Watford F.C. Player of the Season
{{outdated|date=January 2025}}
{{about||details on all Watford players|List of Watford F.C. players|and|List of Watford F.C. players (1–49 appearances)}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
File:Adrian Mariappa 2.jpg was voted Player of the Season for 2011–12.{{cite web|url=http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/9676944.Mariappa_wins_Player_of_the_Season_award/|title=Mariappa wins Player of the Season award|work=Watford Observer|access-date=29 April 2012|date=28 April 2012}}]]
Watford Football Club are an English football club, from Watford, Hertfordshire. Founded in 1881 as Watford Rovers, the club has competed in the Football League since 1920 and since the 2015–16 season have competed in the Premier League. First introduced by the Watford Observer in the 1972–73 season, the Watford F.C. Player of the Season award is voted for annually by supporters of the club. It recognises the best overall performance by an individual player through the season. Winners were originally presented with the Watford Observer Trophy, but since 2016–17 the award has been named the Graham Taylor Player of the Season Award, after the club's former manager.{{cite web|url=https://www.watfordfc.com/club/vote-graham-taylor-player-season|title=Graham Taylor Player of the Season|work=Watford F.C.|date=25 April 2017|access-date=15 December 2019}}
Goalkeeper Andy Rankin won the initial award in the 1972–73 season, ahead of Colin Franks and Duncan Welbourne. In the 1974–75 season, Rankin won the award for the second time, becoming the first of ten players to do so as of 2016. Another goalkeeper, Tony Coton, is the only player to have received the title for a third time. Coton is one of four players to have won the award in consecutive seasons, the others being Wilf Rostron in 1982–83 and 1983–84, Tommy Smith in 2007–08 and 2008–09, and most recently, Troy Deeney in 2013–14 and 2014–15. Eight winners of the award have represented their country at full international level, of whom only John McClelland went on to become Watford's Player of the Season for a second time.
Towards the end of each season, fans vote directly for the Player of the Season. Historically this has been conducted by post, but in recent years it has taken place on the Watford Observer's website. This system was earmarked for change to a match-by-match rating system in 2009, but in March 2010, the Observer decided to revert to the traditional method of voting.
Winners
:{{legend2|#33ff99|{{dagger}} Inducted into the Watford Hall of Fame |border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
:Statistics correct at end of 2018–19 season.
{{multiple image
| direction = vertical
| width = 150
| footer =
| image1 = Mooney, Tommy.jpg
| alt1 = A man in a jacket and tie standing in a car park outside a football stadium.
| caption1 = Tommy Mooney, winner in 1995–96 and 2000–01.
| image2 = Ben Foster.jpg
| alt2 = A man in a grey football shirt and goalkeeping gloves standing on a playing pitch in front of a goal.
| caption2 = Ben Foster, winner in 2006–07.
}}
File:Tom Cleverley 2015.jpg is the only player to win the award having made fewer than 50 appearances.]]
File:Danny Graham.JPG was the Football League Championship's top scorer in the 2010–11 season.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13468214.stm|title= Watford reject bids for Danny Graham and Will Buckley|date=20 May 2011|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=20 May 2011}}]]
File:Troy Deeney.jpg won the award in consecutive seasons, in 2013–14 and 2014–15.]]
Statistics
File:DaJa.JPG started his career at Watford, and went on to play for England.]]
| class="sortable wikitable"
|+Wins by playing position | |
| Position | Number of winners |
|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | align=center| 12 |
| Defender | align=center| 13 |
| Midfielder | align=center| 10 |
| Forward | align=center| 12 |
Footnotes
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha|refs=
The official "Level" of competition in the structure of the English league system.
Where a player represented his country at multiple levels, only the highest level is given.
For a full description of positions see association football positions.
Multiple winners are counted multiple times.
}}
References
;General
- Players of the Season sourced to: {{cite web|url=http://www.watfordfc.com/page/Awards/0,,10400~1034010,00.html|title=Former Watford Players of the Season|access-date=1 April 2012|publisher=Watford Football Club|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718003322/http://www.watfordfc.com/page/Awards/0%2C%2C10400~1034010%2C00.html|archive-date=18 July 2011}}
- Pre-1998 player information sourced to: {{cite book|title=The Watford Football Club Illustrated Who's Who|author=Jones, Trefor|year=1996|publisher=T.G. Jones |isbn= 0-9527458-0-1}}
- Post-1998 player information sourced to: {{cite web|url=http://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.sd?team_id=2741#teamTabs=stats|title=Watford: Squad stats|publisher=Centurycomm|work=Soccerbase|access-date=1 April 2012}}
- Further information sourced in an individual player's notes section as necessary.
;Further reading
- {{cite book|author=Phillips, Oliver|title=The Golden Boys: A Study of Watford's Cult Heroes|publisher=Alpine Press Ltd|year=2001|page=230|isbn=0-9528631-6-2}}
- {{cite book|last=Phillips|first=Oliver|title=The Official Centenary History of Watford FC 1881–1991|publisher=Watford Football Club|year=1991|pages=181–182, 271–272|isbn=0-9509601-6-0}}
;Specific
{{reflist|2|refs=
{{cite web|url=http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/search/4339460.Smith_is_Watford_s_Player_of_the_Season_again/|title=Hornets star first player to retain trophy for 22 years|access-date=6 October 2009|date=3 May 2009|work=Watford Observer|publisher=Newsquest|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224031220/http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/search/4339460.Smith_is_Watford_s_Player_of_the_Season_again/|archive-date=24 February 2012|url-status=dead}}
}}
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{{Watford F.C. Player of the Season}}
{{Lists of football players in England}}
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Category:Football player of the year awards in England by club
Category:Association football player non-biographical articles