Watford's foreign loan policy not good for English football says Bristol City boss Sean O'Driscoll
Bristol City head coach Sean O'Driscoll fears Watford's policy of recruiting overseas players on loan is detrimental to English football.
Watford's dressing room resembles football's equivalent of the United Nations this season, with a total of 12 players having been recruited from foreign clubs on a short-term basis.
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No fewer than seven of those named in manager Gianfranco Zola's starting line-up at Nottingham Forest on Saturday were overseas players and, while the experiment is clearly working wonders for the promotion-chasing Hornets, O'Driscoll believes it is denying home-grown products an opportunity to establish themselves.
Speaking ahead of tonight's rearranged Championship clash between City and Watford at Ashton Gate, O'Driscoll said: "To bring in that many loan players from abroad may be within the rules, but I'm not sure it is good for the English game.
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"You can only have five domestic loan signings in a team at any one time, but there is no limit on foreign loans.
"It cannot be good for domestic players in this country when you can put together a team made up entirely of overseas loans.
"It took Watford a while to get it going properly, but they have brought in some really good players and they are probably the form team in the division with four wins on the bounce."
Watford's approach will be very different from that adopted by Ipswich Town at the weekend and O'Driscoll is warning his players to "be smart."
He explained: "They play a Continental style and that does not happen very often in Ebnglish football. They prefer to play from the goalkeeper through the entire team and that can be difficult to play against.
"Everybody is comfortable on the ball and every players always has options when they have the ball. The game is a hell of a lot easier when you have two or three team-mates you can pass the ball to and they do it really well.
"Their front two (Matej Vydra and Troy Deeney) have been excellent and they have a midfield trio that dominate possession."
Although O'Driscoll will again use the players who have featured in his squad against Leeds and Ipswich, he is likely to adopt an altogether different game-plan to combat the Hornets.
He said: "Watford have a style they are comfortable with and understand and nobody has really solved the problem.
"We are pigeon-holed in English football to be gung-ho and the first thing you do when you get the ball is smash it forward. When you don't have it, the first thing you do is run and chase people and tackle, because that is what we have been brought up to do.
"When you get a foreign manager like Gianfranco and foreign players, they don't do that. They are waiting for you to do it, because that is what happens in English football. If you play like a typical English team, then you can have problems.
"There is no point in us trying to match them; we have to understand that is there strength and find a way to negate it at the same time as giving them problems."
15 Comments
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by royaljoe
Monday, January 28 2013, 10:49PM
“Rocketbob. Spot on comments. Doesn't take long for the knockers to arrive. Sean O'Driscoll will rise above them.”
by WatfordFan
Monday, January 28 2013, 10:34PM
“"they are probably the form team in the division with four wins on the bounce."
Hmm, also wrong. Watford have only won the last three...”
by Redrichie
Monday, January 28 2013, 8:56PM
“Seem's like SD touched a raw nerve hornets.”
by rocketbob
Monday, January 28 2013, 8:32PM
“we have not heard so much informatiom from a City manager for donkey years. We may not agree with all of his views or his team selection, but isn`t refreshing to hear anything at all from Ashton GATE”
by Hornetjj
Monday, January 28 2013, 6:39PM
“So the 15 foreign players (not including Scottish & Welsh) SOD had in the Doncaster squad was okay then? Perhaps it's time to get over it and concentrate on your own team(s) as you came out with the same rubbish a few weeks ago when you were Forest boss!”
by MrBrianYeo
Monday, January 28 2013, 6:22PM
“Sorry Sean but, this does not send out the right signals before our game against the Hornets. As a footballing purist I thought you were, why are you critical of what has happened to them this season. Its a fact of life that the game is changing and I welcome this new concept in our game where 1 owner has total autonomy on the teams within the group he owns. I just wish we had similar owners who want to invest into our development.
The problem I feel is that your comments do not make me as a supporter think that you are going into the game tomorrow night positively. Sorry Sean, but this is not what I wanted to see from you early, in your robin career!”
by eliot_c
Monday, January 28 2013, 5:43PM
“If SOD was in Zola's position I highly doubt he would have be making any fuss.
Besides, what about Man City having a squad full of foreign players and the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea being up to their eyeballs in debt?
The premier league is the most watched league in the world as a result of foreign talent and English football has benefited.
Anyway, on Saturday the Watford squad included 9 'British' players: Doyley, Nosworthy, Hall, Yeates, Chalobah, Deeney, Eustace, Bond and Hogg. 10 if you count Almunia.
Most of the foreign loanees who make up the squad are signing permanently anyway so frankly SOD comes across as bitter and misguided.”
by eliot_c
Monday, January 28 2013, 5:39PM
“If SOD was in Zola's position I highly doubt he would have be making any fuss.
Besides, what about Man City having a squad full of foreign players and the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea being up to their eyeballs in debt?
The premier league is the most watched league in the world as a result of foreign talent and English football has benefited.
Anyway, on Saturday the Watford squad included 9 'British' players: Doyley, Nosworthy, Hall, Yeates, Chalobah, Deeney, Eustace, Bond and Hogg. 10 if you count Almunia.
Most of the foreign loanees who make up the squad are signing permanently anyway so frankly SOD comes across as bitter and misguided.”
by chrisbratt
Monday, January 28 2013, 5:25PM
“Not good for English football - and I guess Manchester City's setup is just perfect for the game!
Boring!! Think he's been reading too many Martin Samuel articles - the same guy that wrote the homophobic commets about Barton! Don't see many people moaning and writing articles about the likes of Man City - interesting! If the FA were that bothered they wouldn't have destroyed English Academies with their EPPP system! It wasn't in the interest of developing talent but a way for richer clubs to buy as many young players as they want and then chuck them on the scrapheap the minute they don't think they're up to scratch!
Find something different to write about - the consistent moaning about a good and SUSTAINABLE set up is getting boring!! The real problem lies with AGENTS and clubs like Man City making the WAGES increase to a phenomenal amount of money!”
by PJB_1972
Monday, January 28 2013, 5:15PM
“Unfortunately its the same ill informed nonsense which every championship manager seems to come out with when facing Watford. The club takeover in the summer was completed too late in the day for contract negotiations to be done on so many new players so they were done as loans. 1 has signed a permanent deal, another is apparently expected to sign imminently while a number of others are in negotiation having stated they do want to sign for the club.
As for young players, Watford have an academy which they are very proud of and the youngsters still get the opportunity to play in the first team. Surely those young players will benefit from playing in a team which plays an attractive style of play ( which Watford have never been able to boast before ) and training with others who have more technical ability that a typical championship player.
I'd have thought we want more clubs to play attractive passing football rather than hoof and rush but what do I know.”