The Pozzo Way

Article by Christopher Lawton

There have been a fair few column inches written this past week about the supposed failings of the Pozzo ownership model at Watford. The resignation on Monday afternoon of Gianfranco Zola is seen as an indictment on their ownership and the use of the loan system last season. Anyone who bothered to consider the facts carefully would quickly come to appreciate that this represents somewhat hasty and erroneous conclusion.

Firstly we should consider the ownership model of the Pozzo family. Their primary aim is to try and run football clubs profitably. For all the bemoaning of their use of the loan system last season few commentators have bothered to point out that Watford returned a small profit of almost £200,000 last season while finishing third in the league. Meanwhile Hull, promoted in second place last season, ran up a loss of £25 million, Blackburn £36.5 million including £8 million to buy in the goals of Jordan Rhodes that arguably kept them up, Burnley £8 million and Birmingham anything from £4 to £10 million. So from a financial perspective at least, it is hard to argue against the owners.

The second argument frequently cited is that the loan players have destroyed Watford’s youth system. Well not really. That we had relied on youth so much in previous season was a reflection more on the financial circumstances at the club rather than some grand strategy. The re-emergence of Sean Murray this season as well as Jonathon Bond’s continued development as a keeper suggests that the youth do still have a role to play.

Much has also been made of the sale of Assombalonga to Peterborough at the start of the season – especially given the goals he is scoring. Maybe, with hindsight, it was hasty. But Peterborough paid over the odds for an unproven player at that level and you can guarantee that fickle fans would be arguing the owners should have cashed in had Assombalonga at Championship level.

One journalist claimed Watford had to rediscover its heart and soul. Obviously said journalist has not been to Vicarage Road recently. The club hasn’t felt this good in years. The owners have engaged with fans, brought in more sponsorship to help improve the ground and, after countless false starts, have actually got on with the task of replacing the derelict stand on one side of the pitch. Most fans welcome the financial stability and security that the owners have brought to the club.

Given Zola’s struggles this season much has been made, in contrast, at how successful Sean Dyche is at Burnley right now and what if the Pozzos had kept him. Firstly, it most certainly was not an option for the owners and Dyche was appropriately treated and compensated. Secondly, you have to consider what might have happened had the Pozzos not purchased Watford.

Given what has come to light since it is reasonable to assume that Watford may well have entered administration last season and under such circumstances it is not unreasonable to assume that Dyche may have left for elsewhere anyway. Despite this the question remains, did they make a mistake? To answer this you have to decide if Dyche would have managed to get Watford promoted last season. If you think not, then his removal as manager has not really changed anything.

So we come to the events of this week and Zola’s resignation on Monday afternoon. It was not a surprise in so far as any manger whose team has not won in nine matches is likely to find himself under pressure to go. Given the talent in the squad it is clear they were underperforming and questions did need to be asked. But would Zola have been sacked? Maybe the owners were prepared to give him a little longer, but they were also preparing for a change. As far back as two weeks ago they sounded out Giuseppe Sannino as a replacement. This is what good businessmen do – they identify replacements before they are needed; as opposed to hair-trigger sackings and then three weeks looking for someone else.

Will Sannino succeed where Zola failed? Who knows? The first test will be at a likely wet and windy Portman Road on Saturday afternoon in December - winter Championship football at its best and the sort of game you have to grind out in this division. Can Sannino do it? We may already know the answer by 5pm on Saturday.

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