The Player You Most Regret Leaving Watford…

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by Optimistichornet, Jun 10, 2022.

  1. Optimistichornet

    Optimistichornet Penguin Assassin

    Can be from anytime during your Watford supporting career; for me that spans from 1994 to present.

    So the player I most regret leaving was Heidar Helguson. He was never the most talented player on the pitch but to this day I don’t think I’ve seen a harder working player in a Watford shirt. Despite not being the tallest player he had a hell of a jump on him and was so damn brave. I don’t think I ever saw him beaten in the air.

    As a young fan at the time he was someone who I tried to model myself on. Even now at 33, I still try to be the hardest working player on the pitch.

    His sale provided much needed funds at a time when we were in a desperate financial state, however I never forgave the club for that one. I still get goosebumps remembering his double against Leicester on his homecoming.

    Near misses for me were Tommy Smith and Odion Ighalo.
     
  2. LondonOrn

    LondonOrn Squad Player

    Thought of quite a few, in no order:

    Gravelaine (if retrospectively, as he left pretty much as soon as I became a Watford fan)
    Young
    Johnson (or rather him not agreeing to extend his loan)
    King
    Some Pozzo players who were never given a chance in the big league, like Munari and Angella, or were played there and released too early without getting the best out of them (Abdi)
    Deulofeu
    Capoue
    Hughes

    And I imagine Phillips is pretty high on many people’s lists (and even Ramage despite ending his time with us under a cloud)?
     
  3. Optimistichornet

    Optimistichornet Penguin Assassin

    so which one the most then? Phillips is a good shout. I was never too bothered about young moving on or king really.
     
  4. LondonOrn

    LondonOrn Squad Player

    Probably Deulofeu.
     
  5. Optimistichornet

    Optimistichornet Penguin Assassin

    It was certainly a shame to see him go, but I think because of the relegation i found it didn’t really hurt. It expected and I had made my peace with that.
     
  6. RS2

    RS2 Squad Player

    Fabbrini.
     
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  7. Optimistichornet

    Optimistichornet Penguin Assassin

    i had forgotten he even existed! What ever happened to him?
     
  8. K9 Hornet

    K9 Hornet Border Collie Dog

  9. Dorset-Orn

    Dorset-Orn First Year Pro

    Good question.!
    Nordin Wooter, (far too quick footballing brain for the team to join in.)
    HH - a big hero for me.
    Marlon King - arrogant but we really missed him when he left.
    Tommy Smith - good player, big heart. (I'll always remember him being attacked by a policeman at Bmth when he ran on the pitch after we beat them midweek in the cup.)
    However my caveman heart goes for my 2 biggest heroes... Tommy Mooney and Robbo.... Big hearts, big lungs, always 100 pct and no B/S..!!!
     
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  10. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    I was kind of gutted when Battocchio left.
     
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  11. Optimistichornet

    Optimistichornet Penguin Assassin

    i was a little bit too young to really appreciate Mooney. I feel now that he would certainly have been a hero of mine.
     
  12. Optimistichornet

    Optimistichornet Penguin Assassin

    before my time, can you enlighten us?
     
  13. Warrington Hornet

    Warrington Hornet Reservist

    Kevin Phillips
     
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  14. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    The only things that matter are the fans.
     
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  15. Captain Mandibles

    Captain Mandibles Academy Graduate

    Glyn Hodges
    Gary Penrice
    Mark Falco
     
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  16. davisp2

    davisp2 Reservist

    Jason Lee
     
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  17. Hornpete

    Hornpete Squad Player

    Robinson and Phillips because we all knew they were worth more, only sold because we were strapped for cash.

    Helguson was replaced with Henderson and we got promoted but want really replaced.
     
  18. LaClusazSki

    LaClusazSki Reservist

    Cliff Holton
     
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  19. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    David Bardsley and Mark Falco.

    Made no sense to me as a young lad.
     
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  20. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    Tomas Galvez.
     
  21. AndrewH63

    AndrewH63 Reservist

    I was gutted when Billy Jennings left, and shed a tear when Roger Joslyn went to Reading.

    I knew the writing was on the wall when Tony Coton and John McClend left. Some hope disappeared when Alun Neilson played his last game. When Abdi left I never thought I would ever see again a player who would have such an impact and transform the way we played.

    But on reflection I think it was the loss of Ian Bolton that had the biggest impact on the team. He really should have stayed for another five years. Without doubt one of the most important (and often overlooked players) on our great rise from fourth division obscurity to an established top thirty club.
     
  22. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

  23. Arakel

    Arakel First Team

    Was really gutted when Robbo left; the fact it was for 250k just rubbed salt into the wound.
     
  24. goldpapaya

    goldpapaya First Year Pro

  25. FromDiv4

    FromDiv4 Reservist

    Kevin's Richardson and Phillips
     
  26. Dorset-Orn

    Dorset-Orn First Year Pro

    Just realised, it was Kev Phillips not Tommy Smith that got bashed at Bmth..!
     
  27. Teide1

    Teide1 Squad Player

    That’s correct I was there, he had a club tracksuit on and the policeman thought he was a fan running on the pitch at the end of the game!
     
  28. Teide1

    Teide1 Squad Player

    It was inevitable but gut wrenching when John Barnes went to Liverpool for 900k and the paid 2.1 Million at the same time for Peter Beasley!
     
  29. StuBoy

    StuBoy Forum Cad and Bounder

    Darren Bazeley.

    Gutted I was when he left after our promotion. Gutted I wouldn’t ever hear the man who always used to sit behind me in the Upper Rous slag him off ever again. During every match.
    Gutted he was replaced by Des Lyttle.
     
  30. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    I bet he was too .

    Never got a chance of Premier league football again !
     
  31. Stanley_Rous

    Stanley_Rous Academy Graduate

    Neil Redfearn. Didn’t stay with us long enough, and those cup free kicks v Newcastle and Derby were sublime. Left for pittance, so presumably wasn’t a ‘fire sale’ sell, and did the business in that Oldham team of the 90s (Holden may well be my second choice)


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
     
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  32. hemelhorn88

    hemelhorn88 Academy Graduate

    Andy Hessenthaler my first football hero. Was horrible as a 8 year old hearing the abuse he got from our fans.
     
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  33. SkylaRose

    SkylaRose Administrator Staff Member

    Good question.

    Easy. Jordan Stewart.




    Only joking. It's got to be Delafoo or Young. We had Young when he was, well, young :) and he was very good. Looking back, maybe the 9M to Villa was a bit low? But in keeping with football finances back then it was quite a lot of money for a small club like us for one transfer fee.
     
  34. The Duck

    The Duck Academy Graduate

    When I saw this thread, several players came to mind:

    Mark Falco (best target man since Ross Jenkins)
    Malcolm Poskett, I used to love watching him play.
    Tony Coton. Legend. What more can be said.
    Steve Sims. Gutted when he left for Notts County. Loved it when he came back.
    John McClelland, arguably the best centre back we have ever had (very closely followed by Steve Sims and Ian Bolton)

    John Barnes, Nigel Callaghan, Rick Holden. There are so many. The list is endless.
     
  35. westbridgfordhornet

    westbridgfordhornet First Year Pro

    Yes spot on, Tony Currie without a doubt.
     
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