The ‘insane’ fine system at Watford which left Glenn Murray stunned was spoken about on the latest Fozcast episode on YouTube this week.
In this clip, which has gone on to get over 23,000 views in three days, Glenn talks about Watford and what went on behind closed doors.
From having to be in early and gone by the time the first team get there, to paying ridiculous fines for leaving equipment out on the field.
Have a watch below or read on for the transcript…
Tom Ochoa: …but you guys did spend a brief period together at Watford didn’t you
Ben Foster: Yes did
Glenn Murray: Well I didn’t really see much of Foz to be honest no
Tom: Why didn’t you see much of Foz, Glenn
Glenn: Because he would literally come in every morning he’d plug his car in the charger he get his lier on get on the bike and that was him done
Tom: That was his purpose
Ben: It weren’t my fault that he had been banished from the squad cuz he was such a bad egg
Glenn: That wasn’t right that’s harsh that’s harsh it wasn’t right away that either
Ben: It was a, it was a funny one at Watford wasn’t it it was a funny one because I remember when you signed and everybody around us everybody has said that one of the lads actually actually both the lads that you met earlier Jamie and Luke actually used to work at Watford um and they were at Watford at the time you were there actually uh in lockdown still a very awkward weird time and they didn’t actually really meet you or anything like that um but they knew by all accounts that you were a great lad um and when you signed there was a big buzz about Watford it was big Glenn Murray we know we got a guaranteed scorer somebody that’s going to come in and score goals for us but very quickly it turned sour and you found yourself not even training with the squad did you yeah we didn’t enjoy that mate I didn’t enjoy that
Glenn: No neither did I it was just one of those things really listen like it’s a club where there’s loads of turnover and and I’ve seen football from every different angler like I have been at the bottom I’ve been at the top and I’ve been at every level throughout it and that bliss just completely through me like I have never seen anything like it players getting treated like it it’s um and I was I so I’ve walked in this dress room I’m looking at you guys and I’ve played against you guys and I know you and and I’m thinking what why are they not doing anything about this why are they not questioning these decisions that are happening and like I’m looking at you and I’m looking at Clevs and Troy and you were just like yeah this is just how it is
Ben: We tried mate we did I tried personally quite a lot
Glenn: How is this the way it is, I just thought and and from the way they Troy the players it it kind of It kind of lost me to a certain extent but I was still on board and then the manager just he had no interest really and when the manager got no interest it’s like
Ben: Vladimir Ivic was the guy in charge and so we had just been relegated, Vladimir took in the summer and his management style was very
Glenn: Smiley
Ben: Yeah literally the opposite of that, I don’t think he cracked one throughout I know he’s only there for a few months but he was very hardline
Glenn: One of my favourite memories was I think we played at Reading and did we get beat Reading
Ben: Probably
Glenn: And obviously you sit there and you wait for the manager to come in after the game yeah and we sat didn’t we sat and we sat and we sat’s like what’s going on and he’s had a little look around his nothing is that right I think we just get changed
Ben: Just didn’t come, didn’t bother didn’t come speak for anything, what he wanted to do on the pitch was one thing and I thought it was okay it was decent but his man management style and trying to bring a team together it was it was not
Tom: Was he the manager that got the sack, I might have to cut this out if we don’t, was he the manager that got the sack when you were 2-0 down at Huddersfield and he swapped two full backs for two full backs
Ben: Yes that’s exactly who it was that’s exactly who it was we were to
Glenn: You can tell I wasn’t there
Tom: He was trying to get sacked
Ben: It’s the one where Troy was on the bench Troy was on the bench we were losing two or 3-0 um and he bought our right back off and our left back off who were quite attacking right and left backs and bought normal right and left backs like Chillers absolute Chillers so he knew he was done at that moment in time and he left Troy on the bench as well and Troy’s kicked off about it in a few podcasts and said a few bits and Bobs um but it didn’t quite work out for him Xisco came in and took over um your but your career at Watford it was six games again it didn’t really it got to the you were training by yourself in the morning
Glenn: Yeah I was always one of those players that like I was never going to impress you during the week yeah just cuz I didn’t think that I could clatter across centre backs and things and do what I would have done on a Saturday to my teammate so I was I was never one of those that that would sort of light up Monday to Friday but come a weekend I would have like I would have like to think that I would give you money’s worth kind of thing especially if you played to my strength I don’t think Watford played to my strength but it, the reason it all broke down is because I was at an age where I just wanted a tiny bit of shred of respect that’s all I wanted and I’ll never forget we, it was a Friday afternoon we trained and we would walk into the dressing room wouldn’t we and we’d get text the squad list right and I wasn’t on it and it wasn’t the fact that I wasn’t on it that didn’t bother me it was like whatever it was that he didn’t just pull me one side and be like Glenn you’re not travelling today like a 37 years old old like just pull me one side I’m not going to question your decision I’m not really going to ask why I I’ll accept it but just have the shred of respect to be like when you go in there you’re not text you’re not going to be on that text um but he never really spoke to me at all, it was it was really strange style and then and then I was come back from Covid and it it was all a bit of a mess and I’d went in on a Friday more and I’d said to the physio like I’m not right to play this weekend I’ve done no high speed running d d du you’ve not really took me one side and just made it was really early in and we didn’t know what it was all about which is which is uh it’s a a lot different now we’ve learned a lot but he was like yeah yeah no sweet sweet no you’re not travelling today that’s totally fine I was like wicked I can stay behind I can do some running do a bit extra he’s like yeah yeah nice one and I think it was a big French lad player
Tom and Ben: Capoue
Glenn: He’s pulled out like 10 minutes too and then come rushing around you travelling I was like I’m not and they were like yeah yeah you’re traveling I was like got any kit like I’m not traveling I’m not ready to travel and uh they were like you’re going to have to go see the manager then and this was I just seen this as a real opportunity to be a bit of a and I was like what the manager that doesn’t bother his ass to tell me when I’m not playing or has never spoken to me at the football club why the f*** am I going to go and see him
Ben: And this is Vladimir
Glenn: Yeah and then that was it and that was it they like you’ve got to go to him I was like no I’m not I’m not going to go and see him like if he wants me he can call me he can come get me he’s never spoken to me once why would I speak to him if he do speak to me and I and listen it was as much me as him like I was at that age where I was stubborn at 25 or at 30 I probably would have gone to see him do you know what I mean but I was at a stage where I was like do you know what it was more just a bit of respect it was more of a bit more of like a principle really than anything and I just thought you know what on this one I’m going to stand my ground and yeah I stood my ground and never seen Fozzy again
Ben: Again very briefly so I would get like say I’d get into training I was one of the first ones in anyway because I was going to do a bike session but he would be literally doing his session in the gym at the same time so we’d be battering the gym he’d have a good old sweat on and he had to be out pretty much before the lads all got in didn’t you really the the stipulation was you got in early and then you left before the players came so you didn’t get turn time to fraternize
Tom: Wow that’s not…
Glenn: Not not that I would it was a good dressing room
Ben: You’re you’re a great lad like all the lads absolutely love you and nobody liked seeing it nobody enjoyed seeing
Tom: So what happens there Ben and both of you have been in dressing rooms
Glenn: This was like everything that happened up to I’ll never forget we got a finalist right and everything on the finalist right I like it’s like my head had fallen off I was like what is this I’m like pulling Foz I’m like Foz is this is this happen and he’s like relax relax relax everything was 10% wages everything was 10 and and bear in mind we’ve got lads touching like 100 grand a week play right so if you left an item of clothing out on the on the on the training field, it’s going to cost you 10 grand so if you leave your water bottle out or you leave your jumper out with your number on it’s going to cost this certain lad 10 grand right and this was everything
Tom: And what would it normally be like 100 quid or something like that
Glenn: Yeah and and then and like lads are like sweet with pain like are fine it’s not the the but like 10 grand
Ben: It was a moneymaking exercise it was it was a chance to recoup money we just been relegated it was a chance to recoup as much money as you possibly because because the what there was no relegation wage cut when we got relegated so we were all still on Premier League wages
Tom: So what happens like with with this finalist then this can’t be right what surely when did the PFA get involved when
Glenn: So right so this is like it’s going to be a trial it’s going to be a weak trial right and there was also a massive finalist for the physio room wasn’t there so it was things like if you book a massage and you don’t turn up on time it was like 10% it was everything right so I think we got we got to the end of the week and they said oh yeah we’ve done the trial we’ve only done it on um on the medical room, not on everything else it’s been going on and I think that the finalist was like 97 grand and I was like I was like I’m like looking around the dressing room, I’m looking for like people like please I’m like looking for a reaction and everyone just sitting there at the front I’m just like what is going on here but yeah it was it was just little things like that I just thought were like it wasn’t the way you should treat your players like I think yeah and by all means players should be fined 100% but I think that that a football club and the players should be on the same page and should be pulling in one direction not like you say trying to recoup money

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