Filter appointments . 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. Training Ground Guru The Pozzos have faced more serious allegations. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Role Active Director Appointed on 12 July 2012 . We dont have an owner taking money out [or] as a vehicle for him to make money.. 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. 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. Too often, if the football isnt successful, then the whole club is written off as being on the wrong path. But Watford largely eschew such methods, Giraldi says. Hes got a year left of his contract. Academic research suggests the best predictor of a teams league placing is its wage bill. Not any more. 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. Tom Sizemore dead: Hollywood star dies aged 61 after brain aneurysm, Messages show Hancocks reaction after Gina Coladangelo CCTV leak, Lifeboats dispatched after fire breaks out on ferry in English Channel, Ambulance strikes called off in London as ministers agree to pay talks, Mother and daughter found dead in flat months after last being seen, US lawyer Alex Murdaugh jailed for life for murdering wife and son, Deulofeu winning fitness battle ahead of FA Cup Final, Gomes yet to make retirement decision ahead of FA Cup Final, Belgian mother who killed 5 children euthanised 16 years after deaths, Estate agent wins legal fight with interior designer over 10m sale, Constance Marten: Dead baby found wrapped in plastic bag, court hears, 300 new Ulez cameras rolled out but none in rebel boroughs. Two-thirds of those awarded a professional contract at the age of 18 abandon the sport by 21. Clubs such as Liverpool and Arsenal have invested millions of pounds building in-house teams. Pen pics of Watford's coaching, science, medicine and analytics staff. . . Watford are one of the Premier Leaguespoorest clubs. Please report any comments that break our rules. Everybody wins. He is the managing director of Vitol, a Geneva-based oil trading company. They watch matches, then attempt to decipher which players have what it takes. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please The clubs scouts had been tracking the player for months but believed he was beyond reach. Joined Watford in August 2022. Tom Heaton. But with less money to spend, Watford seek a different calculation: buying undervalued players. Watford FC Chairman & CEO Scott Duxbury shares his thoughts ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Burnley. Overseas players are attracted to Watford as it gives them an invaluable shop window into Europes top leagues, a platform from which they can convince bigger clubs to acquire them. Analysis and opinion from our chief football writer. Played professionally in Germany before moving into coaching and scouting. 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. There, I meet two of Watfords key leaders Duxbury, 46, a square-shouldered Englishman in a pinstripe suit, and technical director Filippo Giraldi, a 43-year-old Italian with an unkempt air. They feel it in their bones, he says in a recent YouTube video series on the art of scouting. Privacy Policy & Cookies, 2023 Training Ground Guru. Over the course of a decade, he held trials for five million children across Africa, Latin America and south-east Asia. Watford chief executive Scott Duxbury (left) with technical director Filippo Giraldi In an office locked away from the hubbub is Gino Pozzo, Watford's owner. 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. Picture: Youtube/WatfordFC. 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. Everybody wins. Improvements and developments must and will be made. The decision over Pearson has been an emotional, impulsive decision. Picture: Holly Cant. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. Duxbury recalls: I said to Filippo, Is he any good? [Giraldi] went, Yes, hes phenomenal, Scott, but its got to be a joke, how on earth can we do this?, I phone West Ham. But for a club with Watfords limited resources survival is the primary objective (the bottom three teams each season are relegated). In the three seasons since promotion, Watford have secured 12 victories on one occasion and 11 wins in the other two. The company made a turnover of $297 billion in 2011. WATFORD ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED(THE) (00104194) Company status Active Correspondence address Vicarage Road Stadium, Vicarage Road, Watford Hertfordshire, WD18 0ER. "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. They leave the management to myself, Gian Luca and Gianfranco, but we know they are always there if we need help and support.. He had been signed for 11m the year before and was sold with his replacement, Roberto Pereyra, already in place. A handful were selected for training at Aspires state-of-the-art facilities. Terms & Conditions Javier Gracia and Quique Sanchez Flores were both dismissed after they managed one Premier League win in 14 matches between them. 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. MX23RW : Tuesday, February 14 23:28:01| >> :600:110613:110613: Arsenal . In the UK, footballers from non-EU countries cannot gain work visas unless they satisfy certain eligibility requirements, such as playing for their national teams or racking up games in a major European league. It is lunchtime. Talk of buying Watford began around six months ago and negotiations started in March. 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. This will be an extremely exciting campaign for the club . If we need their support with regards to money, we will get it. It is unfashionable and it is small. We try to have independence between [Udinese and Watford], says Giraldi. Moving on? 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. 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. 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. Players leaving doesnt concern me, he told talkSPORT. To find out what Watford do differently, I travelled to their training ground just off the northern edge of the M25 motorway, Londons ring road. We are all focused on putting this right. But Chaudhuri has found that in only half of transfers of peak-age players those in their mid- to late-twenties do they end up playing 50 per cent of minutes for the club they sign for. Read about our approach to external linking. 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?. Place small sums into lots of high-risk ventures. Duxbury said: Their whole philosophy is that they believe in the men they put in place and they are there to provide support. And when I say cheap, in terms of transfer fee, it can be similar, but in terms of salary, [there is] a massive difference. Far from discouraging the desire to leave the club, Duxbury says such ambition can be harnessed. Players often move between the teams. There will be more from the Hornets new chief executive in next weeks Watford Observer. . Scouts deploy no fixed tests. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Omar Chaudhuri, an executive at 21st Club, a football consultancy, says the best way to judge whether a transfer is a success is the amount of time a new signing actually appears on the pitch. It's the biggest achievement in my career. "I've always said from day one that together we can achieve great things and it's not just rhetoric, it's the truth," he said. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations with other readers. In Pozzos six years of ownership, the club have hired nine head coaches. In acknowledging the continuing uncertainties around households financial commitments, we believe to provide a discount of at least seven per cent shows our recognition of loyal support across this and many previous seasons. This is a risky strategy. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. "So for us to be able to deal with that and get theteam spirit to come back, was remarkable.". 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. well take a risk. Come to Watford, play regularly and make your name, then secure a big move. He aspires to scale greater heights, of course. Should a club hire a player on their recommendation, a scout earns a bonus of a few hundred pounds. It is the breadth of Watfords scouts and contacts that allows them to utilise the market so well and find value where others cannot. IMPORTANT NOTICEFINALLY, we have the new official winter patch! Scott Ian DUXBURY. Role: Chairperson. That's where we should be. Only then can they benefit from a share of the Premier Leagues broadcasting contracts, worth a combined 8bn. That is what we are all working towards.. Being a small club has advantages. He has a history of doing this. The Watford way is to buy cheaper, little-known players, then sell them at a profit. 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. Its not a joke. The latest rumours and stories from around the world of football. Creative midfielder for Hajduk Split, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Austria Salzburg during an 18-year playing career. Date: 27/07/2020 By: Watford FC Statement from Hornets' Owner and Chairman & CEO . Here he explains why - along with Ajax's Head of Sport Science and Data Vosse de Boode. A few weeks ago, SirElton John, international pop star, sent a message to Scott Duxbury, chief executive of Watford football 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. "Watford have never built with a manger, you would not put a family photo on your desk or buy a house in the area. Watford chief executive Scott Duxbury reveals that the Hornets will sign more new players during the January transfer window. We always watch with our eyes first, he says. Instead, the Pozzo model is akin to venture capital investing. Data profile of Scott Duxbury who is contracted to Watford. If he leaves, he can be replaced and the whole system does not fall apart. The calendar adjusts to your time zone and will automatically update throughout the season, so you'll never miss a match! Difficult in practice. Heurelho Gomes, who is likely to start in goal on Saturday, was a free signing. Off the pitch, the club is thriving and will continue to thrive. David Fransen life-long fan of the Championship football club, Watford FC and a non-executive director of the club since 2009. Watford get a good fee, the player gets his move and the system kicks into life again. There is an assumption the head coach just sits there as players come and go like diners at a buffet. Scott Duxbury, Watford FC Chairman, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Stake as our principal shirt sponsor ahead of the 2021/2022 season. Love, Elton.. Now Arsenal and Manchester United are looking to copy the model. If you sign a SouthAmerican, you can start at ten [thousand pounds] a month.. Enough. The plan now is to establish the Hornets in the top flight once again and grow from there. Udinese, a small-town club in the north-east of the country, play in Serie A, Italys top division. 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. 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. By James Walters. According to their recent accounts, the clubs net spend the difference between outlays on transfers minus fees received from selling players has been about 30m a season since re-entering the Premier League. Scott Duxbury, Chairman & CEO. To receive exclusive content every month and other great benefits sign up to our monthly eNewsletter. 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. 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. Worked for Newcastle for five years before a four-month stint at Everton in 2021/22. The likelihood is that any team that are consistently among the lowest spending in the division will eventually have a bad season. "Watford don't have managers, the owner totally runs the club.". 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. "I genuinely believed we would do it [get promoted]but for it to actually arrive and the manner in which we did it with the stress, a 1-0. It's the finest moment I've had in football," said Duxbury. That is why he chose Watford. Qualified as a lawyer and worked in that capacity for West Ham before becoming their chief executive. Theydidn't see quite what we were doing, but I like to think that, as we proved what we were trying to do, the family stayed with us and then they saw that we were trying to build a football club that was going to achievesuccess. We cant match them pound for pound.. Last updated on 27 July 202027 July 2020.From the section Watford. Has one Premier League football club cracked the system for trading talent? Other clubs deploy these tactics but few as often as Watford. Even so, the Watford way is not to be tampered with. Also what the Pozzos don't do is just sign an influx of foreign players. He is the managing director of Vitol, a Geneva-based oil trading company. . We are very proud of this football club. They just want to do a deal because they know theyre going to lose him in January, [so] we have a guy in a car park with 10 minutes to go before the window closes., Duxbury spoke to Pozzo, who instantly gave the green light. Watford get a good fee, the player gets his move and the system kicks into life again. My continued very best wishes, on behalf of everyone here at Watford Football Club, to you and your families. Won 44 caps for Croatia and played for clubs including Everton and West Ham. But they also know most players found by scouts will not succeed. 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 . Scott Duxbury in 2021. Though there is a desire to develop other parts of Watfords business, from expanding their stadium and seeking sponsorship deals, the obsession is trading players. Beneath them is best described as a scouting board, with eight or nine individuals based around the world. 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). 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. A Gannett Company. To what end? Duxbury responded Sir Elton texts most days and always gets a reply but politely declined the advice. If we think a players good enough, we will sign him regardless, says Duxbury. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. For his 2018 bookThe Away Game, author Sebastian Abbot followed Spaniard Josep Colomer who, as a coach at Barcelona, nurtured a youthfulLionel Messi before the Argentine developed into the worlds best player. Id take it as a point of failure, says Duxbury. If a diamond is found in the dust, scouts take credit for the discovery. You, our supporters, deserve more. The secret is that we will move quicker, says Duxbury. There are modern efforts to improve scouting through the use of data analytics. Some traits, such as speed and strength, are measurable. 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. Our team will resume duty as soon as possible to start preparing for the best summer transfers file! Watford can now afford the price tags attached to better-known players. Scott Duxbury, Watford chief executive. Knows Watford owners the Pozzos from his three-year spell as Sporting Director of their other club, Udinese. A lot of the bigger clubs, they will look at a player and they need a little more convincing, a little more proof. Theyll either be very successful and maybe go on to another bigger club or they wont work out and theyll move on. (He rarely gives interviews and declined to speak to the FT.) Pozzo, 52, is the mastermind behind Watfords trading strategies. Everyone has been aware of that this week. About. (He rarely gives interviews and. We have to do something different. Duxbury calls them absolute nonsense. Scott Duxbury in 2021. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's 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. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to 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. The CEO said that will only be achieved if all at Watford, fans, players and staff,aretogether. A Gannett Company. Still, the longer they stay in the Premier League, the richer the club get. 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. Brother of the Head Coach and also arrived at the club in December 2020, having previously spent a season with Valencia in La Liga. 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. In his award-winning 2013 bookThe Nowhere Men, football writer Michael Calvin followed the lives of English talent spotters. Theyre there at the birth of the dream.. Since 2015, the clubs annual revenues have grown by more than 100m. . 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. Others follow a similar method. "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. Given the clubs faith in their scouting network, they are not fearful of players leaving and as such they can be upfront to them when they join. Udinese is a really small town on the outskirts of Italy. 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. But is it bad? Duxbury said: It is exactly the model the Pozzos were looking for. The Pozzos are the clubs owners and son Gino will be the one who is more involved than his father Gianpaolo. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. The only thing at this time that remains in our gift is to work and to work harder. Scott Duxbury, Watford FC chairman and chief executive, wrote an opinion piece in The Times of London whose headline lamented the "devastating effects" of a plan to play the season's final . Those regimes are motivated, at least in part, by marketing the brands of the owners. To keep up with their peers, Watford are increasing their spending on acquisitions. 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. OUR Scouting and Recruitment Webinar is back for a second edition and will once again provide industry insights from leading experts in the game. Recruitment is, in many ways, a bit of a lottery, he says. He has seen it at Udinese and he has seen it at Granada. I promise you everyone is doing everything in their power to rectify this now and for the rest of the season. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Spent six-and-a-half seasons at Eintracht Frankfurt, as Scout, Chief Scout and then Director of Professional Football. It must be on Watford's terms, too, as they showed when they held out until Everton paid . 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. Yet, Watford are the most active at searching for and trading talent. How to get into football - the most popular sport in the world, with clubs and facilities throughout the UK. Watford have been criticised for their propensity to fire managers. The noise weve heard at Vicarage Road in recent times has been relentless. Enter your password to log in. 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. Click HERE to sync your online/mobile calendar with all the club's 2021/22 fixtures. 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. Last year, the club were fined 3.95m after admitting that one of their senior executives submitted a forged bank letter in filings related to Gino Pozzos takeover. They employ scouts who watch players before the board convene every three months or so to be updated. On Monday, Pozzo and Duxbury added: "Every club wants to be playing at the highest possible level. A brief summary of attendees and headline areas discussed will be publicised after each meeting, with more detailed notes from any such conversations circulated confidentially among Fans Committee participants. Its why weve begun frank and open discussions with supporters and will continue to meet once the season is finished and beyond. F ootball is coming back. 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. PROFESSOR David Sumpter says Ajax are like a 'University of football' and are building an understanding of the game from the foundations up. 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. "We are a Premier League football club now. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. As we chat, ravenous players filter in following a training session. They are footballs last romantics. On Monday, Pozzo and Duxbury added: "Every club wants to be playing at the highest possible level. To receive exclusive content every month and other great benefits sign up to our monthly eNewsletter. Compared with their rivals, the club do not tend to buy locally. This account already exists. A subsequent EFL inquiry found that the owner was unaware of the document and the club had not gained a competitive advantage. You deserve better. 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.. We want everyone to understand we accept that whats happened on the field of play, particularly at home, is unacceptable. As was the case with Richarlison, clubs are eyeing Pereyra, Deulofeu and Abdoulaye Doucoure but if they are sold this summer, you can be sure Watford are ready to replace them. Its been discussed, its been accepted. However, he was also sacked with just two matches remaining, with under-23s boss Hayden Mullins put in charge, but back-to-back defeats condemned the Hornets to the Championship next season. But once we make a plan, we share it. Their greatest finds include Chilean striker Alexis Snchez, who has gone on to play for European superpowers such as Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United. Late last week, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting a small group of fans to begin a longer-term and wide-ranging process of discussions under the banner of a newly-constituted Fans Committee. Our site is locked until the 2nd part of the winter patch comes out. 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". Manchester United, the richest club in the world, employ 50 full-time scouts globally. Its values, its sense of belonging, and its wish to inspire those in the local community. Went full time with the U21s in July 2016 and promoted to the first team in July 2018. 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 stopped for a year and we were relegated. A row of small buildings contains offices, a canteen, a gym and changing facilities, with windows that look out on to a handful of carefully manicured pitches and the Hertfordshire hills in the distance. Arsenal 3-2 Watford: Hornets haven't been good enough this season - Deeney. No matter that the team had recently made a great start to the season, winning their first four games. Data profile of Scott Duxbury who is contracted to Watford. Comments have been closed on this article. 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. 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.". We have to be scrupulously honest with ourselves and admit our efforts surrounding the team were not good enough. About David Bernard Fransen British businessman and board member of Watford FC, David Fransen has a net worth of $104.26 million.