2021/2022 Transfer Window Grade

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by Dr. Roland, Aug 2, 2021.

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How do you grade this transfer window

  1. A*

    2 vote(s)
    3.6%
  2. A

    7 vote(s)
    12.7%
  3. B

    22 vote(s)
    40.0%
  4. C

    10 vote(s)
    18.2%
  5. D

    4 vote(s)
    7.3%
  6. E

    2 vote(s)
    3.6%
  7. F

    2 vote(s)
    3.6%
  8. U

    6 vote(s)
    10.9%
  1. Dr. Roland

    Dr. Roland Academy Graduate

    Thought it would be good to get a gauge of how people think the transfer window has gone for Watford so far.

    Grading from A+ to C-

    Of course it's not over yet, so maybe I am a bit too early with this but thought it would be good to get people's thoughts overall.

    I placed it here instead of the transfer list, just due to not wanting to disrupt the elegant taxonomy of that area of the forum.
     
  2. Dr. Roland

    Dr. Roland Academy Graduate

    My overall grade for the transfer window so far is C.

    That is C for Watford. I’m not expecting us to go and sign Messi.

    Josh King - A-, Another player that hasn’t really played properly for a while but on paper and with his history is marginally better than what we have. Probably not enough to make a difference for us competing to stay up unless he finds his form from 5/6 years ago all of a sudden.

    Louza - B One of the best signings so far but let’s face it there is nothing to suggest he will automatically walk into the first team or be able to hack it at prem level. Understand why we’d go for players like this. Let’s see what happens and hope he isn’t a Hughes replacement so we aren’t left relying on him if he’s a flop.

    Etebo - C+, Not as good as the players we already have who haven’t signed new contracts but doesn’t look like the worst idea given the money. Therefore giving the club the benefit of the doubt, the transfer itself gets a C+. If he is to replace Chabs or Hughes, the decision overall would be more like a D. We will lack any prem experience in the centre of the park or in our two starting centre backs.

    Danny Rose - C+, Obviously great player in the past and potentially better than what we have. Hasn’t played for ages. Looks unfit. For this to be one of the better signings of the window, at left back for a team substantially worse than when we went down last time though is ridiculous.

    Mattie Pollock - C, so young, so unproven, loads of potential. Could break into the first team in the next 6 years. More likely he never makes an impact at the club.

    Kwadwo Bah - C, see Pollock

    Dennis - -C I can’t believe the hype around him or how people are even possibly entertaining the idea that he is going to suddenly come good. This has Success 2.0 written all over it. Very happy to be proven wrong but I’m friends with a few Cologne fans and they said he was terrible and had no idea why we had signed him. They stayed up in the Bundesliga last year by finishing 16th and winning the play off game. He barely featured for them and didn’t score in any league games. Unknown potential maybe but with the emphasis on the unknown. I can’t believe how the social media team (and apparently a few other fans on here) are backing him to do anything more than make an odd appearance off the bench for us.

    Ashley Fletcher - D, want to try and see him as an upgrade (given the circumstances) but I can’t justify it. No reason to believe he’ll be anything other than completely out of his depth.

    From when we got relegated last time, the only clear improvement for me to that team is Sierralta. I could see the temptation to argue that Sarr has improved but I don’t really buy it to be honest. Not dramatically.

    I think we needed (at least) :

    1 striker

    1 winger

    1 central midfielder

    1 center back

    1 left back

    ...all of whom would be good enough for the first team and probably A/B rated signings.

    Now I'm not normally one to really dig, deep into the stats, so I am happy to be pulled up here but I don't think a single signing we have made so far really fits the profile of a player we needed to take one of those positions off the list. Maybe King fits the striker. Maybe you could make a case for Cucho (not really a new signing) for winger.

    If I was to include the fact we have some very high paid players still on the books that shouldn’t be and we haven’t re-signed our promotion winning central midfield, a C looks more generous.
     
    Supertommymooney, Sahorn and Chumlax like this.
  3. RS2

    RS2 Squad Player

    Without Fletch it's a solid C. However, throw that colossus into the mix and you're suddenly looking at an A.
     
  4. Cthulhu

    Cthulhu Keyboard Warrior Staff Member

    remind me to look back at this when the season is over be interesting to see what has happened
     
  5. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    I think we are heavily constricted by our poor financial situation. Given that I think we’ve signed players who give us a chance and also players who won’t demand to move if relegated, so on that basis I will give a B. We will probably go down but if that happens hopefully we will have a better base to build from than last time and won’t be in a promotion or bust scenario.
     
  6. tonycotonstache

    tonycotonstache Squad Player

    Spend big people loan. Spend sensibly people moan.

    Sign experience. People moan. Sign potential people moan.

    This squad needs it experienced players on big money to perform weekly and for a few of these rough diamonds to come good too. It won't happen but let's acknowledge the fact we aren't killing ourselves financially in the process. Next season minus the Deeney and Gray contracts we can actually build again with a budget that's sustainable.

    This season was always about trying to be competitive while not crippling ourselves financially.
     
  7. Cthulhu

    Cthulhu Keyboard Warrior Staff Member

    Precisely.
    They want proven, premiership players, without any issues, willing to come to Watford, play for less than theyd get at our rivals, at cost that don't damage us financially. It isn't happening
     
    dynamo380 likes this.
  8. Bubble

    Bubble Wise Oracle

    As it stands it's easily an E.

    Hughes & Chalobah half way out the club, Deeney & Gray still here earning a fortune! No reinforcement at centre-back and although I like the signings of King & Dennis we are still lacking a 15-20 goal striker.

    Simple really, not strong enough in either penalty area and powderpuff in the middle of the park.

    Unless we bring in a minimum of a right-back, a centre-back and two central midfielders (to compensate for Hughes & Chalobah) we are in a world of trouble!!

    Who knows, we could get lucky at the top end of the pitch with Sarr, Dennis, King, JP & Cucho scoring enough goals to win us games (all have the ability to do it) I am just not sure we are good enough to keep clean sheets at this level with our current defence & midfield.
     
  9. HeiaWatford

    HeiaWatford Reservist

    I will be amazed if we're capable of keeping one clean sheet .
     
    wfcmoog and folkestone orn like this.
  10. Knight GT

    Knight GT Predictor extraordinaire 2013/14

    A right back? We have two already
     
  11. Bubble

    Bubble Wise Oracle

    Kiko awful in our last season at this level & Ngakia unproven.
     
    wfcmoog likes this.
  12. luke_golden

    luke_golden Space Cadet

    I think the business we have done has been decent enough, and the players we have signed, for the most part it’s relatively easy to understand why we’ve gone for them.

    It’s the business we haven’t done that concerns me, and the gaping holes in our squad.
     
  13. lowerrous

    lowerrous First Team

    Too soon, there's still another month.
     
    sydney_horn likes this.
  14. tonycotonstache

    tonycotonstache Squad Player

    Graham Taylor in 99 didn't sign anyone for cash until September and only spent on three players. Wooter, Miller and Helguson. One was a nearly great, the other was a disaster amd the last was a legend.

    We are back in this rockpool of transfers. That's the reality.

    I quite like it. At least at this level we can boo a player coz they are ***** as opposed to playing ***** and we know they should be better!
     
  15. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    He also got Lyttle and Cox. The former was not good enough and I can't remember how long he played for us afterwards. Cox was bought in the November and was at the club for 5 years or so. Plus let's not forget Gravelaine, who turned up, looked good and then ****ed off after 5 or 6 matches.
     
  16. tonycotonstache

    tonycotonstache Squad Player

    Exactly. Made a profit off Gravelaine though! Dez Lyttle was never going to replace Bazeley on the right. Cox was the sensible and cheap option at the time.
     
    SkylaRose likes this.
  17. Arakel

    Arakel First Team

    Signed him later on in the season, didn't we? I'm pretty sure he wasn't signed over the summer.

    EDIT: November 9th, 1999.

    Also found this on the Prem web site.

    https://www.premierleague.com/video/single/340015
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2021
  18. folkestone orn

    folkestone orn Squad Player

    Has a team ever gone an entire season without keeping a clean sheet?
     
  19. NemoNemo

    NemoNemo Reservist

    Id go for a solid C+. I think the signings we have made warrant a B+ but I have deducted a grade for not managing to get rid of the crap and sorting the Hughes & Chalobah situation before now.

    I’ve never liked Watford spending big on players, probably because in my Watford supporting life it has never worked. I think a player in and around the 10-15 million mark is like a used car that I’ve had so much bad luck with. Most are cast offs by others because they are **** players but because they are come from a big club they are meant to be quality.
     
    Dr. Roland and PowerJugs like this.
  20. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Wooter “was a nearly great”. :eek: Well, that’s revisionism of the highest order.
     
    Doc0075 and Optimistichornet like this.
  21. EnjoytheGame

    EnjoytheGame Reservist

    Biggest fee paid in the summer of 99 was the outstanding money owed to Jack Petchey, the bulk of which became due upon promotion to the Premier League. It significantly hamstrung the club when it came to signings. They did sign Mark Williams, Des Lyttle, Dominic Foley and Alex Bonnot, all on free transfers.
     
  22. Lloyd

    Lloyd Squad Player

    I don't know anything about any of the players we've signed (except Rose, who I think will be excellent until October when he'll get injured and we'll never see him again) but for me this transfer window has been a massive disappointment because we've still got that useless t urd Gray on the books
     
    wfcmoog likes this.
  23. miked2006

    miked2006 Premiership Prediction League Proprietor

    Exactly. He was misunderstood, and will always be far too good for us in my mind.
     
    wfcmoog likes this.
  24. miked2006

    miked2006 Premiership Prediction League Proprietor

    We’ve kept our really crap players on high wages.

    We’re probably losing two of our best players.

    We’ve signed players who are absolute punts for next to no money, and generally don’t play in positions where we desperately need new signings.

    Other than that, I’d give us an A*
     
    wfcmoog likes this.
  25. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    Dunno. Loved the fellow. Happy to see name on teamsheet!
     
  26. NathWFC

    NathWFC First Team

    B-

    I like most of the signings, but centre midfield and centre back both desperately need addressing or it'll drop to a D-.

    A possible bigger problem is the fact that, as usual, the new signings will likely be wrongfully kept out of the team by Troy "bigger than the club" ****ing Deeney and the other woeful cloggers who linger like a bad smell.
     
    Dr. Roland and SkylaRose like this.
  27. tonycotonstache

    tonycotonstache Squad Player

    Greater than average then.....
     
  28. Knight GT

    Knight GT Predictor extraordinaire 2013/14

    Kiko was no worse than anybody else and had been fine before that. There are other positions far more important. In fact full backs we are probably fine
     
  29. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    If you look at it as a whole and consider incomings and outgoings, then it’s probably something like a D or an E. We don’t even look remotely close to shifting any of the garbage we’ve accumulated over the years.
     
  30. NathWFC

    NathWFC First Team

    Yes he was, he was absolutely appalling, and he mostly wasn't "fine" before that at all. Just completely out of his depth as an actual defender at Premier League level. Few decent games at left back the season we went down, that's about as good as it ever got.
     
    wfcmoog and NorwegianOrn like this.
  31. LouOrns

    LouOrns First Year Pro

    I mean, he definitely wasn’t appalling. He was one of the best right backs outside the top 6 in the 17/18 season. Multiple podcasts also had him in their alternative team of the season
     
  32. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    He was willing and likeable, but ineffective and therefore a waste of nearly a million quid, which was a lot back then.
     
  33. Rvjgd

    Rvjgd Academy Graduate

    I think it's good we've kept one of the best championship defences ever together. Strengthened it with rose even.
     
  34. Knight GT

    Knight GT Predictor extraordinaire 2013/14

    That’s your opinion but I felt he was fine before the relegation season
     
  35. LaClusazSki

    LaClusazSki Reservist

    Overall a C.

    King - B. Will he be bothered? If so, could be a decent signing. I have my doubts.

    Louza - B. Highly regarded in France as 'one with a future'. Though l am not sure we are the club to enhance his career. He could be a decent player.

    Rose- C. Over the hill? I hope not. Physical and mental issues. He could work out, but l think he will take a look and feel it is just not for him. He will sit and honour his contract.

    Fletcher - D-. Waste of space. I would be more than happy to be proved wrong

    Etebo - C. Bags of energy, but is he just a headless chicken? Does he have the quality for the Premier league?

    Pollock - C. Young, but injury prone like Prodl. Not sure he will ever play in tbe first team. Good luck to him though.

    Bah - C. Another youngster. I don't know anything about him. Will he feature for us? Who can tell? Good luck to him

    Dennis - D-. This player comes with a Warning. If the Nigerian Press tell you he is trouble, then we only have ourselves to blame for signing him.
    FC Koln fans were happy to wave him goodbye and pay his plane fare out.
    Will the English league follow the Belgium and German leagues in being pleased to see the back of him?
    We should nickname him 'Beano'.

    Angelini - C+. This young Keeper comes with some good reviews. Then again, so did Dahlberg and we seem to have royally pissed him off.
    One for the future. Again, probably not at Watford.

    Interesting season in front of us.
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2021

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