Crikey. Is everyone
OK?
After all, it’s been a pretty chaotic couple of weeks, even
by Watford’s madcap standards.
At the time of writing, the pieces are still being put into
place after the Pozzo family completed their takeover of our club. It looks
increasingly likely that the 2012/13 season will start with a new manager in
charge, and it’s seemingly inconceivable that we won’t see at least a
smattering of loan signings from Udinese strutting their stuff in a smart new
Puma shirt soon. With Italy renowned as a nation with a love for decent food,
one can only assume any loanees will approve of the Happy Egg Company.
A fair few details to finalise then, but whilst the great
and the good are busy putting together the final pieces of the Watford Football
Club jigsaw, what better time to take a breath, review what’s happened and
share our hopes and thoughts on the future?
What’s happened?
Perhaps most importantly, we know Laurence Bassini has left
the building. The entirety of Bassini’s tenure was a baffling combination of
lofty claims and promises, excuses and bizarre behaviour. His apparent
inability to talk directly to fans, ever-changing timescales and refusal to disclose
the source of his supposed investment served only to fan the flames of cynicism
that were ignited upon his arrival.
With hindsight, it’s easy to say that Bassini was obviously
not the long term guardian of Watford that he professed to be. The clues were
there, of course. For a never published article I trawled through all that
Bassini ever said and wrote it down. His statements and claims were never
consistent and the way in which he bandied completion dates around for major
building works at Vicarage Road was as hilarious as they were unimaginable. If
you’re minded to do so,
search
the Watford Observer site for ‘Laurence Bassini’ and read what he had to
say in chronological order. If nothing else, it should help you if ever you
want to write the book on ‘
How not to run
a football club or reveal yourself as slightly daft’.
In truth, the penny didn’t truly drop for many Watford fans
until news of the takeover hit the public domain. In the space of nigh on 24
hours, Bassini managed to claim that he had no wish to sell, almost immediately
confirmed that he was indeed going to sell, before publicly claiming that the
deal was off because he didn’t believe the Pozzo family didn’t have the necessary
funds. He also managed to cobble together a statement for the official site
bemoaning the fact that neither fans nor the media had given him a chance. Our
collective hearts bled.
His erratic performance in the lead up to the takeover was a
perfect microcosm of his Watford ownership; contradictory, nonsensical and
worrying. With news of staff not being paid and rumours of an outstanding tax
bill, Bassini’s legacy and the true state of the Football Club was beginning to
become apparent. Fortunately, the Pozzo family remained committed to the cause
and the takeover was officially announced on Friday 29 June.
Since their purchase of the club, the Pozzo family have
released a welcome statement on the official site, but by far and away their
biggest decision is the widely reported one to replace Manager Sean Dyche with Gianfranco
Zola. It’s a move that has divided opinion amongst Watford fans and caught the
imagination of football fans up and down the Country.
What do we think?
Here at From the Rookery End, we’re relieved the takeover is
complete. All the evidence points towards Bassini’s reign having left Watford’s
future in very real danger – it’s almost impossible to believe that the club
could have continued to operate had he remained in charge. With this in mind
the takeover wasn’t just welcome, it was utterly, totally, 100% necessary.
It is within this context that we must view the Pozzo’s
decision to bring in their own Manager. I don’t think there will be many
Watford fans who aren’t disappointed that Sean Dyche, a man who performed
hugely impressively in almost unimaginably trying circumstances, hasn’t been
given a chance to continue his work. This said, the Pozzo family rescued our
Football Club. It is that simple. With regards to the managerial decision, it’s
their way or no way at all. Like it or loathe it, Sean Dyche’s job was part of
the price paid for the future of our club.
It seems clear then, that despite this brutal decision, at
this stage we should be grateful. At least we have a football club to manage.
Add to the mix the Pozzo family’s football pedigree, their obvious experience
in the game and their tried and trusted business model (next time Laurence, it
might be an idea to try and demonstrate at least one of these attributes) and
it’s clear to see why some Hornets fans see the Pozzo’s as a ticket to success
and glory. They may well prove to be just that, but as when Laurence Bassini
stumbled into town, we have a right to ask questions and to look beneath the
surface. It’s more than a right – it’s a responsibility.
Already there is a clear misunderstanding of the Pozzo’s and
their footballing philosophy. Chatter on the Internet and social networks is rife
with excited conversation about how much
they will spend. The answer of course is very little – the plan is to build
with the help of youngsters from Udinese and untried players signed via their global
scouting network. There is a wealth of articles on the relative successes of
Udinese and Grenada out there – many of which are hugely helpful in getting a
good feel for who is now in charge, what they’ve previously achieved, and how.
As supporters, we have a duty to understand and know who is
in charge of our club. If we don’t, what right do we have to complain if it all
goes Bassini shaped?
With this in mind, here at from the Rookery End, we’re
pleased the Pozzo’s are here. Cautiously optimistic even. It won’t stop us
asking questions though – talk is cheap, it’s their actions which will
ultimately decide how history judges them and how this chapter in Hornets history
will end. You’ll hopefully remember the ‘
five
simple questions’ we had for Laurence Bassini. Expect to see them get
another airing soon.
Let’s hope we get some better answers.
Come on You Horns!
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