Jonathan Richards

Why Blue?

My first team is Watford as I am born and bred but ever since Man City very nearly beat Spurs in 1981 I have treated them as my second team. I saw Watford there in the Cp, although I was pissed and nearly fell down the stand stairs as the Manchester police very kindly took our coach to the local pub and we had been hitting the beer on the way up.

I think the thing I would say to City fans is to be patient. They need to get the right manager in. When Graham Talyor left Watford for Villa we got Bassett as a manager. He ripped our club apart. He sacked all the backroom playing staff. Drove all the other staff off who had been there for years etc. As a club we are still now only just getting over him and yet he is rated highly as a manager. He bought crap players spending all the money we had from Cup / League run.

I always find Man City an enigma as they have the potential to be in the top five biggest clubs in England with the support, ground etc. and yet something seems fundamentally rotten at the core.

Maybe someone could take a stab at the reasons? Youth is so important and one of the things Taylor has done at Watford since returning is to appoint an overall Youth Director who looks after the players upto 21 as many players drop out between 18-21. They leave the youth team and get forgotten about. Does the board poke their noses into things? IMHO they appear to need a Football Director with a team of coaching staff under them dealing with the specific daily tasks. Keep the board out of things. I get the impression people treat the club as a hobby? The last point I would make is they seem to buy big names as the fans demand this without worrying if the players really want to play for them. In Div 1. they would be better with an emerging side with some older experience but a large squad. The season is too long. You put the youngsters out for the Cup ties etc. to give them a try. We have 16 year-olds playing, not that is by choice, but they will come through a lot quicker with real experience.

Drop me a note with your reasons?

First printed in: MCIVTA Newsletter #235 on