Acuna Signs On Loan

A few posts back, you used the word "loophole". When will idiots get it through their thick skulls that we did not exploit a loophole (which implies that there is an ambiguity in the rules) but used the rule as it stood at the time that stated international "loans" would be classed the same as permanent transfers to our advantage? What if the foreign owners of other clubs owned a club in their homeland and wanted to do the same?

No-one knows what our turnover was last year until the report is released as it will be the first one with the Pozzos in charge for the whole year

 

My my it's all kicked off.... I gave up arguing long ago

 

How can you have your opinion considered seriously if you come out with responses like that, unable to actually provide any basis for the said opinion?! Bizarre.

I can't quite work out where the "scraping the barrel for ways to convince yourself that you're not still a small time club" part comes from either, and put so bitterly. I'm fully aware I support a small club, from a small town, with a three sided stadium. I am also fully aware we are owned by a proven footballing family, with a track record of signing quality youngsters and converting them in to world-beaters.

You're just coming across as incredibly naive, ill-informed and bitter.

 

Been away for a while but have come back to the macho Leeds trying to prove his manliness - I've got a bigger one than yours blah blah blah - the mistake is that big isn't always the best. Its blindingly obvious that over the last 10 years Watford have out performed Leeds every time and what worries the likes of Leeds is now we have decent backers - we are going to continue to do so. There is absolutely no evidence that this won't be the case next season too. We are clear contenders for the title and promotion - not sure the same can be said about poor inflated Leeds.

 

MrMarko---you do not understand the Pozzo model of sustainable financing of their football clubs. They are not silly billyionaires who pay inflated prices for so called superstars or the latest "sensation" talked up by press or agents. Your man may be a good player and may get better, but if he already has a price tag of £8m he would never be attractive to the Pozzo's ---not because "they cannot afford him" but because they would not want him. That is not the way they build a team. An extensive scouting/recruitment network finds talented young players, who are brought into a first class coaching system . They are given experience at the right level in competitive leagues in England Spain and Italy, and may be sold on at "peak value" if it suits the project--or may help their team to a higher level. Not hard to understand once it is explained, but still a novel idea to most (non-Watford) English fans.

Of course the Championship is an unpredictable league and nothing can be taken for granted , but I would be surprised if Watford is not competitive in this league next season, and challenging for promotion , maybe via the play-offs. With a good manager , a stronger squad and the Pozzo resources in reserve, why should they not be?

 

But you think that that track record of signing quality youngsters and converting them into world-beaters means you could easily have Sam Byram off us if you so desired... forgetting that we as a club have traditionally developed quality young talent and actually been quite successful as a result. You've completely overlooked that certain other clubs are better at developing young talent than your club or your owners might be.

I even saw someone in here suggest that it was possible for the Pozzo family to shift their finances around to make it look like Watford was responsible for a significant portion of the £130 million outgoing transfer dealings done in however long it was, to fool the Football League and their financial fair play rules. Unfortunately that would mean actually having those players on the books at Watford before selling them. A player has to be registered at a football club for their sale to count towards that football clubs turnover.

 

Every time? Except for 03/04, 04/05, 10/11... but I guess you can forget about those or they don't count in your head or whatever.

Decent backers? That may be. But so do we. Our financial situation has changed. Our fortunes are looking up.

Also you bottled automatic, then bottled the playoffs. Statistics say that clubs that do that slump into mediocrity the following season.

The bookies are giving you slightly shorter odds on promotion next season. So I guess you've decided the line between "clear contenders" and not is between us and you?

If you hadn't exploited a loophole, then the FA wouldn't have investigated it and subsequently changed the rules to disallow it. A loophole typically exists because it involves a circumstance or action that hasn't been thought of.

 

That's a fair point. But on that basis, why on earth did any of you genuinely think you had a shot at signing Byram in the first place? Leeds to Watford is just not a good move, especially not when both clubs are in the same division.

The same applies to Leeds. The signing of Luke Murphy is a statement of intent - we've had investment over the weekend, clearly, that is still being dealt with and put into place. We've got new owners who actually seem to care about building an entire club with a single goal rather than just dicking around and calling everyone who opposes them morons. We're fully expected to be there or thereabouts. Why on earth would Watford be a better place for a young player to be than Leeds?

 

Like Cardiff last season, or Reading the season before? Both failed in the play-offs the previous but automatic the next! There is no guarantee anyone will be in the top two, the championship is far too competitive, but why shouldn't we have confidence of another push. We will have a very similar first team with another 4-5 players... Some of true quality we could only dream of in previous seasons.

The only two things that worries me is replacing Vydra's goals, and we won't be the 'surprise package' anymore

As for owners, so you are backing the investment group now? What's changed, the £1m signing?

I imagine yours are actually similar to ours in the fact they need promotion to start making money out of the club. The best way is to invest in the playing squad. You will see many more permanent signings but why not take advantage of a few loans too. Think of a lot of ours as 'try before you buy'.

The only reason the "loophole", or as we call it a rule, is being changed is because Holloway criticised it so publicly. If it wasn't for his little rant, I doubt much would have been made if it

 

There he goes again, lack of proper research.

1) There never was a loophole - it was clearly stated within the rules that what Watford did was permissable and, for the rule to be even specified the way it was, there can't be any doubt that consideration had been given to the situation arising;

2) The FA had sweet FA to do with this - it was a Football League rule and it was rescinded by a majority vote of Football League members.

When will they ever learn?

 

We held 2nd place for 15 minutes of a 46 game season, and that was during the half time delayed due to Bond's injury - I hardly class that as bottling it.

 

Back to the title, has Acuna definitely signed on loan? There's been nothing on the club site about it.

 

Don't feed the troll...

 

Exactly - think I'll wait for OFFICIAL confirmation before getting over excited and boastful like some Watford fans have been but it sounds very promising if all true.

BTW Don't forget Leeds are "Champions of Europe" and all that...they "deserve" to be in the Premier league.

 

It was on the udinese site that they had signed him and were to loan him to Watford immediately.

 

You had 15 minutes where you knew scoring would win you promotion to the Premier League, yet couldn't score against a mediocre Leeds team that's still low on confidence. You bottled it.

You then went to Wembley and failed to perform against a Crystal Palace side who were more up for it. You bottled it.

 

Yes sorry that is true but I meant some of the others - still seems a bit uncertain.

It seems clear that we will be signing a number of the players from last season which is good.

I suppose we did "bottle" it by not turning up for the play-off final but many teams could say they bottled the chance for 2nd.

Leicester were well placed and then only won 2 games in 12 or something!

 

I already mentioned those two examples. Those are two examples out of countless teams that make the playoffs one season then fail or struggle to get there the next season.

I personally have always backed the investment group, I knew they were aiming to run Leeds on the money the club makes by itself and I was fully aware that the majority of that money was tied up servicing unnecessary debt for the unforeseeable future. I was backing them to give us an exciting season this season with an outside shot at promotion, probably through a late push into the playoffs. Now we've got investors in to spend money I'm back them to give us an even more exciting season this season.

We may get loans, we may not. But unlike you we are very sceptical of loans on the basis that our old owner used to sell our best players and think getting a loan in to paper over the cracks would be enough to keep us quiet. We've had several terrible loans, the only one that springs to mind as any good is Max Gradel.

 

They bottled it as well. You were in the controlling position, it was within your own hands, all you needed to do was score a goal and you bottled it. Simple as that.

 

Great, the twat is back