Foster recently removed his vlog of the Liverpool game
Watford staff are reportedly unhappy with the amount of time and attention Ben Foster is dedicating to his YouTube channel on club time.
Foster regularly posts to his channel, The Cycling GK, giving fans and subscribers a window into life as a footballer and his passion for cycling. When playing in the Championship, his videos included footage filmed from inside his goal using a GoPro camera, which occasionally backfired.
After Watford’s promotion, the Premier League blocked Foster from using the GoPro, and consequently Foster has had to fill his vlogs with other video footage.
When Watford were flying in the Championship, there were few complaints about his extra-curricular activities. But given their current form, with the side sitting 16th in the Premier League, his enthusiasm for vlogging has started to grate on fans and club staff alike.
Watford fan Alex tweeted ‘Get him gone, I’ve had enough’ with a screenshot attached of Foster’s vlog from the Liverpool game, the description of which states that ‘Mohamed Salah is on absolute FLAMES’ at the moment’.
Get him gone.
I’ve had enough. pic.twitter.com/xlYNjYUf24
— alex (@alexjpWFC) October 19, 2021
The vlog from Watford’s loss to Liverpool has since been taken down, with Foster stating on his channel: “Not my fault i promise! – An internal glitch with youtube meant a lot of people wasn’t able to actually watch the video, so its being Re-uploaded tomorrow night to make sure the the same thing doesn’t happen again!”
Another source of frustration for Watford staff has been Foster’s use of his complimentary tickets, after he gave a pair to Liverpudlian MMA fighter Paddy Pimblett.
In a video posted to ‘Paddy the Baddy’s Instagram story, he could be seen shouting “Ben Foster, I love you mate. But I hope Watford go down, youse are horrible, horrible,” as he was thrown out of Vicarage Road.
The Athletic were told by Watford that “the club will be dealing with the incident internally.”
Club staff are becoming increasingly frustrated with how much of a priority the YouTube channel has become for their most senior player. One insider told the Athletic: “It makes me so angry. Focus your dedication and commitment to the club because in return you receive a huge salary and privileged life.”
It feels unlikely that Foster will row back on his social media commitments, given the following he has cultivated and the stage he is at in his footballing career. But it is entirely understandable that fans and staff are becoming more and more annoyed with his apparent order of priorities.
