Yet, Watford are the most active at searching for and trading talent. One strategy is to use the loan market to their advantage. This year, Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that tax officials in Italy and Spain were investigating the familys clubs, alleging a complex ownership structure including offshore companies helped to funnel revenues from Udinese and Granada away from local tax authorities, all to provide more funding to Watford. Of the 28 teams to have played in the Premier League in the past three years, only four have bought a lower percentage of players from the British Isles, according to 21st Club. Our site is locked until the 2nd part of the winter patch comes out. This is not merely an English phenomenon. Read about our approach to external linking. Scott Duxbury in 2021. Football is an efficient market: the more a club spends, the better the results. Please report any comments that break our rules. Sociology graduate student at the Ohio State University. Joined the club as an intern in October 2015. My continued very best wishes, on behalf of everyone here at Watford Football Club, to you and your families. It was an excellent mix across the wide demographic of Watfords fanbase and allowed for some very robust and open conversation about the clubs current circumstances, the challenges we have had to face on its behalf in the recent years (in particular during the Covid pandemic and relegation) and what the short-term and longer-term future might look like. But Watford largely eschew such methods, Giraldi says. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. Udinese is a really small town on the outskirts of Italy. "So for us to be able to deal with that and get theteam spirit to come back, was remarkable.". Its the situation here, and when you [join] Watford, you know what you are going to find, says current head coach Javi Gracia, 48, who took over in January. . A manager is incentivised to pick the best possible team, so if new signings are good, they will play frequently. They cannot afford to purchase established stars as fans prefer. Editor's . Role: Chairperson. Watford have been criticised for their propensity to fire managers. Editors' Code of Practice. . well take a risk.. Born on 1st March 1972. Far from discouraging the desire to leave the club, Duxbury says such ambition can be harnessed. It can be considered a London club, it has great history and - ironically as it annoys the fans - the fact the stand has not been developed is seen as a positive because they know they can make a big impact. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Some traits, such as speed and strength, are measurable. These are parts of our football clubs daily life too seldom spoken about. Duxbury has spent most of his adult life involved in football after qualifying as a lawyer. "We came here eight years ago, we are now an established Premier League football club and that's where we belong.". Picture: Holly Cant. Watford get a good fee, the player gets his move and the system kicks into life again. He has a history of doing this. We dont want that disruption when a coach leaves a football club., Those who take the seat in Watfords dugout understand their task is to work with the players they are given. Hes got a year left of his contract. We loan him out. Enough. contact the editor here. Watford have also had their share of regulatory problems. Even so, the Watford way is not to be tampered with. Our players and coaching staff have gone into the team hotel earlier than scheduled to take away all other distractions and ensure the sole focus hones in on delivering a performance that our supporters can be proud of this afternoon. I want them to achieve the best that they could possibly do in their career. atford chairman and CEO Scott Duxbury made a statement in a recent interview you would not expect from a Premier League club chief. Enter your password to log in. Scott Duxbury in 2021. OUR Scouting and Recruitment Webinar is back for a second edition and will once again provide industry insights from leading experts in the game. Their opponents in Saturdays FA Cup Final, Manchester City, may be viewed as leaders in the transfer market, given their power to sign marquee names, but Watfords ability to build a squad on a fraction of the budget of their Wembley rivals arguably makes them one of the best operators. Duxbury returned to England to head up a sports practice and it was then that he met Gino Pozzo. How the biggest companies plan mass lay-offs, The benefits of revealing neurodiversity in the workplace, Tim Peake: I do not see us having a problem getting to Mars, Michelle Yeoh: Finally we are being seen, Our ski trip made me question my life choices, Apocalypse then: lessons from history in tackling climate shocks, How data analysis helps football clubs make better signings. Sir Elton, a life-long fan who previously owned the club, reacted to the poor result as supporters often do; apportioning blame, calling for drastic changes. We have to be scrupulously honest with ourselves and admit our efforts surrounding the team were not good enough. However, the way they were developed after that was completely different, as former Brighton Academy Manager John Morling tells TGG. Joined Watford in August 2022. They leave the management to myself, Gian Luca and Gianfranco, but we know they are always there if we need help and support.. His time at Upton Park was controversial though, with the club fined 30m because of the Carlos Tevez affair, and he left in 2010 when David Gold and David Sullivan took over. most relevant financial events such as yearly salaries, contracts, earn outs, endorsements, stock ownership and much more. Creative midfielder for Hajduk Split, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Austria Salzburg during an 18-year playing career. Watford chairman Scott Duxbury says at least six of the 20 English Premier League clubs are concerned about the plan to use neutral stadiums to finish the season. contact the editor here. At clubs such as Liverpool and Manchester City, the idea is that recruitment is carried out by an executive team that remain in place even if the manager who picks the team changes. Watford's five-year top-flight stay ended after a 3-2 loss at Arsenal and Aston Villa's draw against West Ham. Foreign imports, says Giraldi, offer better value for money: If you want to be economically efficient, [buy players in] South America. Scouts deploy no fixed tests. A handful were selected for training at Aspires state-of-the-art facilities. Here he explains why - along with Ajax's Head of Sport Science and Data Vosse de Boode. in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, you can still find very, very good players who have the right attitude to play in Europe. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. Watford get a good fee, the player gets his move and the system kicks into life again. The only thing at this time that remains in our gift is to work and to work harder. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Are you sure you want to delete this comment? A greater windfall is possible. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. While the club has sought to extend invites to a broad church of the supporter base, everyone can have a voice whether representing a group or individually by contacting the Supporter Liaison Team via [email protected]. "That's been our biggest strength that, as a fan base, asan ownership, as a management, we're all together. The only place youll be able to find fresh content from throughout the club, including behind-the-scenes access at training, interviews with stars past and present and all the best action from each and every Watford FC Premier League game. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. NORWICH CITY Sporting Director Stuart Webber admits his long-term future may not be in football after revealing the abuse he has experienced from some sections of the clubs fanbase in the last year. The likelihood is that any team that are consistently among the lowest spending in the division will eventually have a bad season. Click HERE to sync your online/mobile calendar with all the club's 2021/22 fixtures. Until a remarkable climb up the league in the late 1970s, they had spent most of their history in English footballs lower divisions. "That is not to detract from mistakes that were made surrounding the team this season. In his award-winning 2013 bookThe Nowhere Men, football writer Michael Calvin followed the lives of English talent spotters. The close relationships with the local community in all its forms and the investment in club infrastructure will continue with purpose and enthusiasm. The financial constraints of dropping down a division, coupled with the added pressure of the global pandemic meant that the odds were stacked against the Hornets, but their win against Millwall on Saturday confirmed they would be returning to the top flight at the first time of asking. Watford FC Chairman & CEO Scott Duxbury shares his thoughts ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Burnley. Watford FC Chairman & CEO Scott Duxbury shares his thoughts ahead of Saturdays Premier League clash with Burnley We are very proud of this football club. About. The Pozzos are masters of regulatory arbitrage. This is your chance to discuss club matters with senior club officials, as host Michael Kurn is joined by Scott Duxbury, CEO & Chairman, and Head Coach Vladi. After spending more than $100m but failing to find the next Messi, Football Dreams was disbanded in 2016. Difficult in practice. Privacy Policy & Cookies, 2023 Training Ground Guru. Everyone has been aware of that this week. . Staff were told he was leaving in September 2022, only for the Italian to be quickly reinstated. The Pozzos may be the family with their name above the door but it will be former West Ham United duo Scott Duxbury and Gian Luca Nani who will be running the club on a daily basis. Has a strong background in analysis as well as coaching. Picture: Youtube/WatfordFC Watford chairman and CEO Scott Duxbury has described the club's promotion to the Premier League as the biggest achievement in his career. We use Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Its why weve begun frank and open discussions with supporters and will continue to meet once the season is finished and beyond. It's the finest moment I've had in football," said Duxbury. "Watford have never built with a manger, you would not put a family photo on your desk or buy a house in the area. Come to Watford, play regularly and make your name, then secure a big move. There are modern efforts to improve scouting through the use of data analytics. The club simply changed tack. And only just. "Everything was against us. But it will be the trio of Duxbury, Nani and Zola who will run the club, on and off the pitch. This will be an extremely exciting campaign for the club . Was Bilics assistant at Hajduk Split, Al-Ittihad, West Brom and Beijing Guoan and does opposition scouting and analysis as well as coaching. As Calvin suggests, fewer than one per cent of the 10,000 boys at English club academies go on to make a living from the game. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. However, in reality the head coach is naturally involved in discussions but the key is he is one cog of the mechanism not the entire engine. They brought a similarly savvy approach to Watford. Instead, Watford have successfully gamed footballs multibillion-pound transfer market: buying low, selling high, while maintaining a team of 11 players capable of scoring 11 wins against richer rivals. and other data for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, The Pozzos have their own family wealth, he says. "Relegation'stough as it is, but when you have a worldwide pandemic, you have the Coronavirus, it nearly brought the club to its knees and to be able to navigate through that, and come back and be back in the Premier League, it's everything. Id still buy him. Since their most recent promotion to the Premier League in 2015, they have, on average, acquired and sold more players than any other side in Englands top division. To create a team to take on local giants such as AC Milan and Juventus, they deployed scouts far and wide. A lot of the bigger clubs, they will look at a player and they need a little more convincing, a little more proof. But fortunes changed under Nigel Pearson and the former Leicester boss guided Watford out of the relegation zone with seven victories and 25 points from his 20 games in charge. Picture: Youtube/WatfordFC. Over the course of a decade, he held trials for five million children across Africa, Latin America and south-east Asia. The Pozzos were keen to buy an English club following the success of Granada and after discussing several possibilities, the family decided Watford were the perfect project. After another three seasons with Udineses first team, Sanchez was sold to Barcelona for a reported fee of 23.4m. EVAN FERGUSON and Andy Moran both joined Brighton's Academy at the age of 16 from clubs in the League of Ireland. Although supporter engagement of this kind has been a while in the making during this season, we feel last weeks meeting constituted a really positive first step in better opening up structured and long-lasting lines of two-way communication. Truth be told there is a myth about Watfords transfer set-up. We try to have independence between [Udinese and Watford], says Giraldi. He worked with former Manchester United director Maurice Watkins at James Chapman and Co and was seconded to the Red Devils. These are parts of our football club's daily life too seldom spoken about. Watford chairman and CEO Scott Duxbury has described the club's promotion to the Premier League as the biggest achievement in his career. But no club in the Pozzo family stable has been relegated for more than 20 years. Was a teacher in Mlaga before moving into coaching and performance analysis in 2005. The company made a turnover of $297 billion in 2011. It was how they were able to persuade Gerard Deulofeu to sign from Barcelona and Nathaniel Chalobah from Chelsea, while Domingos Quina turned up at the training ground on deadline day in the summer when West Ham said he could go because he knew Watford would give him a chance. If you look at the balance sheet of Watford, what people would see as a negative in terms of certain incomes being low Gino sees as a positive, because he believes with the clubs fan base, Watford can grow. For a young player, being at a big club, if youre just sat there and not playing, not getting the opportunity, youre not showcasing your talent, says Nathaniel Chalobah, a 23-year-old midfielder who joined the club last year from Chelsea, one of Englands richest and most successful clubs. Earlier that day, Watford had lost 4-0 to English Premier League rivals Bournemouth on a dismal, drizzly day at their home ground of Vicarage Road. We dont want to hide behind anything. The enshittification of apps is real. But what if Watford simply underpay their players relative to their true worth? Was a manager in his own right, for HNK Orijent 1919 in Croatia, before linking up with Bilic at Al-Ittihad, West Brom and Beijing Guoan. Clubs such as Liverpool and Arsenal have invested millions of pounds building in-house teams. Scott Duxbury speaking after Watford were promoted to the Premier League. If you look at the world in front of you, there is somewhere a better player than [the one] you are chasing., The same approach applies to managers. Players often move between the teams. How to get into football - the most popular sport in the world, with clubs and facilities throughout the UK. By James Walters. A Gannett Company. It was a bold claim but one that sums up the confidence Watford have in the scouting network they have developed since the Pozzo family bought the club in 2012. If Im the club thats buying a player for 40m because youve heard of him onMatch of the Day, somethings gone wrong., Murad Ahmed is the FTs sports correspondent, Follow@FTMag on Twitter to find out about our latest stories first. Everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment. Football is a machine that grinds the dreams of thousands of boys. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations with other readers. If he leaves, he can be replaced and the whole system does not fall apart. History Watford often acquire players who do not satisfy these immigration rules but loan them to Udinese or other teams to build the experience needed to gain a work permit. . The noise weve heard at Vicarage Road in recent times has been relentless. We want everyone to understand we accept that whats happened on the field of play, particularly at home, is unacceptable. Won 44 caps for Croatia and played for clubs including Everton and West Ham. The suggestion that Watford is a London club is something of a touchy subject with a lot of supporters, considering the side are based in Hertfordshire, but the link with the capital was a huge positive for the Pozzos. Terms & Conditions Date: 27/07/2020 By: Watford FC Statement from Hornets' Owner and Chairman & CEO . Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) May 9, 2020 Watford, who are 17th in the league and only above the relegation zone on goal difference, beat runway leaders Liverpool in a shock victory at their Vicarage Road ground in February -- a result Duxbury says was influenced by . Its values, its sense PROFESSOR David Sumpter says Ajax are like a 'University of football' and are building an understanding of the game from the foundations up. Moving on? . Javier Gracia and Quique Sanchez Flores were both dismissed after they managed one Premier League win in 14 matches between them. Should a club hire a player on their recommendation, a scout earns a bonus of a few hundred pounds. Joined club in November 2020, having been assistant at Deportivo Alavs in La Liga. Udinese, a small-town club in the north-east of the country, play in Serie A, Italys top division. If we need their support with regards to money, we will get it. We believed in the players, we believed in the vision and then people came with us.". The family can develop the club, they can increase revenues and can help Watford grow.. Brother of the Head Coach and also arrived at the club in December 2020, having previously spent a season with Valencia in La Liga. The move to acquire clubs has given the Pozzos operation greater scale. No matter that the team had recently made a great start to the season, winning their first four games. Ultimately, the Premier League is where Duxbury and the rest of the Watford's hierarchy believe the club ought to be. Theyre there at the birth of the dream.. "There was moments where we weren't perhaps achieving what we thought we would do and people were turning against us, and the fans were turning against us, but we believed in what we were doing. Scott Duxbury, Chairman & CEO. Knows Watford owners the Pozzos from his three-year spell as Sporting Director of their other club, Udinese. 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Scott Duxbury speaking after Watford were promoted to the Premier League. He had been bought just a season earlier for 11.5m from Brazils Fluminense but Duxbury says he was actually the clubs second choice for a new attacking player. The ability to make such speedy decisions stems from extensive planning. The Pozzos are the clubs owners and son Gino will be the one who is more involved than his father Gianpaolo. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to That's where we should be. Saturday May 09 2020, 12.01am, The Times. We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The government has made that clear and the culture secretary Oliver Dowden enforced that . You, our supporters, deserve more. Scott Ian DUXBURY. Instead, Watford appear to deploy a series of trading strategies that mean their recruitment choices are smarter and more bankable than their rivals: At 4.50pm on August9 2018, 10 minutes before the closure of the summer transfer window, a period in which players can be traded between clubs, Duxbury received a call. They should not be competing in the Champions League but it is only because of the expertise of the Pozzos and the infrastructure they have developed that they are doing it year in and year out. My continued very best wishes, on behalf of everyone here at Watford Football Club, to you and your families. Role Active Director Appointed on 12 July 2012 . For now, then, on the back of several weeks without a home fixture, lets all come together and create something special this afternoon; something everyone can use as a catalyst for a very positive end to the season as we bid to retain Premier League status. Now Arsenal and Manchester United are looking to copy the model. That is why he chose Watford. . 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The Pozzos are focused solely on football. Premier League champions Manchester City have created a database of 300,000 players, with the club identifying just three targets in each position they consider the best in the world. Has been at Watford since 2012, when the Pozzo family took over, and is a key figure on both the football and business sides of the club. All 20 Premier League teams deploy global scouting networks to unearth hidden gems, sifting through thousands of footballers eager to play in thewealthiest club competition in world football. There is an assumption the head coach just sits there as players come and go like diners at a buffet. I have to try to offer the best performance we have and to get better results.. [Even if the club have] no possibility of playing him because he hasnt got a work permit. But other variables, such as the ability to control a ball under pressure, are near impossible to assess empirically. . Scouts deliver their reports directly to the ruling trio rather than through other layers of management. I know there is always caution when there is change and there is always caution with foreign ownership, but the Pozzos really get the individuality of clubs. He has seen it at Udinese and he has seen it at Granada. If we simply replicate what the bigger clubs are doing, were going to fail, because we dont have their resources, says Duxbury. Abdoulaye Doucoure has won several suitors for his performances this term, You must be at least 18 years old to create an account, Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number, I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from Evening Standard. But judging ability is tricky. HP10 9TY. He is the managing director of Vitol, a Geneva-based oil trading company. Also a well-travelled coach, having managed sides in Croatia, Russia, Turkey, England, Saudi Arabia and China. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. To see staff profiles for other clubs, click here. The plan now is to establish the Hornets in the top flight once again and grow from there. Scott Duxbury Watford You might like Man City charged with breaking financial rules and may face points deduction or expulsion Man City not guaranteed EFL place if relegated, Pochettino to. Analysis and opinion from our chief football writer. Goalkeeper Ben Foster cost 3.5m and Jose Holebas 2.5m. Suggested targets are whittled down to two or three and presented to Duxbury, Giraldi and Pozzo, who are based at the clubs training ground. Calvin after shadowing people such as Mel Johnson, who spotted current international starsGareth Bale andRaheem Sterling as teenagers reckons scouts develop intuition that allows them to divine which players will make it to the top. Only then can they benefit from a share of the Premier Leagues broadcasting contracts, worth a combined 8bn. Former Chelsea and England striker Chris Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live: "The owner dictates everything and he needs to have a good look at himself. Their greatest finds include Chilean striker Alexis Snchez, who has gone on to play for European superpowers such as Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.