I usually disagree with everything thats comes out of Alan Green's mouth but I reckon he is bang on the money today. This from the BBC World Cup Live feed...
Contributor BBC Radio 5 live's Alan Green "I hope the players are embarrassed and slink away in misery. And in economy class. But I fear they'll just jet off to Barbados, and it will all be a vague memory to them in a few weeks - unless the English public remind them. They should be booed onto the pitch at the friendly against Hungary in August."
I was considering going to the Hungary game. And then yesterday evening discounted the idea as stupid, but I think he's just sold it to me again.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Fantastic News
No, not England finishing runners-up in the most piss easy group ever.
But Clap Your Hands Stamp Your Feet is coming back for a one off special!!!
http://fromtherookeryend.blogspot.com/2010/06/clap-your-hands-stamp-your-feet-returns.html
Back around the turn of the Millennium Watford fanzines seemed so numerous there was almost a new one every game. Well, okay that's a bit of an exaggeration but with Clap, The Yellow Experience and the short lived All Watford All Lovin' It there was always plenty to read on a matchday that wasn't just the programme.
When GT announced his retirement they all got together to do a special tribute publication and this led to a regular mega-fanzine called Look At The Stars which was quite brilliant. It sadly died sometime after the Vialli fiasco (I'm sure it's another thing we can blame him for). Even so, I still look out optimistically on a matchday when I walk past the hospital to see if any-one is selling it, or any other Watford related unofficial mag.
So its fantastic news that Clap will be back at the beginning of the season.
Whilst I'm plugging I must give a huge and very much overdue shout out to the 'From the Rookery End' podcast.
http://rookery.receptionmedia.com/audio/podcast-2010-05-25-94463.mp3
It is marvellous and very professionally done and even has decent jingles. It certainly doesn't sound like one of those podcasts recorded in someone's bedroom. I look forward to hearing many more of them.
But Clap Your Hands Stamp Your Feet is coming back for a one off special!!!
http://fromtherookeryend.blogspot.com/2010/06/clap-your-hands-stamp-your-feet-returns.html
Back around the turn of the Millennium Watford fanzines seemed so numerous there was almost a new one every game. Well, okay that's a bit of an exaggeration but with Clap, The Yellow Experience and the short lived All Watford All Lovin' It there was always plenty to read on a matchday that wasn't just the programme.
When GT announced his retirement they all got together to do a special tribute publication and this led to a regular mega-fanzine called Look At The Stars which was quite brilliant. It sadly died sometime after the Vialli fiasco (I'm sure it's another thing we can blame him for). Even so, I still look out optimistically on a matchday when I walk past the hospital to see if any-one is selling it, or any other Watford related unofficial mag.
So its fantastic news that Clap will be back at the beginning of the season.
Whilst I'm plugging I must give a huge and very much overdue shout out to the 'From the Rookery End' podcast.
http://rookery.receptionmedia.com/audio/podcast-2010-05-25-94463.mp3
It is marvellous and very professionally done and even has decent jingles. It certainly doesn't sound like one of those podcasts recorded in someone's bedroom. I look forward to hearing many more of them.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
FIFA unveil 2014 World Cup Ball
Due to the Latin American connection the new FIFA World Cup ball for the 2014 tournament in Brazil has been named Dora. FIFA thought the financial opportunities it presented, with millions of pre-school age kids around the world expected to nag their parents to get one, outweighed the fact that it moves with the lightest gust of wind and bounces more than a Portsmouth cheque.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A Bit Pants? Review of the Season
The aim was to write this before the end of May, then before the World Cup and finally before the fixtures came out as otherwise its relevance would have diminished completely.
So the season. How was it? Well my gut reaction is a bit pants really. No cup highlights, with any excitement only really being generated by the successful fight against relegation.
However taken in the context of the position with which our club found its self in we didn't do badly at all. Consider that we had bickering major shareholders some of whom took us to the brink of administration before Christmas. We sold our best striker and defender before August was out. We had to play some very very inexperienced squad members and had a rookie manager. Therefore 16th is very respectable.
The high points came on those unlikely footballing days of Friday, the 4-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday, and Monday, the 3-1 win over QPR featuring THAT goal. We saved them specially for the nice men from Sky. Remember the time back in the 90's when we went a ridiculous amount of games without winning a live TV match? It seems a long long time ago now. A mention should also go to the unlikely 1-1 draw at home to West Brom which was completely unexpected and the 3-0 win against Reading which ensured survival. What a great shame they weren't still being managed by Judas.
The low points came in a number of heavy defeats, the like of which I've never seen us suffer before, even in our two Premiership stints. A 4-0 defeat at home to Cardiff was bad enough but less than a month later we conceded five without reply at The Hawthorns and did it again in the New Year at Chelsea. The inability to take so much as even a point off bottom side Peterborough also comes into this category.
The real star was Tom Cleverley who throughly deserved the Player of the Season award, although its a bit sad that the prize goes to a kid on loan from Man U rather than someone who is genuinely one of our own (although I bet we’re not far off a loanee of the season award). The reason Tom really deserved it was that he put his heart and soul into our club from day one. Unlike some other loanees who look like they’d rather be anywhere than playing in front of the East Stand (Cathcart, Bridcutt, Agbonlahor.) Cleverley seemed proud to wear our shirt, and we were proud to call him ours, even though we all knew it was only a temporary thing. Saddest sight of the season was the premature ending of his loan spell with his broken leg against West Brom. I hope some-one told him of the reaction he got as he was stretched off as I doubt he was in a state to appreciate it.
John Eustace kind of won the honour of contracted Watford player of the season with his victory in the players player award and the reaction from the fans about the news he has signed a new contract. The turnaround in him being generally derided to becoming a must stay player is incredible. Usually it takes a season to do this as in the case of Gavin Mahon or Marcus Gayle. However as late on as the first half of the home Plymouth game he was getting chants of Useless from the Upper Rous. However his performances against Reading and Coventry seem to have won everyone over.
Personally I’d give the award to Lloyd Doyley but then I’ll admit to being a big fan. He’d get it not just for the goal but for the complete commitment he puts in to every performance. We all know he’s not the best player in the world but he plays each and every game the same way and to a team like ours that is just as important. I was delighted he came second in the player of the season and hope he goes one better next year.
Scott Loach deserves a mention for his decision to stay with us in the New Year rather than cash in on a big money move to Spurs, although now I slightly wonder whether he and we might have missed the boat. I like Scott, I really do, but sometimes I can’t believe he is the best under 21 year old England have got. Given England’s current predicament with Robert Green I don’t feel particularly inspired for the future. If we hadn’t been through the Richard Lee experience I’d expect us to try and persuade Scott to stay for another year to get more games at this level under his belt before he tries his luck with a Premiership team. However remember that once Lee was touted as being the next great keeper so much so that Blackburn took him on loan. I wonder whether we should cash in our wonder boy when we next get the chance.
Finally to Malky. At times he frustrated with odd or late substitutions and confused us, and probably the entire squad, when he took Ryan Noble on loan. However as a first time manager I guess it’s to be expected he’ll make some mistakes. But he carried himself with the dignity and poise of someone who’d had far more experience than a short caretaker spell in charge. In fact, he reminded me with his considered responses and frequent communications to the fans, of our current chairman and I don’t think I can pay him any higher compliment.
Of course, the fact that he kept us up was all he was ever going to be judged on. With more sales and cost cutting to come, the same is likely to be true of every future season he can keep us at this level.
So the season. How was it? Well my gut reaction is a bit pants really. No cup highlights, with any excitement only really being generated by the successful fight against relegation.
However taken in the context of the position with which our club found its self in we didn't do badly at all. Consider that we had bickering major shareholders some of whom took us to the brink of administration before Christmas. We sold our best striker and defender before August was out. We had to play some very very inexperienced squad members and had a rookie manager. Therefore 16th is very respectable.
The high points came on those unlikely footballing days of Friday, the 4-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday, and Monday, the 3-1 win over QPR featuring THAT goal. We saved them specially for the nice men from Sky. Remember the time back in the 90's when we went a ridiculous amount of games without winning a live TV match? It seems a long long time ago now. A mention should also go to the unlikely 1-1 draw at home to West Brom which was completely unexpected and the 3-0 win against Reading which ensured survival. What a great shame they weren't still being managed by Judas.
The low points came in a number of heavy defeats, the like of which I've never seen us suffer before, even in our two Premiership stints. A 4-0 defeat at home to Cardiff was bad enough but less than a month later we conceded five without reply at The Hawthorns and did it again in the New Year at Chelsea. The inability to take so much as even a point off bottom side Peterborough also comes into this category.
The real star was Tom Cleverley who throughly deserved the Player of the Season award, although its a bit sad that the prize goes to a kid on loan from Man U rather than someone who is genuinely one of our own (although I bet we’re not far off a loanee of the season award). The reason Tom really deserved it was that he put his heart and soul into our club from day one. Unlike some other loanees who look like they’d rather be anywhere than playing in front of the East Stand (Cathcart, Bridcutt, Agbonlahor.) Cleverley seemed proud to wear our shirt, and we were proud to call him ours, even though we all knew it was only a temporary thing. Saddest sight of the season was the premature ending of his loan spell with his broken leg against West Brom. I hope some-one told him of the reaction he got as he was stretched off as I doubt he was in a state to appreciate it.
John Eustace kind of won the honour of contracted Watford player of the season with his victory in the players player award and the reaction from the fans about the news he has signed a new contract. The turnaround in him being generally derided to becoming a must stay player is incredible. Usually it takes a season to do this as in the case of Gavin Mahon or Marcus Gayle. However as late on as the first half of the home Plymouth game he was getting chants of Useless from the Upper Rous. However his performances against Reading and Coventry seem to have won everyone over.
Personally I’d give the award to Lloyd Doyley but then I’ll admit to being a big fan. He’d get it not just for the goal but for the complete commitment he puts in to every performance. We all know he’s not the best player in the world but he plays each and every game the same way and to a team like ours that is just as important. I was delighted he came second in the player of the season and hope he goes one better next year.
Scott Loach deserves a mention for his decision to stay with us in the New Year rather than cash in on a big money move to Spurs, although now I slightly wonder whether he and we might have missed the boat. I like Scott, I really do, but sometimes I can’t believe he is the best under 21 year old England have got. Given England’s current predicament with Robert Green I don’t feel particularly inspired for the future. If we hadn’t been through the Richard Lee experience I’d expect us to try and persuade Scott to stay for another year to get more games at this level under his belt before he tries his luck with a Premiership team. However remember that once Lee was touted as being the next great keeper so much so that Blackburn took him on loan. I wonder whether we should cash in our wonder boy when we next get the chance.
Finally to Malky. At times he frustrated with odd or late substitutions and confused us, and probably the entire squad, when he took Ryan Noble on loan. However as a first time manager I guess it’s to be expected he’ll make some mistakes. But he carried himself with the dignity and poise of someone who’d had far more experience than a short caretaker spell in charge. In fact, he reminded me with his considered responses and frequent communications to the fans, of our current chairman and I don’t think I can pay him any higher compliment.
Of course, the fact that he kept us up was all he was ever going to be judged on. With more sales and cost cutting to come, the same is likely to be true of every future season he can keep us at this level.
Cheerio
I started to write this on the day we announced they were going but only got round to finishing it today.
Sad, but rather predictable news about those out of contract who are leaving the Vic.
Richard Lee
The most lovely bloke you could have in your side and not at all a bad keeper either. Certainly not in the Ben Foster ranks, but certainly good enough to deserve getting a few seasons as a club's No.1 keeper. He was very unfortunate that for various reasons that never really happened at the Vic and has been extremely tolerant and loyal not moving before now. I really hope he goes on to shine so brightly at Brentford that its not long before the various Watford manager's who overlooked him regret not including him in their plans.
Jay DeMerit
The beginning of his association with Watford came at the humble surroundings of an Isthmian League side and will end at the World Cup. In between he quickly established himself in our side, helped gain promotion to the Premiership and became captain putting in some brilliant performances. Probably at his weakest when he was alongside someone less experienced than himself its a great shame we won't get to see him continue to forge a solid partnership with Martin Taylor.
Jon Harley
We'll all miss Harley. Not just his experience and skill but the fact he had the best Watford chant since Moons, always played with a smile on his face and was great at winding up the opposition. He might not have been as fast as he once was, but as a second half replacement for a knackered Cowie, Cleverley or Lansbury he was invaluable.
Will Hoskins
A bit like Richard Lee he's had to face the reality of not being fancied by three Watford managers. However whereas Rich's lack of first team opportunity was down to many factors Will really only has himself to blame. He had a lot of opportunities to cement his place in the team but didn't really take any of them. The fact he's been let go when we are desperately short of goalscorers says it all.
All the best to them all and also Jonathon North, Billy Gibson and Lewis Young.
Sad, but rather predictable news about those out of contract who are leaving the Vic.
Richard Lee
The most lovely bloke you could have in your side and not at all a bad keeper either. Certainly not in the Ben Foster ranks, but certainly good enough to deserve getting a few seasons as a club's No.1 keeper. He was very unfortunate that for various reasons that never really happened at the Vic and has been extremely tolerant and loyal not moving before now. I really hope he goes on to shine so brightly at Brentford that its not long before the various Watford manager's who overlooked him regret not including him in their plans.
Jay DeMerit
The beginning of his association with Watford came at the humble surroundings of an Isthmian League side and will end at the World Cup. In between he quickly established himself in our side, helped gain promotion to the Premiership and became captain putting in some brilliant performances. Probably at his weakest when he was alongside someone less experienced than himself its a great shame we won't get to see him continue to forge a solid partnership with Martin Taylor.
Jon Harley
We'll all miss Harley. Not just his experience and skill but the fact he had the best Watford chant since Moons, always played with a smile on his face and was great at winding up the opposition. He might not have been as fast as he once was, but as a second half replacement for a knackered Cowie, Cleverley or Lansbury he was invaluable.
Will Hoskins
A bit like Richard Lee he's had to face the reality of not being fancied by three Watford managers. However whereas Rich's lack of first team opportunity was down to many factors Will really only has himself to blame. He had a lot of opportunities to cement his place in the team but didn't really take any of them. The fact he's been let go when we are desperately short of goalscorers says it all.
All the best to them all and also Jonathon North, Billy Gibson and Lewis Young.
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