Max Watters is a Bluebird

He was only at Crawley Town for 99 days... but what a remarkable 99 days it was!

Yesterday, exactly 14 weeks after putting pen-to-paper at the Broadfield Stadium, it was announced that Max Watters had joined Championship side Cardiff City for a reported seven-figure fee.

There had been much speculation about where he'd end up with Swansea appearing to be leading the chase for his signature at one point and Brighton, Watford, QPR and Celtic mentioned as possible destinations amongst others. But it's in South Wales where he'll be plying his trade for the next three-and-a-bit years as the Bluebirds seek a return to the Premier League.

Max Watters with his 'Player Of The Month' award for League Two (Photo: Crawley Town).

His impact at Crawley (16 goals in 19 games) can't be understated and he'll leave a remarkable legacy as this transfer fee, coupled with whatever the club accumulate from their FA Cup run - during which he's more than played his part, will undoubtedly help to see them through the Covid-19 crisis.

Nobody, not even Max himself, could have imagined that he'd make such a devastating impact in such a ridiculously short space of time. It's been phenomenal and a far cry from this time seven months ago when he was one of several players released as Doncaster's owners (fronted by CEO Gavin Baldwin) made the haphazard decision to scrap the Under 23s team as a cost-cutting measure.

Being released inadvertently turned out to be the best thing which could have happened and he had a stroke of good fortune when Maidstone (where he was on trial in September) played Crawley in a friendly. Watching from the stands at that game were John Yems and Lee Bradbury who he impressed sufficiently enough for them to invite him to train at Crawley. He signed a contract about three weeks later and... the rest is history - even though there's now several Donny Rovers fans upset that he very much appears to be 'the one that got away' to coin an old cliche.

Cardiff supporters will probably be wondering exactly what type of player Max is and, in my view having watched him frequently (and more than most DRFC fans by the way) when he was in the U23s - probably around 75% of his games, he wasn't exceptional with one single particular attribute but he was very good at a number of things such as his pace, his directness, his movement and running at players. He's not a target man but has height which he can use to good effect sometimes. His touch is decent. He's confident and a clever player who gets in good positions. He's technical and obviously it's his goalscoring ability, which has been phenomenal in recent months, that's attracted all the attention from higher division clubs.

Max in action for Rovers' U23s at Cantley Park.

I wrote at the time he was released that Max was the top performer in the U23s and, in my opinion, he was worthy of a contract extension. He should have got one - even taking Covid-19 into consideration but if he had, would he really have been given a chance under Darren Moore considering the same manager overlooked him at a time when he was performing well - including a game at Rotherham in October 2019 which sticks out in my mind, in favour of bringing in Rakish Bingham, Kwame Thomas and, a few months later, Devante Cole?

The answer is probably not.

Had Max stayed at DRFC, there's every likelihood he'd have been limited to fleeting appearances 'here and there' in competitions such as the Papa John's Trophy or loaned out to a non-league club whilst new players would have featured at first team level. As things have transpired, being released was the best thing which could have happened because it's unlikely he'd be in this position now if his contract had been renewed.

I've always suspected the reason why he was overlooked and limited to just four substitute appearances in League One was because he was a player the manager inherited from a previous regime as opposed to someone he signed himself. A different boss such as Darren Ferguson (who signed him initially) or Grant McCann (who rated him highly) may well have had a different outlook and made a different decision. 

It certainly can't be argued by anyone that Bingham, Thomas or Cole are any better than Max, but if a first team boss is keen to bring in his own players and overlook what he already has - there isn't much anyone else can do about it. I do get a manager's viewpoint because if results turn poor, it's his job that will ultimately be on the line - hence why some managers who move clubs constantly sign the same players who they feel they can trust.

Max Watters is a Bluebird (Photo: Cardiff City).

There are some DRFC supporters who'll claim that Max was seen numerous times in training, in the games he played and that releasing him was the correct decision.

They're entitled to their views and with Rovers flying high and looking strong for a promotion challenge this season, it's hard to argue with the fact that Darren Moore has assembled a good squad in Max's absence against a backdrop of financial restrictions placed upon him from those above. However, he's screwed up here, made a mistake, dropped a b*llock (call it whatever you want) and let a good player, who has proven himself in the Football League, leave the club for nothing. 

In fairness, he isn't the first manager to do such a thing; it's worth remembering that Millwall released John Marquis before DRFC picked him up and sold him for a significant fee, and he certainly won't be the last manager to do such a thing either! It sometimes happens that way in football.

If Rovers' owners (from Terry Bramall to Gavin Baldwin) feel dismayed by the fact Max has now been sold for a significant seven-figure sum then I've got zero sympathy for them. I've been around football long enough to know that no club with a Category 3 or 4 academy pay their U23s players a significant weekly wage amounting to thousands of pounds - or anywhere close to it. Renewing the deals of just two lads who were out of contract would hardly have eaten into the playing budget - even with the salary cap in place - and, when the owners wealth is estimated at approximately £400M, then I've just got zero sympathy if a poor, financially-motivated 'penny-pinching' decision comes back to bite them.

In any case, it's worth remembering that Darren Moore still had the final say on contract decisions after the U23s were dumped in such unceremonious fashion and despite being the best player within the U23s group, Max's deal wasn't renewed. Again, it just consolidates my theory that he was just intent on bringing in his own players for his long-term plan - and, being fourth in League One and through to the FA Cup Fourth Round at the time of writing, it's working out the way he'd have wished.

On the whole, what the saga does prove beyond doubt in my mind is that there were young players who were 'first team ready' within the U23s set-up and it'll never be known what Shane Blaney (a left-footed centre-back now at Sligo Rovers - and one to watch out for in a few years), Rieves Boocock, Myron Gibbons or some of the other lads who were out-of-contract and released could have achieved at Rovers with a bit of luck and a run of regular games.

For Max, my hope now is that he can replicate his goalscoring form at Cardiff, enjoy every single minute of living in South Wales over the next few years and enjoy playing for a big football club with a strong identity. Hopefully, he'll achieve an even bigger move at some point further down the line and continue to make plenty of headlines.

Good luck!