Who is next year's ...?

Hull City v Watford

Saturday 29^th March

We had drawn our seven previous games but the failure of the other teams at the top to do much better meant that before this match and with a game in hand, winning an automatic promotion place was still in our own hands. Hull have been the form team of late, with wins at Plymouth and West Brom in February and five victories in March, and started above us on goal difference.

When Jun and I got to Sarah and Trevor’s, my brother told me were 2-0 down but when I saw the reports a little later I was heartened by the fact that the Baggies were losing and Bristol City and Stoke were only drawing. Things got worse, however, and after we’d conceded another and Steve Kabba had been sent off, West Brom equalised and then went ahead and the Robins got a winner. By five o’clock we were fifth and five points behind the leaders. Automatic promotion is no longer only down to what we do.

In Premiership news, Derby’s failure to beat Fulham coupled with Birmingham’s win meant the Rams became the first team to be relegated from the Premiership before April Fool’s Day and they look likely to record the worst points total ever, conceivably less than half Watford’s 28-point haul of last season. West Brom, despite glitches, should make automatic promotion. The second place could go to Bristol City, Stoke, Hull or us. The others will be trying to make it to Wembley to win the most lucrative single game of football ever (until next year) and the honour of being the bookies’ favourite to be relegated.

Who will be next year’s Derby? I’d still rather it was us than be in the Championship for another year but many don’t feel the same and a significant number feel we are so bad that the manager should go. One defeat in thirteen is hardly cause for sackings but seven points from the last twenty four feels insufficient for a team hoping for promotion. Nevertheless, I am with the Derby fans: there were more than thirty three thousand people at Pride Park watching two likely-relegated teams play. Loyalty may not be reciprocated by results but that is football.

WFC are a middling club who are punching slightly above their weight. Real fans will be happy about that even if they may also want more...What fan doesn't want more? More goals, more points, more clean sheets, more passing, more inspired substitutions, more tackles, more great signings…Hope is the fans’ life.

Easter break

Plymouth Argyle v Watford

Saturday 22^nd March

Rod drove Air, Jun and I to Bristol Thursday night and after bed during breakfast Friday we chatted with a nice little old lady about places to go before she told us that if she were our age she’d get out and that white people would soon be in a museum. “We’re contributing,” I offered, but she was oblivious. We stopped for Cheddar Gorge and England's smallest city, Wells, but on the road along the North Devon coast we headed straight through Dunster, which she’d recommended (“Probably an Aryan museum there” Rod guessed), and in fact didn’t really stop again until the cold, grey, windy Bude beach, where surfers were pretending their experience was comparable to Hawaii.

Before we got to the match we visited Eden and came away less than impressed. A few pretty pictures of flowers are not worth £16/head especially when you’re sweating too much to read the signage. Parked in the stadium car park and took our seats for our third of four consecutive “big” games. Collins John started with Doris and had the best chance of the first twenty minutes but Jermaine “have a nice” Easter scored first and we had to wait about 200 seconds for Lee Williamson to curl in a free-kick to get the draw we played like we’d be happy with despite dominating possession.

In the second half they had Peter Halmosi sent-off with a second yellow but not before confrontation between their fans and our players ( Jordan Stewart and Mart Poom seemed to be in the thick of it) after our physio had squirted water on to Halmosi as he lay on the turf following the tackle that saw him dismissed. They made substitutions that counted, one of whom was called Lilian and the otherwise quiet bunch around me joined in with my “Lily, Lily, blow us a kiss” chant but it was the back rows’ “Do you speak English?” and “You’re Welsh and you know you are” that I liked. Plymouth having ten men livened things up but not so much that they actually got that interesting. Easter placed the ball well into the net but was offside and Danny Shittu had a trademark header cleared off the line so maybe another draw was fair. Bringing on Nathan Ellington for John hardly seemed inspired and after Doris got a yellow, meaning suspension, we could have done with giving Steve Kabba a run-out.

We stayed Saturday night in Looe on the recommendation of a mate and were impressed by the fishing-for-tourists village. I got up early to take pictures and had cause to regret not bring my camera’s battery charger. We got to the Mount of Saint Michael before pushing back to Exeter for the night. The trip was rounded off on Monday by a visit to the Cotswolds and I had seen more of England in a few days than ever in one go.

Ten go six for six

Watford v Stoke City

Saturday 15^th March

Julie, Jo and I had a sharp one in The Britannia on Euston’s concourse and made our way to Watford’s Moon Under Water, which has become a regular pit-stop, for an equally quick pint. We followed a few chanting Stokies for a way and met Joss at the seats. I had a spare ticket, which I’d offered belatedly and unconvincingly on my first attempt at “leading” a Jack the Ripper tour Friday evening, that I’d thought one of Joss’ friends might have taken up. It’s the first time that’s happened though my season ticket will be available for the Palace game in April (friends’ wedding) and much of next season. Let’s face it, the threat I made a few games ago was as empty as Luton Town’s bank account.

This was a déjà vu game: a man sent off, a positive reaction from fans and team, domination of possession (we were all over them yet with no real prospect of scoring), a saved Henderson penalty, a point. Stoke didn’t come to win so if the red card to our captain John Eustace, who we bought from them less than two months ago, was unjust, it’s time to claim robbery again. I haven’t seen it - the word is that it was high and given the injury to Eduardo, it is hardly an unbelievable decision - but joined in the invective aimed at the ref, Rob Styles, anyway. Why not?

We’ve had six draws in a row and yet automatic promotion is back in our own hands despite Hendo failing to convert penalties against the top two teams, losing us four points and gaining each of them one. Why? Simple, because they are dropping more points than us. Bristol City lost at home today to Plymouth Argyle while WBA (who drew at home to Palace on Wednesday) were 1-0 up, went down to ten men at home against relegation-worried Leicester and lost 4-1. Charlton have dropped out of the play-off places and it is Hull and Plymouth, our next two away games (I’m going to Home Park Easter Saturday), who are in fifth and sixth.

What would Joss be missing if I hadn’t already renewed our tickets? On the football side I believe it will be a Premiership season that we struggle to survive. If I’m wrong, it’ll be because we don’t go up and I wouldn’t like to wager on us getting out with the knowledge of no more parachute payments if we fail. That way only lies a to-January plan and the club don’t have the patience.

I expect, still - and given all I’ve seen - to be cheering on Watford for the first few weeks of another Premiership season come August and then allowing my ticket to be used by more fair-weather-fans while Jun and I head to the other side of the world. I hope those in the front-row seat go home at least as hoarse as I was today.

Fifth draw on the trot

Bristol City v Watford

Tuesday 11^th March

Before the game I was wondering why I hadn’t treated myself to this trip: I was hyper at home with no early start Wednesday. Then Three Counties Radio became unavailable online (contractual obligations, I believe) and so the experience was relegated to the trusty BBC live text online (refreshes every two minutes). An excerpt:

16:46
Attacking throw-in by Jamie McAllister (Bristol City).

16:07
Collins John (Watford) caught offside. Indirect free kick taken right-footed by Adriano Basso (Bristol City) from own half, resulting in open play.

15:07
Cross by Jordan Stewart (Watford), shot by Collins John (Watford) mishit left-footed from centre of penalty area (12 yards), missed right. Goal kick taken long by Adriano Basso (Bristol City).

It is not like being there.

Meanwhile I read that teams that play in red at home have the advantage, but worse, those that play in yellow or orange do worst at home - something no Watford fan would disagree with this season - and watched other scores come in (Luton went two-down at Carlisle within 30 minutes). Doing the latter evoked a fondness for smaller teams I’ve known supporters of: Brighton (Rob & Andy) equalised, as did Barnsley (Sue) while Oldham (Luke) go one- and Aldershot (Daniel from Old Street) two-nil up.

It’s not the same when a flash comes up “missed penalty” and you hurry your eyes to find out which team (us) and who (Darius Henderson).

Unsurprisingly, the lure of The Poles Are Coming, the latest in the BBC’s White season, was stronger than the static screen and I got to see Lithuanian’s and Poles who “loved to work hard” in Peterborough, “the first town in the world designed by a computer”. Or as the slightly insincere-seeming presenter summed the place up when closing: “strangely attractive to the rest of the world”.

The White season has been a mixed bag so far but the first documentary, Last Orders, which followed part of the slow demise of a Workingmen’s Club in a poor area of Bradford, has been the most ‘in-te-resting’. In some ways it called to mind Julian Baggini’s Welcome to Everytown, which I enjoyed six months ago, not least because of its concern with the concepts of fairness and desert. The programme, however, seemed keen to focus on BNP support whereas the book distinguished carefully between racism and a wariness of change.

The penalty was saved “superbly” and the game finished goalless. Watford had started in third and could be fourth after the Baggie’s home game against Palace (Glenn) tomorrow.

Two points lost, one place gained

Watford v Norwich City

Tuesday 4^th March

Walked to the Vic and there’d been some sort of power failure resulting in silly-size huddles by the turnstiles; I was huffing but the mood wasn’t like the MK game. Watford were dominating possession when I belatedly joined Joss in a wet and half-empty row, with a nod to a neighbour, and within a few hundred seconds Danny Shittu emerged as subtly as a cliché at a player-of-the-season awards ceremony to head another goal from a set piece.

Before the match Betty had come into the Rookery and shaken Joss’ hand (which beats me catching the ball a game or two ago) as he encouraged the twelfth man. The eleven dominated again but seem to have moved away from long balls down the middle only for long throw-ins and percentage play up front. Norwich didn’t make the same mistake twice and after the Duke, a square peg in the round Watford Way hole, missed a couple of free-kicks and Doris didn’t create anything, we ended up with three men trying to head the same ball with no opposition players in the picture. There were boos when scorer-in-the-last-game Jordan Stewart came on and more jeerers within five or ten minutes (a poor corner and a worse free-kick later) and inevitably some blaming him when Norwich equalised late on to win a lucky point.

A draw put us up a place to second behind the Robins, who got a point at Charlton. Walking out we heard the Baggies had won with the last kick of the game so the pressure is on. We are feeling it. The next two games are away at Ashton Gate and home to third-placed Stoke. We really needed all three points tonight and the Yellow Army was damp.

Two leads lost

Burnley v Watford

Saturday 1^st March

Tens of civilians are massacred by the Israeli war machine in Gaza the day after the country’s deputy defence minister threatens “a bigger shoah” and in a week that has already seen 33 Palestinians killed. The term “asymmetrical warfare” formalises the disparity highlighted by The Guardian that “80 Palestinians were killed and 82 injured by Israeli military strikes in Gaza in January alone. At the same time 267 rockets and 256 mortars were fired towards Israel, injuring nine Israelis.” The final score for the month, to recap: 80 Palestinian and no Israeli deaths, 82 Palestinian and 9 Israeli injuries. No wonder Matan Vilnai uses the word holocaust to describe the fate of the Palestinians.

Having gone to bed only after I’d stayed up all night and later read the threats in the paper that morning, I was up to watch the live text on the BBC website and see the Horns go from a goal up at Turf Moor (Darius Henderson) to conceding an equaliser before going ahead again through Jordan Stewart. Within a minute of that second goal, however, we’d let in another and the game finished 2-2. Stoke lost in midweek against Preston and play QPR away tomorrow. West Brom won today but so did Bristol City, who are now top of the league.