There's a thread about biggest flop signings, but who's been the worst loanee we've had? Andros Townsend was abysmal for us when he came and there's been plenty of garbage since pozzo, given the volume of people coming in on loan (what'll happen when they all go back though?). However the case may be closed before it's even open. Ladies and gentlemen... Micky Quinn.
There's a long, long list of terrible loans but three spring to mind 3. Guy Whittingham, spring 1999. We all remember the brilliant run-in, inspired by Tommy Mooney's goals, but it all looked to be slipping away when Whittingham arrived. He seemed to be a desperate throw of the dice and was absolutely useless. Having said that, him being useless (and Smart getting sent off against Tranmere) propelled Mooney into the No.9 shirt and the rest was history. 2. Micky Quinn, spring 1995. A huge, lumbering presence. Amazing to think that only a couple of years before he'd been terrorising Premier League defences for Coventry. 1. Danny Hill, February 1996. Arrived from Spurs on loan and played once, in a truly harrowing 0-4 defeat to Palace at Selhurst Park, which turned out to be Glenn Roeder's final game in charge before being sacked (and paving the way for GT to come back). Hill was everything that was terrible about fancy-dan, lightweight, sideways-passing-obsessed Spurs midfielders. Slow, rubbish and, even though we only had 90 minutes to endure, it looked like he thought he was doing us a massive favour slumming it in a Watford shirt!
Didn't Vialli cover a chunk of Okon's wages out of his own pocket? Or perhaps he offered to but ended up not actually dipping into his pocket? My memory is a bit hazy. Andrew French may know – or may know but may decline to confirm or deny!
I honestly don't remember hearing about that at the time, but information was far more difficult to come by in those days. Awful value for money either way, though!
By Oliver Phillips: "Although it was not publicly announced, it was generally known that Paul Okon's arrival and wages were funded personally by Vialli, or so he intended at the time." Oddly I can't find it on the Watford Observer site, but it is still on the News Shopper (a south London newspaper group owned by the same company which obviously syndicated Oli's columns). https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/6283502.vialli-and-the-local-press-part-eight/
Not defending him, he seemed pretty **** and toxic at Sunderland, but didn't he arrive amidst a serious injury crisis, sort of like Bacuna last season? Thankfully he was never needed!
Apparently we had one in the 90s who played half a game and was never seen again ? Mark Robson or something I think. Remember all the ones above unfortunately! Danny Rose the first time wasn’t great either . He was young and fit then too.
Wish I'd not started this thread, I'd erased these names from existence in my memory space. My Watford memory is all warm and fuzzy and lutherey. One more for the memory burn pile; Kourtney Hause.
In recent time Glenn Murray and James Garner, if we were paying all of Murray’s wages as reported then what a complete waste of time and money that was. Garner wasn’t that bad, but the idiotic Man Utd fans misplaced confidence in his ability was hilarious. He just wasn’t that good and we had players of our own that were better.
We've had a lot of bad players on loan but think it needs to be a bit more than that to be up there for worst loan. Kourtney Hause clearly wasn't cheap, arrived with injury problems, made two starts and was never seen again. Add to that not having a break clause so we couldn't send him back without paying his wages for the rest of the season and a public falling out over whether he was fit enough to play or should be having surgery. And it's not like that warning signs weren't there, he'd only made eleven league starts in the two seasons before his loan. A completely ridiculous loan deal for a cash strapped club that was giving promotion one last go.
******* hell, not even the worst loan from Villa last season! Of all the loans we made, only Choudhury was a success, and I wouldn't say he was a roaring success at that
Collins John. Signed on loan when he had a hamstring injury!!! Mickey Quinn was one of the worst players I've ever seen in a Watford shirt and there is some serious competition for that crown. We've had a few that were welcomed at the time. Ryan Noble from Sunderland I think came with an excellent reputation having scored loads of goals for Sunderland's reserves. He ended up playing for 21 different clubs with very little success although I think he had injury problems. He's only 32 now!
Without looking it up, he did actually score for us I think away to Forest in our promotion season, however although he was a local lad I thought at the time it was an odd signing as he was no better than what we already had.
Think it was v Blackburn in the Zola season and he did some sort of sign to the Rookery. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/22133456 You are thinking of Matthew Connolly who we had on loan . https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/32213813
