner can do what he wants, but I won’t hear a word against Gracia who has been dealt a dreadful hand by the owner. If we stay up Gracia has done superbly. The writing was on the wall the minute Britos had his contact renewed.
Oh for goodness sake. Just think back one summer. Silva kicked off publicly about the state of the squad, clearly didn't give a **** about making his views known to the powers that be, and what did he get in return? Zeegelaar and Wague. This is the most ridiculous of all arguments against Gracia - 'If only he was a bit stronger, we'd have a better squad'. But last season we had a highly vocal coach who repeatedly complained about the business we were doing and still didn't make any difference. If you're the Head Coach of Watford, you work with the squad that Gino and Filippo Giraldi give you. That's the deal.
They're quite clearly selling a product when they say that. It's basically advertising. So instead of buying all the hype, reach your own judgement about the club's potential - and the huge resources available to most of our competitors - and then judge the owners, coach and players against that. We were one of the highest net spenders last summer but still wound up pretty much where we started. That won't have escaped the owner's attention.
Gracia happy. Gracia sad. Gracia after another defeat. Gracia after finding out we aren't signing another striker. Gracia when he walks in on his wife with another man. Gracia when Gino says he's fired in January after a record run of defeats. Gracia giving attitude in response.
I agree in part but no wholly. Every time Gino, Duxbury and Co open their mouths publically, it’s as good as a message to the fans. They’ve said it, it’s right that the fans can hold them accountable to it.
It's a dream though. They're describing a vision of where they want the club to be. But I don't think they've ever been silly enough to put a time frame on it, so good luck holding them accountable! Particularly as we're not privy to everything going on and what we do see is often through the lens of a media which just makes things up to fill column space.
Harry Arter (source: Jim ******* White - SSN shouty desk-jockey) and Moroccon international left-sided attacker Ashraf Bencharki (source: Nail Djellit - France Football journalist) are the latest players not signed (yet) by Wolves, Leicester, West Ham or Fulham that we've been linked with, tenuously or otherwise.
Hope he proves you wrong. Your rants aimed at him are nothing short of embarrassing to be honest. Seems to be the only thing you actually contribute to this forum.
We are the footballing equivalent of those people that turn up at car boot sales as everyone is packing up and try and force 5p into your hand for all of your unsold items.
Our signings are good at the start of transfer windows, ok in the middle and ******* terrible at the end. Can't wait to see who this year's Oulare, Zeegelaar and Ibarbo are!
I think most on here accept that our budget and buying power is one if the smallest (lessist, fewist?) in the league. We will always be one of the favourites for the drop and have to enjoy survival and the odd big scalp as long as it lasts. The sale of Richie this summer suggested we may have more cash to play with to fill some clear requirements in the squad. Maybe Gino et al are desperately working to achieve this but are still being outbid, and players over-priced to achieve this. With the fake news (eg Alcacer yesterday) we don't really have a clue who they are chasing and where negotiations are. What is clear is the squad we have today will struggle to score enough goals and struggle to prevent enough goals to stay in this division. Que sera sera.
Luckily, you don't need many goals, wins or clean sheets to stay in this division. Team morale seems pretty good and we have a squad which has proven it's more than capable of steering clear of the relegation zone.
Overall I do think we have strengthened at the back - Massina, Wilmot and Navarro look shrewd buys. Cathcart looks back to full fitness and sharp. Sure Britos will go abroad and Kaboul (what's happening there?) Will not make the squad. Cleverly is clearly out for at least half a season hence trying to get another midfielder. Expect Okaka to go abroad and if reports are true Success is off to Villa. So that leaves us with Gray and Deeney up front and possibly the untested Peneranda. So if we get injuries or they can't score Gracia is down to the kids. So we must get a striker today. If Alcacer is not happening I just can't see a plan B, C or D at the moment. Hope the ludicrous bids/ loan offers reported for Dawson and Ward-Prowse are not repeated today. Two or three players including a striker and centre-mid are a priority - no ifs, buts or maybe. Don't matter how much they cost if they can do a decent job in the EPL. Otherwise we will rightly be third favourites for the drop.
With no obvious candidates for relegation this season I am a little worried about our prospects. I'm sure we have been in for players but either been knocked back by high wage demands, stupidly high transfer fees our players not wanting to join because we are not a big club and perceived as relegation candidates. Hope we bring in some exciting talent today but not holding my breath. Final nail in the coffin would be if spurs did their usual late business and came after Doucoure.
I watched Brereton play a few times last season and was very impressed. Holds the ball up well, great touch and very quick
I reckon we will get Sturaro and Dawson. And that will be it. Would love us to go for Brereton but Forest wont sell.
The way things are going this years Zeegelaar will be Zeegelaar, we’ll offer him a new 5 year deal 2 minutes before the deadline.
Except if we don’t sign anyone it’s hard to see Okaka leaving. It’s hard to see anyone paying much of a fee right now in any case as he is recovering. Expect ‘Okaka, this is my big year at Watford’ headlines.
That's not true, he has made it clear in interviews even as recently as after the Sampdoria game that he wants more players. The difference between him and Silva is he's not going to quit at the first opportunity if he doesn't get what he wants.
