Ben Foster

The simplest way to go decide whether Foster’s media stuff is acceptable or not is this:

He was linked with City in the summer. If that move came to fruition, would Guardiola or any of his world class teammates have stood for him japing around with a GoPro? Of course not. They’d very quickly view him as someone who isn’t concentrating on what he should be at times when he should be. Watford are as culpable for it - because they freely let him do it. Anything directly featuring the club should have been knocked on the head this summer heading into the PL.

By all means have a YouTube channel where you discuss FIFA on the Xbox and your fantasy team and do it at home or in an office. But by god, separate it from your job and don’t blur the lines between the two.

As for the ticketing issue - he deserves flak. Just a braindead piece of judgment but sadly it’s one that plays into many fans fears about the team. That they aren’t really motivated and don’t care about the optics in the eyes of the fans. Foster is clearly a genuine enough bloke however and seems the type to apologise - so let’s hope that’s forthcoming. For what it’s worth, I doubt he knew the tickets were going to be situated where they were and that is probably down to another employee who likely gets the request, bungs tickets in an envelope to be collected on matchday. I don’t really think Foster can be blamed for where these guys ended up - but he should have been clearer to the club beforehand about these guys allegiances and accepted he vouches for their behaviour as his guests. I’d like to think he’s disappointed about how it played out - but I suspect whilst that may be true, he will do some sort of fun-based apology that he tries to turn into ‘content’.

 

You didn't replace 'less' with 'fewer', though.

 

To be fair, I don't even mind stuff about the club, or even matches, going on the channel, why not see what goes on behind the scenes in training or in pre-season (within reason of course)? Blatantly getting publicity at our expense though, that can get in the bin. As for the Paddy Pimblett incident, I don't for one second think this is the first time this has happened in football, unfortunately for Foster it seems that Pimblett is a thick **** who was dumb enough to get caught, but still, it's a ticket to a Liverpool fan which should have gone to a Watford fan...

 

I think the club will just tell him to keep quiet and wait until we've all forgotten about it.

Foster is getting involved with a strange crowd though. This Paddy bloke, the 'sidemen' and worst of all that young skinny chap and his creepy dad, he either actually likes them or he's doing it for subscribers, not sure which is worse.

 

I'm a magician, not a bloody sub-editor.

 

He's turned into a complete and utter bell end, it's as simple as that.

We can't even give him a break for being a great keeper for us either, because he's pretty w*nk at that at this point, too.

 

I was fine with it when it was within the club and proceeds (from what I understand) were going to charity.

It's seems to have gone way beyond that now. I switched off when he brought out CyclingGK NFTs and looks like he's now crossed the line completely.

 

There's some weirdo fans of other clubs on Twitter who are upset that Watford fans aren't happy with Foster. Apparently we're nothing without him.

I just can't fathom how you'd like a player from another club so much you'd care.

 

But GT bought Eric Steele, and replaced Steve Sherwood with a brute from Tamworth with a GBH charge, and a ABH conviction, on the cusp of a long custodial sentence for violence. So on the one hand you could say he was not infalliable on goalkeepers, but was prepared to put a sinner in the team if it was the best option.

 

I don't think Foster is being malicious in actively undermining us but I think this YouTube channel has massively taken his eye off the ball. It's no coincidence since it's started his form as tailed off massively last Season as it grew, especially after the Swansea game when the player celebrated in front of the GoPro. At that point, he hit a crossroads for the channel; either rein in the content to more cycling and general life vlogs (With occasional training videos and challenges which to me isn't as harmful as it would not impact the overall squad as much) or go all in on the reactions and going into actively getting other players drawn into it and draw in neutrals and he went for the latter. That in itself isn't world ending but that was the first time we had mutterings about it and it's only gotten worse since.

He's not a bad character but he doesn't understand how harmful it is, even just how it looks even if it doesn't impact his performance. If you're in the mire and you have a gurning 38 year old man acting like a young teen.. it isn't a good look and even if his poor form isn't at all related to the YouTube channel, the perception is just as important.

Remember during lockdown he ensured elderly man was secure when he could easily carry on his day. Or invite girl to a game who had medical conditions when he didn't have to. He does the community side of Watford very well which makes this all the more perplexing. I think he doesn't understand how harmful it is, even if it's just how it looks even if it doesn't impact his performances. He should have been told his boundaries months ago (Though you would expect a very senior pro to understand this without being directly told) else he won't know where they are and I think that's now happening with this being the fallout after months of what was increasingly vocal critcism. He's been playing up to an audience that doesn't for Watford and it's now hurting us.

 

I would say that he was starting to slip last season even during his good form (he was probably at fault for the Bournemouth last minute leveller, and even in a MotM performance against Blackburn, he conceded a soft goal to the man formerly known as Ben Brereton), but agreed, it all started to shift around then (which ironically was when he stopped playing)

 

I don't for one instance think anything major will come of it, but I do think it's interesting that there's a club insider that seems this pissed off at him, so much so that Leventhal is writing negative pieces on him

 

AL is having a bit of a hissy fit with Watford right now. He’s always been a bit of a cheerleader but I think the Liverpool game was the last straw for him. His match report was very critical and now the criticism of Foster.

 

So far as I can see all Foster has done really is lift the veil. That’s why it’s such a well-liked channel after all.

If anyone (and I don’t think this is you) didn’t already know that most players get on, including those on different sides, and that a lot of mucking around goes on either side of training and in the hotel before a match, and once a game is done our players really couldn’t give two hoots about the fans, then I understand why his jocular videos might be distressing. But it’s hardly like there’s going to be a period of mourning at the training ground while they all traipse around in black tie and speak in whispers just because we took a shellacking from Liverpool.

And while you’ve mentioned ‘the harm’ it causes twice in that post, unless I missed it you haven’t really explained what that harm is beyond ‘how it looks’. Is that really harm or just a cause of hurty feelings for some fans?

Either way, the Paddy Plonker ticket thing was ridiculous and Foster deserves all the pelters he’s getting for that.

 

The problem isn’t Foster, it’s the club. What you’re seeing from Foster is the natural consequence of a 39 year old player still being in contention for a starting place.

If you repeatedly recruit and retain this age and type of player, and in fact make it club policy to do so, you will reap what you sew on the pitch.

 

Hang on a minute, Foster is in his last year of contract?

Why haven’t we ****ed him off like we do with everyone else in their last year? Bit strange. It’s pretty clear the club look at his YouTube channel as part of their overall marketing strategy.

 

Its a good point. Anyone who is absolutely obsolete like Foster or Cathcart next year will be able to stink out the team in their final year. Anyone who might be of use like Hughes or Chalobah are hounded out (even for free) because they are in their final year so will be bad apples.

 

The contract extension is being discussed as we speak. It'll be like when Spurs presented their six new signings a few years ago except it'll be contract extensions for Foster, Elliot, Cathcart, Kabasele, Cleverley and Gosling.

 

To be fair, the club should still be able to reasonably expect a 39yr old not to go around acting like a 17yr old in his bedroom idolising YouTubers.

Anyway, from just briefly checking on YouTube, he seems to upload his video's on a Tuesday after a weekend game. Will be interesting to see if one goes up today....

 

Was told yesterday that the club shop sell a Watford cycling jersey - that has a Cycling GK patch woven into the fabric.

Edit: So they do.

https://www.thehornetsshop.co.uk/eq...ing/3928_retro-93-95-away-cycling-jersey.html

 

Grim.

Not the top, that's lush.

 

2XL and 3XL sold out immediately again I see. What a surprise.

 

Your comment piqued my curiosity so went on the Hornets Shop for the first time in about ten years to look at what other stuff they sell.

My mind is blown by the sheer variety of crap they will plaster a moose head on.

Current favourite is the Watford branded rip off tic tacs for £2. Can anyone beat that?

https://www.thehornetsshop.co.uk/gifts/gifts-souvenirs/novelty/3967_atomz-mints.html

Edit: hang on, there are Watford FC dog tags? Who thought that was a gap in the market that needed to be filled?

https://www.thehornetsshop.co.uk/gifts/gifts-souvenirs/executive-gifts/2541_crest-dog-tag.html

 

Agree with everything except the last sentence.

There are complimentary neutral zones with a code of conduct. All Foster would have said to the ticket office is along the lines of 'can you set aside 2 tickets for Paddy Bloke to be collected on the day' - that's where his involvement would have ended. The club allocate the seats - for people to suggest Foster asked for Liverpool fans to be seated in a specific part of the stadium is ridiculous. I've arranged complimentary tickets for customers at Spurs numerous times and was never asked who the recipient supported, only how I wanted to pay for the tickets (Levy in a nutshell).

He broke the code of conduct and was ejected. I've only seen the video once but from memory he seemed more upset about being kicked out of the pub.

I do think this is just another stick to beat Foster by some fans and is being made a scapegoat by people on here when the real cause for the concern is the defence and midfield. Perry Digweed could have played in goal for Liverpool and kept a clean sheet such was the protection the midfield and defence gave.

If people want to be angry then be angry at the lack of strengthening in defence and midfield - the real reason we were hammered and why we're going to struggle - not that 2 morons got comp tickets from Foster....storm in a teacup.

 

To be fair, I did buy the Watford Hawaiian shirt. In my defence, I was very drunk at a friends wedding and goaded into it by the groom.

Amazingly, when I picked it up I was told it was the last one. I assume they only made 2.

 

Thankfully I have capacity to be angry at multiple things at once. Don’t worry - while I am castigating our dreadful owners I can still find time to attack this unprofessional imbecile.

 

Except that isn't true. I asked people I know who would have knowledge of the procedure late yesterday, and Leventhal also said it in his article - club employees (including players) know where their guests will be seated. This was implemented a number of years back because some guests will be with children and there is a safeguarding aspect. Even if what you are saying was true - Foster knew only too well who they supported....it was incumbent on him to stress that to the employee he spoke to in regards to the tickets. His only defence could be that he told the club a number of times and yet they still placed him where they did.

No one has suggested Foster asked for his Liverpool supporting guests to specifically be in the home end. We are saying he didn't do enough to make sure it didn't happen.

If you think people are using Foster as a smokescreen to avoid blaming the defence, midfield, owner, recruitment, etc....I'd say you haven't really read much of the comments post-game!

 

So you bought the other one....

 

So why is this an ongoing discussion topic?

 

Fair enough....as you were.