[SOLD] Etienne Capoue

Discussion in 'The Transfer List' started by Hogg-DEENEY!!!, Dec 27, 2020.

  1. tonycotonstache

    tonycotonstache Squad Player

    Any truth in the rumour we have a buy back when we are not **** anymore clause?
     
  2. AshdonWFC

    AshdonWFC Prediction League Champion 2011/12

    I could see why...
     
  3. poakley

    poakley Academy Graduate

    Scumbag right? I blame my mum though, she should had a curry and gone for a long walk on Thursday or Friday that week.
     
    Dreadnought likes this.
  4. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    Some thinly veiled comments from Duxbury which basically accuse Capoue of wrecking the atmosphere in the camp and jeapordising our season. He definitely didn't play his best football for us in the Championship (although he put in a big performance against Norwich), but I think that's a bit simplistic, after all, it was another month and a half between his last game and us finally kicking into gear...
     
    Jumbolina and wfc4ever like this.
  5. lowerrous

    lowerrous First Team

    Plus he still put up pretty much the best tackling and interception stats in the league even while playing half-ar5ed.
     
    Jumbolina likes this.
  6. Steve Leo Beleck

    Steve Leo Beleck Squad Player

    If there is any truth in that then makes the job Ivic did even better. Not only lumbered with an imbalanced squad, no Hughes or Masina but also one with disruptive presences in the dressing room. Sounds like he exceeded expectations to me.
     
  7. barely1egal

    barely1egal Reservist

    I can't blame him for being pissed off at having to play in this division.

    He was far, far, far too good as he showed last night.
     
    lowerrous likes this.
  8. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    He was probably just kicking up a fuss about not getting a move to Valencia which would have happened had they been able to afford to but guess in the end it worked out well for all parties.
     
  9. Malteser2

    Malteser2 Reservist

    Football isn’t a computer game eh, it’s real life with real people from different backgrounds with different characters and strengths and weaknesses. It’s a career that involves much uncertainty and moving away from homelands and families. Any dressing room is inevitably full of so many different types of character.

    Capoue was a terrific signing for us, and if it’s indeed true that his time with us ended badly behind the scenes then there are often mitigating circumstances for such situations.

    Yes, it certainly sounds as if Ivic had his hands full at the start of last season and he deserves credit for the way he dealt with everything.
     
  10. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

    **** him. Absolutley **** him.

    Downed tools for us and shat on us then proves just how half arsed he had been playing for us for 18 months.

    And some clowns on here are pleased for him?

    **** him.
     
  11. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    I'm kind of with Moogle on this one, to be honest.

    Capoue was for a decent part of his time here a very frustrating liability, and then in the latter years one of the most sublime players I've ever seen represent us on the pitch, but either way he never really gave any strong impression other than that of a mercenary - I don't say that as an insult in quite the way it is often used in football, but he was never particularly bothered about Watford any more than as the team that paid his wages, and I couldn't really care less about the success he's had a few short months after he visibly downed tools and headed out at the Vic with his clown shoes on to make sure he got his escape as soon as he could.

    Fairplay; that was his decision and it's not quite tearing me apart, but I'm not about to kneel down and suck him off over the trophy he's just earned from doing it, either.
     
  12. Knight GT

    Knight GT Predictor extraordinaire 2013/14

    Spot on sir
     
    Chumlax likes this.
  13. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    Have to say, I am pleased for him for his performance last night, he did well for us in his 5 years here. It's clear he should have absolutely pissed all over the division, which, despite some really bad performances, he still did at times, so perhaps he did down tools after all. How much of that is understandable, and how much of that is him taking the piss, I don't know, but, let's be honest, we didn't exactly improve as soon as he left, if there's one big name player whose absence who really benefited the team, we all know who that is...
     
    lowerrous likes this.
  14. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    I mean, you could argue Vlad didn't help himself with his ultra disciplinarian stance, maybe, just maybe the likes of Capoue would have been happier with a Xisco-type manager. Let's be honest, even with all the handicaps, we rarely played THAT badly under Vlad, I'd say most of our worst performances were under Xisco. The guy was dealt a very shoddy hand, I bet he's absolutely raging he never got the chance to manage us with a full squad to pick from!
     
    Steve Leo Beleck likes this.
  15. Arakel

    Arakel First Team

    That doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Once a bad egg is removed, it takes time to work through all the lingering issues that remain.

    We actually had a member of staff at our small business (20 employees, so not totally incomparable to a football squad) who was extremely disruptive. Not overtly so, but she was constantly stirring up resentment and making the other employees paranoid through manipulating them behind my wife's back (she runs the business day to day).

    Once we finally got rid of the toxic employee when what she had been up to started to come out (we found out she'd been taking black tar heroin on a company trip to Florida for training, among other things...), it took time to work through things and get back to normal. Part of this was because she pitted employees against each other, fostering resentment, and it took time for those grievances to be aired and resolved.

    I can't speak as to whether or not Capoue was up to anything remotely similar (although I feel comfortable ruling out the black tar heroin), but having seen a toxic personality up close and personal I do have some sympathy with the notion that it can take time to fully excise afterwards.
     
  16. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    I get that, but still, it's remarkable how Deeney's absence from the team immediately saw a huge improvement. Clearly on a tactical level, the move to 4-3-3 benefitted us greatly, and for all of this talk about characters and team spirit, winning is the bottom line--if the same matchday squad of players who went on that long winning run suddenly lost 5 games in a row, let's see how good the 'spirit' in the camp is then
     
    lowerrous likes this.
  17. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    [​IMG]
     
  18. Arakel

    Arakel First Team

    Not gonna lie, pretty much exactly what I looked like when I heard.
     
    Otter, Chumlax and Hogg-DEENEY!!! like this.
  19. barely1egal

    barely1egal Reservist

    I just dont think he lives and breathes football in the way we expect players to.

    He was one of the few players with any credit for the majority of last season. He was very poor at the end but who knows what happened with his injury / covid.

    Capoue is near the end of his top flight career and has shown he is a European club standard player. He made the right call for his career - we dlnt need to fellate him for it as some want to but I think calling him a merc is a bit much.

    Who in their right mind wouldn't choose Europa league football over drawing at wycombe away.
     
  20. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    Well, in fairness, that is exactly why I caveated it by saying 'I don't say that as an insult in quite the way it is often used in football' immediately afterwards.
     
    barely1egal likes this.
  21. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    In Capoue’s defence he’d been with us five years and was probably happy with us. Let’s not forget a lot happened to get us relegated, was much of it his fault? Like us fans he was probably pissed off by any number of about 15 inexplicable decisions that lead to us getting relegated. I dare say he probably didn’t want to move home etc, but once relegated that obviously and understandably changed. I can imagine he might have been a bad influence as he was pissed off at ending up in that situation through no fault of his own.

    I’m not excusing unprofessionalism, but it’s not like he was part of a promoted team that got relegated through lack of quality and ended up back where he should be, he was part of a comfortable established premier league team who pressed the self destruct button several times.
     
    barely1egal likes this.
  22. lowerrous

    lowerrous First Team

    I reckon that's an accusation that gets unfairly levelled against him due to his languid style of play. For a supposed mercenary he didn't half play like Superman at times; he regularly gave his absolute all on the pitch, seemingly doing the work of two midfielders.
     
    Chiswell and Captain Mandibles like this.
  23. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Of course it’s an unfair accusation. Played for us for about 5 years giving 100% but didn’t fancy spending the twilight of his career playing Wycombe and Huddersfield. Wasn’t played as was set to move away, initially to Valencia but they couldn’t find the £1m or so we wanted so we blocked the deal and told him he had to stay and play. I’m not surprised he wasn’t 100% motivated. I’m delighted for the guy that he finally gets to win something.
     
    The girl in row H likes this.
  24. simpleMASH

    simpleMASH Reservist

    Weren’t Valencia fans being whiny little b****** when they were linked to him a year ago? Seem to recall they thought he wasn’t nearly good enough for them.

    Bet they feel silly now.
     
  25. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    But there's also a sea of difference between 'not being 100% motivated' and 'actually going out of your way to harm to the atmosphere'. We the fans loved watching him so want to believe it's the former - but Duxbury does seem to be suggesting its more the latter.

    But I don't really trust Duxbury so.....
     
    wfcmoog likes this.
  26. Hairyfrog

    Hairyfrog Squad Player

    Didn't play that bad under Vlad?
    Mate it was painful to watch.
     
  27. WatfordTalk

    WatfordTalk First Team

    Regularly recorded outstanding numbers for distance covered, too
     
  28. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    There's not really much point directly caveating what you mean immediately in the body of the comment and then highlighting that different meaning in a second comment, then, I guess :)
     
  29. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    I think with Vlad, it was mainly negative, but we at least looked like we had a structure, and I think we got what we came for in games like Nottingham Forest and Bristol City away. Compare that with Cov away, QPR at home (though in fairness, QPR away was almost as bad under Vlad!), or, worst of all, the derby, which were utterly rudderless
     
  30. AndrewH63

    AndrewH63 Reservist

    But another of the Scab six failed to win a final. So it’s worthy of a cheer.

    Hopefully the champions league final be the last we will see both clubs playing in Europe for some time, pending some punitive action by UEFA
     
  31. wfc124

    wfc124 Reservist

    I really think that Capoue was absolutely incredible for us apart from the very end and the season under Walter Mazzarri where his mindset was not right and his performances suffered. He even argued with Holebas for about 10 minutes on the pitch after a win away to Boro.

    He was a player who relied on being in a good mood to perform well. I remember Gomes who played with Capoue at Tottenham and Watford saying he needed to be in a good mood to perform well. He was not a success at Spurs where the pressure to perform well regularly was far greater than at Watford. His performances were generally poor which led Spurs to be willing to sell him, which is why we were able as newly promoted club to buy him to begin with.


    In terms pure talent though he was one of the best central midfielders to play for us. His range of passing, skill and pure natural talent made me admire him above even Doucoure. Before he joined Spurs he was one of the most highly regarded midfielders in France. When he turned it on as he did in the 3-0 at home to Liverpool last season he was majestic. He spent over 5 years with us and some Watford fans are taking it as gospel what Duxbury said about a disruptive member ( when it might not of been him anyway) when Duxbury himself has lied and misled the supporters in the past. It would only be fair to hear what Capoue has to say before judging him as a 'disruptive mercenary.' If anyone was a mercenary it was Pereyra and Welbeck who could not wait to leave after relegation.

    If he did feel that the Championship was beneath him and he wanted away at the twilight of his career after 5 years of playing for us then good for him. He is not from Watford or even England. He proved that he was too good for the Championship by marking Fernandes out of the game in the Europa League final.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2021
    The undeniable truth likes this.
  32. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    This is an odd one, because you've put 'disruptive mercenary' in quotation marks; directly implying that you are quoting someone in reproducing the phrase. Cursory research suggests, however, that your comment is, in fact, the only appearance of it in this entire thread.
     
  33. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    Very true, our dressing room was way more fooked up after the Coventry game than when Caps was with us. That was the low point. I think Scot might've been talking about Doucoure. Some of his comments were a little confused. He equated signing a crocked Welbeck to prime Richarlison and also said we kept the team together after relegation when in fact we lost 10 first team players. He also said we made £55m selling players who have never played for the club. Estupiñan and Suarez went for less than £25m combined so where did the other £30m come from?? I think the jury's still out on the credibility of his comments really.
     
  34. reids

    reids First Team

    I think he included Doucoure in that 55m, who obviously did play for us.
     
  35. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    If he meant the total we raised in pre-season sales I guess that would also include Pereyra but hopefully not Dawson and Del boy. If this is the case its weird that he was so specific about raising £55m from selling loan players who have never played for us.
     

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