Official: Will Hughes joins Watford

[Mafiabob]

Perfect move for him..... means he can stay getting used to managerial changes at another club.....

Seriously though, who do we think we are kidding? We are a midtable championship club, who are perhaps pushing the boundaries of FFP in the coming 12 months or so. Anyone thought about that? 

The headline figure of 8 million will bound to increase with lucrative add ons which will probably bring well in of advance 8 figures.

As good as Will is..... its time for him to go, this is a perfect fit for him. "He should be joining the best" I hear you cry..... he'd be farmed out on loan by January to Watford probably if he joined Liverpool, Arsenal or Citeh...... can imagine he's thought this through well.

Gone are the days of us going barmy in the transfer market and trying too buy championship teams assets. We are done.....

Now it's our turn to be plundered.

Hope you're all still been seduced by the pennies and the central heating in the concourses..... maybe money for a free bovril when we play Milwall at home in December.

Maybe time to let go..... let's hope Mr Rowett gets all the time he needs. 

Time, the one precious commodity we've not used well in last 24 months or so.

UP THE RAMS.   

[Nuwtfly]

3 minutes ago, ramsbottom said:

The problem is, a lot of people will be on GR's case if Hughes goes and the new signings don't gel straight away, it'll be the Big Nige scenario all over again.  The majority of our fans aren't known for being patient with managers, unless their surnames Clough...

Those people need to sit themselves down and remind themselves that the world isn't ending, then. We have to back our manager. I for one trust him to make long-needed changes, after years of what has essentially been failure and disappointment. No one player makes this team, and that includes Hughes. 

[Andicis]

Just now, Nuwtfly said:

Those people need to sit themselves down and remind themselves that the world isn't ending, then. We have to back our manager. I for one trust him to make long-needed changes, after years of what has essentially been failure and disappointment. No one player makes this team, and that includes Hughes. 

Isn't this almost an exact replica of what people were saying about Martin and Pearson last year? And how did that turn out for us? With our transfer dealings, selling our best players is an awful idea, since we haven't brought in quality very often.

[cheron85]

Just now, Andicis said:

Sadly, he isn't even wrong. Awful, awful transfer dealings. We can use the money from the Hughes sale to buy more dross! (Overpriced dross though!)

It's a tricky situation though - Theoretically we've payed money to sign 'top' players - Either players of the season at their clubs or players who have had VERY good seasons in top end Championship sides

I feel like we had the same passion level of complaints when we were having to sign players for next to nothing because we had limited budgets and then half of them turned out to be useless

It's difficult to find top end championship players for bugger all money

[Jourdan]

I am going to give Rowett the benefit of the doubt here and suggest this is collateral damage, the galling result of current financial pressures and past mismanagement of the club. A financial decision if there ever was one.

This could go down as one of the defining moments of the Mel Morris era and will probably be viewed in the same light as that infamous Huddlestone to Spurs deal. A triumph in mismanagement.

If it's a footballing decision, then Rowett is either very very brave or very very stupid to sanction it.

Time will tell.

[MACKWORTHRAM]

When was the last time Hughes played consistently well for a 5-10 game period? 

No good picking out odd games here and there over the last 3 years.

We sold Hendrick at peak. 

We are selling Hughes when his value is lower than ever. 

 

[Ramshankered]

9 minutes ago, GadFly said:

No, it works out as £8 (plus add ons) total. Regardless of how it's spent, servicing debt on Vydra and Anya or otherwise, it's £8m plus add ons. 

 

As the saying goes, "it's only worth what somebody is willing to pay for it". The fact that we were willing to pay £8m for Vydra has nothing to do with the value of Hughes. 

Doesn't it? I'd argue it's a fair reflection of the value championship players hold in the current market. Prices in the Championship have inflated over the past 2-3 seasons dramatically.

Simply put: We paid £8m for a Watford player in relatively poor form but with a prior record of good form. Ergo, I would expect more for a Derby player going the other way who's in ok form and has a record of generally excellent form in previous seasons. Not to mention Will's potential way WAY outstrips Vydra's. 

Don't get me wrong - I appreciate that on emotional level, Will may feel he's going backwards at Derby and wants a fresh start. It's just if we green light this kind of deal, that puts up a MASSIVE neon sign to other clubs that DCFC are willing to sell their best players below their value - and in the long run it'll be US going backwards instead. 

For me I'd say about £15m is a fair amount considering Will's potential and previous form. 

[Sexydadbod]

1 minute ago, Nuwtfly said:

Those people need to sit themselves down and remind themselves that the world isn't ending, then. We have to back our manager. I for one trust him to make long-needed changes, after years of what has essentially been failure and disappointment. No one player makes this team, and that includes Hughes. 

I remember many said at the end of the season that they wouldn't care whoever left as change was needed. Look how long that lasted... 

[Nuwtfly]

2 minutes ago, Andicis said:

Isn't this almost an exact replica of what people were saying about Martin and Pearson last year? And how did that turn out for us? With our transfer dealings, selling our best players is an awful idea, since we haven't brought in quality very often.

There's a big difference between sending your top goalscorer to a promotion rival without a replacement, and selling a young midfielder who might want to leave to a Premier League club for £10m.

And besides, Martin going to Fulham wasn't the soul reason why we had a bad season. And yes, people were backing Pearson, because we're Derby fans and we back our manager.

[Inglorius]

12 minutes ago, cannable said:

I said that Rowett's free to get rid of anyone to rebuild the team… but we really don't want to be finding ourselves in a situation were we still have most of the deadwood and have just replaced the good players. 

By defintion aren't the deadwood the players that can't be shifted?

[Carnero]

If £8m + addons + sell-on clauses(?) is SO CHEAP then why aren't there so many more clubs swooping in for this risk-free bargain buy?!

There's your answer.

[Andicis]

2 minutes ago, Nuwtfly said:

Martin going to Fulham wasn't the soul reason why we had a bad season. And yes, people were backing Pearson, because we're Derby fans and we back our manager.

It wasn't the soul reason, for sure, however it didn't help us. Maybe we should have employed a manager who would use more the players we had to get us up, rather than ripping the core of our team apart to flog for 8 million.

[SuperDerbySuperRams]

26 minutes ago, EnigmaRam said:

Sorry SDSR but why would you trust him? What has he done to deserve that trust? What happens if we sold Ince, Keogh and Hughes and we are bottom of the league in December? We sack him that's what, then we are left with a pile of crap on and off the field.

id be getting rid of at least 25 first teamers before Hughes and Ince were sold and building my team around those 2 class game changers.

You could be right mate, but you've just got to do it. Innocent until proven guilty, ha! 

[nogbad van 50]

1 hour ago, brady1993 said:

Why should we believe? What has Rowett  done to derserve blind faith in him ?

People were saying the same thing about Pearson and look where that got us. 

You can either be an optimist or a pessimist-your choice!

[Nuwtfly]

Just now, Andicis said:

It wasn't the soul reason, for sure, however it didn't help us. Maybe we should have employed a manager who would use more the players we had to get us up, rather than ripping the core of our team apart to flog for 8 million.

Now there's something worth debating: is Will Hughes the core of this team? Has he ever been? 

[RiddingsRam]

19 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

We're a mid Championship team, the kind of midfielder you're talking about wouldn't be found here.

Exactly, but we want to be a top championship team , so we need that kind of player ! 

[RoyMac5]

Just now, RiddingsRam said:

Exactly, but we want to be a top championship team , so we need that kind of player ! 

That will be Hughes, or would have been.

[duncanjwitham]

2 minutes ago, cannable said:

Ipswich away, 14/15

Leicester at home in the cup last season is a more recent example.  

When people say "he doesn't control games" I really don't understand what they're even asking for.  Hughes is a passer, first and foremost - that's what he does.  So to a certain degree he's dependant on the players around him to actually get the ball to him in the first place, and then be in space to receive the passes he's playing.  Last season, we sat too deep far too often, we played too many long balls forward and we had too few players willing to commit to getting forward.  All of those things were conspiring to create an environment where it is literally impossible for Hughes to control a game, and it's nothing to do with Hughes himself.  There were repeated occasions where he would pick up the ball and look for a player to pass to and there would be literally no one in space ahead of him - and there's nothing he can do in those situations, other than play backwards or try to hold the ball and maybe get caught in possession.  Add in the fact that he was clearly still recovering from his injury and that we didn't seem to bother with any kind of fitness training in preseason (judging by the lack of fitness of the entire squad) and it's obvious why he was 'poor' last season.

And for how 'poor' he was, he still managed to put in some excellent performances. The Leicester cup game and Wolves away spring to mind, but he was getting better and better in that run up to Christmas. Until he did his hamstring, and missed a few weeks, and was then rushed back too soon and then dropped/rested soon after.

Compare all that to say McClaren's first 18 months(ish), Keogh and Bucko were both good enough to play the ball out through Eustace/Thorne into Hughes, he'd pick the ball up, look up and have Martin/Bryson/Ward/Dawkins/Russell etc all moving into space ready to receive the pass. He could play the pass, move, pick it up again, pass it again and we'd be flying.  He wasn't exactly controlling games, but every single player on that pitch was 10-20% better for having Hughes alongside them - defenders could play out from the back to him and know he wouldn't lose it and put them under pressure, midfielders and wingers could make runs and know they'd get a pass from Hughes, we kept the ball better so there was less pressure on the back 4, we moved it quicker and created more space for attackers and so on.  

[Andicis]

Just now, Nuwtfly said:

Now there's something worth debating: is Will Hughes the core of this team? Has he ever been? 

Good question, and I'm not so sure with Rowett. However, with all of our 'footballing' managers before, Hughes was in the core of the team, Clough, McClaren, Clement, Wassall. The only two managers that didn't have him in the 'core' were hoofball Nigel, and Rowett, who doesn't seem to prefer the footballing style either.

[DEL]

If Hughes and Ince gone then promotion is over.