Blowing it

Watford v Cardiff City

Wednesday 26^th December (Boxing Day)

Boxing Day train services are non-existent but I failed to learn this lesson from last year. Consequently, Jun and I had to shell out for a taxi from Wembley to Kerry’s, having left it too late to sit on a replacement bus service. Note to self: next year (if there’s a home game) get the jubilee line to Stanmore and then a cab. Joss told me about his share of the commercialism of the season as we walked to the Vic. Last year’s PSP was stolen recently, so now he’s got a slim white one.

WFC have not won at home in five matches and today’s game does not break the drought. We concede after 34 minutes in boring match that inevitably has people asking whether the players have had too much turkey. After the break, our new captain Jay Demerit (Gavin Mahon has lost favour with Betty, apparently) slotted home a pass from Nathan Ellington (his second assist in two games) but the Bluebirds went ahead again less than ten minutes later. It took until the last couple of minutes of normal time for Watford to get any sense of urgency but by then, many fans had given up and left.

Three minutes of extra-time were awarded and in the fourth of these, Jobi McAnuff got his second goal for the club, a curler from fifteen yards through a packed penalty area high into the top corner. Phew. A home draw against a middling side was suddenly such a relief. Meanwhile, WBA thrashed Bristol City at the Hawthorns, going above us on goal difference.

Kerry made us some food before Jun and I got our second and third taxis of the day (total £58) distributing presents to the nephews and nieces. Later Terri gave us a lift back to Stanmore station and I sang along to Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic”. I’ve always been uncertain about the examples she gives when delineating what the term means, but for a team who wanted to make the Vic a fortress to have the best away record in the country while struggling at home, perhaps we could use her version of the word, don’t you think?

Watford v Queens Park Rangers

Saturday 29^th December

I met Rod and Ticktock at the gates at Euston for what will probably be the little fella’s last game of the season as he is being sent away to boarding school. Not just for his sake (as he told me the Arsenal and Manchester United fans at school “hate Watford”), I hoped he’d see a home victory again, this time against the side second-bottom. I reminded him of the term “plastic supporter” in order to give him something to counter with. We met Joss while queuing to pick up their tickets and got into the ground in good time.

The game started signifivantly more up-tempo than Boxing Day’s had been and Watford had Rangers on the back foot. Then, with less than quarter of an hour played, Jordon Stewart brought down one of their players in the box, a penalty was conceded and dispatched and we were a goal down. “One-nil to the billionaires” the substantial visiting support sang. Supposedly the Rs are the richest club in the country, perhaps the world, since their takeover by Bernie Ecclestone.and Flavio Briatore and more recent investment from Lakshi Mittal.

The rest of the half provided good Watford pressure and two more QPR goals, one directly from a corner and another that was well made. Lee Williamson hit the post but the ‘Orns went into half-time without having replied. The Rookery, which was singing well today, was surprised to say the least but I don’t think I was alone in thinking that the way we were playing we could score four in the second half.

The four of us shared a ridiculously large “Dairy Milk” bar that Rod had bought and had a little hot chocolate from my new one-litre flask. I had to tell them that despite the size of the defecit, we were actually playing a lot better than in the last match.

Seven minutes after the break and Damien Francis had got on back for us and it seemed possible that we could get at least another home point but as we got closer and closer to the end without a second goal, that hope diminished. Not wanting to keep everyone waiting at the end, I went to the toilet with ten minutes left only to return to a tide of Rookery fans pouring out. We had conceded a fourth. I took my seat laughing. Within another two minutes, Darius Henderson had nodded the ball down for Danny Shittu to smash home against his former club but 4-2 it finished.

Joss and I directed Rod and Ticktock back to the station and walked to his place where I picked up my presents from mum. Later, on the train back, I overhead a Rangers fan describing it on his mobile to a mate as “A day that will go down in QPR history”.

Wii won away (again)

Sheffield Wednesday v Watford

Saturday 22^nd December

While I whiled away an afternoon on the wii with the wife, Watford went and won at Wednesday. Jobi McAnuff scored his first goal for the Horns and not before time. Stoke beat West Brom 3-1, which means that we are top for Christmas Day at least, and close to fulfilling my prediction of being top at the end of the year (if we can improve our dire home form).

Bang, bang, bang

Watford v Plymouth Argyle

Saturday 15^th December

Today’s Guardian Weekend featured “the first celebrity asylum-seeker” and there were Al Bangura chants even outside the stadium; inside, each Rookery seat had a picture of the Sierra Leonean for us to hold up at half-time. With Lionel Ainsworth (on loan from Hereford) making his first start, Matt Jackson his second league start and Tamas Priskin in for Darius Henderson again, this was a different team from the last outing at the Vic.

Ainsworth was quality today, running at defenders like Adam Johnson was so recently in a yellow shirt (though some of his crosses could’ve been better) but Jackson was off the pace and Priskin ineffective. On top of that, Marlon was no “King of Vicarage Road” today, seeming to be unwilling to move for any ball that wasn’t played to his feet.

Truth is, the naysayers on the Watford Observer site seem to be more accurate than my “glass half full” outlook but it won’t stop me arguing about the merits of “supporting” the team. We lost at the death again today. But for our man of the match, goalkeeper Richard Lee, we would have gone down earlier. It was another fair result and after four home defeats in five games, we are finally off the top.

Fruitful away days (from a stay-at-home fan)

Colchester United v Watford

Tuesday 4^th December

Got back from work to watch the BBC live-text service describe Watford’s progress from being two-down to win 3-2 after goals from Marlon King, John Joe O’Toole (who’d started for Gavin Mahon, now being linked with QPR and Wycombe Wanderers) and Tamas Priskin (in for Darius Henderson). Aidy Boothroyd, who’d seemed reluctant to change things during our successive defeats, did what was necessary and as West Brom faultered (going down 4-2 at home to Coventry), the gap opened to four points again. Stoke, Sunday’s opponents, thrashed Shefffield United 3-0 at Brammall Lane.

Stoke City v Watford

Sunday 9^th December

I checked train services to Stoke on Saturday but it wasn’t conducive to a fun day out and instead I slept through the match. A goalless draw meant we doubled our lead to two points following WBA’s win at Leicester yesterday. I have decided our new nickname should be the “Weebles” because we wobble but we don’t fall down (off top of the league).

I now have £100 on a three-year bet with Luke that on 7^th December 2010, we will be in a higher league position than Oldham Athletic. Baby candy.

Eight days of misery

Watford v Bristol City

Saturday 1^st December

Danny Shittu went into today’s game as the in-form goal-getter, scoring all three in our two defeats in the week running up to this game: 3-2 at Barnsley and 2-1 home to Burnley while I worked on Tuesday. West Brom won one and drew one in the same period, closing the gap to two points ahead of another draw at Crystal Palace today before our 5.20 kick-off (SS1). This meant we would remain top even if we lost to a team who have had their own slump of late, failing to win in six.

Joss told me how he and his friend had enjoyed abusing the goalkeeper midweek in a game the programme said we didn’t deserve anything from but I was more concerned to get behind the Golden Boys today. I’ve been looking at and posting on the Watford Observer site, where there is criticism beyond the necessary, sniping and bitching from the worst type of “fan”.

Watford started well today but the early return of Adam Johnson to Middlesborough, which may not be unrelated to our recent poor form, has left us with fewer options and – on today’s televised showing – even more reliant on the long ball. We were pacy and committed, at least, but that wasn’t enough to break down the Robins though Marlon King hit the bar in the first half.

It took until half an hour into the second half for the deadlock to be broken and then it was the visitors who netted. Unfortunately, that was the cue for real frustration in the crowd and some started to leave. It was great, then, that John Joe O’Toole, who’d come on for the captain Gavin Mahon to the relief of many sections of the crowd, to draw us level with his head. A collective sigh from the Yellow Army had hardly stopped echoing when Bristol City scored again to take all the points.

I told Joss I wanted to stay behind and we clapped the players off, not that all of them seemed aware of the fact. Walking up Occupation Road I was still in the mood to defend what I’d seen as a reasonable performance and asked Joss, somewhat rhetorically I admit, if he agreed it was a fan’s role to support and encourage rather than criticise and boo, even after three defeats in a row.