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.

Passing point

Watford v Preston North End

Saturday 23^rd February

Had an email from the club about renewing season tickets that I didn’t have time to respond to before I left a little earlier than usual. I stopped off at the Buzz Store and bought a t-shirt I thought Joss would like but when I got to Kerry’s and asked how his behaviour had been, she ummed and erred and brought out his recent school report. There were 15 negative referrals (13 positive) and they included things like throwing a sweet at a supply teacher. I was not impressed and put on my best “This is not acceptable” face.

Walking to the ground I told the younger Watford Boy that I would not buy him a season ticket for next year unless his next report was better (seven or fewer negative referrals). Though I stressed that I meant it, we will have to wait until June to discover whether it has the desired effect. I took the opportunity to explain to my bumfluffed nephew that I wouldn’t be around for much of the following season.

We were a couple of minutes late despite my good intentions this morning and I had to gesture a “hop it” at the boys who’d temporarily occupied our seats. A group of kids Joss reckons to be 12-14 seems to have built up in the location of the front-row singers: I overhead one say he came down from where he sat with his dad elsewhere. They guy on the opposite side of the aisle, who I have mentioned before and whose name is Liam, is clearly their inspiration. He’s funny and passionate and “our” leader. I play the loudest voiced lieutenant, though we’ve never talked, and of course there are others in the Yellow Army around the front who lead chants and songs too. These boys are the new recruits and slightly annoying one or two of them were too, at times, but essentially harmless and learning how to behave at football matches. I can’t help hoping Joss is a little more mature in my absence, but I doubt it.

Well, we in the front and back rows cheered them on as usual, as Watford played a good passing game (not so usual) for much of the first half, bossing possession and with some good opportunities, many of which Jobi McAnuff played an important role in creating. However, Nathan Ellington wasted a couple of the resulting free-kicks and Darius Henderson missed at a tight angle after rounding the keeper (“Lonergan, you were long gone”, our leader taunted). The guy behind us (OK, I promise I’ll ask his name next time) talked to me and we chatted about our better football and the games to come.

The second half was much of the same though Preston had a period of possession that didn’t trouble us (they’d hit the post in the first half). We kept cheering them on and “we’re the back row” started and resulted in one guy in the middle standing up only to have to change his contribution from “We’re the middle” to “I am the middle over here”, which served as light relief. Then Danny Shittu headed against the post and it was hard at first to tell that the ball was looping out and away. Finally, Hendo and Nathan Ellington combined to bundle the ball in but even as I was hugging Joss someone said it had been disallowed. At the final whistle, we clapped as some of the people, a tiny “middle” minority, booed. The same people, of course, who had failed to sing all game.

I went round to Sarah & Trevor’s to deliver a belated birthday gift to my two-year-old niece, Kasey. Her parents had primed her with the information that “Uncle Handsome” was coming round so as she is learning to speak she is associating the word handsome with my face. Who knows what damage that will do her? All were well and in fine form, with Beth as keen to be in front of the camera as ever.

Predictably drawn

Charlton Athletic v Watford

Saturday 16^th February

Each of the last three meetings between these sides has ended with honours even but Charlton would have been expecting better when they went in at the break 2-0 up. Betty’s rousing speech in a huddle on the pitch after the break galvanised the team (as did John Joe O’Toole’s second-half appearance (Tuesday’s red card has been rescinded)) and we were level ten minutes after the break. JJ got the first and Danny Shittu made up for an earlier own-goal by heading in again at the same end for his current rather than former team. This was a better point for us than for our promotion rivals.

Twelve men and you fucked it up

Watford v Leicester City

Tuesday 12^th February

Had to walk from the Junction to the stadium via the pub cos I can’t take the bike on the train. Joss was in before I got there and I joined him with programmes and finally returned his Simpsons Movie DVD. Tommy Smith missed his first game of the season (knee) and Captain America is still out injured. The new boys: Mat Sadler, John Eustace and Leigh Bromby all started; Collins John (from Fulham on loan) is yet to get fit.

We started well and the Rookery picked up where it left off ten days ago. Shooting towards the Vicarage Road end, we kept their keeper busy and he looked good for it. They hardly had a chance down our end until about the fortieth minute. Last man Adrian Mariappa made a hash of a ball by committing himself too early and it was past him and being chased by two on two. Steven Clemence, who was by no means certain to get the ball, pulled up indicating he’d been tugged from behind by John Joe O’Toole, our Irish international, and did a whole dance (no song) when the ref gave nothing. I started off a “drama queen” chant but it didn’t last long as the assistant referee summoned the ref over and after a lengthy consultation, JJ was red carded and the Foxes had a free-kick twenty yards out.

Fortunately the free-kick came to nothing but the Yellow Army responded well to the injustice (Bromby was a covering and therefore JJ was not the last man) and after a few expected “You’ve only got twelve men” chants, started into the whole repertoire. Within a few minutes, however, songs gave way to cheers as Darius Henderson poked in a Bromby cross-shot and the ten men went in one up at the break.

The second half was all about the noise the Yellow Army brought. We didn’t stop and even the middle of the Rookery, and parts of the East Stand and Rous were getting involved. Fortunately, the intended effect came to pass rather than the Watford players just stopping in amazement on hearing positive noise from the stands on the side of the pitch. Against constant pressure but no real chances, we held out for all three points and there was a massive celebration at the end. Henderson ran his legs off closing things down from the front and is definitely our post-King hero.

Ploughing back to top

Ipswich Town v Watford

Saturday 9^th February

Ipswich hadn’t lost at home for almost a year when Watford came calling. With a first-half goal from Tommy Smith and a second from Nathan Ellington after the break, the Tractor Boys’ record was broken before their consolation goal. West Brom lost at Barnsley so we are top of the league again.

Oh what an atmosphere

Watford v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Saturday 2^nd February

I met Jo at Euston about 1:45 and we had the first pint in the Britannia overlooking the concourse and the dirt and dust of the kiosk roofs waiting for Ali. It was to be Jo’s first ever game and Ali’s first in England: they were excited. I was just hoping for better than last week. They marvelled over the speed of the journey (a first on Silverlink, I’m sure) and we were supping in Watford’s Moon Under Water by three. A drink in the Three Bells and then past St Mary’s to the Oddfellows. I was giving a running commentary all the while (I used to live there, this is new, used to work here) and they listened with good grace.

I chatted with some no-colours Wolves fan in the second pub and later we were surrounded by them in the place I used to be a pot-boy. Ali told me there’d been something in the newspaper about Maradonna retracting something to do with “the hand of God” and admitting that it was his hand. Sitting next to a table of Wolves fans I had to tell the story of the cheating Argie (I managed to get in a good bit about John Barnes’ crosses, for good measure) to someone who’d never heard it before.

Joss went in before us but after we had taken some pics outside the ground we joined him and then went to sit with a better view where the girls had tickets. There was bugger all atmosphere around though, despite Steve Kabba getting his first Watford goal within a minute. The woman next to me complained when Jo leant back to say something and so we returned to the “front row” at half-time (after a beer).

That turned out to be the best move of the day. It was a party down the front and I led my fair share of chants, the newbies joining in too. There seems to be a new bunch down there (we’ve been elsewhere for three games and the father of the father-and-son behind us that I half-chat to had mentioned they thought we’d given up) but there were some of the usual faces too.

Second half saw two Tommy Smith goals in two minutes, though I thought until Sunday that Nathan Ellington had scored the first, and we spent the rest of the game on our feet as I became ever more hoarse. Favourite new song was for Kabba: "He used to be shite, but now he's all right..."

We walked Joss down to meet Kerry and Phil and then headed back to pubs in town, managing a crawl down to the pond end. Last was O’Neils, where some guy tried I talked to tried to make a racist joke at Malky Mckay’s expense, clearly unaware that he was white. After that, it was non-stop Watford cleavage all night. Jo and Ali attempted to make football conversation but were non-plussed that nobody except us cared. After hanging around to see whether the local constabulary had much to do, we caught a late train back, and I was at home about one, whispering.

Blades point

Sheffield United v Watford

Tuesday 29^th January

Nathan Ellington got his second goal in consecutive league games in the first-half as Watford went in one-up at half-time. The BBC describe the Blades’ goal as “bundled in” and we dominated a match that brought us a point closer to West Brom, who lost at Preston as we did so recently.

Crashing out

Watford v Wolverhampton Wanderers (FA Cup 4^th Round)

Saturday 26^th January

Row R of the Rookery in our third match away from our normal seats provided another better view from which to see Watford concede a goal after just four minutes, Richard Lee stuck in the mud as a lob went over him. I’d already had occasion to glance at the guy next to me and share a couple of disconsolate nods so even after less than 300 seconds this was not a complete surprise.

The rest of the first half was less than enthralling and our less-than-full-strength eleven only had one shot on target, when a Nathan Ellington free-kick was tipped round by their keeper. Marlon King has finally left, joining Wigan rather than Fulham, and we had Tamas Priskin and “The Duke” up front, with ten starts and two league goals between them for the season. Priskin was right off his game and, despite a couple of good touches, Ellington generally still looked less than up-for-it.

Steve Kabba was played on the right, new signing from Birmingham Matt Sadler started at left-back, Al Bangura began for the first time since the Carling Cup games and Malky Mckay was drafted in from semi-retirement. What happened to Douglas Rinaldi, Matt Jackson and Lionel Ainsworth? Surely they are the second string and need the games?

We were sliced apart twice more in the first half of the second period and an exodus of fans left to taunts of “loyal supporter” from the back row boys behind us. Even before they’d got out of the stand, they would have heard the cheer greeting John Joe O’Toole’s goal and I joined in “We’re gonna win 4-3” chants that looked possible for another couple of minutes but it was actually the visitors who had the last laugh, with their centre forward bagging his second in the last minute.

All the “que sera” songs were theirs and Bristol City won in the league to put us third again. If the rested players don’t pull something out of the bag at Brammall Lane on Tuesday, I won’t be the only one wondering whether it was all worth it (even at £10 a ticket for me and £1 for Joss).

Are you watching?

Watford v Charlton Athletic

Saturday 19^th January

The news that Calum Davenport had come in on loan from West Ham was insufficient to quell doubts about our future after the week that saw Watford reject a four-and-a-half million pound bid for Marlon King, Aidy Boothroyd saying “We don’t need to sell”, before accepting a five-million pound bid, with the manager now saying “We are a selling club”.

It is the lack of ambition that is disturbing. We have sold “The King of Vicarage Road” to Fulham, currently second bottom of the Premiership with exactly the same number of points (15) that we had at the same stage (23 games) last season. Why would he want to go there? Ten or fifteen thousand more a week is the answer. Why would we want to sell him? Do we need the money? What happened to the ambition the club has been talking about? If promotion is worth £60 million, why wouldn’t we look at investing for that?

As we walked down Hagden Lane, Joss created a new version of an old favourite: “Ee, i, ee, i, ee, i, oh, down the football league we go. When we get relegation, this is what we sing, we sold Marlon, we sold Marlon, we sold Marlon King.” We got in with a few minutes to spare and sat a few rows back to stay out of the drizzle. Nathan Ellington, in the starting line-up, got a big round of applause as did the new loanee defender.

Davenport started well and looked a far better player than Matt Jackson but did make a small mistake in the middle of the first half. Twenty minutes later, though, he was stretchered from their six-yard box after a four-man collision. We clapped the prostrate figure off and Adrian Mariappa came on, necessitating a change around at the back. Four minutes of stoppage time saw Charlton go nearest to scoring but it was goalless at half-time.

Tommy Smith was our man of the match, running at and passing his man time after time but Damien Francis had looked closest to scoring in the first half. In the second, he dummied a Darius Henderson ball, allowing the Duke to pass the ball into the net in front of us. Things might just be OK after all. The back row sang “Are you watching Marlon King?” and “Fulham are going down” and even added the line “We hate Marlon King” to the “ee, i,” song, which, considering the number of members of staff leaving the club recently, was a bit harsh.

But it was not to be three points. Richard Lee, who’d already made one great stop and made another with five minutes to go, somehow mistimed a dive and allowed the ball to bounce through him and in for a Charlton point. They even threatened to score again but I think honours-even was a fair result.

Down to the bottom

Preston North End v Watford
Saturday 12^th January

With no internet access, I had to rely on the TV for my final scores and the Golden Boys went down 1-0 to the bottom club. We’ve dropped to third in the table and out of the automatic promotion places for the first time since August.

...and we're playing at home

Watford v Crystal Palace (FA Cup 3rd Round)

Saturday January 5^th

Whichever end of the table a team is at, it has become routine for the question to be posed of whether a cup run is a “distraction” from important league business, perhaps because it is unlikely to be little else (a lucrative distraction at most) for any but the top four clubs. Waiting outside the stadium for Joss, I was pleased to hear our team was at full strength, not least because it gave us another chance to break this terrible run of home form. Today was not meant to be taken as a distraction.

Crystal Palace have been the form team of the division, not having lost since we went to Selhurst Park at the end of October (which also marked a turning point in our fortunes). Betty won the Manager of the Month Award, often portrayed as a curse, after that month of victories, and Palace’s Neil Warnock comes to the Vic having just been given the same accolade. All the omens are in place, then.

Joss and I took our seats a few rows from the back of the Rookery (you can change for cup games) and saw Watford boss the early exchanges with the fans right behind them. So far, so much like our last home outing but only half way into the half we take the lead when Danny Shittu heads in a corner; it has been seven games since we’ve gone ahead at home and we agree we’ve got a much better view of it.

Watford’s style of play has been derided as “hoofball” by many, including some of the Watford supporters, and there are shouts to “get it on the ground” at every match. Today, though, we played some better passing football and were less reliant on the long ball. Jobi McAnuff attacked well and Tommy Smith also had the better of his man though both Marlon King and Darius Henderson were unable to profit from the crosses coming in.

Supping on our rapidly-cooling hot chocolate at half-time (a one-litre flask seems too large to do its job) we felt confident the ‘Orns could win the match against an opposition that had made several changes in an attempt, perhaps, not to be distracted from the league. The second half mirrored the first in many ways including Shittu’s second goal. With ten minutes to go King and Henderson were substituted for Nathan Ellington and Tamas Priskin, the latter of whom showed some fantastic touches whereas the “Duke” seemed nonplussed. With a few minutes left we serenaded Shittu off to the African Cup of Nations with his song: “Chim-chimaney, chim-chimaney, chim-chim-cheroo: Who needs Sol Campbell when we’ve got Shittu?” and he saluted us back as he left.

Fourth round, here we come. I’ll take a home draw against anyone outside the big four (or away to one of them). In the meantime, we have to negotiate the transfer window. Gavin Mahon has now become a QPR player and we’ve signed Lionel Ainsworth in full (two loan deals made permanent). We need someone to cover Danny and we’re all hoping that Marlon will stay.

Happy New Year

Southampton v Watford

Tuesday January 1^st 2008

I’m afraid that while this is a game that was reachable, the timing was always unlikely to make it happen. I was at home on the wii again with Deyika. BBC supplied the scores and it was great to see Damien Francis scoring his second so soon after his return from injury. This was supplemented by goals for Marlon King (11^th of the season) and Darius Henderson (10^th) as we maintained our fantastic away record with a 3-0 win. West Brom lost at Ipswich so we are level on points and behind them on goal difference.

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.

Four out of three

After a gripping 2-2 home draw with seventeenth-placed Colchester closely followed last week’s lame 3-0 drubbing by West Brom at Vicarage Road, there are some among Watford’s Yellow Army who are losing the faith. Not least because we beat Norwich convincingly at Carrow Road midweek and had 26 goal attempts against the U’s, I am still part of the Watford faithful.

The Hornets have won eleven of sixteen games and are eight points clear of second-placed Charlton at the top of the Championship, though West Brom can close the gap to six points on Monday if they win at Coventry. It’s a great start for the club that was relegated bottom of the Premiership in May, six points below nineteenth-placed Charlton and eleven points from safety. At first sight, the current position seems even more impressive given the sale of Ashley Young and Hameur Bouazza, two players who emerged through the youth-team and scored almost a third of the Hornet’s goals in the top flight.

Scratch those facts though and you see that those two players only scored eight goals between them (Young left in January) and the team managed only 28, one fewer than they have so far in the second tier. This season is already a different prospect: Darius Henderson and Marlon King have each scored nine and Adam Johnson, on loan from Middlesbrough, is on five. Current rates would see both players score more than they did when we won promotion two years ago. The year in the Premiership, most of which “the King of Vicarage Road” missed through injury, leaving “Doris” playing in an unfamiliar role, can partly be dismissed as part of the learning curve that Watford are on.

Watford’s early success comes despite the repeated assertion by the manager – Aidy “Betty” Boothroyd – that the team is not playing well and that there is better to come. That may just be a psychological tactic but there are not many who would claim Watford are artists of the beautiful game. “Three nil to the football team,” Baggies’ fans taunted last week and there was a poverty of imagination from the Golden Boys in that game. Going two goals down in a two-minute spell is not explanation enough; Watford have played the long ball, the percentage game, even when they didn’t need to. There are glimpses of better but it might not be until Gareth Williams and Damien Francis come back from injury that the midfield can hope to be significantly more confident in the passing game.

Before I go on to the hypothetical, perhaps I should justify my faith. Some Watford fans allow themselves to be haunted by memories of 2000/1, when Watford briefly topped the table ahead of the competition (Fulham) at about this stage of the season before a thrashing at Craven Cottage saw the Hertfordshire club limp to a 9^th placed finish. Betty and others have stated that it is far too early to be looking at this season’s table but is that true? Can history tell us anything other than the fact that seven years Watford drifted into the sort of oblivion that Cardiff managed last season? Top after 16 games with 33 points, the Bluebirds finished 13^th on 64 points, thereby managing the rare feat of winning more points in the first third of the season than in the following two-thirds added together.

Yes. History can tell us that last season was a real blip. After sixteen games, eventual champions Sunderland were in 17^th position and neither of the other promoted sides was in the top three. In each of the previous four seasons, at least one of the automatically promoted teams was in a top two position at this point (Both Reading and Sheffield United in 2005/6, Wigan (eventually second) were top with 36 points after 16 games in 2004/5, WBA second after 16 and second at the end of 2003/4, Portsmouth and Leicester top and second (as they would finish) at this point of 2002/3. At least one of Watford, West Brom or Charlton are statistically likely to be automatically promoted. Many fans predicted that in August, though. Then again, they would probably have suggested Sheffield United would be in the mix too. Unless they “do a Sunderland”, the best they can hope for is the play-offs, like all but the bottom five clubs.

The table is far from irrelevant, whatever anyone tries to say. Tables do not lie any more after sixteen games than they do after forty six; they simply incorporate less information. Tables speak stats and matches speak stories: Watford players are disappointed with draws while their opponents are over the proverbial natural satellite. That is because Watford are top, and top they will stay for the rest of this year, though perhaps not the rest of the season. As well as the goal scorers, they have the team ethic necessary to navigate the Championship steeplechase.

There will be a wobble. There has to be, and some seem to think we are already feeling it. They may be right but with the international break upon us, it will be some time before we see whether that is the case. Betty has brought the team out of the other two breaks with back-to-back wins and there is no reason why Barnsley away and Burnley at home should not be games Watford can win, especially since their form away is now better than at home.

Watford can probably afford to lose two more games before Christmas and still be top when they travel to Southampton on New Year’s Day 2008. Bristol City, second for a handful of matches, can now be written out of the top two positions, especially since they travel to Vicarage Road and The Hawthorns in December. WBA also host Charlton and Wolves within the next five weeks. If they take maximum points from these three home games, they are likely to open up a gap over the third place team and could perhaps even steal pole position. For that to happen, though, their away record will have to improve.

I predict that Watford will be top of the Championship on December 31^st 2007. With the loss of ‘Boro on-loan wonder-kid Johnson and a defensive gap created by Danny Shittu going to the African Cup, the opening of the transfer window in January will be crucial to all of the teams looking for promotion and perhaps even for their subsequent possibility of surviving in the Premiership. Even the automatically-promoted teams will need to have better players and better teams than they have now. However, it is not just a question of buying in players that make the team stronger (rather than just boosting the squad) but also the capacity to avoid being raided by more-moneyed Premiership clubs when those windows open.

Aidy Boothroyd has proved he has what it takes to motivate his players. Some doubt his ability in the transfer market and it seems that the majority of those bought and brought into the squad in January 2007 have been superfluous to the team’s requirements. The summer splash brought in Jobi McAnuff from Crystal Palace and Nathan Ellington from WBA but these two players have yet to justify their transfer fees. The competition for places created by their purchase, though, may be a part of the motivation for the 23 goals scored by the players keeping them out of the team.

I have faith. Come and check it again in January.

Three out of Four

After a gripping 2-2 home draw with seventeenth-placed Colchester closely followed last week’s lame 3-0 drubbing by West Brom at Vicarage Road, there are some among Watford’s Yellow Army who are losing the faith. Not least because we beat Norwich convincingly at Carrow Road midweek and had 26 goal attempts against the U’s, I am still part of the Watford faithful.

The Hornets have won eleven of sixteen games and are eight points clear of second-placed Charlton at the top of the Championship, though West Brom can close the gap to six points on Monday if they win at Coventry. It’s a great start for the club that was relegated bottom of the Premiership in May, six points below nineteenth-placed Charlton and eleven points from safety. At first sight, the current position seems even more impressive given the sale of Ashley Young and Hameur Bouazza, two players who emerged through the youth-team and scored almost a third of the Hornet’s goals in the top flight.

Scratch those facts though and you see that those two players only scored eight goals between them (Young left in January) and the team managed only 28, one fewer than they have so far in the second tier. This season is already a different prospect: Darius Henderson and Marlon King have each scored nine and Adam Johnson, on loan from Middlesbrough, is on five. Current rates would see both players score more than they did when we won promotion two years ago. The year in the Premiership, most of which “the King of Vicarage Road” missed through injury, leaving “Doris” playing in an unfamiliar role, can partly be dismissed as part of the learning curve that Watford are on.

Watford’s early success comes despite the repeated assertion by the manager – Aidy “Betty” Boothroyd – that the team is not playing well and that there is better to come. That may just be a psychological tactic but there are not many who would claim Watford are artists of the beautiful game. “Three nil to the football team,” Baggies’ fans taunted last week and there was a poverty of imagination from the Golden Boys in that game. Going two goals down in a two-minute spell is not explanation enough; Watford have played the long ball, the percentage game, even when they didn’t need to. There are glimpses of better but it might not be until Gareth Williams and Damien Francis come back from injury that the midfield can hope to be significantly more confident in the passing game.

Before I go on to the hypothetical, perhaps I should justify my faith. Some Watford fans allow themselves to be haunted by memories of 2000/1, when Watford briefly topped the table ahead of the competition (Fulham) at about this stage of the season before a thrashing at Craven Cottage saw the Hertfordshire club limp to a 9^th placed finish. Betty and others have stated that it is far too early to be looking at this season’s table but is that true? Can history tell us anything other than the fact that seven years Watford drifted into the sort of oblivion that Cardiff managed last season? Top after 16 games with 33 points, the Blues finished 13^th on 64 points, thereby managing the rare feat of winning more points in the first third of the season than in the following two-thirds added together.

Yes. History can tell us that last season was a real blip. After sixteen games, eventual champions Sunderland were in 17^th position and neither of the other promoted sides was in the top three. In each of the previous four seasons, at least one of the automatically promoted teams was in a top two position at this point (Both Reading and Sheffield United in 2005/6, Wigan (eventually second) were top with 36 points after 16 games in 2004/5, WBA second after 16 and second at the end of 2003/4, Portsmouth and Leicester top and second (as they would finish) at this point of 2002/3. At least one of Watford, West Brom or Charlton are statistically likely to be automatically promoted. Many fans predicted that in August, though. Then again, they would probably have suggested Sheffield United would be in the mix too. Unless they “do a Sunderland”, the best they can hope for is the play-offs, like all but the bottom five clubs.

The table is far from irrelevant, whatever anyone tries to say. Tables do not lie any more after sixteen games than they do after forty six; they simply incorporate less information. Tables speak stats and matches speak stories: Watford players are disappointed with draws while their opponents are over the proverbial natural satellite. That is because Watford are top, and top they will stay for the rest of this year, though perhaps not the rest of the season. As well as the goal scorers, they have the team ethic necessary to navigate the Championship steeplechase.

There will be a wobble. There has to be, and some seem to think we are already feeling it. They may be right but with the international break upon us, it will be some time before we see whether that is the case. Betty has brought the team out of the other two breaks with back-to-back wins and there is no reason why Barnsley away and Burnley at home should not be games Watford can win, especially since their form away is now better than at home.

Watford can probably afford to lose two more games before Christmas and still be top when they travel to Southampton on New Year’s Day 2008. Bristol City, second for a handful of matches, can now be written out of the top two positions, especially since they travel to Vicarage Road and The Hawthorns in December. WBA also host Charlton and Wolves within the next five weeks. If they take maximum points from these three home games, they are likely to open up a gap over the third place team and could perhaps even steal pole position. For that to happen, though, their away record will have to improve.

I predict that Watford will be top of the Championship on December 31^st 2007. With the loss of ‘Boro on-loan wonder-kid Johnson and a defensive gap created by Danny Shittu going to the African Cup, the opening of the transfer window in January will be crucial to all of the teams looking for promotion and perhaps even for their subsequent possibility of surviving in the Premiership. Even the automatically-promoted teams will need to have better players and better teams than they have now. However, it is not just a question of buying in players that make the team stronger (rather than just boosting the squad) but also the capacity to avoid being raided by more-moneyed Premiership clubs when those windows open.

Aidy Boothroyd has proved he has what it takes to motivate his players. Some doubt his ability in the transfer market and it seems that the majority of those bought and brought into the squad in January 2007 have been superfluous to the team’s requirements. The summer splash brought in Jobi McAnuff from Crystal Palace and Nathan Ellington from WBA but these two players have yet to justify their transfer fees. The competition for places created by their purchase, though, may be a part of the motivation for the 23 goals scored by the players keeping them out of the team.

I have faith. Come and check it again in January.

On a roll

Crystal Palace v Watford

Monday 29^th October

Evening work meant I couldn’t travel to Selhurst Park but I got to a local pub to see the second half of a match we were already 1-0 up in (thanks to Tommy Smith). Palace were up for it, though, and introduced a fifteen-year-old, Bostock, who looks a real prospect. That, however, was after Marlon King had got his fifth in five games to put us two ahead and we won by that margin to keep us six points ahead of second place.

Daylight doubled (and then some)

Coventry City v Watford

Tuesday 23^rd October

The three goal-getters continued their form: Adam Johnson, Marlon King and then Darius Henderson grabbed the glory in a convincing result away from home. Richard Lee kept his second clean sheet in a row and with Charlton losing at home for the first time this season, the Hornets moved nine points clear (at least until Bristol City play tomorrow).

Domestic bliss

Watford v Hull City

Saturday 20^th October

When the national side has lost control of its Euro destiny on a plastic Russian pitch, what can you do but turn to the Championship for your football gratification? Rod had expressed an interest in coming to the Vic a while ago and I met him and Ticktock, his nephew, at Euston for the journey. We walked through Watford to the ground via the Buzz store, where Rod bought tops for each of them, and met Joss outside the shop at the Rookery.

This was Ticktock’s second football game, the first of which was in an executive box at Spurs, so a view of our dilapidated East Stand was probably a come-down but at least there was an atmosphere here for him to enjoy. John-Joe O’Toole started for Lee Williamson, who was sent off before the international break, and Richard Lee started for Mart Poom (who played against England last Saturday but apparently still hasn’t recovered from the bad back he had before the break). Watford, playing towards us, whacked the ball out of play from the kick-off again, in what seems to have become a tradition.

It was fairly balanced at the beginning but by the twentieth minute Marlon King had already troubled their defence and was able to get past the last man and place the ball into the corner of the goal nearest us and put the Horns 1-0 up. I hugged Joss and ruffled the hair in front of us. I gave Ticktock some pointers to help him get involved in the chanting but he only seemed to join in “We are top of the league”.

The game didn’t have the excitement of the first half of the Sheffield Wednesday game (nor the Scunthorpe match, apparently) but I had warned Rod that we’d try to shut up shop if we got ahead. Most entertainment in the second half was derived from the taunting of Dean Windass (who was greeted with “who ate all the pies”) by a fan mentioned before here (Curly). Curly held a pack of Oreos aloft and repeatedly attempted to draw “Deano’s” attention to the pack. The only other point of note was the removal of a fan by us for apparently throwing a fruit pastille onto the pitch. Who says football and sweets don’t mix?

The results that came through put Watford six points clear at the top of the division and, though it is of course early days, leaves us more confident than ever.

Daylight

Scunthorpe v Watford

Saturday 6^th October

To my shame, it wasn’t until last night that I even knew where Scunthorpe was: I’d told Joss it was up north on the east coast (I think I was thinking of Scarborough). While we were kicking off, I was heading to watch the second-half of the rugby quarter final between England and Australia with Rod and Jan, while Jun and Ying were literally left holding the baby. England won and we assumed that would mean a defeat to New Zealand in the semis but the All Blacks’ defeat to France later has left room for more optimism.

After we’d returned to the restaurant we’d had lunch at from the pub we’d watched victory at, we headed back to Jan & Ying’s in time for the final score and for me to see that Watford had won 3-1 while our closest rivals, Charlton, had drawn and West Brom had lost. Goals from Johnson, Henderson and King have put four points between us and second.

Singyerartsowt

Watford v Sheffield Wednesday

Tuesday 2^nd October

Evening travel from Euston is supposed to mean no bikes but just before the 6.24 was due to leave someone got on with one and I cursed myself for not trying. The walk from the Junction past the Vic seemed a little longer but I met Joss on Hagden Lane and we walked back to the ground. Joss had had his hair cut and told me about the presents he’d received on Sunday, when his age caught up with the number on his shirt.

We were in in time for the warm up again and then Watford burst out of the blocks. We’d already had a couple of chances before Henderson latched on to a Shittu header from a throw-in to score (again) in the sixth minute and within ten more, and after other chances, he’d won a penalty that King converted. Two-nil up with a sixth of the game gone, all that was left to do was sing and we did: this was the Rookery’s best performance in the Championship so far and as good as any last season.

Wednesday did score before half-time and were the better team for much of the second half and it is because of that (on top of our previous two performances) that our “We are top of the league” chant felt a little hollow. We won the match 2-1 and 20 out of a possible 27 points is championship material but despite all the “winning when not playing well” clichés, I am not as optimistic as I should be.