Post by Golden_Boy™ on Apr 27, 2007 14:43:26 GMT -1
From O/S.
FAIL to prepare, prepare to fail. An adage that anyone around Vicarage Road would be accustomed to, certainly if they've ever spent any time in the company of the manager, Aidy Boothroyd.
Detail, detail, detail - is the mantra of a person who lives by meticulously laid out plans and processes, even down to when he has his match day morning latte.
Maybe, just maybe, it's that very attention to detail that makes the man at the Hornets' helm so confident about a second successful Championship stint.
Indeed, Boothroyd went out of his way this week to analyse the positive effects of relegation to the Championship, as Watford seek to become only a handful of clubs to bounce straight back to the Premiership at the first time of asking.
"On the Sunday we were disappointed," said the Premier League's youngest incumbent manager.
"But on the Monday it was about making sure people remained focused and I pointed out that we have to finish the season strong.
"If there is a good thing to this situation it's that we've got a three week start on the other two teams that will be joining us in the Championship. It enables us to finally go and check on targets and to get players in before the start of the season."
Player acquisition is an area that Aidy continues to study, knowing that a myriad of variable factors can make a transfer happen, or not. Unfortunately, the lure of guaranteed Premier League football is sometimes a hard one to overcome.
"We are fortunate enough now that we are going to have 85-90% of the players here that we need for the club. We have never really had that. We have a decent sized squad and we'll be adding to it, whilst others might move on only if it's right for us.
"I had two plans, the Premiership survival one would have been a real selling job because of the next level of player up we'd have been looking at. We would have had to find a unique selling point, although we're still looking to do that now in our recruitment.
"We haven't got the money of other clubs, or the reputation of some of the more established names, it takes four or five years to have that.
"The next time we do come up we need to make sure we have that edge, we've got the experience, but it might be the two or three integral parts that make us into that Premiership team that we weren't good enough to be this year.
"I'm totally clear on what I want to do. If there are players I want to come, I won't be in a rush to get rid of anybody until I've got what it is that I want in place.
"It's a difficult game, trying to get players who you think will be Premiership players, because it's a different league completely, and there's a different animal required. At the same time we want to be better than what we were and we do need a different type of player.
"Should we get straight back up we might be able to make a better first of it than we have this time.
"What I don't want to be is the best youth team in the Championship, but at the same time we've developed a reputation for improving young players, who have grown and flourished. I don't want to have dad's army either, I want to make sure the balance is right and that should make for a strong team.
"The aim is to get back up. I think we're in a stronger position than we were last season. I think we've got a stronger squad now, but there's more expectation now and other clubs will be wary of us, we won't be an unknown quantity any more. I think we need to adapt what we do."
Boothroyd also issued a firm 'hands off' warning to any clubs casting an envious eye over Watford's pool of talented youngsters.
"There are players in our squad who could say 'I've done great for you, but now I'm moving on'. It's about timing. but the timing's got to be right for us.
"I'm lucky that with all of my players I've got a good relationship. My players will tell me what they think straight away. There aren't many managers that will have the sort of relationships I think I can have with mine.
"In terms of an Ashley Young, it was fantastic money and the club's now better off for it. We are not in a place now where we have got to sell. I don't want us to have the best bank balance in the Championship, with a lovely new ground, but playing in League One."
Boothroyd also confirmed that his future is also firmly fixed at the Vic.
"I'm 36 years old, I'm learning my trade and I've got a Chairman who is a terrific bloke. I can shout at him and he can shout at me. He has taken a chance on giving me a go, and I think I've rewarded him. I'm not going to jump ship if something slightly bigger comes along.
"You can't go on a course to teach you what your first season in the Premiership is going to be like - you've just got to live it.
"I feel so much more attuned to my job knowing what's required in the Championship and then what's required in the Premiership."
FAIL to prepare, prepare to fail. An adage that anyone around Vicarage Road would be accustomed to, certainly if they've ever spent any time in the company of the manager, Aidy Boothroyd.
Detail, detail, detail - is the mantra of a person who lives by meticulously laid out plans and processes, even down to when he has his match day morning latte.
Maybe, just maybe, it's that very attention to detail that makes the man at the Hornets' helm so confident about a second successful Championship stint.
Indeed, Boothroyd went out of his way this week to analyse the positive effects of relegation to the Championship, as Watford seek to become only a handful of clubs to bounce straight back to the Premiership at the first time of asking.
"On the Sunday we were disappointed," said the Premier League's youngest incumbent manager.
"But on the Monday it was about making sure people remained focused and I pointed out that we have to finish the season strong.
"If there is a good thing to this situation it's that we've got a three week start on the other two teams that will be joining us in the Championship. It enables us to finally go and check on targets and to get players in before the start of the season."
Player acquisition is an area that Aidy continues to study, knowing that a myriad of variable factors can make a transfer happen, or not. Unfortunately, the lure of guaranteed Premier League football is sometimes a hard one to overcome.
"We are fortunate enough now that we are going to have 85-90% of the players here that we need for the club. We have never really had that. We have a decent sized squad and we'll be adding to it, whilst others might move on only if it's right for us.
"I had two plans, the Premiership survival one would have been a real selling job because of the next level of player up we'd have been looking at. We would have had to find a unique selling point, although we're still looking to do that now in our recruitment.
"We haven't got the money of other clubs, or the reputation of some of the more established names, it takes four or five years to have that.
"The next time we do come up we need to make sure we have that edge, we've got the experience, but it might be the two or three integral parts that make us into that Premiership team that we weren't good enough to be this year.
"I'm totally clear on what I want to do. If there are players I want to come, I won't be in a rush to get rid of anybody until I've got what it is that I want in place.
"It's a difficult game, trying to get players who you think will be Premiership players, because it's a different league completely, and there's a different animal required. At the same time we want to be better than what we were and we do need a different type of player.
"Should we get straight back up we might be able to make a better first of it than we have this time.
"What I don't want to be is the best youth team in the Championship, but at the same time we've developed a reputation for improving young players, who have grown and flourished. I don't want to have dad's army either, I want to make sure the balance is right and that should make for a strong team.
"The aim is to get back up. I think we're in a stronger position than we were last season. I think we've got a stronger squad now, but there's more expectation now and other clubs will be wary of us, we won't be an unknown quantity any more. I think we need to adapt what we do."
Boothroyd also issued a firm 'hands off' warning to any clubs casting an envious eye over Watford's pool of talented youngsters.
"There are players in our squad who could say 'I've done great for you, but now I'm moving on'. It's about timing. but the timing's got to be right for us.
"I'm lucky that with all of my players I've got a good relationship. My players will tell me what they think straight away. There aren't many managers that will have the sort of relationships I think I can have with mine.
"In terms of an Ashley Young, it was fantastic money and the club's now better off for it. We are not in a place now where we have got to sell. I don't want us to have the best bank balance in the Championship, with a lovely new ground, but playing in League One."
Boothroyd also confirmed that his future is also firmly fixed at the Vic.
"I'm 36 years old, I'm learning my trade and I've got a Chairman who is a terrific bloke. I can shout at him and he can shout at me. He has taken a chance on giving me a go, and I think I've rewarded him. I'm not going to jump ship if something slightly bigger comes along.
"You can't go on a course to teach you what your first season in the Premiership is going to be like - you've just got to live it.
"I feel so much more attuned to my job knowing what's required in the Championship and then what's required in the Premiership."
demanding he resign ought not to darken the Vicarage Road turnstiles again.