Who cares wins...

At the risk of opening by stating the obvious, it isn’t always easy supporting Watford. It isn’t even always fun. Having said that, I count myself lucky to be a Hornet.

We’ve had a brief stint in the limelight, we’ve been in Europe and played at Wembley. Not many fans of clubs our size can say that. What pleases me most of all  is that when all is said and done, we are far, far removed from the Sky Sports generation and all the ghastly hype that goes with it.

Alright, so we’ve had a crack at the big time a couple of times and continue to sail pretty close to the financial wind as a result. However, we have a three sided ground and when asked for their favourite player, most Watford fans would answer Lloyd Doyley. Watching Champions League football from a fifty quid seat we are not.

Occasionally I see Watford fans complaining that we don’t get enough coverage across the media. This has been an oft repeated complaint, and during our pomp in the 80’s, it was made with some justification. Now though, why should we have any coverage apart from that afforded by the Watford Observer and seeing goals on the TV? We are an average Championship club, and quite frankly that’ll do for me.

At our level, there is still just the faintest hint of what football should be like. There are still brick outhouse defenders, awful refereeing decisions and quaint grounds to visit. You can get a ticket. If you were so minded, you could probably get a couple of your heroes to sign your match programme. Who knows, you might beat a bigger opponent in a Cup competition (although judging by the celebrations when Priskin netted against Chelsea last year, simply scoring could be enough…) It’s all pretty straightforward really.

Tuesday night was a prime example. Anyone other than Sheffield United or Watford fans would probably have to have been paid to watch the game. Had they seen the first 20 minutes, they would probably have to be paid again to stop them from leaving. It wasn’t pretty, and Watford’s three goals came as a result of calamitous defending as oppose to breathtaking attacking. It wasn’t a great game or a great spectacle, but then again it didn’t need to be. We don’t, or at least shouldn’t suffer from the illusions of grandeur that seem to inflict much of the footballing world. We don’t need to qualify for the Europa Cup and to then pretend that playing in Europe justifies the ludicrous sums of money paid out in fees and wages. We don’t need to play slick one touch football to keep those football tourists paying £1,000 for a season ticket happy. We don’t have to put up with endless speculation about our mollycoddled, overpaid, undereducated players and their performances on and off the pitch. If our team turns up and wins, that’ll do for us. In fact scrub that. If our team turns up, plays well and loses that’ll usually do too.

I rarely watch Match of the Day any more. I find the whole thing so tiring. The endless analysis. The banal comments from players, managers and pundits. The inevitable highlighting of an awful challenge, constant diving and woeful refereeing decisions. I just don’t need it in my life, no matter what Sky Sports and Andy Gray tells me. I still love football, and I thoroughly enjoyed Manchester Uniteds’ demolition of Arsenal on Sunday. My view isn’t so jaundiced that I can’t recognise and enjoy brilliant football. I just don’t need to be endlessly told it’s brilliant over a Kasabian soundtrack.

Watford V Sheffield United didn’t matter to the wider footballing world. Watford don’t really matter to the wider footballing world and the coverage we get reflects that. But that suits me just fine. Why? Because Watford matter to me.

After the Lloyd Mayor's Show...

It’s so often the case. After memorable highs, come instantly forgettable lows.

Producing a performance to follow the extraordinary scenes we witnessed at Vicarage Road on Monday night was always going to be difficult, but I suppose it is a measure of how far this squad of borrowed players, youngsters and journeymen have come under Malky Mackay that Saturday’s home defeat to Derby was as disappointing as it was unexpected.

It was a cold day, and the sticky looking pitch was never going to be conducive to free flowing football. Add into the mix Derby’s hard working, tough tackling game plan and an early Danny Graham miss from distance, and it quickly became apparent that it was going to be one of those days.

Credit to Derby. From the first whistle to the last they didn’t let Watford have any time on the ball, and the previously effective Cleverley and Cowie were shut down time and time again. Derby battled, tackled, huffed and puffed, and whilst they didn’t look like scoring, neither did we.

As the game wore on it occurred to me that Derby were doing to us what we have done to so many other teams in recent years, and why so many opposition fans had derided us and our tactics. Effective, most certainly. Enjoyable to watch? Even an episode of X-Factor would have provided a tempting alternative.

Watford didn’t play well, but we shouldn’t be too downhearted. This was a well organised Derby team, desperate for their first away win. As much as it pains me to say it, Robbie Savage was a picture of experience and know how – marshalling the game from seemingly the same spot on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes. Additional footballing know how and niggle came from Lee Hendrie and the much travelled Paul Dickov. Compare the careers of these guys to those of Lee Hodson, Liam Henderson and Ross Jenkins, and you get an idea of what we are up against in this division.

More often than not, our youngsters have proved up to the task this season, and it is for that reason that I doubt many Hornets fans will have trouble moving on quickly after Saturday’s 0-1 defeat. This Watford team has already given us much to cheer this season, and despite the increasing spectre of financial meltdown off the pitch, on the pitch has in the main (unexpectedly) been a joy to behold.

Speaking of which, I can’t close without mentioning last Monday night. 7 December 2009, or “Lloyd-D Day” as it shall now be known.

Since the news emerged that Adrian Mariappa and Lloyd Doyley had been locked in fierce competition to be the first to break their goalscoring duck, the attention of many Watford fans turned from the duos defensive performances to their chances of scoring at the other end. Aidy Mariappa comfortably beat Lloyd in their personal duel, but since then Watford fans have been collectively willing Doyley on, and this season the performances of the team had allowed him to creep ever closer to his first ever goal.

Well, against QPR, it finally arrived. Described by the Sky commentary as looking as if he had been “fired from a cannon” Lloyd Doyley met Don Cowie’s cross with a thundering header and for a couple of seconds everything stopped. The massed ranks of Hornets fans exchanged looks and cautious smiles, seeking confirmation that what they had just seen was real and not some bizarre optical illusion.

Realisation dawned and then – bedlam.

A celebration of joy, of togetherness. A celebration that will live long in the memory of all that were there, and one that reinforces the good feeling that is back at Vicarage Road. A feeling that we are all in this together and are once again pulling in the same direction. There was genuine affection towards “Lloydhino” from fans and players alike, and the noisy, joyous, quite frankly bonkers celebrations felt like a truly shared moment.

Such moments are infrequent in modern day football, and this was an occasion to savour. I am relieved, proud and delighted to be able to leave you with the refrain…”I was there when Doyley scored!”

We won some, we lost some...

Blimey. So, as the season continues to rumble along, I’m please to say that it is doing so in quite an enjoyable fashion. Since I last populated these pages, I have to concede that Watford have continued to, well, concede, but despite maulings at the hands of Cardiff and West Bromwich Albion, we’re more than holding our own.

An away win against Middlesbrough, a last gasp point at Ipswich, the dismantling of Sheffield Wednesday and the latest goal-scoring return of Heidar against Preston are four excellent examples of why supporting Watford this season is proving to be jolly good fun.

The away win at the Riverside was as unexpected as it was welcome. I can’t have been the only one who kept an eye on proceedings in the North East with slight trepidation, following as it did the home horror show against Cardiff, but Malky’s young charges did us proud, and helped in no small part by heroics from Scott Loach and a determined performance from ex ‘Boro employee Danny Graham, we returned home with our first ever win at the Riverside.

Another tricky away trip followed on the Tuesday, when we faced Roy Keane’s increasingly desperate Ipswich Town. It looked as if we were going to provide Keane with his first win as boss until deep into stoppage time when, of all people, Nathan Ellington smashed home an equaliser. I don’t know about you, but felt this was a big moment for us. We had won unexpectedly at Middlesbrough and had now rescued a game that looked beyond us away from home. It’s moments like these when you realise you have a team that is battling. Working. Trying. As a football fan, I don’t think I can ask for more than that.

There is always a slight worry when you nick late goals that you may have somehow used up your quota of luck. Against Sheffield Wednesday on a memorable Friday (thanks Sky!) night, we needn’t have worried. Thanks to inspired performances by Henri Lansbury and Tom Cleverley, Watford played some of the best football seen at Vicarage Road for some time, and won the game at a canter, 4-1. For heavens sake, Lloyd Doyley almost scored.

Whilst Lansbury and Cleverley understandably grabbed the headlines, our own players also shone, with Mariappa getting on the scoresheet and recent recruits Don Cowie and Danny Graham working their socks off for the cause. This was a good, and highly entertaining all round performance, with the only blemish the dreadful defending for the Owls consolation just before half time.

Watford played some blinding football, zipping the ball around crisply and with purpose, and four goals is the least they deserved. Those of us in the ground and watching live on Sky Sports were richly entertained and it was a fantastic feeling to hear the plaudits that Watford, so often derided as long ball merchants, rightly received. A great performance, one to really savour.

After the Lord Mayors show. I think that’s the best way of describing what happened just a week later at the Hawthorns. Whilst I hope people weren’t letting themselves get too carried away after our fantastic Friday against Wednesday, this result soon put our current place in the grand scheme of things firmly into perspective. I wasn’t at the game, so can’t comment with any great authority, but by all accounts it wasn’t quite as bad as the scoreline suggests, but in my experience very few teams deserve much out of a game that they lose 0-5. We created chances which is encouraging to hear, and perhaps if Danny Graham had converted his chance at 0-2 the day would have panned out differently. He didn’t, and it didn’t.

Whilst we’re on the subject of Danny Graham, I voiced my concern after he missed that wealth of chances against Leicester. Strikers are a funny breed, and they more than any other type of player rely on confidence. His extraordinary barren spell at Carlisle last year came after he had started the season well, and it was with this in mind that I was slightly concerned to see him waste 3 or 4 gilt edged chances. He hasn’t of course scored since.

Bizarrely though, I’m less worried now than I was after that Leicester game. His work rate is phenomenal, and he is clearly enjoying his football. His closing down of goalkeepers and chasing of seemingly lost causes is a joy to behold and he has played a huge part in all that has been impressive about Watford this season. The goals will come again, I’m convinced of that.

So. After a heavy defeat it was going to be interesting to see how we bounced back at home to what I assumed would be a decent PNE side. Our team is full of youngsters and inexperience – a good reaction was important for our season, but did we have any right to expect it? Well, after the first 5 minutes or so, it didn’t look like we were going to get it. Both Watford and Preston seemed incapable of completing a pass, with the ball disappearing out of play and players falling flat on their backsides at an alarming rate. Not a good start to the match, and indeed for a while there I was transported back to the meaningless drudgery of our games in the mid 90’s…However Heidar was back in the starting XI and as we all know by now, things are never dull for long when he is involved. 12 minutes in and the puffin eater directed a trademark header into the back of the net, and hey presto, we were up and running.

If Heidar’s goal was a thing of welcome familiarity, the 2^nd was a thing of absolute beauty. Henri Lansbury and Tom Cleverley combined to devastating effect, Lansbury easing away from several hapless PNE defenders before sliding a ball through to his fellow loanee who slid the ball home with precision and breathtaking ease. It’s stating the obvious to say that these boys are a cut above the rest of the squad, but they are clearly enjoying being part of this team, and our permanent players are clearly benefiting from their presence. Chants of “Sign him up” as Cleverley left the field are clearly wildly and unreasonably optimistic, but we should definitely make the most of him and Lansbury whilst we have them. We’ll be seeing more of them, no doubt, but it is likely to be in the Champions League, not the Championship.

The game ended 2-0 and we had our bounceback. We had our proof that this team of ours isn’t going to collapse and give in at the slightest hiccup, even if that hiccup did come in the form of a 5-0 thumping. They picked themselves up, dusted themselves down and made sure that this time it was they that would dish out the beating.

Tim Lovejoy famously coined the phrase bouncebackability. As Watford fans we’ve had to have it in abundance. It’s nice to see the team now have it too.

Watford 0 Cardiff City 4 - 3/10/2009

"Uncle Mike, why don't they just, ummm,  shoot?"

I took my 8 year old nephew to Watford on Saturday, and whilst I could answer most of his questions adequately enough, I must admit his query about shooting struck me as being quite pertinent.

Whilst it is fairly obvious that our record of 10 goals conceded in our last 3 home games is causing us increasing difficulties, our reluctance to shoot has been equally evident against Leicester, Coventry and most recently in this horror show against Cardiff.

The sole encouraging factor is that wer are creating space and opportunities in which we would expect our strikers to shoot. I guess that's half the battle. Oh alright then, a quarter of the battle, but we definitely have been playing some decent football in the final third, play that deserves more output. More shots. And perhaps even, whisper it, more goals...

For those still in any doubt, we were well beaten by a strong and competent Cardiff  side, and not even the most hardened, partisan wearer of yellow tinted specs could argue otherwise.

Anyway, you've probably gathered that all this talk about attempts on goal  is merely a futile effort to avoid talking about what is going on at the other end of the pitch. We're now shipping goals at an alarming and potentially fatal rate. Admittedly we have had a tough week, with bizarre injuries and illness taking their terrible toll on our already thin squad, but the fact that the aggregate score over the last 3 home games is now 5-10 in favour of the visitors doesn't bode particularly well.

I have used these pages to share my enthusiasm and excitment about the young players coming through and playing their part this year, and I maintain that the future looks bright. However, the past couple of weeks have left us in no doubt that we will need to work hard and stick together to ensure we make it to that future with our Championship status intact.

I'm under no illusion as to our sole objective this year, and you shouldn't be either. We need to stay up. Nothing more, most certainly nothing less. Failure to achieve this single goal would be catastrophic to what is clearly a rebuilding process both on and off the pitch.

We have a team containing some decent players, some good loanees and more than a sprinkling of academy/youth team graduates. We have a management team in place who care about the club, and at Board level we seem to be as stable now as we have been for quite some time. This is a football club, a football team, that we should be able to get behind. A team that we can love, support and identify with. It's going to be a tough season - they always are, but supporting a club like Watford is a two way process. You get out what you put in. If you turn up at The Vic expecting free flowing football, win after win, and a constant influx of high profile players - you're going to be disappointed. If you understand where we as a club are, and what our objectives should be, you'll (more ofthen than not) enjoy it.

Obviously there will be poor days in the office, and Saturday was undoubtedly one such example. I think my My nephew summed it up pretty well with another little gem. "Uncle Mike, I do love Watford, but they haven't been very good today have they? When can I come again?"

And Graham must score...

Sometimes you just know.

It should have become apparent that we'd be in for a tough night when young William Hoskins defied physics, gravity and every other logic defining law to spoon the ball miles over the Coventry City bar from barely a yard.

A slightly more impressive effort from the ex Rotherham man - a smart backheel from a corner - elicited more groans from the Rookery end (which reminds me, follow www.twitter.com/rookeryend for interesting WFC "tweets") and when Danny Graham missed wonderful chances either side of half time, you just knew there wasn't going to be a happy ending.

And of course there wasn't. We ended up beaten 2-3 by a very average* C0ventry, despite creating enough clear cut chances to win 3 games.  Initially, the overriding emotion was  frustration. Having managed to battle back from a goal down (again), it was disappointing that we ended up with nothing, and as I blathered on at my long suffering brother, all I could see was three points dropped and a season rapidly turning into what we all feared it might.

By the time I'd got to the car however, I was in more reflective mood.

The Watford FC class of 2009/10 isn't exactly bursting at the seams in terms of numbers or experience, and when the squad was depleted further by suspension, illness and random injury (has anyone other than our American hero ever cut their eye with a contact lens?!) we looked mighty thin on the ground.

The result was that we saw the future. Admittedly Mackay's hand was forced, but Hodson, Bennett, Henderson and Oshodi all featured on Tuesday night, and have to my knowledge all come through the Watford youth ranks. So have more established, experienced names - Doyley, Mariappa, Richard Lee. We should be proud and excited by that.

Our club has gone through an exciting yet turbulent decade, with two near-fatal dalliances with wreckless spending.  Whilst we struggle to right the good ship Watford, the emergence of these youngsters prove that somewhere along the line, our club is operating as it should be. Perhaps better than it should be - how many other clubs can boast such a successful conversion rate of their academy players to the 1st team?

Alright, so Liam henderson should have scored at the end, and young Eddie Ashodi looked a bit tentative. Who cares. With a name like that he can do no wrong. These are our kids, our future. And they are a welcome sign that there will continue to be an our Watford.

*Nothing average about Clinton Morrison though. He has to be the most sulky footballer I have ever seen. If he chanelled half as much energy into his game as he does at hurling abuse at his team-mates, his name might appear on the scoresheet a bit more. What a clown. Entertaining to watch though.

A night in the life of football fan.

There is generally one thing you can be sure of on a busy night of sport. Contrasting emotions. Yesterday was no different.

Come with me if you will through an evening in the muddled mind of yours truly...

Time: 5:25 Emotion: Disappointment. The radio reports that England ladies have gone 2-1 down in their Euro 2009 curtain raiser. They are also down to 10 after a dodgy dive in the 1st half from the Italian striker. Who says the ladies aren't as good as the men? They can con the refs with the best of them...England go on to l0se the game.

I think it is also worth noting the flippant way in which this game was covered. Tired cliche's about the women's game were lamely trotted out and the piece descended into pathetic laddish jokes. Having said that, I guess I get what I deserve if I listen to talkSPORT.

Time: 6:10pm Emotion: Excitement. I'm home, I see my 8 month old daughter for the first time since 7:30am and Watford are playing tonight. I know I am supposed to be all grown up and sensible, but nothing can replace the sense of anticipation that rumbles and grows in your belly ahead of your team kicking off. What will the team be? Who will score? What will happen? No-one ruddy knows and it's brilliant! Even guessing the attendance is a cause for childlike excitement...

Time: 7:14 Emotion: Bewilderment. BBC 3 Counties Radio draw my attention to the fact that Watford have accepted a bid for Tommy Smith from Portsmouth. Just when this saga looked like reaching a conclusion, there is yet another twist, and for Tommy all roads lead to the South Coast and another tilt at the Premiership.

I have to confess, this news put a broad grin on my face. I have nothing against Reading fans, in fact I feel hugely sorry for them - this episode must have been annoying for them as it has been us, but I still have minor issues with their boss.

If I'm honest, the thought of the assembled local press watching on whilst Brendan Rodgers smile slowly slips from his face as he hears the news "Tommy Smith is having a medical at Portsmouth..." fills me with mischievous delight.

Time: 7:20 Emotion: Sadness.News filters through about "large scale unrest" ahead of the West Ham United V Millwall cup tie. Not entirely unexpected, but saddening nonetheless. I have a daughter that I want to take to football soon. We don't need this.

Time 8:30 Emotion: Cautious Optimism. Half time at Elland Road and Watford are behind. 1-0. The commentary suggests we are playing well though, and for once, I am not completely resigned to defeat. You see, for all my excitment before a game, once it gets underway I am the most frightful pessimist. Those who have read Adrian Chiles book will know what I mean - I'm just like him. I think it was the great Graham Taylor who once summed up our plight so perfectly - "For a football fan, there is nothing so dangerous as hope..."

Time: 9:27 Emotion: Pure unadulterated delight. Watford youngster Marvin Sordell equalises for the mighty Hornets. Anyone watching at this time would have been treated to the sight of me dancing round the living room and kitchen in an excited style that can only be described as a cross between punk and breakdancing. One of these days I'll put my back out. It will be worth it though.

The game goes to extra time and my long suffering girlfriend just about manages to conceal her annoyance that she now has to endure another 30 minutes of me prowling around like a cat on a hot tin roof.

Time: 10:00 Emotion: Disgust. Footage from the West Ham game starts to appear on the TV. Deeply unpleasant both inside and outside the ground. My mind starts to wander as to how the media will portray this. The obvious link will be to any harm done to our 2018 bid.

In many ways the media coverage of events like this are as unsavoury as the unrest itself, but we really can't avoid the fact that what was unfolding was pretty ugly and totally inexcusable. Have these people no shame?

On the plus side, there seems to be some pretty clear footage, so tracking down many of the protagonists should be fairly straightforward.

Time: 10:10 Emotion: Despondancy. Leeds United grab a second goal in extra time, and there is no way back for Watford. Leeds 2 Watford 1, and we are out of the Carling Cup. A competition we were unliklely to win, but a loss is a loss, and every onse hurts. The excitment of earlier in the evening is a dim and distant memory.

So, my evening  started with disappointment and ended with despondancy. Looking at it that way, it may be hard to see why so many of us devote so many of our emotional and financial resources to following sport.  However, as we all know, if someone has to ask the question  "why do you do it? What's the attraction?" then they are unlikely to ever fully understand the answer.

Watford 2 Reading 2 (Apparently) - 20/09/08

[caption id="attachment_70" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Reading's opener flies into the net"][/caption]

"..but funny things happen when you least expect it, especially at Watford…"

 

 



 

That's what I said at the end of my last post after the defeat to Plymouth - looking forward to the Reading game. Funny things can happen. Crikey, did they happen!

I don't suppose I can say much that hasn't been said or thought already. The decision to award the "phantom" goal was completely and utterly bonkers. The whole thing just beggars belief.

The one concession I am willing to make to the linesman is that, yes, the ball DID cross the line. Definitely. He was spot on there. The fact that the ball was some 4 yards wide of the goal however, usually means that either a goal kick or corner is awarded. I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean a goal. There are a whole load of factors that should have indicated to our flag wielding friend that it wasn't a goal - the ball should have been obscured by the net, the players should have run off appealing for a goal, you know all the usual stuff. What actually happened was that every single player in both a yellow and blue shirt simply trotted back to the centre circle, ready for the goal kick. Surely something in his brain must have been telling him he was making a mistake?

Our fearless leader has been saying in the press that he doesn't blame the ref. He is of the opinion that if his colleague (the linesman) is telling him a goal has been scored, then he can do nothing but accept it and award it. Codswallop. The ref, like the 14,000 fans and 22 players should have been alert enough to realise that the ball was nowhere near going in. Nowhere near. He is just as culpable as the linesman in my view, and I will be very, very disappointed if they both don't face a very, very lengthy period away from the game.

Should Reading have let us score an equaliser? Lets face facts, they all knew they hadn't scored. Maybe. Would Watford have done so if the boot had been on the other foot? I doubt it, so I think there is our asnwer.

I don't really know what else to say on the subject - the Country will be waking up to it with Sky Sports News and the 15 seconds of coverage "The Championship"  will give to it before moving on to Ned Boulding interviewing the Macclesfield mascot, and everyone will see it, everyone will know. I guess everyone will laugh too. Unbeleivable.

Steve Coppell aluded to it after the game, and I agree. I think this injustice did us a favour. I very much doubt that we would have heard the Vicarage Road crowd in such fine voice had we not suffered so hugely at the hands of the officials. I also doubt that the team would have raised their game to the degree they did, and I definitely don't think we would have scored twice. we may have done, but I doubt it.

On the balance of play, I thought a draw was a fair result. Scott Loach performed near on heroics a couple of times, and I dread to think how many dangerous looking crosses Reading got into the box. From where I was sat it was only a matter of time before Reading got their equaliser, it's just a shame it came as a result of such a poor challnge. Hey ho.

A great team performance though, with Hoskins defying nature to still be running around at the final whistle - he took a fearful battering from Bikey throughout. John-Joe O'Toole managed to keep going too, which was good to see, whilst Tommy worked his socks off again. For a team who have lost their previous two games as well as most of their squad to injury, this was a great effort, and one which I appreciated greatly. Lets hope we can sort out our treatment room, get some players fit and keep this battling spirit going.

So all in all, a pretty crazy day. Bizarre decisions, a noisy crowd, penalties, late equalisers - the works. What fun!

Watford 1 Plymouth 2 - 16/09/08

I was late for this game.

[caption id="attachment_66" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Guilty pleasure"][/caption]

I was hungover to high heaven after seeing Metallica at the O2 the night before (one of the teenage habits that I don't seem to be able to break) and was entirely reliant on a lift from a mate. He was late, so I was late.

Sauntering up to Vicarage Road 10 minutes after kick off was an interesting experience. There were fans clearly on their way to the game, clearly late, yet clearly not bothered. Instead of rushing to the game little pockets of supporters slowly shuffled towards Vicarage Road, preferring to stop and fill up on take away food and confectionery - some even stopping to read the paper.

As we walked down Occupation Road 12 minutes into the game the other thing that struck us was the dirth of sound. There was definitely a game on - we could hear the ref's whistle and the shouts of the players - but nothing from the fans. This is no great suprise, we all know Vicarage Road is hardly a seething pit of partisan support, but this really did seem strangely subdued.

When we got into the ground, settled down and got the team news from my brother, the reason for the apathy became clear. The East Stand is shut, and with no-one in it our quaint reminder of yester-year is an increased eyesore. On top of that, there is the building work in the corner of the Rookery. With no idea of when or if that project will be finished, the ground provides a fairly depressing spectacle. But the thing that really struck me about this game, and the state of our team/squad, was the subs bench.

Loach, Mariappa, Ainsworth, Bangura, Hoskins. There was something about this list of names that put me in mind of some of the distinctly average Watford teams throughout the 90's (obvious exceptions excluded). I was immediately put in mind of players like Peter Beadle,

Beadle -Mediocre

Colin Pluck, Gerard Lavin, Dominic Ludden.   Journeymen. Like those ex players, none of our subs for this game are going to change a game. They are all honest players, and I am not  entirely displeased that they are Watford players, but they aren't exactly inspirational and this is the best we have at the moment.

It's all a bit comfortable I suppose. No-one really expects us to challenge for promotion, and we should have enough quality to stay in the division, but apart from staying in the

Championship, it is hard to see any other realistic goals.

Admittedly the treatment room is now at bursting point, and one could argue that an entirely fit squad would be an interesting proposition - hopefully time will tell. For now however though, I think everyone is in neutral. We all turn up at the games because, well, that's what we do. I don't think anyone really expects anything.

In a way, that kind of sums up why supporting Watford can be god fun. When expectation levels are low (non-existant?!) things can happen. When our little club starts thinking it deserves or is entitled to success, then things go a bit wonky. Just look at last season - the expectation was poisonous and it made sure that last year was utterly ghastly. Already this year we have had the fun and games of the Ipswich game, and have beaten a decent side in Charlton. We have also been beaten by a rubbish Plymouth side - who knows what will happen on Saturday against Reading...

As we left the Plymouth game the feeling was that everyone was pretty much as apathetic as they were at the start. We had lost, but we hadn't played that badly. There is a long way to go in the season, and we'll play worse and win (according to Aidy at any rate). Not a great night's entertainment, but not the worst, so home to bed before we do it all again on Saturday. 

With only one fit striker avaialble to us, it will be tough, but funny things happen when you least expect it, especially at Watford...

Sing when I'm winning? Watford 2 Ipswich 1 - 30/08/08

So then. I'm back.

Having missed the Palace, Rovers and Charlton games (holidaying in the South of France) I made my home debut against Darlington.

This was something of a strange experience for me. Those of you who read my ramblings towards the end of last season will know that me and football weren't really getting on. So much so in fact that the last entry in this blog was on the 19th April. On that day I severed ties with the game for the summer.

[caption id="attachment_54" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="Pursuit cycling. Bravo!"][/caption]

It really all had got too much. Watford were woeful, England were worse and the Premiership was (is) full of some of the most unpleasant people on earth (Hi Ashley. Send my love to Cheryl. You tw*t.). So, I began a trial separation. It was quite nice really. I watched some cricket, I played some cricket. I kept half an eye on the Euro Championships in Austria and Switzerland and I played some half decent golf. I watched the Olympics and discovered that I quite liked pursuit cycling.  I went on holiday. I even did some gardening. Lots and lots of stuff that didn't involve football.

So, when it came to the Darlington game, it was all a bit alien. The first time I had thought about Watford for a good couple of months was when I attempted to go through the turnstiles ahead of the game.

I say attempted because, this being Watford, the end of our trial separation just had to have a hitch. The ticket office had failed to activate my and about 3,000 other season cards, necessitating a lengthy queue at the ticket office to collect a paper ticket. Welcome back to Watford!

Anyway I got in, and the game began. It followed the formula we have come to expect from these games - we play a weakened side against a lower league side. Both sides cancel each other out, with us looking marginally the stronger. We score, they score (late) and there is extra time. The fitness levels and presence of a few experienced players finally tells, and we win through. Just.

It wasn't a great spectacle, but my brother and I agreed that our reserve side beating a first team, albeit a lower league first team, could only be a good thing. That's right ladies and gents, a good thing.  I could feel something I hadn't felt for ages. Enthusiasm.

Ipswich next. And I am definitely back. In the week leading up to the game I am checking websites, reading fans forums, and generally looking forward to it.  I am taking my 7 year old nephew who had specifically requested a trip to see Watford as his birthday present. (Quite remarkable as his only previous visit was the 1-2 reverse against Bristol City last season). The promise of another young Hornet. in the family only adds to the feel good factor.

Game day is sunny and all is well. The ground is full (in the areas that aren't unsafe for human inhabitants)

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and there is a big away following, adding to the atmosphere. Z Cars kicks in and I am definitely, definitely back. Football is brilliant. Mart Poom's 2nd minute clearance isn't however, and Ipswich are ahead.

This is an important moment for me. I'm not sure how I am going to react. I sit there for a while, staring at the Ipswich fans cheering and laughing in equal measure. I think about texting my brother (he is in the Rookery, I'm in the Rous) with some sarcastic comment about great starts. Then it dawns on me. I'm OK. There is a long way to go, and we can turn it around. We can still win this. Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen, we can now add optimism to the newfound enthusiasm.

I'm delighted. You see, at the end of last season I thought I might have completely fallen out of love with Watford. Maybe even the game as a whole. A couple of minutes after Ipswich went ahead I realised that I am still head over heels.

The Ipswich fans serenaded us with an array of chants that were both amusing and aggravating in equal

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measure - "One-nil to the football team" (That one is presumably on loan from the oh so stylish WBA, currently struggling to score in the Premiership) and the even more laughable "We're just too good for you.." rang out from the Vicarage Road End...

The rest of course is history. Late winner+Ipswich fans and their daft chants+sunny Saturday evening+Watford FC=happiness. Brilliant. I make no excuses or apologies for my feelings and subsequent rants last season, and I stand by them. I don't think I have enjoyed a season less. It was horrible. I really thought it may have been over. I thought I was going to be one of those blokes who "used to go to Vicarage Road a lot when I was younger, but you know, I just stopped going really..."It turns out I'm not.

Bring it on!

Watford 0 Crystal Palace 2 - 19/04/08

I have been a Watford supporter since I was old enough to understand what football is. I have been a season ticket holder since not long after that.

Watford are a big part of my life, and will remain to be so - whatever happens, Premier League or Blue Square Premier League, I'll be there.

I wasn't there on Saturday though. I've had enough for this season. I'm not sure what that makes me - perhaps I haven;t got the stomach for the fight any more, perhaps I am getting older, perhaps I am conscious that I could spend more time with my girlfriend, or paying attention to the work that needs doing to my house.

I don't think it is any of those to be honest.

I had a moment of clarity during the week. I realised that i wasn't looking forward to going to the game. I just didn't want to do that walk to the ground that I have done however many hundreds of thousand times before. I just couldn't see myself enjoying it.

Now I know supporting your team is about supporting your team through thick and thin - being there for the good and the bad - yada yada yada. Well I have been there for both the good and the bad, but this season seems to have transgressed into some sort of baffling twilight zone. It isn't bad because we are 5th in the league, and still in with a (vague) chance of promotion, but it isn't good because, well, it just isn't is it?

Whatever it is, being at Vicarage Road this season has largely been an unenjoyable experience.

In the main, I enjoy my club being up there with the chasing pack. I enjoy us being "contenders". I'm not so sure I like what it has done to some of our supporters though.

"Boothroyd's got to go"
"He's taken us as far as he can" and of course, my personal favourite
"He's lost the dressing room"

All these phrases come tumbling out of fan's mouths, with varying degrees of inteligibility but increasing frequency and volume.

Yes, Boothroyd has spent money that no other Watford manager has had. But there is money in the game that the game has never had. Yes, we had a good start and were 9 points clear, but hey ho - other people have been up there and blown it too. At least we were up there and fighting. In with a chance. Yes, the football isn't going to win the Arsene Wenger style award, but hey, we are Watford fans - apart from pretty isolated pockets, when has it ever been anything else?

Perhaps we have a right to expect more, perhaps we don't. There are some that argue without ambition and indeed expectation, we may as well give up. What I am certain of is that people deserve time to get it right.

Adrian Boothroyd is a new manager. Not just new to us, but new to the job. He is bound to find it hard, and unfortunately that has been all to obvious at times but in the cold light of day, he hasn't done too badly has he.

Season 1  - Kept Watford up.
Season 2 - Watford promoted.
Season 3 - The Premiership - tough, but not embarassed.
Season 4 - Who knows, but it looks like another Top 6 finish.

On top of that, during his tenure he has had the unenviable/impossible task of replacing 4 of our most important, influential and valuable players - Marlon King, Hameur Bouazza, Adam Johnson and Ashley Young. Did anyone see Ashley Young play against Birmingham on Sunday? How do you replace that?

Boothroyd has spent more than any other Watford manager. Yes. But he has also achieved more than all but one manager already. Perhaps he deserves the chance to have another crack at it? OK, so we haven't won anything this year, no Cup Semi Final, No Championship. Last time I checked, Arsenal aren't going to win anything either. Does this mean Arsene Wenger has taken Arsenal "as far as he can"?

My point is, while I agree we should be aspiring to be as good as we can, and aiming to be an establishd Premiership team, the expectation among seems to have manifested itself in some sort of impatient, posionous desire for everything to be good, and for it to be good RIGHT NOW.

Players and management are berated in equal measure for misplaced passes, for not playing the ball on the floor, and in the same breath for not "getting rid of it". For not bringing a substitute on, and then for bringing him on to late. That substitute is then subject to abuse too, just for good measure.

Like I said, I haven't enjoyed the footbal this season. Whatever way you look at it, you couldn't describe it as awe inspiring. I can see the bigger picture though. Building a team, a successful team takes time. Look at Fergie at Man United. What had he won in the time that Boothroyd has been at Watford?  Not much. What has he won now?...

So the combination of the angry, impatient and perhaps ill informed anger of the home fans and the prospect of another Neil Warnock side running rings round us at home meant that i gave myself the afternoon off.

Of course all I did at home was pace the lounge and fret. I had Three Counties radio on, I turned it off. I had Soccer Saturday on, I turned it off. I had Beach cricket from Australia on, and quite enjoyed that for a while, but turned that off too. You see, you can't escape. That's what football does to you, it consumes you. It's irrational and it's daft, but it's the way it is.

I've renewed my season ticket already, and I'll be there next year, excited and full of hope. Again. I just hope EVERYONE learns something over the coming summer months, and we all come back stronger and better. We'll all enjoy it much more then.

WBA 1 Watford 1 - 12/04/08

Well that was better wasn't it. A lot better.

It couldn't have been much worse, I grant you, but lets give them the benefit of the doubt. The sight of John Eustace back in a yellow (red) shirt will very rarely be the cause for so much relief - crikey we missed him.

Most of you will have either been there or watched it on the box, so I won't bore you with a match report. I think it can be pretty neatly summed up by saying that the 1st half belonged to Watford, the 2nd to West Brom.

Their disallowed goal should have probably been allowed, we probably should have had a penalty. All even on the refereeing front I reckon.

So they CAN do it you see. They can pull the odd decent performance out of the bag. The fact that it took such a small number of 2nd half minutes to elapse before we surrendered our hard earned lead was disappointing, but sadly, not unexpected.

I guess this game sums our season up in a way - decent start, just about held it together for the majority, but in the final analysis we really didn't have enough to see us over the finish line.

Watford 0 Barnsley 3 - 9/04/08

I think I'm calm enough to write something. Just about though, so please forgive me if I lose it.

It's funny you know, I had a bad feeling about last night. It set in when I read a report on the West Ham V Portsmouth game from Tuesday night. In it Alan Curbishley bemoaned the poor performance form both his West Ham team and the crowd at the Boleyn Ground. He said it was "flat".

He couldn't understand this he went on to say, as this was an important match for the club. The team need to stay in 10th to hit their target for the season (and therefore for the players to qualify for their huge cash bonuses) and this was an important game in making sure they achieved that target.

However, despite the carrot of cementing their place in 10th and banking their additional vast wedges of bunce, they couldn't get themselves out of first gear. This transmitted itself to the fans in the stands and the whole thing ended up as a damp squib and a forgettable home defeat.

Can you see what I'm getting at? Can you see why I was worried, and why I am now a mixture of resigned, angry and disbelieveing?  Watford had more to play for than just cementing 10th last night. They could have gone TOP for heavens sake. Yes, that's right top of the league, with 4 games to go. Our destiny somewhow in our own hands despite months and months of abject performances and results that would normally be associated with a team facing relegation.

They could have gone top and that was the best they could come up with.

Boothroyd said after the game that Barnsley were there for the taking. That they looked like a team that were going to get beaten. Perhaps the crowd felt this too, and as a result, just like it was at Upton Park on Tuesday, the atmosphere was virtually non existent.

It quickly became apparent that a lack of atmosphere was the very least of our worries. The lack of Tommy Smith, aruguably our most consistent, and definitely one of our hardest working players, set alarm bells ringing immediately. Jordan Stewart was his replacement on the left, a decent shout I guess considering his half decent sub appearance on Saturday, but to cut a long story short, it didn't really work.

Neither did Ellington and Henderson up front. The rare flick ons that were won by one of the big strikers found no-one running on to them, and Ellington in particular seemed particularly unwilling to shoot when presented with the chance.

These two issues give rise to the question - what is wrong with Ainsworth, and what is wrong with Collins John? Neither were afforded a place on what was a very uninspiring looking bench.

Admittedly Ainsworth may have flattered to deceive on his few appearances, but it is no coincidence that our results and performances began their slide to last night's all time low when Adam Johnson left. We miss his creativity and ability, and Tommy Smith and Jobi McAnuff (occasionally) have battled manfully to fill the obvious void, but at least in Ainswort we have something aproaching an alternative for one or other of them? To replace Smith with Stewart and have no viable alternative on the bench was conservative at best, and at worst just plain weird.

As for Collins John, his place on the bench was snaffled by the enigma that is Tamas Priskin. He has been afforded more chances than most by Boothroyd, and this most recent recall must be classed as all the more suprising as we now have Colins John - a player that Boothroyd has long championed, but seems to have quickly discarded.

Can we expect to see Ainsworth and John at Watford next year? The fact that they are currently on loan and seem to be unable to break into the 1st team squad at a time when injuries and suspensions are abound would suggest not. (I have since been reminded that Lionel Ainsworth was of course signed permanently in January. Whether I chose to ignore this fact for the purposes of this article or just plain forgot is for you, dear reader, to decide)

Anyway, back to the game.

Actually, let's not. We all know what happened. Watford turned in one of the worst home performences in living memory and were comfortably beaten by a side who "looked like they were going to get beaten". In the event, there was only one team that was going to get beat and as soon as Barnsley scored, the game was up. As with the game on Saturday, there was no response from the players, no rally, no extra urgency in the play.

Watford have never looked less of a cohesive unit, never looked so ill at ease with each other or with what they are trying to achieve. This team couldn't be more different than the squad who swept to promotion last time, they appear to be a collection of individuals with varying degrees of talent and commitment just going throught the motions. And what is worse, they only just manage to pull that off.

Where this team goes from here, I have no idea. Upwards? On last night's evidence almost certainly (and perhaps thankfully) not. Imagine that team platying in the Premiership if you dare. We'd make Derby look like Barcelona.

So what then? All I can suggest is a summer of consolidation. A long hard look at the squad and what it actually provides. I think Aidy made some decent acquisitions in Eustace, Saddler and Bromby, and has been unlucky with the striker situation - had Ellington managed to produce what the footballing world knows he is capabale it may have ben a different story. He hasn't though, and so we find ourselves here, limping towards the end of one of the most unpleasant to watch seasons for a long, long time.

We definitely have the basis of a good squad, and it shouldn't all be doom and gloom but what is painfully evident is that the basis of a good squad isn't enough, and judging from last night it is nowhere near enough.

 I sincerely hope we improve for Saturday's big game, although for now I can hardly bring myself to think about it. I have better things to do.

Watford 2 Coventry 1 - 5/04/08

So. Here we are. Five games to go and somehow, lord only knows how, we are still in there and fighting. I really don't know whether to laugh, cry, or just go on holiday until the whole thing is over.

This game was yet another Vicarage Road endurance test. After the welcome surprise of a Nathan Ellington goal (a well taken one at that) we seemed to run out of ideas and slowly but surely Coventry took over, knocking the ball around, sucking the life out of both the game and the crowd.

After half time there wasn't even a rally after one must assume was a rocket from Aidy Boothroyd - it was just a depressing extension of the 1st half with Watford looking more and more devoid of ideas or confidence and Coventry just working the ball around, not really threatening, but in charge none the less.

Their goal came after 60 minutes, and unfortunately it came as no surprise. All too easily Leon Best nodded home, all to easily it looked like our season was slipping away. Again, there was no rally, no real indication that either the players, manager, or the fans thought that we were going to get a win out of this.

The situation was rather sadly summed up with the following from the terraces;

"Play your hearts out for the fans" came the crowd's plea.

"Boooooooooooooo" shouted those same fans minutes later, following the introduction of current pantomime villain Jordan Stewart.

Whilst this exchange serves to highlight the frustration that I'm sure everyone felt during the game, it also brings into sharp focus the fact that some Watford fans need to have a long hard look at themselves, and perhaps do a bit of research into the clubs history and resources. Believe it or not kids, we have very rarely had it so good...Anyway, I will cover the booing of Jordan Stewart elsewhere, but those fans will hopefully have noticed the upturn in fortunes down the left following Stewart's introduction.

Despite the reshuffle it was looking increasingly likely that we weren't going to do the business and a point was the height of our ambitions. That was until Vialli throwback Stephen Hughes let a through ball bounce over his head, allowing Tommy Smith to run on unchallenged and a Watford player beat Kasper Schmeichel between the sticks for the 4th time this season.

Cue some of the best celebrations seen at Vicarage Road in a long time and all of a sudden, against all odds, and despite ourselves, Watford are back in with a shout. Of course we need a better performance, a much better performance against Barnsley tomorrow night, but win that one and we can count ourselves well and truly back in the race for promotion.

The impending return of Darius Henderson and John Eustace provide some comfort and cause for optimism, but despite poor results for Bristol City and Stoke I still don't know whether to laugh, cry, or just go on holiday until the whole thing is over...

Watford 0 Stoke City 0 - 15/02/2008

First off, it's been a while.

There are reasons for this, some too boring to go into here, some to do with me being busy, others to do with me feeling a bit apathetic towards football in general. If you had the misfortune to read any of my earlier postings, you'll know exactly what I mean...

The Stoke game on Saturday was a welcome shot in the arm for me, although it was something of a double edged sword. On the plus side, it reignited a bit of passion in me and also served as a reminder that Watford can play with pride, belief and a bit of oomph. On the downside, it did make me think that perhaps this year won't be our year, and if this proves to be the case, sadly we won't have anyone to blame but ourselves.

 However, in the main, this is what Saturday afternoon's should be about. A bit of atmosphere both in and outside the ground, controversy, missed chances, pantomime villains and heroes, the lot. All in all, good fun.

I guess the main talking points will be the sending off and the missed penalty.

The sending off. Well, at the time I was beside myself with anger, it looked like an awful, awful decision, and it didn't take long for the cold facts to make it even more of a cause for concern. Not only were we to play one of the divisions' front runners with 10 men for 70 minutes, but we were also going to be without one of our most influential players for two very tough away games. Lets hope it doesn't prove pivotal.

Having seen the replay on Sky, I can sort of see why Styles made the decision, but it really was made with indecent haste, and I remain convinced that a yellow card would have been the most suitable and sensible course of action. Only time will tell how much of an imapct Styles' latest showing against us will have.

The penalty. It was a penalty. It wasn't as most people thought, for a foul - it was actually for handball, and this is clearly visible on the replay. Soft, and I'm sure were it the other way around we wouldn't have been happy, but hey, thems the breaks. As it happens it didn't matter one jot - the keeper made a good save to his right and that was that. At the time I was quite critical - my brother rightly pointing out that it would have been the perfect penalty "had the keeper gone the other way..." hard to argue with that logic really. Being hyper-critical, Doris did seem to telegraph it a bit, but I have immense respect for Darius and the work he does week in week out for our team, and to shoulder the responsibility for another critical spot kick speaks volumes. Just one of those things Doris, keep your chin up.

The two major incidents aside, Watford could, and perhaps should have won this game. The Stoke stats of zero shots on target and zero shots off-target tell their own story, and the increasing number of tantrums and hissy fits from Ricardo Fuller tell you all you need to know about the performance of the Watford defence (or of course further evidence of his suspect temprement).

Stoke provided absolutely nothing, and one can't help but wonder what would have happened had Eustace stayed on. But then again, that is what this season has been all about. A whole load of ifs, buts and maybes.

Things are looking up though, and thanks to the rest of the division succumbing to a whole load of ifs buts and maybes, we still have a decent chance.

Let's make a decent fist of it.

Watford 1 Charlton 1 (19 Jan 2008)

I don't know if it is football in general - the continuing failure of the National team, the increasingly hard to stomach Sky TV hype and equally nauseating commentary, Andy Gray (both of them), the wonky kick off times etc - but (whisper it) I think I am losing interest a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I will most likely renew my season ticket next year, and if there is a game on the box or wireless I will probably watch or listen, but I don't think I feel quite the same any more. This feeling has no doubt been magnified by Watford's form of late, but I feel like something has been knocked out of me. I feel a bit sad really.

Take this game. At the start of the season, when going through the fixtures and mentally assigning a result to each one, this one would probably have been down as a draw. Most of us would have been happy with a 1-1 with recently relegated Charlton before the season started, so why did I struggle to get any pleasure from our hard fought result yesterday?

There were definite positives - Nathan Ellington is off the mark, Al Bangura is back playing football with his future seemingly assured, Jay Demerit continues to prove to be one of the footballing finds of all time and but for a rare Richard Lee mistake we may well have taken all 3 points. So why am I finding it so hard to take any enjoyment out of it?

I've never liked the rain, so the thought of trudging back to the car in the wet may have taken some of the gloss off, but I don't think that's it. I'm getting older, and as you get older you get grumpier and more demanding, but I don't think that's it either.

It is down to this bad feeling I have. This sadness. A sadness about football in general, and a growing sadness about my club. Our club. There are a broad range of issues that concern me, issues that I won't go into here, but for one reason or another I am really struggling to see where we are going, let alone how we are going to get there.

It is my feeling that there are players at Watford who epitomise all that is wrong with football. It's not that they are lazy, not that they aren't bothered - for me it's just that there are too many out on the pitch week in and week out and in the squad that aren't bothered enough. I'm a Watford fan, and have been for long enough to realise that Arsenal we most certainly are not. However I had also thought that we were a club that championed hard work and honest endeavour - and always would be. It doesn't feel like that is the case at the moment, and I think it's this making it hard for me to enjoy trips to Watford.

I don't care if we are crap, I really don't, but our team must always, always, ALWAYS at least be seen to be "giving of their best". Do that and I'll enjoy it. Don't and I won't.

 I'm not.