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.
