Is anyone else starting to find this blatant reversal of every rule Aidy has ever set for signings (no publicity, desire to play for us, affordable) a little hypocritical? http://www.watfordfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10400~966631,00.html AIDY: 'DOOR'S OPEN FOR JOHN' AIDY BOOTHROYD today (Wednesday) admitted that Fulham striker Collins John has rejected the opportunity to join Watford. The Hornets' boss had agreed a deal with the Cottagers which could rise to £3.25million but the Dutch international has decided against a move to Hertfordshire. The player sat down last week with Aidy as the Vicarage Road supremo explained: "We met last week and I was impressed with him. "However, he has since let me know that he's not keen on coming here. Looking at where we are in the league and bearing in mind his international prospects, I understand his position. "I respect his decision but that doesn't mean that I'm not disappointed. I like him very much as a player and, you never know, if he changes his mind, I'm still prepared to listen to him." The signing would have been a club record for Watford but it doesn't mean Aidy is finished in the transfer market. "I'm still hoping to bring in three more new players", he said. "I'd love to have them here tomorrow but it's unlikely to happen that quickly. "I'm interested in anyone who can strengthen the squad - in all positions - and I'm hopeful that over the next week to ten days, there will be more arrivals."
No. Can you not give the guy a break? He is trying his little heart out. No publicity - he has always vowed to keep us informed as well as he can on every aspect. Desire to play - who said he couldn't try to create that in a player? Affordable - We could have afforded him and he is young too, so less likely to devalue. If I was Aidy this kind of scrutiny would send me barmy.
UEA i agree slightly, when talking about Ash he said "I am a realist" on SSN, how many times has he told us he's not a realist, however i still think hes a legend
Trying his little heart out? LOL! No, what he said was that he had learnt the lesson from Sam Parkin and would no longer be talking about specific signings until the ink was dry on the paper. Yet now we've had three really lame articles in under a week trying to impress on us how hard he's trying to sign someone who obviously doesn't want to come here. The same with desire for wanting to play for us: his many emails often state about players who want to play for the shirt and the cause. CJ obviously doesn't want to so why the endless chase? He'd also be a club record signing. Yes he is affordable but hardly bargain of the century is he? And if "this kind of scrutiny" sent him barmy he should in future maybe consider sending round countless pieces of proof contradicting everything he is now doing. It's all bloody spin!
Well even though I agree with you UEA, the question is - who else is out there that we could realistically get? I have been thinking about it for a while and can't think of a single forward who I think is good enough AND could be lured to Watford.
I'm not questioning the transfer market. I'm simply questionning the necessity of this slavish and rather pathetic public courting of Collins John which is only going to make Aidy look desperate and Watford look stupid when his agent issues a public clarification statement confirming his client has absolutely no interest in a move here.
As I said I agree completely - in fact what you're saying is very much in line with my post on R&T called Did Aidy play it badly. Basically I am making the point that his public adoration for CJ makes CJ feel he can wait till the last minute of the window and if nothing else comes along sign with Watford. Furthermore I fear his approach may have spooked other potential signings - simply as the failure to bring in CJ was then so publically announced.
Great point Rich r.e Sam Parkin! Aidy insisted he'd never go public again on a potential signing! I say we forget Collins John and look elsewhere! No one has taken a gamble on Eastwood or Sharpe yet!
The thing is that neither Eastwood nor Sharpe are the proven prem strikers that we need. I mean great for the future but with Hoskins and Holy Moses it's not really what we need.
No point in having proven Premiership players when we'll be in the Championship next season!!! Collins John has been offered what he wants to come here but doesn't want to come because we're practically down! Fair play to him, who can blame him! We're not going to get proven premiership quality!
Still utterly dissappointing...... we're not the only side involved in a relegation scrap yet others around us seem capable of signing players. What Sheff Utd are doing at the moment is worrying the pants off me.
Why? They deserve to be where they are! The difference between ourselves, Reading and Sheff Utd is that the latter two have built a side for a few years now to get where they are! We have come out of nowhere abit too quickly! The latter two have also had some luck this season with injuries etc and had bigger squads than us to start with!
Bet it'll worry the pants off their finance director when they get relegated on the last day of the season! ;D
I reckon that is why Aidy went public on his efforts to bring in John- to show us that he is trying his best to bring in the quality we need up front, however it's a lot easier said than done.
This situation is different to the Parkin situation in my opinion. Aidy has been dealing with it in a different way, praising Collins John saying how good he thinks he is and how he can improve at Watford. With Parkin Aidy just kept saying he wanted him, but didn't shower him with the praise he has given to John. I'd go as far to say Aidy has been clever in his bold approach (which has obviously still failed) Aidy wanted the player and knew such a signing would excite the fans. A good young (Premiership) striker signing for us would have given us all a much needed moral boost (as would a win!!!).
As ifs buts and maybes though isn't it? It looks good if it comes off but it's embarassing when it fails miserably.
It has failed miserably because he rose the hopes of the fans, only for us to have them dashed (as if that hasn't been the story of the season so far!). It's looking like (despite the positve start during the transfer window) that we are going to be stuck with what we have or at best, not much better.
Haven't been around much to respond to this earlier UEA. Why is it LOL to say that the manager is trying? You want to put that to a vote - see if board members here think he isn't trying? Our passionate dedicated manager who only last May pulled off one of the most glorious episoides in our history? If I had the time I bet I could find one of your trainspotterish posts bemoaning a lack of information at some point or other in the past. Times change and tactics change, but the one constant in life seems to be WFC fans moaning about something trivial. So he once said he would keep dealings a secret - as this was for many months. Is anyone bothered?!
