Norwich v Watford Preview: Mackay to put his faith in youth

As Watford prepare for their opening game of the season at Norwich tonight, boss Malkay Mackay believes his club could provide the blueprint for the future of the game in this country.

A lack of home-grown talent coming through ranks in this country was seen as a contributing factor in England’s dismal showing at the World Cup, but the Hornets – who have a history of producing their own players from John Barnes to Ashley Young – have put in place a unique Academy system that is the envy of Premier League clubs up and down the country.

The Harefield Academy is a sports orientated school that takes on Watford’s stars of the future, aged 12-16. The pupils split their day between football and education – and the stats prove they progress quicker than youngsters at their more illustrious Premier League rivals.

“Our players have two football sessions a day, split between their class work, and the statistics show that they are getting three times as many touches of the ball in any given week than Academy players at the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea,” says Mackay.

“This means they have more chance to develop the technical side of their game; in fact every aspect of being a footballer is enhanced because we have them for a longer period of time.

“We are the only club in the country to benefit from such a partnership but, in my opinion, every club should place a certain importance on its youth structure if we are to bring through better quality players in this country.

“Certainly at a club like Watford, where we don’t have lots of money to spend on players, we see this as the way forward and we are already seeing the benefits.”

Watford’s scheme has been in place for three years and its first two graduates turned pro this summer.

Having sailed perilously close to administration last summer, Mackay’s policy is to nurture young talent, while utilising the Premier League loan market at the same time.

Last season he pulled off a masterstroke by bringing in midfielders Tom Cleverley and Henri Lansbury, from Manchester United and Arsenal respectively, and he will do the same this time out.

“Those two boys, with Heidar Helgusson coming in from QPR, gave us an extra dimension,” Mackay adds. “It’s all about fostering good relationships with Premier League clubs and gaining their trust; they need to know their players will benefit from a season with us.

“Unfortunately, it’s not until we get towards the transfer window shutting that managers decide who they are happy to release, but we are working hard to bring in more young players this way.”

Cleverley and Lansbury helped Watford get off to a flier last season, only for Mackay’s young squad to suffer through the long slog of winter. Those early-season points proved vital as the Hornets came within a whisker of relegation and he has warned his side to hit the ground running again.

“When you have so many young players and the pitches get heavy, it’s hard to maintain a level of consistency throughout the season,” he adds. “That’s why we need to get to 52 points as quick as possible and see where it takes us.

“People will look at what Blackpool did and expectations will inevitably grow for clubs of our size, but the difference is that they had players who had plenty of experience of this level – we don’t.

“That’s not to say we wouldn’t turn the Premier League down because of the financial rewards but right now we have a very, very young group of players who are learning all the time.”