A good player is no good if not used properly in the context of the team eg Marvin Sordell Dyche managed to get the most out of him at WFC scored a few goals went elsewhere and never managed to obtain the same sort of form, let alone score a goal. Probably scored about three in the last three years.
Random quotes Holmsdale net: 'I like AM and I believe he is strong enough as cover for Ward.' 'Decent squad member. Versatile. Never really let us down. But doesn't look like he'll nail down a starting place any day soon.' some randoms CPFC: 'He would be a useful player to keep but we don't want to hoard players who will rarely feature' 'Squad players that are not quite good enough to play in the first team every week' 'Not good enough at the top level, even as cover. Won't be at all bothered if he goes.' 'Rose tinted glasses off, I do think if pep and marriappa started every game, watford would be nailed to the bottom of the prem' '2 good RBs ahead of him'
Don't disagree with any of that... but that's not what is being argued. Mapps isn't a player who no one is sure if he will make the step up or not, he's a player who moved to the prem 3 years ago so we already have the answer before us. Based on his performance at Cardiff and Palace is he good enough for a permanent starting role with us is the question? 'yes' or 'no'? So what do you think? We have to sign players who are good enough for the club to meet Pozzo's expectations for Watford FC. There is nothing complicated about that. Neither of us know what they are, but I'm going to guess its not to bump along the bottom of the league year after year. Yes he was... back when we were a pretty mediocre side. Most posts I can see rate him as a back up squad player. That's pretty much what I think he would be if he came to us... a Mon-Fri squad player like Doyley But that's exactly what it does mean - if he was good enough then he'd have a permanent starting role at Palace.
I don't know what you think we are. Just because the Pozzos are our owners it doesn't change the fact that we're a newly promoted side and it's going to be bloody tough next season. We aren't an established Premier League side like Palace, I don't see the problem in signing one or two of their squad players??
Not this season, but he played regularly last season when they finished 11th. Pardew doesn't fancy him at center back but different teams with different styles and different formations need different players. [/QUOTE]We have to sign players who are good enough for the club to meet Pozzo's expectations for Watford FC. There is nothing complicated about that. Neither of us know what they are, but I'm going to guess its not to bump along the bottom of the league year after year. [/QUOTE] Nobody chooses to fight relegation every year. But as a newly promoted side (and not promoted massively strongly as Leicester were) our first priority is going to be avoiding relegation, which won't be easy on any level. The idea that we can magically skip this stage and finish mid table despite not have tens of millions to throw around is naive in my opinion, especially given our almost total lack of premier league experience. The notion that players who could move to richer, established mid table sides are going to decide to move to us instead also seems a little unrealistic to me.
Thomas Heurtaux, if rumours are true valued at Euro 10 mill and joining us. Not so unrealistic then... (sorry bit sarcastic of me - I apologise) The Pozzo's business model: find the best young players in the world, bring then to Europe, develop them, sell them. Watford now gives them prime shop frontage in the worlds richest football league - I could easily imagine 2 or 3 highly sale-able quality players moving over this summer.
Agreed, we will probably be signing better but he's a good homegrown for the squad. And "one of our own" of course, which is not hugely important but it's not nothing either.
Not sarcastic at all, it's a good point, although there are only so many players we can take from Udinese before we have to try buying our own. In terms of the Pozzo model, it's a model that makes sense and has proved effective in Serie A, a league with less strength in depth than the premier league and significantly smaller revenue streams for sides who don't regularly compete in the champions league. I just don't see why the Pozzo's would take the risk of trying the sign the next Sanchez or Asamoah for Watford when staying in the premier league is a greater source of revenue and a far safer bet. Obviously there are players who could fulfill both criteria but bigger clubs are going to be looking at those players. Young players take time to develop (Sanchez spent two seasons on loan when he moved to Udinese) and we don't have time - we have to stay up this season before the gap between prem and champ increases even further, and we're proof that even a good side can take three years to get into the Prem.
Released by Crystal Palace (and Sunderland have released Danny graham0. I would think both could still do a job at Championship level
Mariappa especially could be a smart signing for one of the relegated clubs/top tier champ sides looking to go up.
If any of the relegated sides have any sense then they'll get Mariappa and Ekstrand in. However they're all run by morons so that won't be happening anytime soon.
