And It Was All Yellow

http://jfreedman1993.blogspot.com/

Another Watford blog to spend time browsing when you really should be doing some work. 'And it was all yellow' has just been started by an occasionally suicidal teenage ST holder.

A great first post about the World Cup, especially the comment about ringing up someone with Sky+.  I look forward to reading his thoughts about the 'Orns when the season gets going.

Sarries

http://www.watfordfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10400~2059633,00.html

Bloody wonderful news today about us breaking the agreement with Saracens.  I really hope its not re-negotiated.

We should go back to having a half decent pitch from 2011/12 and please can the reserves start playing again at the Vic rather than the extra 15 minutes round the M25 in Borehamwood?

New Hornblogger Poster Unveiled

Thanks to my mate Laurence for creating this on Andy Barefoot's excellent site.  I wonder how much it would cost to put it up on the poster site opposite the Vic?  To make one yourself click here

Malky, Alec and Tommy Mooney Playing Tomorrow

I'm really surprised there hasn't been anything about this on the OS.

Tomorrow night at Adams Park there's a charity match in memory of former Watford and Wycombe manager Mike Keen.  A Wycombe Wanderers legends XI will face an All Star XI.  Lining up for the Chairboys will be Sir Tommy Mooney.  Amongst the lesser stars for the All Stars will be Malky and Alec Chamberlain.  They'll be playing alongside Gianfranco Zola, Teddy Sheringham, Gus Poyet, Clive Allen and Alan Pardew.

More info is available on the Wycombe website.

Two good articles posted today

One from Sheffield Wednesday's Michael Gray about what's important when you're in the relegation dogfight.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/michaelgray/2010/03/pretty_football_is_not_a_prior.html

The other from the blog Rookery Thoughts about how, even in our current perilous state, we're still pretty well off really. After all, you could support the lot up the road, and I don't mean that in a sarcastic way. I know this won't be the most popular thing I've ever written but bloody hell, talk about being dealt with harshly. A 30 point deduction for the mistakes of someone not even at the club anymore.

http://rookerythoughts.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/the-state-were-in/

Moons

http://www.watfordfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10400~1988685,00.html

Tommy Mooney is making his debut as a summariser on BBC 3CR tonight. Could Malky name him as one of the seven on the bench just in case we are struggling for goals and need a bit of aggression?

I think there should be a few Mooney chants during quiet moments tonight.

If the point of it is to make people sign up for Watford World it's a good idea as for the first time in a while I'm considering it.

Watford v Newcastle United- Previously...

This will be the 20th time Newcastle have visited Vicarage Road. The first time was back in 1924 when we met them in the FA Cup 3rd Round and lost 1-0. Six of those meetings have been in cup competitions including three played in 1988/9. Our record at home against them reads won 7, drawn 9 and lost 3, scoring 28 and conceding 21. The last time they beat us at home was in 90/91 when we lost 2-1 in the old Division 2.

Back in early December we lost 2-0 in a closely fought game at St.James'. The 'Toon last visited us on the final day of the Premiership season in 2006/7 when we bid goodbye to the top flight with a 1-1 draw. Marlon King equalised with a penalty for us.

Newcastle are currently top with 66 points from 32 games. Their away record for this season is won 6, drawn 5, lost 4. The losses were at Blackpool, Scunny, Forest and Derby. In their last away match they drew 1-1 with Swansea. Last Saturday they beat Preston 3-0 at home.

Hopefully Mike Williamson will decide that he is fit enough to face us given that last time he was involved in a Hornets fixture he self-diagnosed he wasn't up to the job thus forcing a move to Pompey. What a shame he managed to escape instead of Smudger. He's told the Newcastle website that he'll put his goodwill to one side for the afternoon. I'm sure we'll all do the same.

O'Connor Banned

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/5022936.Irons_midfielder_banned_for_Cleverley_reaction/?ref=mr

Turns out I was wrong. O'Connor has been banned for three games as well. Nigel Adkins rather went down in my estimation when he tried to make out that O'Connor had simply been pushing Cleverley away. Good that justice has been done.

Loooofer

Great to see Luther pulling out the balls for the FA Cup draw. Even better to see some footage of him in the yellow shirt, and scoring that hat-trick against Luxembourg.

As you might have heard he is currently after our old shirts. If you've not heard, check out the details here.

How turmoil in Watford boardroom unfolded

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/watfordfc/watfordfcnews/4852191.How_turmoil_in_Watford_boardroom_unfolded/

Fantastic article by Ollie Phillips outlining what's gone on during the Russo's involvement over the last six years. Very impartially and fairly written.

I can understand their point of view of not wanting to be done over a second time. However when its our football club you're dealing with I can't forgive their actions either.

In an ideal world GT will appear on the pitch sometime in the near future to tell us 'Elton's coming home'. However as he's already performed that miracle once I won't hold my breath.

What's Going On?

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/watfordfc/watfordfcnews/4795983.Russo_brothers_resign_from_Watford_board/
Its difficult to fathom exactly what's going on after tonight's AGM. I only have the BBC and the WO to go on, and more tellingly some of the comments after the WO story.

Jimmy and Vince resigning was not on the agenda at all as far as I could see. Them being removed by Simpson and Ashcroft was certainly a possibility but not them going of their own accord. The BBC claim they are now demanding the repayment of the loans which presumably will force us into administration.

I don't believe the Russo's are doing this just to be difficult. They must be doing it to try and get rid of Simpson and Ashcroft.

However, this seems to rely on everyone having the best interests of the football club at heart. There is only one man who I can truly 100% say I know has that. And that is GT whom I feel very sorry for finding himself in the middle of this mess.

Magilton

All was definitely not well with QPR on Monday night.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/q/qpr/8403668.stm

How much of it really is an incident or just an excuse to maybe get rid of a poorly performing manager isn't clear. But Paul Fletcher, probably the best blogger on the BBC website, provides an interesting eye witness report into Buzsaky's wanderings.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/2009/12/watford_and_qpr_the_loan_range.html

Administration For Christmas?

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/football/article-23777368-watford-are-on-the-brink-of-administration-after-pound-1m-loan.do

Concerning story in tonight's Evening Standard. Usually I'd expect the club to quickly put out a denial but the fact this has been announced to the stock market must mean its true. It seems we are keeping out of administration only due to the depth of the Russo's pockets and that can't last forever.

I guess the best hope is they throw another million in to tide us over 'til the transfer window opens. Then we try to make some serious money in January by securing an unlikely money spinning replay against Chelsea and selling Loach and Jenkins. Can't believe I'm looking at that as the best hope but what are the alternatives? Unless the threat of administration might finally stir Elton into making a financial return to the club. Pleaseeeeeee.

Not Three Points But...

http://www.watfordfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10400~1834362,00.html

A win not in a footballing sense but just as important as any we've had on the pitch. Well done Jimmy and Vince and everyone else in defending us against this nasty moneygrabber.

Lets hope he never darkens our, or footballs, door again.

R.I.P Terry Challis

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/localnews/4668552._Wonderful_bloke__fondly_remembered/

My memories of Terry Challis’ work go back almost as far as my memories of Watford FC itself. Even as an 8 year old it didn’t take me long to realise that part of being a Hornet involved browsing the back pages of the Watford Observer on a Friday.

It would be a while before I truly appreciated the brilliance of Ollie Phillips. At that age the amount of text was rather off putting. So the bit that caught my eye was the cartoon, always in the corner of the page which gave me a review of the previous Saturdays action in words and pictures I understood.

Again, it would be a while before I fully got the wit and wisdom of what I was reading but, even at that age, I could appreciate the brilliance of Terry as a cartoonist. The pictures were funny in themselves, they bore a real resemblance to the feelings on the terraces and I particularly liked the way Terry always highlighted the most noteworthy player or person of that week in the final frame.

I especially remember the ongoing theme in the run up to the 1984 Cup Final of people searching for old ticket stubs in ever more unlikely places in the hope of being able to secure their place of watching the ‘Orns at Wembley.

As the years passed I never did alter my routine of searching out Terry’s cartoon first before reading the rest of the paper. He’d always make me smile even in the wake of a heavy defeat and I look forward to him doing so again on Friday when the WO publish some of his cartoons as a tribute.

In their own way Terry’s drawings were a part of what made Watford FC and the Watford Observer what they are to me today. He and his work will be much missed.

Fans Forum

From these comments it sounds like we should be thankful to Jimmy and Vince that we still have a Championship club given the number of times we've come close to administration.

However any hopes of signing players of the quality of Tommy Smith look to be gone, as does the prospect of stadium redevelopment, especially with the news that work in the south west corner has stopped. We now seem to be trying to get Saracens to fund the East Stand.

You wonder what the hell went on in the season where we came back down from the Prem. How could Simpson let Aidy throw money at trying to get back up when he'd previously had to save the club from Vialli doing exactly the same thing?

As a fan I don't want stupid gambles on promotion which leaves the very existance of the club at stake. These have never worked anyway. Our success has always come with groups of affordable players who have fought for the team rather than the pay packet. Malky seems to be moulding the next generation to do just that. If only we could offload some of the high earning non-achievers.

Diplomacy

Aidy's comments do suggest he's learnt very little in the way of diplomacy since leaving. I particularly find the insinuation that we are a small club in comparison to West Brom and Norwich a rather unnecessary dig. We are a small club compared to Liverpool and Man Utd. Dagenham & Redbridge are a small club compared to Norwich and West Brom. I would agree we are smaller than either of the "footballing institutions" he mentions but not by much.

As for not changing a single second, really?? Either he doesn't mean it or he truly hasn't learnt a thing from the adversity he talks of.

Compare his comments to those of Tommy Smith. Humble, courteous, considered, acknowledging past mistakes and wishing us well.

It doesn't take much to be nice or to say the right thing. We don't know footballers or managers personally so can only go on comments released in the press. Tommy has always seemed like a top bloke and since he's been back I've never waived in that opinion. He's only reaffirmed it with his comments now.

I've always had reservations about Aidy but have tried to ignore these to concentrate on what he achieved on the pitch. However I think he's finally shown his true colours. What point was there in belittling us? Sorry Aidy, but that applause I offered last night has just been silenced by your thoughtless arrogance.

Smith To Go?

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/watfordfc/watfordfcnews/4539770._Smith_doesn_t_fit_Watford_wage_structure_/

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/watfordfc/watfordfcnews/4539838._Valuations_must_be_met_if_players_leave_/

I think these two reports, particularly the latter one, are very ominous. I get the feeling we are being readied for a sale. If this is the case, then I'm seriously downgrading my expectations for the season.

Judas

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/4481998._Tommy_Smith_wants_to_join_Reading_/

Not content with just being a Judas, he is now trying to persuade some of the other disciples to go and dance with the devil as well.

This maybe be totally naive but if I had done a Brendan (not that I ever would) or made a move in the way Steve Bruce, Harry Redknapp, Roberto Martinez and Roberto DiMatteo have done recently the last thing I'd do is go and raid my former club for its best players. You must still have some emotional attachment to them, after all, Brendan said he wished us every success. To start dismantling a club that did nothing but treat you well seems likes further mutilation, just for the hell of it, after fatally sticking the knife in.

The Next 11 Months

Hooray! They are out and we can now plan the next 11 months of our lives. Personally I'm very grateful for the way certain fixtures have fallen with away games on the dates of major family events meaning that for the first time in a long while I should make full use of the season ticket (providing I avoid the swine flu).

Is it me or do some games always seem to be in the same sort of position? Having read Paul Fletcher's excellent article on the BBC website about the fixtures computer I'm sure this is coincidence. But we do always seems to get Sheff U away early on. Forest was our second away match last season. Plymouth away is always on a Tuesday night. Bristol City are traditional Christmas opponents even though its a bloomin' long way down the M4. We are, yet again, Coventry's last home game although this time on the final day.

Donnie at home is a nice opener and ironic considering this was BR's first game in charge too. A pleasant evening trip to Underhill in the Cup follows before the tough one away at Sheff United. Easier looking games then see us going to Forest and hosting Blackpool. A brilliant start would be 9 points from the first 4 games and even 7 would be great. Anything under 4 will cause feelings of foreboding.

Its disappointing we won't see Rodgers walk down the Watford tunnel until April and, as some have already pointed out, he might not be there by then. Either being sacked or tempted away by some other mate of his. However we do get to go to the Madjetski in September and it should surprise no-one if we get Reading as a cup tie at some point.

Its a shame the trips to Boro and Newcastle are fairly close together. I really fancied going to St.James' but it seems much less appealing on a cold dark Saturday in December when we will have only recently done almost 90% of that long journey to the North East. I will definitely go to the Riverside as I've not done so before.

The trips I'm really looking forward to are the more quirky ones. Peterborough and Scunthorpe instantly got ticks as must go's. I'd like to go back up to Donnie partly as it was so friendly and partly 'cos its the easiest ground to park at ever. Cardiff will have their new stadium which tempts me although I don't know why. No doubt it will look like all the other new ones. Barnsley seems notorious as being the coldest ground in the country (although I'd argue its Adams Park) and appeals as being the sort of mad trip people like me make.

When my wife or friends ask why I bother doing a Blackpool or a Doncaster, just like mountaineers I can only give the answer "because it's there". I'd go to them all if I could. But having a family means being selective. That selection process started at 10am this morning and will be ongoing until the beginning of May. Bring it on. I can't wait.