Whether its Chalobah or whoever, they will go when were ready for them to go because itll be a huge transfer fee, he says. EVAN FERGUSON and Andy Moran both joined Brighton's Academy at the age of 16 from clubs in the League of Ireland. Duxbury has assumed a similar role at Watford to the one he held at West Ham, where he was criticised for his part in the Carlos Tevez affair. Theyll either be very successful and maybe go on to another bigger club or they wont work out and theyll move on. There will be more from the Hornets new chief executive in next weeks Watford Observer. If we need their support with scouting networks, players and commercial know-how, then they are very much there for us in a supporting function, rather than interfering in the day-to-day running of the club. Assessing the quality of developed players is every bit as difficult. In 1986, his father Giampaolo bought Italian club Udinese with money from the familys toolmaking company. As well as various roles in the Spanish leagues, including three spells at Mlaga CF, has worked for FC Dnipro in the Ukranian Premier League and for the Panama national team. Scott Ian DUXBURY. A lot of the bigger clubs, they will look at a player and they need a little more convincing, a little more proof. The government has made that clear and the culture secretary Oliver Dowden enforced that . 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. Joined the club as an intern in October 2015. That role only lasted five months, before Simm returned to Watford as first-team physio in October 2018. Scott Duxbury, Chairman & CEO. The question ishow? Scouts deliver their reports directly to the ruling trio rather than through other layers of management. 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. 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. 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 company made a turnover of $297 billion in 2011. The programme produced a youth team that beat a Brazilian under-17 side featuring Neymar and Philippe Coutinho, who would go on to become two of the most expensive players ever. and other data for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, Terms & Conditions Duxbury claimed that financial pressure was not the only thing the clubfound it difficult to contend with during the season, saying that the Watford "family" not being entirely on the same page at moments during the campaign caused added stress. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. As we chat, ravenous players filter in following a training session. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. As a result, Colomer was recruited by the state of Qatar in 2007 to help to establish a programme called Football Dreams for the Doha-based Aspire Academy. They leave the management to myself, Gian Luca and Gianfranco, but we know they are always there if we need help and support.. The initial cohort of fans was drawn from a wide representation. Arsenal 3-2 Watford: Hornets haven't been good enough this season - Deeney. It is lunchtime. 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. Went full time with the U21s in July 2016 and promoted to the first team in July 2018. These are parts of our football clubs daily life too seldom spoken about. Subscribe toFT Life on YouTube for the latest FT Weekend videos. But outliers such as Sterling and Bale (who have each gone on to command combined transfer fees in excess of 100m) distract from the brutal realities. 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. On the pitch, this season has been unacceptably poor especially in front of yourselves, our own supporters, who deserve much, much better than what youve had to endure. He aspires to scale greater heights, of course. Watfords scouts are instructed to get to know a players agents, even his parents, to better understand their desires in advance of any transfer. Played professionally in Germany before moving into coaching and scouting. How to get into football - the most popular sport in the world, with clubs and facilities throughout the UK. We close the deal and weve signed a player that in the Carabao Cup [one of Englands two main cup competitions] scored a wonder goal, then in midweek for Portugal [under-19s], scored another wonder goal. To Watford Fans: From Gino Pozzo & Scott Duxbury. One heavy defeat was all it took to suggest replacing Ben Foster, Watfords vastly experienced new goalkeeper, with Heaton, a highly rated recent England international. 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. I have to try to offer the best performance we have and to get better results.. Captain Troy Deeney said he does not know if he has, Epic new drama sees witches fighting terror. 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. F ootball is coming back. He is the managing director of Vitol, a Geneva-based oil trading company. Foreign imports, says Giraldi, offer better value for money: If you want to be economically efficient, [buy players in] South America. But other variables, such as the ability to control a ball under pressure, are near impossible to assess empirically. The below financial data is gathered and compiled by TheRichest analysts team to give you a better understanding of David Fransen Net Worth by breaking down the 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. Of course, no one is perfect and Watford have made mistakes. "So for us to be able to deal with that and get theteam spirit to come back, was remarkable.". For latest updates, follow us on Twitter at @ground_guru. These are parts of our football club's daily life too seldom spoken about. And when I say cheap, in terms of transfer fee, it can be similar, but in terms of salary, [there is] a massive difference. Duxbury has spent most of his adult life involved in football after qualifying as a lawyer. But for a club with Watfords limited resources survival is the primary objective (the bottom three teams each season are relegated). In a chaotic campaign, the club had four different managers. Between Udinese and Watford, the family own about 80 senior players, each representing a potential blockbuster transfer. If thats playing for Real Madrid orParis Saint-Germain, thats mutually compatible with our ambition because we will improve as a football club, they will improve as a player, and the merry-go-round will continue.. (He rarely gives interviews and declined to speak to the FT.) Pozzo, 52, is the mastermind behind Watfords trading strategies. The Pozzos are masters of regulatory arbitrage. Academic research suggests the best predictor of a teams league placing is its wage bill. See all the latest from stars such as Troy Deeney, William Troost-Ekong, Nathaniel Chalobah, Ismala Sarr, Joo Pedro, Ken Sema, Domingos Quina and many more.Youll also be able to find out much more about the history of the club, including legends such as Graham Taylor, Elton John, Luther Blissett and John Barnes. WATFORD ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED(THE) (00104194) Company status Active Correspondence address Vicarage Road Stadium, Vicarage Road, Watford Hertfordshire, WD18 0ER. A Gannett Company. 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Scott Duxbury has been with Watford since 2012, having previously worked at West Ham Watford's strategy has been to build a structure behind the scenes that they hope will help the. Read about our approach to external linking. "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. Watford have been criticised for their propensity to fire managers. 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. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can It must be on Watfords terms, too, as they showed when they held out until Everton paid 40m for Richarlison. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Duxbury returned to England to head up a sports practice and it was then that he met Gino Pozzo. 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 . 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. By James Walters. 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. Only then can they benefit from a share of the Premier Leagues broadcasting contracts, worth a combined 8bn. But judging ability is tricky. "We have always said we are here for the long-term and we will not allow this one moment of great disappointment to stop the continued development of this club over the next eight years and beyond. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Watford look set for another season in Englands top tier following an outstanding start to this term. We stopped for a year and we were relegated. "Everything was against us. . analyse how our Sites are used. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website, Here's How Drew Barrymore Made Her $125 Million Fortune, Kim Kardashians $150 Million Private Jet Has Strict Rules, Travis Barker Releases New CBD Skincare, But Its Causing Controversy, Moving To Canada? As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. "There were moments where it was touch and go whether we thought we could actually continue, but we managed to find a way through, we managed to adapt, and we've got back to the Premier League, which iseverything for this football club. Other clubs deploy these tactics but few as often as Watford. The Pozzos have faced more serious allegations. Its values, its sense They brought a similarly savvy approach to Watford. If we think a players good enough, we will sign him regardless, says Duxbury. Following the takeover, Watford signed 10 players on loan from Udinese to boost the team. . Far from discouraging the desire to leave the club, Duxbury says such ambition can be harnessed. However, the way they were developed after that was completely different, as former Brighton Academy Manager John Morling tells TGG. A larger scouting network is able to cover more ground. But once we make a plan, we share it. The creation of the Fans Committee comes with the distribution of a Memorandum of Understanding, so that all those taking part are clear about the terms of reference for involvement; what can be shared more widely and what should remain within the room, so to speak. If you sign a SouthAmerican, you can start at ten [thousand pounds] a month.. Scott Duxbury speaking after Watford were promoted to the Premier League. Difficult in practice. The deal would have been quite a return for Pozzo, given he paid 500,000 to buy Watford six years ago as well clearing the clubs debts of about 10m. Watford's chairman and chief executive Scott Duxbury sits in The Gate pub in Chorleywood, five miles away from Vicarage Road. 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. It's surreal. That system is headed up by Duxbury, owner Gino Pozzo and technical director Filippo Giraldi. In 2009, Pozzo led the familys acquisition of Spanish club Granada (subsequently sold in 2016 to Chinese group Link International Sports for a reported 37m). 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. Wed be delighted to learn of your interest. Research interests: Crime and deviance; social control and conflict; computational and mathematical sociology; relational sociology . In the past, dictatorial managers such as Manchester Uniteds Sir Alex Ferguson or ArsenalsArsne Wenger, controlled most aspects of a clubs operations, including transfers. Without being crude, in the morning when Im getting ready for the day ahead and Im maybe havingmy toilet break, Im texting Filippo, saying, Have you heard about this player?. In 2006, Udinese signed a 17-year-old Alexis Snchez for 2.7m from Chilean club Cobreloa but immediately loaned him to other South American sides. info@trainingground.guru, About If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can It is most certainly not a closed shop or invite only. My continued very best wishes, on behalf of everyone here at Watford Football Club, to you and your families. 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. The club have 100 potential contracts already drawn up should the opportunity to sign a targeted player arise. In the three seasons since promotion, Watford have secured 12 victories on one occasion and 11 wins in the other two. atford chairman and CEO Scott Duxbury made a statement in a recent interview you would not expect from a Premier League club chief. Was a goalkeeper in his homeland, playing more than 300 senior games, before moving into coaching with Como and then Udinese, Watford's sister club. 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. Others follow a similar method. All major decisions are made by a triumvirate of Pozzo, Duxbury and Giraldi. Last updated on 27 July 202027 July 2020.From the section Watford. The Pozzos are focused solely on football. To receive exclusive content every month and other great benefits sign up to our monthly eNewsletter. Watford employ 12 senior scouts who travel the world, as well as a wider network of junior scouts, consultants and coaches, who live in different countries and provide recommendations. Only one has to make the big time to achieve huge returns. Scouts deploy no fixed tests. Everybody wins. He decided to do something about it and the result is the Routes App - a digital record of a scholar's journey. So it's grea thatwe've had a fantastic season in the Championship, it's great that we've won so manyconsecutive games and were fantastic, but we're a Premier League football club. Theyre there at the birth of the dream.. There is a long list of top footballers who have emerged through Udineses ranks, including Colombias Juan Cuadrado, Moroccos Medhi Benatia and Slovenias Samir Handanovi. It is when players dont leave, thats the issue.. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. Hes got a year left of his contract. Filter appointments . Watford FC Chairman & CEO Scott Duxbury shares his thoughts ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Burnley. Javier Gracia and Quique Sanchez Flores were both dismissed after they managed one Premier League win in 14 matches between them. contact the editor here. For ourselves, that would do a huge disservice to a great body of staff who are the very heartbeat of what Watford Football Club is all about; the path it was set on by the pioneering family initiatives driven by Elton John and Graham Taylor. Most, however, are obsessive freelancers who travel thousands of miles a season, are paid little more than 40 pence a mile for petrol, and are sustained by a diet of bacon sandwiches. 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. Yet now, today, its not about a bid to retain status, or where we will finish in the league at the end of the season, its far more important than that. The clubs scouts had been tracking the player for months but believed he was beyond reach. In a change to the Fans Forums and At Your Places of yesteryear, during which it was becoming increasingly difficult to talk openly and in relative confidence, the Fans Committee is designed to re-ignite those really open and frank conversations, with follow-ups planned that involve other members of the clubs senior management team as appropriate to the likely topics for discussion. Scott Duxbury Nationality: English Qualified as a lawyer and worked in that capacity for West Ham before becoming their chief executive. Duxbury calls them absolute nonsense. And while our full focus is of course on the current season, if you are thinking about things beyond the end of this campaign then I do hope Season Ticket holders reading in have already seen fit to renew for next year courtesy of the reduced prices offered within our Early Renewal period. Yet, there is scant evidence that even the best scouts can guarantee sure-fire hits. Watford have also had their share of regulatory problems. This is a risky strategy. But what if Watford simply underpay their players relative to their true worth? IMPORTANT NOTICEFINALLY, we have the new official winter patch! Its been discussed, its been accepted. The family can develop the club, they can increase revenues and can help Watford grow.. 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. "And there weremoments where the family was a little bit against us. Being a small club has advantages. Fosters not consistent. We cant match them pound for pound.. If you didnt have that speed of decision-making, he wouldnt be here now.. 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. "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. This account already exists. But they also know most players found by scouts will not succeed. Please report any comments that break our rules. Was Bilics assistant at Hajduk Split, Al-Ittihad, West Brom and Beijing Guoan and does opposition scouting and analysis as well as coaching. 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. Some traits, such as speed and strength, are measurable. Also what the Pozzos don't do is just sign an influx of foreign players. Watford chief executive Scott Duxbury reveals that the Hornets will sign more new players during the January transfer window. Privacy Policy & Cookies, 2023 Training Ground Guru. About David Bernard Fransen British businessman and board member of Watford FC, David Fransen has a net worth of $104.26 million. The club simply changed tack. The Watford Observer caught up with the Hornets' new chief executive this week to discuss how he arrived at Vicarage Road . He ended up moving to West Ham and worked his way from legal advisor to chief executive, when he worked closely with Nani and Gianfranco Zola. One of their former coaches, Manuel Sanchez, tells us why the sport is part of the football fabric there. Raffaele Riva resigned as executive chairman over the incident. Watford chairman Scott Duxbury has questioned whether the Premier League should return amid the coronavirus pandemic. By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. We dont have an owner taking money out [or] as a vehicle for him to make money.. You deserve better. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. In response, the English Football League (EFL), the body that regulates professional divisions below the Premier League, changed its rules so that clubs could no longer benefit from a huge influx of foreign loanees. Click HERE to sync your online/mobile calendar with all the club's 2021/22 fixtures. 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. Football is a machine that grinds the dreams of thousands of boys. Its a big operation for a club of their size, but those with more money can afford more spotters. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? Joined Watford in December 2022. Vicarage Roads 21,000 capacity is little more than a quarter ofManchester Uniteds Old Trafford. Watford get a good fee, the player gets his move and the system kicks into life again. All Rights Reserved, Webber considering long-term future outside football after abuse, Strudwick steps down as Wales Head of Performance after five years, Plymouth secure permanent home for Academy as they prepare for Cat 2, Inside Brentfords new Robert Rowan Performance Centre, How futsal is part of the football fabric of River Plate in Argentina, App that gives released players new Routes after Academy football, How Ajax are building a full model of football, John Morling: Ferguson, Moran and different approaches to development. [Even if the club have] no possibility of playing him because he hasnt got a work permit. Advertise with us He is the managing director of Vitol, a Geneva-based oil trading company. If we just simply replicate what the bigger clubs are doing, were going to fail, because we dont have their resources. Suggested targets are whittled down to two or three and presented to Duxbury, Giraldi and Pozzo, who are based at the clubs training ground. The multi-platinum selling singer is Watford's honorary life president and was chairman during their rise from the old Fourth Division to the top flight during the 1970s and early 80s. A powerful documentary marks the first anniversary of the Ukraine war through five people's diaries, Celebrate the American rapper, Megan Thee Stallion, with an epic mix of tunes and chats, In a long, hot, post-exam summer friends are seduced by a powerful app, Watford's five-year top-flight stay ended after a. owner Gino Pozzo and chief executive Scott Duxbury expressed "great disappointment". Goalkeeper Ben Foster cost 3.5m and Jose Holebas 2.5m. cookies Duxbury said: It is exactly the model the Pozzos were looking for. Duxbury said: Their whole philosophy is that they believe in the men they put in place and they are there to provide support. Everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment. Until a remarkable climb up the league in the late 1970s, they had spent most of their history in English footballs lower divisions. WHEN Ansoumane Konde's dreams of becoming a pro ended, he found he had nothing to showcase his unique experiences in the game. 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. Sign up for exclusive newsletters, comment on stories, enter competitions and attend events. 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. 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.