I've got nothing against Troy, I don't think he should be anywhere near the squad anymore but that doesn't change all of his past achievements and he will quite rightly be a huge part of Watford history. I'm confused by the 'carried the club through the bad times' part though. When he first joined I think it's fair to say the likes of Graham, Sordell, Mariappa, Eustace and Doyley were the real backbone of our side. Under Dyche he did well but we weren't really a terrible side and then he got arrested. Since the Pozzos have come in the club hasn't really had a bad period. Last season was dreadful on the pitch but so was Troy, admittedly because of injury. For a few seasons he was great but I wouldn't say he's ever carried the club.
You are a true reflection of your own words It's honestly just ******* painful to read over and over again. When are people just going to let go?
By that I was referring to keeping the dressing room onside during the numerous managerial changes. He kept everyone together during those times, and that's never really been understood by many.
Let's be honest, you've clearly shown yourself to be a massive Troy testicle tickler, so no amount of stats, facts or obliviously obvious things that are there to be seen with your own eyes are going to break you away from your delusions and "leev troy alon hez a legend!" mindset.
Sure he isn't going to be the answer now or good/fit enough but anyone who scored 140 goals at any club is going to be a legend in the eyes of many. Don't think anyone can deny that. Off the field comments and issues might be a different matter of course.
Thinking he's a legend because of past achievements etc. is absolutely fine. Deluding yourself in regards to the present reality and fiercely defending him in every situation is just embarrassing, as is insisting that a 33 year old who has just been crap in the Championship is suddenly going to be good enough for the Premier League. Mental.
I've listened to 3 and a half. They are actually quite good and he is open and honest and they are interesting to listen too. The thing I don't like is that is you should limit those honest opinions on football and your own club while you are still actively playing and captain. Save it for retirement
10/10 Listening to Elton talking about our club brought a tear to my eye. Troy came across well too. He really gets our club, more so than a lot of our fans. They way Elton talks about troy is the way I feel about Troy. A true club legend. And a Watford icon. It was also nice to see him refer to GT as Mr Taylor and Elton as sir. *** THE HATERS!
Why? Who gives a shyt what he says (so long has he doesn't bring the club into disrepute). He's a great role model I reckon. I hope he's here still next season, in a limited playing capacity of course.
I love the club. Doesn't mean I’m good enough to play #9 for us in the PL. Legend yes, will always remember the great times yes, need a new #9 yes.
His podcast is fantastic tbf. To me Deeney is a legend who has passed it unfortunately, he doesn't hold us back per se but is more of a limited playing role. Everything seems to point to the fact he has realised this too. I do still want Deeney around the squad but not to rely on him.
I think he is stating on his badges? Pretty good idea - he has a good coach vibe about him. Has a big mouth yes, but speaks mostly positive things and is pretty well known and respected in the game. Whether or not he actually becomes a "good" coach after he retires from the playing of the game remains to be seen. One thing I am pretty certain about, his role in Watford FC will still be a media personality. Be that a good or a bad thing - is purely down to fan' speculation.
Troy was messed up by Covid. Might explain a few things. https://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/1078029857?-276:790
“For the first time in a decade, it had nothing to do with Troy, and the ego side of me was saying, ‘I don’t like that’. I want to be playing, want to be scoring the goals. Least he was honest.
All rather worrying if you ask me. He seems to be on a massive PR offensive trying to suggest he can still cut it in the Premier League.
According to Troy, every spell that he underperforms he's either unfit, ill or playing with an injury. We'll never know if that's true but one thing must be absolutely clear to the club, he should never again play with any suggestion of a niggle/illness. By his own admission, he was injured and recovering from Covid when we went down and then injured again when we were misfiring this season. No player is that important to the team that you put them on the pitch regardless of their condition. He's obviously going to stay and try to get his starting spot back - there were no takers last summer and there won't be any this so he'll stay with us for Premier League football. But any idea that he's the main man needs to be firmly dispelled by the club.
I have now listened to the 5 podcasts put out by Troy as well as watched the WD18 interview with him and I think it is easy to take away from them that he blames his underperformance because he was ill or injured. However there is much more to the story and I took from it that he was trying to do what he thought was best for the club. Did any of us know he was hospitalised with Covid last year? I think that explains a lot why he was negative in returning to the club. All we knew last year was that Troy returned to the club late and was anxious about Covid which was seen as a "cop out" by some on here. I am not a follower of WD18 but the interview with Troy is worth viewing I have said it elsewhere on different threads that it is easy to knock Troy but none of us know what happens at the club unless we are a player, member of staff or on the board. I felt Troy was very honest in the interview and unless someone at the club comes forward and gives a different version of events I accept Troy's views on the subjects he was asked about. What is absolutely clear is that Troy loves the club and whether you think his efforts are channeled in the right way or otherwise, whatever he does, he does it with the clubs best interests at heart. He doesn't travel to away games to be overbearing but to be supportive. He talks about all the staff, from the board to the cleaners, being family members and he treats everyone how he would wish to be treated, with respect. I would recommend that you listen to the podcasts as they are really quite good and professional. In particular I liked the one with Louis Theroux. And for those of you who think Troy is doing the podcasts to further his self interests, at the end of each podcast, he asks the interviewee which is their preferred charity as rather than paying the guest (they give their time for free) he will pay a sum to their chosen charity for their time. This isn't directed at you SLB but can we please lay off the personal insults of Troy and listen to his opinion and not those just formed from gossip and social media.
Surely if he'd already had Covid, he'd be less worried about coming back to work and catching it again ?
That is all great, but it’s all irrelevant to his ability on the pitch which is ultimately what matters. However much of a good bloke he is, how much he does or doesn’t love Watford, how much injuries have or haven’t affected him, whether he had Covid or not it’s all completely irrelevant. Having any sort of reliance on him in the PL is suicide, even as back up it’s just as bad because whenever he does plays what sort of outcome are we hoping for from it? Troy the man and what his personal PR machine churn out should have no bearing on anyone’s current perception of Troy the footballer.
I think Troy's relationship with the club is complicated and quite nuanced. I certainly don't subscribe to the frankly bonkers theory that he's trying to undermine the dressing room when injured. But I am also wary of taking everything he says at face value. An example being the start of the WD18 interview where he made it sound like the club tried to get rid of him in the summer, ostracised him from training with the first team squad and then told him just before the transfer window closed he was staying. He made it sound like it was being done to him and he was being treated poorly. Given his interview on the pitch at Arsenal and his frequent summer interviews about still being a Premier League quality player, I would guess that the truth is that the club agreed that if an offer to continue in the Premier League came in he could leave but none did, so he was reintegrated into the squad. He paints himself as a bit of a victim in the interview but commonsense says it happened the other way - if he'd really been treated like that when he wanted to stay, does anyone think he'd be quiet all season about it and just drop it into the interview with WD18 in quite a neutral fashion? I'm sure he does lots of good things around the club but unfortunately from a playing perspective, he's yesterday's man. The uncomfortable truth is that we are a worse team when he plays and he's hasn't had a good season now for about four years. I also have reservations about his account of the Ivic situation, certain things don't really ring true and there are inconsistences between what he first said about it and his more recent comments.
If I recall correctly, he said that his 1 year old has breathing difficulties from birth. Very little was know about Covid last year so he still had understandable concerns. I wish! Troy said that he hasn't played without an injury since he was 26. He is now 33 and clearly is not going to be the same as he was 7 years ago. He says he is determined to play on next year without injury. He recognises his limitations and acknowledged he can't keep up with Sarr running at 30mph but he may just offer something with experience. I certainly feel that of the current strikers he is a better option than Gray or Success. If we bring in a better option over the summer then fair enough but I still think he may have some value to us as a player next season
That just simply isn’t something that is acceptable for survival in the Premier league, we absolutely need a number 9 who CAN keep up with our winger! We also need a back up number 9 who can also do the same. If Troy is still here and anything other than extreme emergency back up then we’re bang in trouble.
Agreed. Troy has only ever been able to play upfront as part of a 2 (with Vydra/Ighalo or Gray). I can't see us going back to those days. As you say not fast enought to be upfront in a 3.
I find it hard to disagree with your take on Troy's "victim" comments. However just on this site alone if we win without him, it is because he didn't play if we win with him, it is despite him being in the team if we draw/lose with him, he was the one at fault and most bizarrely, if we draw/lose without him, it was still his fault I don't recall one match thread this season where whatever the result he was not to blame for something by a forum member. If I was under attack all the time like that (and that is from supporters of the club let alone the personal abuse on social media) then I might also adopt a "bunker mentality" approach As for his account about the Ivic situation, it would be interesting to hear the other side but I don't think we will so at the moment I only have the first hand version of events given by Troy which I have to take at face value.
I don't know many who can keep up with Sarr though. I certainly didn't see one defender do it last year so who is this striker who can do it? If there is one, will we be able to afford or tempt him to Watford? Pedro can keep pace but we have also seen latterly his limitations as the number 9 in a front three. If we are in trouble next season (personally I think we will be okay) it won't just be Troy's fault and we would need to look at the whole squad as Troy doesn't play from 1-11 in the team.
I do think *most* people on here react to what actually happens - e.g. he was widely praised for his performance at Stoke with lots of people saying that that was the Deeney we'd been waiting for and that he'd rolled back the clock but definitely accept that there are a fringe who will blame him for absolutely anything! I don't think we will ever hear from Ivic but given the way he conducted himself throughout his time with us, Troy saying he had no idea whatsoever what it was about seems scarcely credible. Regardless of his faults with team management and the way we played, Ivic came across as straightforward and decent in all his interactions. Why would he suddenly make up that Troy was dropped for a disciplinary reason if nothing had happened? And not for the first time, Troy's story subtly changes. When he first spoke about it on TalkSport, he said he didn't go and see Ivic when requested and was then blanked by him in the canteen and on the bus. On the recent interview, he says that he had a couple of brief conversations with Ivic where everything seemed fine but that no disciplinary issue was raised.
The forwards have the benefit of having the time between when the ball is released by Saar and when it arrives in the box. Obviously a defender having to ‘literally’ keep up with Saar is completely different to a forward being able to arrive in the box to meet his deliveries. See Perica vs Bournemouth for an example. But let’s just adapt how the whole team plays to suit a 33 year old with no pace, no movement, who scored one goal from open play this season and last scored a header several years ago. That makes a lot more sense.
