Everton have apparently offered north of 100k a week which could be problematic. Would ex-teammates, and the ability to keep his London way of life be enough to make up about 40k-50k a week? Not too mention a likely relegation scrap instead of midtable upwards!
I would rather a CB too but I don’t think there are any options on a free at CB nearly as good as Aurier is at RB. But I definitely share your concerns about blocking Ngakia’s development.
Tbf I'd be fine with a squad option at centre back as, for all WTE's faults, he's got a settled partnership with Sierralta which was fantastic in the Championship, and they've got off to a decent start this season
I hope we make a move for Daniel Ballard this summer. Young Arsenal defender who had a great season last year with Blackpool and has started well this season on loan at Millwall. Looks a real talent based on what I have seen of him at international level.
Clearly the transfer window closing last week has become too much for some: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-hostage-siege-after-knifeman-24942577 Witnesses report the man as shouting, “where the **** are you hiding the man? You know, the one with the all the rumours. Do you think I’m ******* stupid or something? Get him out here now…”
Knowing the Pozzos they have a plan to sign him in 2025, by which time he's moved 5 times and is playing for Barcelona
Ratin Draher. Aggressive central defender just turned nineteen. Great aerially but very composed on the ball. Two footed and anticipates far ahead of his years. Surely on the verge of a national call up having played so well for Libertad.
Having a laugh, I enjoy a I told you so. You were quick to be sarcastic and patronising when I called it and now you’re in the same boat after 4 games! Lighten up.
Yeah it’s a good point but also don’t think Crystal Palace SHOULD have anything over us. They came up the year before us no? Haven’t got a history of European football or cup runs, just got a new manager in. I guess the American billions helps but just annoying that we both knew we didn’t stand a chance against PALACE. Not Everton or Villa, Palace!! Eze, Edouard, Guehi compared to our **** signings it’s just frustrating. It’s partly money but I know we could be run better.
Two years before us, and also haven't been relegated, and while I don't know how exactly how rich their owners are or how much they put in, the Pozzos are among the poorest owners in the Prem. I'm sure they've made some expensive mistakes, but the difference is that I'm sure they'll be a lot better able to weather their versions of Andre Gray than we were
They had a lot of high earners out of contract which helped them get some funds in too whilst we still had large wages on the wage bill till late on.
Palarse haven’t been relegated in this time frame and have had the same cup run but we’re not humiliated in the final. Also have a bigger ground most likely hand out better wages have the same London appeal. If not looking with yellow tinted glasses they are more appealing and I hate to say it but bigger than us. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
They’ve also been successful in their search for investors twice over - a new US businessman came in this summer and handed them £90m supposedly. As long as other clubs are doing that whilst we don’t/can’t, it’s just natural to expect them to pull away from us on multiple fronts - success, transfers, wages, facilities….
I know, I know. I guess it's a bit of jealousy. Eze, Olise, Zaha & Edouard is such a nice front 4. Then Gallagher on loan who could play with Hughes and then Guehi & Andersen behind them too. It would be nice for us to get some exciting young Championship talent in that we've seen play.
A bigger ground doesn't mean better but I'll concede they have better support than us. But I'm not sure about having the "same London appeal" - South Norwood is a dump and you have to go several miles south to get anywhere attractive. Watford admittedly for the most part is no great shakes, but it has Cassiobury Park, nice surrounding countryside with Bushey and Rickmansworth not far away and the more leafy parts the other side of the A412 are quite pleasant. Plus the journey to central London is only about 20 minutes longer and generally nicer. And this isn't looking at it with yellow-tinted glasses as I've never lived anywhere near Watford. Apart from the better wages, there doesn't seem to be any cogent reason for Hughes to choose Palace over us.
Would you think that if Palace didn't have Hughes and we still did (we probably would've still lost on Saturday with him in the team)?
Yes. I think Hughes would make little difference to either squad. As WFCSinatra has noted above, they have better players, probably enough to stay out of the bottom 5.
I think we would've still lost but not as much - we were unfortunate to be up against a good side that didn't already have the 4+ points their performances deserved and their at least equal determination and superior tactics would have paid off.
Hardly any Watford players will live in Watford (if any). Much the same as I doubt many Palace players live in South Norwood or Croydon. These are just places these players go to to play football. They will reside in leafy parts of Surrey as much as Watford players will live in Hampstead or St.Johns Wood. The cogent reason Hughes has is Palace are better placed to be a PL side next season. Simple as that really.
Yes but these millionaires all live in the nicer areas and travel to their respective training grounds so the London appeal is similar. And looking on both clubs as a neutral you’d pick palarse to work for 8 out of 10 times over us right now. Believe me I don’t like to admit it but it’s true. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is strange as well as frustrating though, and I can’t be the only Watford fan who feels this way, that Palace are the much better club to go to these days assuming it’s true. I’m not convinced their team is that much better; since we went up in 2015, we finished above them in two seasons, just one point and three points below in 2016-17 and 2017-18 respectively (and that was because they took four points off us both seasons). Even in the relegation season they weren’t massively better (should’ve beaten them in the home game and there was virtually nothing between us in the away game, I think if it hadn’t been on the heels of the brilliant but actually utterly anomalous Liverpool game and we’d had a bit more luck people wouldn’t have been so critical of the performance) and they scored even fewer goals, and only last month we knocked them out of the League Cup when we were still finding our best side and they had a full strength team. I would’ve thought the challenge of keeping us in the Prem at a club he’d played a part in getting back up and the chance of regaining the heights of 2018-19 at some point would be more appealing than going to a club that are basically the Stoke of south London, but there you go.
