Routine- Watford 2 Portsmouth 0

Hooray, a routine win, never particularly in doubt against a pretty woeful Portsmouth, whose fans must be wondering why they've brought in some unheard of guy when the caretakers seemed to be doing a better job than the very unlikeable Cotterill.

I was pleased to hear a rendition of 'Taylor Made Army' from the Rookery.  I did join in, but alas, my Rous colleagues are not a very musical bunch.  Not so, the Pompey fans who chanted, drummed and chimed their way through the 90 minutes regardless of what was taking place on the pitch.  In particular, its always satisfying to hear an opposition support chant 'What a load of rubbish'.

I found our starting 11 today a lot more palatable than against Brighton.  Well 10 of them any-way, I'm not sure I'm ever going to be sold on Big Chris.  Everyone else did their jobs with a pleasing conviction and even when errors were made these were safely and confidently covered.  It was an all round good team performance.  The stand outs being Mariappa who seems to enjoy the company of Nosworthy, Hogg and Bauben who look like they are going to keep Eustace out of the side for a good while, and Kightly who had his best game in a Watford shirt.

We now have a great chance to actually make the first half of our season look pretty respectable with games to come at Donnie and home to Bristol City.  Win those and on the pitch things look considerably brighter, more so than in the Watford boardroom at any rate.

Next weekend- A request

After the goings on at the club this week it seems that once again Watford has a major investor who just doesn't get how BIG a part Graham Taylor is of our football club.  

Much as it is the natural inclination, I'm not going to urge any 'Bassini Out' type protests because they are pointless.  No-one obvious is around with a pot of money to fund the club, and Laurence has at least stated his intention to continue investing whether or not he remains on the board.  

What I think all Watford supporters should do next Saturday at the game against Portsmouth is make it abundantly clear to Laurence just how much Graham means to us all.  So next weekend, dig out those 'There is only one Graham Taylor' and 'Golden Boy Forever' t-shirts that we wore ten years ago to mark his retirement and keep a 'Taylor Made Army' chant going round the Vic to show whose side the fans are on whenever any-one, especially someone connected with the club, dares to criticise the man we know as God.  

x 2- Middlesbrough 1 Watford 0

I went to Middlesbrough back in March and as the trip home seemed to take several days I wasn't keen to repeat it in the same calendar year, especially with the game being on Sky.

A 5.20pm kick off on Bonfire Night when you have kids is problematic for obvious reasons so I only saw the first 20 minutes properly live and watched the rest, having managed to avoid the score, post fireworks.

We never looked likely to score at 0-0 so once we went behind I kind of gave up and watched the second half x 2 on Sky+.  It's a shame that setting doesn't automatically come with the Benny Hill music.

It is absolutely crazy that this game of ours refuses to bring in any measures like those in the NFL, Rugby League or Cricket and allow for a video ref.  We all knew within 30 seconds of Boro scoring that it was definitely offside.  Surely its for the good of the game, as FIFA claim to be, for the ref to get the decision right.  So why not let him consult someone who can tell him for certain what that decision should be.

I'm not saying at all it would've made any difference.  Had the result ever been in doubt Boro looked like they had at least another two gears to accelerate into whereas even with Craig Beattie coming on we looked like that was as good as we were ever going to get.

The tedium of an international break now beckons without even a competitive match for England.  A rather important tough looking game sits the other side of it against a Portsmouth side obviously very much enjoying not having Steve Cotterill as their boss.

Falling out of like- Watford 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 0

I came away from this game confused because as I walked back to the car I felt the usual euphoria of a victory was somewhat absent. Instead there was just a mild feeling of pleasure despite what was a much needed and probably just about deserved victory.  I mulled over my feelings whilst stuck in a traffic jam on Tolpits Lane courtesy of some temporary traffic lights that had sprung up during the game.  My conclusion was that I'm out of like with Sean Dyche's Hornets.

I'll always love Watford, of course.  I love the club so much, all the memories, the memorabilia, the programmes, everything that I've collected over the first 29 years of my support for them.  But the current incarnation of the 11 players and manager who act as the figurehead of our club aren't really doing it for me even in victory.

The good bits have left, got injured or are being ignored and been replaced by too many parts that are proving very difficult to take to ones heart.  Sure, Carl Dickinson has a nice thing going on in his gestures to the fans but as a player seems too prone to allowing players to get past him.  David Mirfin was so bad and anonymous he is already out of the team.  The same with Joe Garner.  One week they are the answer, the next not even on the bench.  Dean Yeates' crossing often leaves a lot to be desired.  Indeed tonight he would have been easily outscored by Lee Hodson if they were competing in a game show called Strictly Come Crosses.

Chris Iwelumo makes Trevor Senior and Kerry Dixon look like good committed Watford strikers.  I like Troy Deeney I really do but a goal a year?  Really??  The quality of his strike tonight said it all.  We might as well bring back Liam Henderson.  Craig Forsyth was always going to struggle because he is a winger and Scottish and so will always be compared to the ultimately better Don Cowie.  He also didn't do himself any favours in admitting he'd had second thoughts about whether he did the right thing in joining us.  Even so, I thought the reception he received tonight when subbed was pretty harsh.  He wasn't great but I still would've taken Iwelumo off first.  

Loach has managed to ensure that the stadium holds its breath every time he needs to make a decision.  As for Gilmartin I still don't feel I know enough about him to have an opinion.  Dyche's conduct with the keepers has just been downright bizarre.  Bring Rene in just to throw him out again after a predictable loss to Southampton?  Mention the possibility of him going on loan and bring in Jonathan Bond as the deputy and then send him out on loan instead.  It must be so reassuring for them all to know exactly where they stand.

The number of loanees coming in and out is beginning to get difficult to keep up with.  So, even more than in previous seasons, none of them really feel like ours.  Dychy says he wouldn't sign an injured loan player but then where is Craig Beattie?  Are our coaching staff really so stupid that they worked a player without much match fitness into the ground before he had a chance to appear for us?  At least Michael Kightly got a game but then the same happened to him.  I hope Nyron Nosworthy stays fit because he is the only one other than Andi Weimann this season that I've thought I'd like to see playing regularly in a yellow shirt.

Of the new guys only Jonathan Hogg is anywhere near approaching fully paid up Golden Boy status.  Buaben, having finally broken into the team, has made a good start and looks like he might follow suit.  

Doyley, Mapps, Tiny, Eustace, Sords and McGinn are all, of course, beyond reproach.   As are the number of young academy stars we are being denied much of a glimpse of.  I still think they are the answer.  This club has been at its most successful when bringing through youth players.  The times its been at its worst have been those when too many poor newbies were brought in just for the sake of it.  Dave Bassett did it and so did Vialli.  I think I can remember that mild feeling of pleasure when they won Watford games too.