Supporting Tibet- Ipswich Town 0 Watford 0

In my mind Ipswich isn't that far. Just round the M25 and along a bit. But it take ages to get to being at the end of the nightmare that is the A12. A road that can't decide whether it wants to be a motorway or a country lane.

Oddly on the way I didn't see any fellow travelling 'Orns. They were at the ground. Hundreds of them. But on my journey from Buckinghamshire to Suffolk I did not see one scarf, flag, or car sticker travelling in the same direction as me. It was as if I was driving in some sort of twilight zone. I got so concerned that I stopped to check the ticket to ensure I'd got the right time and day and then put on 5Live to make sure the game hadn't been postponed due to some torrential downpour solely affecting East Anglia.

Talking of which, Ian Holloway mostly defintely wins the award for the worst pundit ever heard on radio. His insights into Portsmouth Everton mainly involved the hairstyles of the players and anecdotes about his wife. He was awful. I have a feeling he'll go the same way as Alan Pardew because he sounded like he could quite easily say something that might be acceptable in the dressing room but not in front of the mic. One can only hope.

If you are planning to go to Portman Road my advice would be leave early, and then a bit earlier still. The traffic queues approaching the ground start before you've even got to the town. As always, once you can see the ground, there are hundreds of parking spaces available, but only if you are shopping in the adjoining retail outlets. In the end I parked a couple of miles away, half over a yellow line and luckily got away with it.

The approach to Portman Road is one of the nicer I've been to. A bit like Villa Park it sits on the side of a park which prior to kick off was full of kids playing football. I can't think of anything more appropriate, or more likely to really give kids the football bug then allowing them to actually play the game before and after they've seen the real thing. But Ipswich go one further and have a training pitch bolted onto the side of the main stand, where they appear to run coaching sessions before kick-off. A quite brilliant idea.

It was a nice idea too to commission statues of Sirs Alf Ramsey and Bobby Robson outside the ground. Alas, the sculptor got muddled half way through doing Sir Bobby's face and has given him a very Rodney Marsh-esque expression which I can never recall seeing on the former England manager.

Portman Road is an old fashioned ground and we were in one of the most old fashioned bits. A stand a bit like our East one that was impossible to succesfully navigate. You felt like you could easily end up somewhere you weren't meant to. I loved it. True, we were very squashed in but felt close to the pitch even though we were in the upper tier and our side on position provided a good view.

The Ipswich fans were so passive they might have been supporting the Tibetan National side. Only a small group of about 4 tweenagers tried to out chant us and even then the police went and had a word with them to restore calm. The Football Grounds Guide page about Ipswich did mention that the police presence tended to be over the top and so it proved with four officers watching over our section of the ground for the entire game.

For a nil-nil the game was extremely entertaining. End to end stuff with Ipswich probably just shading the amount of chances on goal. As ever we were very good in possession but frustratingly tried to be a bit too clever every time we attacked. Don Cowie, Priskin and even Tommy Smith seemed to favour holding the ball up even when we appeared to be facing fewer defenders than we had attackers.

The defence, for a change, took the plaudits in this game. Mariappa was outstanding both when playing on the right and after DeMerit went off and he covered in the centre. Scott Loach had his best game for a long while making some stunning saves, especially in the second half when a few times Ipswich looked like they were one on one with him. I was just waiting for the roar (if indeed the Portman Road faithful do manage a roar when their team scores) but Loach flung himself around the area to deny them.

It was a relief we rode out the final four minutes without conceding a penalty. The referee had an okay game, despite looking like Neil Warnock from a distance. He was slightly too lenient with the yellow card but was one of the better ones.

All in all a good afternoon out. Apart from the driving hassles Ipswich is definitely an away day to be recommended. Shame we didn't sneak all three points, but at least we got one and maintain our six point gap over the relegation places. With just seven games to go, and a game in hand over most of the bottom six I'm beginning to think we'll be okay.

Baseball News

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090317&content_id=4003996&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

The US media give a lot more personal details about the players than even our press do.

Extra Added On Time- Cardiff City 2 Watford 1

Bloody referees consulting with their linesmen when they've already played longer than they should. What a rubbish end to the evening.

*Sigh*

Stupid Goals- Watford 2 Sheffield Wednesday 2

If we took away the stupid goals we won this game 1-0 and on the strength of our second half performance where, yet again, we played 12 men, we deserved all three points.

However the Vic does seem to be the division's 'Home of Goals' this season and, of course, they all count, brilliant, stupid and even ghost.

For the opening few minutes this looked like a continuation of Tuesday night. But Sheffield Wednesday were much better than Forest and for the majority of the first half did to us what we've done so succesfully to other teams recently. They played nice possession football and we got frustrated. When we did get the ball that frustration showed as our passes never quite came off. If someone got the ball in a good attacking position they were looking for the next person to pass it to, rather than thinking about the possibility of just scoring. It probably didn't help that we had Lee Williamson playing up front. An odd decision considering the fit Hoskins was on the bench.

After 20 minutes a Wednesday cross came in that Mike Williamson put out for a corner. The sun was out at that moment and it seemed to be in Loach's eyes as the ball was crossed in. He mis-judged it, and it looked like it deflected off him allowing Tudgay a very soft header to opening the scoring. Maybe next time Scott should think about borrowing one of Richard Lee's baseball caps.

For the rest of the half we looked like we were never ever going to score and needed a half time rollicking to get us back in the game. But Wednesday kindly did the work for us. A nothing ball was chased by Priskin, which panicked Beevers into trying to pass the ball back to his keeper. However he hit it too hard and it went into the net. The best own goal for the 'Orns since the 2-1 loss to Huddersfield in 2000.

The second half started in a much more hopeful vein, not least, because Hoskins had replaced Lee Williamson. We looked determined and far more ready for the fight. After 55 minutes Harley, who had not had the best of games up until then, put Cowie through down the wing. Rather than look for someone else to pass it to and go for the slow build up which hadn't worked for the rest of the game he crossed and McAnuff's header sailed over the Wednesday keeper and we were 2-1 up.

The ref, who had been okay up to this point, then seemed to morph into the guy we had on Tuesday night. There was some blatant holding and obstructing of Priskin and Hoskins going on whenever we threatened to break. But each and every time the ref gave a free kick Wednesday's way. When Priskin had almost got clear he was brought down by the last defender who should've gone. If he hadn't committed the foul Tamas would've been one on one with the keeper and we'd have won the game. But, of course, the card was yellow.

Plenty of stoppages had been allowed for Wednesday injuries but they never amounted to six minutes worth. We hadn't even made a substitution during the second half so even four minutes injury time would've been generous. If that had been the case, again, we would've won the game. But with a couple of minutes left they broke into our area and Harley got into a tangle with one of their forwards. The referee, who was well placed, surprisingly waved away appeals for a penalty. However, the linesman, who much further away, said it was and to complete his transformation into Stuart Atwell the ref went along with him. Francis Jeffers scored it despite Loach going the right way.

So, for the second time this season we are denied two points by a lineman overruling a referee. The good news was that we've moved up to 16th, the bad that we are only six points clear of the relegation zone and Barnsley in 22nd do have a game in hand over us. Hopefully we won't rue those four points dropped through the incompetence of four men in black at the beginning of May.

The Beautiful Game- Watford 2 Nottingham Forest 1

If this had been the oval ball game favoured by our tenants Sarries rather than the beautiful game, there would've been a 30 point difference between the scores. We were immense tonight and toyed with Forest for large periods, especially during the second half, getting in plenty of cheeky step overs and back passes.

Moment of the night, possibly the season was our second goal. Made by captain Lloydinho and scored by Priskin. I think MM is right to say that one on one there is nobody better in the division currently. As soon as Tamas is clear and racing towards goal you know he's gonna score. When was the last time we could count on something with such certainty? Back in the days of Rocket Ronnie possibly?

McAnuff and Cowie even managed to inject humour into the evening when they misunderstood each other over a free kick and The Don kicked it past Jobes, who wasn't paying attention, and it went straight to a Forest defender. He battled it back to win a corner and they had a good laugh whilst Jobi retrieved the ball.

The referee seemed to think it genuinely was a rugby match allowing virtually all heavy challenges by Forest to go unpunished, even the one that caused our opening goal scorer Raziak to be stretchered off. What was really infuriating was that many of these were right in front of his eyes. Where is the consistency? What was a fair challenge to Mr M Haywood would've been a sending off to Mr R Styles.

Brendan gets higher and higher in my estimation, showing ever more traits straight from the GT book of management. Taking complete blame for the Plymouth debacle last week in the programme notes is something I can never imagine his predecessor doing. Likewise his low-key gestures of appreciation to the crowd when we mention his name. I do think its a shame that our chants to him are the same as those for Aidy. It's as if we've just stuck a sticker over the name bit. Can't we come up with something new that's as good as "Hoist Up the Watford Flag"?

Today At The Office

I have just about managed to resist the urge to put my hands in the air and begin a loud chorus of 'Hoist Up the Watford Flag'. Its been going round and round in my head all weekend, but for some reason the quiet relaxed atmosphere of the office on a Monday is seriously testing my resolve. Therefore I'm using this blog as an outlet...

HOIST UP THE WATFORD FLAG
HEAR HOW THE HORNETS SING
IF YOU DON'T JOIN IN I'LL SING IT ON MY OWN (ON MY OWN)
DON'T WANT TO GO HOME
DON'T WANT TO GO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOME
THIS IS THE BEST TRIP I'VE EVER BEEN ON!
(DO DO DOO, DO DO DOO, DOO)

It is the best chant since 'Walking in a Mooney Wonderland'. I can't wait until tomorrow just to be able to belt it out again even if those in the Upper Rous haven't cottoned on yet. But, what the hell, if they don't join in I'll sing it on my own...

Forest Interview

Jim from the Nottingham Forest blog www.trentendblog.com sent me an email asking me to answer some questions which he'd put on his site as a preview to Tuesday nights game. Here are my replies...

How has you season gone so far?

It sounds odd given that we've flirted with relegation for most of it but its been so much more fun than last season. Then we stormed clear of the pack but struggled to win a game after November. Eventually we just made the playoffs although most of us didn't want to knowing what was to come! If you don't believe me then consider we are probably the only team ever to have recorded their lowest league attendance of the season for a playoff semi final. We lived up to expectations losing 6-1 on aggregate to Hull.

This season we've done well in both cups. We beat West Ham and Swansea on the way to a 2-1 defeat to Spurs in the Quarter Finals of the Carling Cup. In the FA Cup 5th Round we battled well against Chelsea and led with 20 minutes to go before going down 3-1.

Our form in the League has been very inconsistent. Under Aidy Boothroyd we scored goals for fun, but leaked them in equal measure. Boothroyd went in November following a 4-3 home loss to Blackpool. Chelsea Reserve Manager Brendan Rodgers was brought in and took time to settle but now seems to be guiding us in the right direction. The high point was a recent 2-0 annihilation of Swansea in the league. The low point, a 2-0 home loss to Sheffield United with goals from ex-Watford boys Danny Webber and Darius Henderson. The most bizarre moment of the season was, of course, the ghost goal awarded to Reading by ref Stuart Atwell in the 2-2 draw at the Vic.

Happy with the manager?

Its taken a long time for BR to win over the fans but I think he's finally doing it. The trouble was his early tactics resulted in us not scoring, but still letting them in. The opinion in the stands was that he was going to take us down. However, to his credit, he seems to have learnt a lot about Championship football in a short time and has adapted his tactics to suit the players he inherited. He has also begun to make his own mark on the squad bringing in Mike Williamson from Wycombe and Jack Cork on loan from his former employers. The players are now adapting to Brendan's style of play. Under Aidy we were very direct but now we keep it on the floor a lot more. Despite all the early indications things look good for the future.

Who has been your best player so far this season?

Tommy Smith is a class above really, and its a great surprise we managed to hang on to him in the January transfer window. I think he could easily fit into one of the lesser Premiership teams but seems destined to spend most of his career in the league below. He was our player of the season last year and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets to keep the trophy for another 12 months in May.

Who has been your worst player this season?

John Eustace. Aidy bought him from Stoke in January'08. He plays like he sounds.

Views on Forest

Sorry but you'll always be the European Cup winners who are now in the lower leagues. I was quite surprised when the City Ground PA announcer even highlighted this before the game against the Hornets at the City Ground in August. However despite it being over 30 years ago it is still a very impressive achievement and given the chance no-one would pass up the opportunity to win Europe's ultimate prize!

Having been brought up on football in the 80's I'll always think that Forest should be in the top division. But to my son Forest are a bit like Burnley are to me. He's heard all this talk of you being a big club but because he's never witnessed it he has you down as being similar in size to clubs like Plymouth and Barnsley.

When we sacked Aidy, if we weren't to have a former Watford man in charge, Billy Davies was the person I was hoping for. I think he's an excellent appointment and if you stick with him long enough, could be the man to take you back to the promised land.

What do you think the score will be?

It'll be a close game but I think we'll just edge it 2-1.

Twelfth Man- Charlton Athletic 2 Watford 3

This was my first visit to The Valley for 25 years. Christ, that makes me sound old. Since then, its died and been re-born into a very impressive arena, even if all of the additional facilities for away fans are out in the open. It really wouldn't be much fun queueing for one of the Valiants very weak cups of tea in a downpour.

Back in 1984 all I can really remember is that we got there in the back of my Dad's mate's van and were lucky to escape serious injury as he didn't slow down at all going round bends on account of his live cargo. Also away fans were sat along one of the touchlines and I was lucky enough to be in the front row. It was an odd experience because we were actually lower than the pitch and we were looking straight ahead at the players boots.

Yesterday I happened to be right near the front as well although this time, of course, we were behind the goal. And, yet again, I narrowly escaped injury. I'm not sure who it was that hit a shot directly at the woman sitting next to me but it was very finely struck. Unfortunately she had only just arrived and was clasping a recently purchased full cup of coffee. Well, its not an exaggeration to say that it literally exploded everywhere. A tidal wave of beverage enveloped the few rows around us. I thought it was rather poor that the steward who wasn't too far away and must be paid to notice such things decided it required no further action. He wasn't to know that luckily it wasn't scalding hot but only pleasantly warm. However various fans around and about came to her aid and passed along all the tissues they could lay their hands on. Watford kit man Bob Oteng (at least I think it was him) did notice what was going on and checked she was okay before kindly handing her a Watford FC ball by way of compensation. Top man.

The biggest change I can think of in the last 25 years was nothing to do with Charlton. It was in our support. Back then we were notorious as a quiet set of fans who could just about get a 'Watford (clap clap clap)' chant going but that was it. Yesterday we were absolutely immense. If ever you've doubted the whole twelfth man sentiment you should have seen the support the fans gave the team yesterday. I'd almost go as far as to say we were man of the match because it was only us that didn't stop for the whole 90 minutes.

Unfortunately on the pitch for a ropey 20 minutes spell the players did slip back into old ways. We seemed content to sit on our slim lead whilst our defence took their eye off the ball twice and allowed Charlton easy access through the middle of the park to take the lead.

As I've documentated before one of our failings under Brendan has been our ability to bounce back from going behind. However a half time rollicking put this to rights. We looked more confident in the second half and although its a cliche, once Raziak had scored our brilliant second goal there was only going to be one winner. When Priskin went clear and was one on one with the keeper you knew we'd secured all three points even before the ball hit the back of the net.

All in all it was a very satisfying afternoon out. Exciting game, great singing, good acoustics, easy to get to and the right result. We shall miss Charlton next season. Well, so long as we don't cock it up against Forest on Tuesday night.

The Time To Worry- Plymouth Argyle 2 Watford 1

After tonight's results I think its clear the moment any of us start to think we're safe is the time to worry. Especially as everyone at the bottom suddenly seems to have caught our winning habit.

I'm not suggesting Brendan already feels were safe but having gone three very impressive games unbeaten where, by and large, we've stuck to the same team, lets not go messing about! Once we're statistically completely safe then fine. To BR's credit he seems to have been very good at learning from his mistakes in his short time at Watford. Let's hope we see a return to the same side that blasted Swansea away on Saturday at Charlton.