Watford FC season grades: goalkeepers
Another season consigned to the Watford history books — and that’s probably the best place for it given this was the club’s lowest finish of the Pozzo era.
The last time the Hornets finished further down the English football pyramid was the 2009/10 season; a truly austere period under rookie boss Malky Mackay. Could history be about to repeat itself?
Before turning the page and looking forward to Tom Cleverley’s maiden campaign as permanent head coach, let’s reflect on 2022/23, starting with the goalkeepers…
1. Daniel Bachmann (27 starts + 0 sub apps) C-
Has there been a more divisive goalkeeper in Watford history? Certainly not in my lifetime and probably not since Richard Lee. In fact, there are plenty of similarities between the two. If you were to grade both on their shot stopping alone, they would come out favourably. While command of his area and kicking were an issue for Lee, the same can be said of Bachmann now.
It was an incredibly topsy-turvy campaign for the Austrian international. Handed the captaincy and a brand-new five year contract on the eve of the season, it is tempting to wonder how those decisions affected the lens through which his season has been viewed. I wrote about the decision at the time and while I maintain it does not matter if you have a goalkeeper for captain or even who your captain is so long as you have a group of stronger characters and leaders, it was the wrong decision for Bachmann and the club.
Making a switch between the sticks is already a big decision. A last resort. Not everyone comes back from it — certainly not at the same club. Bachmann seems to be a fairly emotional character. He clearly cares and at a time when supporters have rightly called into question the commitment of plenty of his teammates past and present, he cannot be accused of not caring. But his temperament has got him into problems before and it did again this season.
In the end, his dismissal at Leicester City — his second of 2023! — was a blessing in disguise for the then head coach Valérien Ismaël and meant introducing Ben Hamer without having to be seen to ‘drop’ his captain, his man. It took Bachmann out of the firing line and that benefitted all involved.
Particularly in the early weeks of the season when it was clear he was being asked to start higher and get involved in the build-up play, it was painfully clear for all to see that he was not comfortable playing such an active role. With that discomfort came an increasing jitteriness among supporters every time the ball went toward Watford’s goal. That didn’t help anyone and it was a miracle we did not suffer greater damage than we did. Ismaël eventually appeared to reduce the reliance on Bachmann in the build-up phase but the damage was done.
Any lingering resentment from those comments about not wanting to be №2 to Ben Foster and that clumsy dismissal against Huddersfield Town at the end of the previous campaign was brought into every debate about his contract, captaincy and suitability for this team — or, indeed, any level of professional football in the more inane debates.
Restored by Ismaël in the final throes of his reign, Cleverley kept faith in him for the run-in. For me, that was the right call. A second dropping in the season would surely have ensured there was no way back. There was still plenty of debate about almost every goal that went in during the final nine games but there were some stunning saves and performances. Not least in the goalless draw at home to Hull City where he denied ex-Hornet turned pantomime villan Ozan Tufan from the spot.
Nobody else in this series will get such a detailed evaluation of their season and nobody else merits it — because Bachmann’s performances have fluctuated wildly. He was justifiably dropped at the start of December and his displays under Cleverley justified the decision to restore him to the line-up.
Inevitably, Watford have already been linked with a goalkeeper this off-season — Farense’s Ricardo Velho — but it is hard to see someone coming in to be №1 while Bachmann is still here. It’s equally tricky to envisage him being picked up by someone else off the back of an up-and-down season while sitting on a four-year contract. With hindsight, that was a bad decision by Pozzo and co. that could restrict the club’s ability to move on, which would be best for all at this stage.
26. Ben Hamer (19 starts + 0 sub apps) B+
Who saw this coming?
Signed in the summer of 2022 to fill the Scott Carson role —an experienced old hand who would train and do little else while filling a homegrown slot— Hamer was promoted to №2 at the season’s start when Maduka Okoye was packed off to Udinese. A sensible cost-cutting measure that meant he eventually took over starting duties from the much-maligned Bachmann following his dismissal at Leicester.
What was instantly noticeable about Hamer was his comfort with the ball at his feet in comparison with Bachmann. We’re not talking about an Ederson or Alisson-esque ability to start moves with laser-like precision here. Rather a coolness and composure that meant an audible gasp whenever the ball went back to the keeper was no longer necessary.
In terms of all-round performance, was he really any better than Bachmann? It took until his 13th game at Sheffield Wednesday to record a first Championship clean sheet. By which point, Watford were into the sixth of nine winless games that would prove terminal for Ismaël. Prior to that, his promotion had coincided with the best run of the season, losing just one of his first seven after taking over. Causation or correlation? It probably depends on which side of the Bachmann debate you will down on.
By the end, his dropping following his part in the 1–0 defeat at Millwall was probably a little harsh. He hadn’t made any egregious errors prior that and with Ismaël desperately searching for a way to stop the rot, he shuffled the pack in goal once more.
Out of contract this summer, the word on the street is Hamer won’t be back. He is a perfectly serviceable №2 and if he was prepared to be the non-playing third-choice before, one suspects he would happily warm the bench for Bachmann — or a new keeper — next season.