Troy Deeney fuels potential move as manager David Horseman speaks on the former Premier League player being spotted at League Two club Forest Green.
The Rovers boss hasn’t completely ruled out the signing of the ex-Watford captain as he was seen watching on as Forest Green fell to a 2-1 defeat against Swindon Town following a 94th minute winner from Frazer Blake-Tracey.
“He is a good friend of mine. I worked with him, he was amazing at Watford when I was there and is just a top guy,” Horseman said post-match.
“He just wants to watch a bit of football and we will see what happens.
“You will know just as much as me. It is really good to see him. I have not seen him for a little while and he is such a good bloke, so it is good that people want to come and watch us. He was very complimentary about our style tonight.”
Deeney began his professional career at Walsall, before having a brief spell on loan with Southern League Premier Division club Halesowen Town during the 2006–07 season.
He then joined Championship club Watford in 2010 and captained the team to promotion to the Premier League in the 2014–15 season.
But after 11 years, and more than 400 matches with at the Hornets, he departed as a free agent in August 2021 and spent two years with Birmingham City.
✍️ Troy Deeney to Forest Green?!
Forest Green boss David Horseman after Deeney was spotted at their game last night:
🗣️ “He’s a good friend of mine, we’ll see what happens. He was complimentary of our style” pic.twitter.com/j8SxkIZmnG
— The #EFL Zone (@TheFLZone) August 16, 2023
The game itself saw Matty Stevens break the deadlock on the 14th minute after a good finish straight for the bottom-right corner from close range.
Horseman said: “Matty looked a handful tonight, probably back to some levels that he was at when he scored all those goals and if you look at him tonight you think you are going to get a fair few and Ty (Omotoye) again with all his energy.”
In the 47th minute however, Swindon hit back and got a leveller thanks to a header from Dan Kemp after a good save from Luke Daniels.
Swindon nicked all three points in the 94th minute after Frazer Blake-Tracey striked the ball from distance which looked to have defelcted slightly into the top-corner past Daniels.
Forest Green Rovers also so Harvey Bunker sent off in the 61st minute following a second yellow card offence.
Horseman was critical of the referee’s performance, he said: “I do not think I should comment on this. I am going to go and have a conversation with him and I will try and report him, but that is all I will say about it.
“I just think that Jacob (Maddox) breaks away in the second-half. He gets brought down by two and he plays on. Then two minutes later, there is a little bump and he books Harv (Bunker) for the second one.”
Rovers took Jordan Moore-Taylor off after 24 minutes following a challenge which left him injured. Horseman claimed: “The only good thing is it might be too high for it to be structural, but we are going to lose him for probably a period of time.
“I hope he is okay because I think the game changed a little bit when he went off, before he was brilliant. Him, Ryan (Inniss) and Luke again. I hope he is okay but we do not know, it looked nasty at half-time.”
“I thought we had just turned the tide again. We were playing in their half, we were starting to counter-attack on them again and I thought we had just about wrestled back control,” Horseman said.
“We were trying to get them up and I also thought we went long we could have played a little bit more and took a little bit more sting out the game.
“Obviously it is hard to get a message on when the crowd are buzzing and there is a lot of singing. We have not done our ten-man strategy yet because obviously we have not been in long enough to do it, but we are probably going to have to do it quite quick because it seems very quick with yellow cards this year.”
Horseman praised fans, saying: “I have reiterated we are four weeks in. It is going to take some time, but what we have done in four weeks is give them (the fans) a style of football which is exciting to watch.
“I really would like to say thank you to them because coming off afterwards their support was unbelievable and we are going to need them.
“We keep saying we are going to need them and they are there for us and they are really helping drive the team on.”
Forest Green Rovers lineup: Daniels; Bernard, Inniss, Moore-Taylor (Welch 29), Robson (Robertson 79); McCann, Bunker, Jenks (Kadji 66), McAllister; Stevens (Maddox 66), Omotoye (Taylor 79).
Swindon Town lineup: Mahoney; Godwin-Malife, Brewitt, Blake-Tracey; Hutton, McEachran, Kinsella (Cain 68), Genesini (Ward 90+6), Kemp; Young, Austin.
Referee: Sunny Gill.
35 year old Troy Deeney has completed his coaching badges and has been appearing on TV , but he isn’t ready to hang up his boots, saying on the Up Front With Simon Jordan podcast. “I want to still play.
“I played 30 games in the Championship last year and scored seven goals – not ideal. Our top scorer had 10, Scotty Hogan. The team’s objective at the start of the season was to stay up because we had been written off by every single person.”
“I’ve got offers,” he said. “I’m going to play. I’ve got offers from abroad. I got an offer to go to Australia with Melbourne Victory. Looking at it, it’s a lovely part of the world, but football’s done. You can go there for two years and play, but you can’t come back and have any sort of relevance here, even if you want to do coaching. I don’t think you can.”
“I didn’t say Saudi. We all like money,” Deeney quipped. “Saudi is a very interesting take. Three or four years ago I did have an offer to go there for a substantial amount of money. I think it’s moved on money-wise and player-wise. When people started going to America we knew they were done. You’ve got loads of players trying to raise the standard. That would be something I’d be interested in.”
Here’s what fans said as Troy Deeney fuels a potential move as the Forest Green manager speaks on the player being spotted at the League Two club…
@jack_bedwell: Would be an interesting signing if we get it through
@JCB_FSHR: i am not getting my hopes up 🤥
@JayBox325: The idea that League Two Swindon Town could have front two of Charlie Austin and Troy Deeney is unreal. The 2013 Championship would shit itself. #STFC #QPR #WatfordFC
@CallumScreen: Troy Deeney at tnl make it happen
@DomShorts: I’d only take if he’s prepared to have #WeAreFGR tattooed on his other calf
@philbusby666: Surely not
@gtfcshaun: doesn’t strike me as a vegan man
@Freddie11Bishop: No way he can live on a vegan diet
@samBWFC__: That was 100% not on anyones bingo card
@GarringtonMiles: Found his level
@tomhwilliams23:
Troy Deeney to Forest Green Rovers would be the next in a long line of mental transfers in League 2 in 2023
Charlie Austin ➡️ Swindon
David McGoldrick ➡️ Notts
Nick Powell ➡️ Stockport
Ben Foster ➡️ Wrexham
James McClean ➡️ Wrexham
Troy Deeney 🔜 Forest Green
@ryangriffin89:
Nobody walks up that hill unless:
A. You’re an idiot fan who loves pain
B. You’re an employee of FGR
C. You’re about to become an employee of FGR
Troy Deeney as Chariles guest #STFC pic.twitter.com/weZYgpMiRK
— ₜₕₒₘₐₛ (@stfcthomas) August 15, 2023
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