If you can, read over Leventhal’s postcgame article. Damning. A fair few ‘exclusives’ regarding this season (and previous ones) too.
Also an interesting and complementary watch for some of the things he says and sentiments expressed/embraced: https://twitter.com/AdamLeventhal/status/1522982853533134848?s=20&t=hzTm5V1yDhlLDYH37NWjhw
A lot of what we've been saying all along, but it is perhaps telling that it's coming from Leventhal now
The Athletic don't pay as much once we're down, his obligation on writing articles also becomes less regular. I'd say that has something to do with it.
I just listened to the first 5 minutes or so. They're going through the biggest reasons for relegation with the first being fan expectations! I turned off after that as one of them started saying that some of the team from last season hadn't played in front of the fans. He also said we wouldn't have been promoted had fans been in the stadium last season. Incredible that their first 'step' to relegation is because of the fans!
Even the WO have been critical. https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/20122777.watfords-season-ended-disastrous-relegation/
Managed to read The Athletic article and its really interesting. As one poster says it was quite a suprise yet refreshing to see AL be so critical of the ownership (particularly given how on the fence he can seem at times). Reading it really makes you realise (if you already didnt know) what an absolute shambles the club is at the top at present and the risk this presents the club not only in the short term but medium to long as well. There's a comment in the piece saying that Gino calls all the shots, yet only weeks ago DNSYE were saying on their podcast that (at the COG Committee Meeting) Duxbury was proudly declaring that the buck stops with him - delusions of grandeur or a power vacuum at the top?! This article (and really would advise others who haven't yet read to try to) only serves to really hammer home what an absolute mess we're in and how we are now the stereotypical basket case club we've so long laughed at others of being. That is unless something drastic changes or there is a genuine shift in the mindset of those at the top - and call me a pessimist - but nothing we've seen from the past 2/3 years suggest it will be anything more than empty words and soundbites.
Core takeaways for those not able to see the article. Gino and Duxbury didn’t go to Palace. Giaretta and Timperley did. A CPFC source says they felt it disrespectful. A club insider ‘freely admitted’ the club is a laughing stock. Claims Gino makes the final call on virtually every ‘football’ aspect of the club. Club source says a collection of things aren’t being done correctly which is all adding up to a big problem - but says club not fully broken and we’ve come back from worse. But no one should deny there are problems. Says the club were haphazard last summer and built this season on sand. Suggests Giaretta was responsible for the decision to retain Xisco last summer and convinced a sceptical Gino. Then suggests the club should have helped Xisco when things were going wrong - but instead they defaulted to what comes naturally. Xisco’s authority was severely compromised and the players knew the end was coming. Suggestion is that no head coach has ever felt safe in the job. Accepted internally that far more should have been done with the defence and recruitment should have been prioritised. Due diligence wasn’t done on Danny Rose (no sh*t) Will Hughes saga affected squad harmony and Louza not being ready was inexcusable. The Athletic has learned from more than one club source that there is unease over the dominance that Bayat has within the club. But it’s fallen on deaf ears. Being relegated means signing Tufan for £5.5m has become an ‘option to buy’ rather than the obligation had we stayed up. Even a source close to the player has said WFC dodged a bullet, and they feel he will struggle to find another club due to his ego. Club are actively working with agents to find a move for Dennis in the hope of balancing the books. Decision to hire Ranieri now widely accepted as a knee-jerk choice purely driven by the owner. Slams Foster for his behaviour and suggests many at the club are angered by his continued antics. Lack of structure in training under Ranieri. Squad had their schedules around Christmas changed at the last minute, meaning family plans were disrupted and players were uncomfortable with it. Meant one player couldn’t take his child to see Father Christmas (boo hoo…) There’s a ‘drip, drip, drip’ of discontent building in the squad - talks of disagreements about bonuses, time spent in hotels etc. One club source said simply ‘We’ve got to stop f*cking off the players and treat them better’. But it never happens. Ranieri’s attitude to training was the final straw - accused of repeatedly calling one player the wrong name. We were keen to get rid of more players in January. One player found out through his agent that the club were trying to push him out - but he hadn’t been told. One player who was sold last summer was promised a new deal, only to be told at the last minute that the club had changed their mind - ‘he’d had enough and his patience had run out’. Night of the Norwich loss described as a ‘total shambles’. Luke Dowling was tasked with finding Ranieri’s appointment - and Hodgson was hired via Ben Thatcher. New manager will definitely be British. Eustace has now been sounded out - but doesn’t sound near. Interviews next week. Eustace is an option for the QPR job. Club are looking at Neil Critchley. Duxbury’s claims of everyone knuckling down pre-Burnley were overstated. Players known to have been frustrated with the long hotel stay again and felt it was a ‘punishment’ not an actual attempt at focussing. One players agent thinks this behaviour will have a knock-on effect this summer. Sissoko and King have relegation release clauses. Sarr and Dennis all but certain to leave. Decisions on Joao Pedro and Cucho yet to be made but suitors are expected. Many agents preparing to have meetings with the club to find out the plan. All that is also padded out with some pretty scathing personal assessment from Leventhal. For once he’s holding Gino to account and doesn’t really make any excuses for him at all.
Although I am a subscriber to the Athletic, I didn’t appreciate how diplomatic and charismatic Adam actually is everyone should see this video!
“Squad had their schedules around Christmas changed at the last minute, meaning family plans were disrupted and players were uncomfortable with “ Wasn’t this when we had an issue with COVID in the squad so surely most things were up in the air regarding training times and personal life ? Didn’t Ranieri say we only had one training season between the Burnley game being called off and the West Ham game ? We all have had to make sacrifices during this period - I know it might be human nature to be upset but just how it was unfortunately .
About time he started questioning the owner. One thing you omitted was his verdict on Gino never speaking as “inexcusable”. Looking at the list in bullet points is good, and it really highlights the failings of Giaretta. So many errors are laid directly at his door. Keeping Xisco against Gino’s judgement, the Tufan deal, no due diligence on Rose, defensive issues overlooked, the Hughes saga, the use of Bayat super agent, and how the club tried to move players out in January without informing them. It’s a long list of failings. I can’t see how he keeps his job.
I have been openly critical of the ownership and management team for years now. I have been calling them out and taken abuse for doing so. It appears I was correct, I take little pride in this as I wish the best for the club. It’s now time for a thorough clear out and wash down for WFC. It needs mass action from supporters to achieve this. Sadly from what I have seen from comments from various supporter groups (allegedly) this won’t happen because the stadium had a temporary stand built and a lick of paint… but but Baz……. Let’s be very clear to the educationally disadvantaged, Pozzo has turned the club into a laughing stock with c £160 million pounds of debt. If you can’t take these continued warnings don’t expect sympathy when the club goes bust. It’s an increasingly likely proposition. but but Baz, but but stadium, but but Wembley. **** off.
Why did we make Sissoko captain knowing it would likely just be for one-year? Not sure it’s good for the leadership of the team if it becomes apparent the leader wants out at the first sign of trouble….
The captain should be Sarr seeing as he plays every minute when fit. Although apparently he played yesterday but I didn't see him.
This I why I think the clamour for Duxbury to go is wide of the mark, sure he’s an awful man and I’d love to see the back of him but nothing would change. You’d have to be incredibly naive to think Gino isn’t behind pretty much every major decision the club makes, we had the same clamour for Giraldi to go and nothing has changed other than getting worse. People didn’t like Giraldi monitoring training sessions and taking notes, but who do people think the notes were for, his grandma? 95% of the mess the club are in is down to the owner.
I guess you missed or ignored this point: Claims Gino makes the final call on virtually every ‘football’ aspect of the club. If not then if you think Giaretti should go, god knows what your opinion about Gino is!
Thanks all for that. None of these revelations can surprise anyone of us with a pulse ( that's you out then Roy!) Good to see and read AL tell some home truths. Abject. Absolutely abject.
This has been the problem all season, there is no leader on the pitch. Problem is not sure there is a leader in the current squad once Deeney left.
Perhaps we should have let them have their bloody change of badge. They’ve seemed intent on trashing the place ever since. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
And we should have let them change Z cars ! We would never have had any of these issues if we wore read shorts
