I went to the England-Ghana friendly in March and it was one of the most entertaining football crowds I've ever been part of. The Ghanian supporters celebrated corners, free kicks, passes and even throw-ins with ever increasing enthusiasm. Although I was supporting England I very much hoped Ghana would score just to experience their goal reaction and it lived up to all expectations when they equalised in the closing minutes.
So I wasn't going to miss the chance to experience that kind of atmosphere at the ground I know and love the most. Okay so the crowd was much smaller, but the Ghana fans came with exactly the same intentions to party and the Nigerian fans had similar ideas. The result was a unique atmosphere at the Vic, the likes of which the stewards or police weren't sure what to do with. Luckily they took the sensible option of just letting everyone get on with having a good time and made no effort to stop the various bands, drums, trumpets and vuvuzuelas that had been brought into the ground.
Richard and Tim on Radio Hornet sensibly didn't try to compete much with the noise. It was good to hear them though and they were one of the few notes of familiarity in an otherwise pretty bizarre evening. Even the programme wasn't produced by the club. It was two thirds full of unusual adverts and contained more typos and mistakes than the very blog you're reading. Best of all were at least three different spellings of John Pantsil's name. I know there are two official ways of spelling it, but at least use one consistently rather than trying both out and then making up a third.
The players individually all displayed a lot more quality than our hallowed pitch has seen of late but collectively the teams didn't come up with much of a spectacle. It was a shame but perfectly understandable as they'd been involved in the final African Cup of Nations qualifiers at the weekend. Nigeria got knocked out so must have been demoralised, whilst Ghana had got through, but even so must have thought this was a game they could've done without. So 0-0 was predictable and watched in isolation this was probably a pretty boring game. But the fans more than made up for it.
Showing posts with label match report (not Watford). Show all posts
Showing posts with label match report (not Watford). Show all posts
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Thursday, September 01, 2011
National Tea Towel Parade- England Under 21's 6 Azerbaijan Under 21's 0
I remember fondly the last Under 21 international at Vicarage Road which took place 23 years ago. My mate Laurence and I refer to it regularly because it was at the time, and probably remains, one of the most boring games we'd ever witnessed. For years afterwards we ceased using words like boring, dull and grim and instead would use 'Denmark Under 21's' to describe anything bad that happened.
Henri Lansbury got a very warm reception and had a wonderful game including scoring a brilliant and very unlikely goal to put England 2 up. Jordan Henderson and then Martin Waghorn both competed with him for goal of the night with spectacular long range efforts.
Marvin Sordell appeared mid way through the second half and had a lively and entertaining Under 21 debut, but he must have been disappointed (despite claiming it couldn't have gone better) that he missed three good chances. I couldn't help thinking that to become regularly involved alongside this mostly Premiership squad he needed to put away at least one of them. However Stuart Pearce said some positive things about him so hopefully he'll get another chance.
My favourite bit of the night was actually the National Flag Parade which took place before the national anthems. It was like a Subbuteo equivilent to that which takes places at a full Wembley international. There you get a military regiment marching whilst holding flags that are about a quarter of the size of the pitch. At the Vic you get a few ballboys jogging randomly around holding two tea towels with the English and Azerbaijan flags printed on them. Classy. Especially the way they held these up to the crowd for applause at the end of the 'parade'. I can't wait for a similar performance at Ghana-Nigeria next month.
Whether we'll get another chance at an England Under 21 international for a long time I doubt. A crowd of 7,738 was the second lowest crowd for a home England game at this level for two years. Only Colchester's Weston Homes Community Stadium provided fewer fans when, a year ago, 500 less turned up for a 3-0 win against Lithuania. In comparison almost 18,000 turned up for a friendly against Norway at Southampton over the summer. You'd have thought with no football now at the Vic for three weeks and Marvin's inclusion a few more would've bothered.
Luckily this was about as far away from Denmark Under 21's as you could get. It may have been against lowly Azerbaijan, or Azkaban as my Harry Potter obsessed kids insisted on calling them, but England were very impressive in every department. Azerbaijan didn't even have a particularly bad game or do much wrong. England were just much too good for them in the way Man U were against Arsenal at the weekend.
Henri Lansbury got a very warm reception and had a wonderful game including scoring a brilliant and very unlikely goal to put England 2 up. Jordan Henderson and then Martin Waghorn both competed with him for goal of the night with spectacular long range efforts.
Marvin Sordell appeared mid way through the second half and had a lively and entertaining Under 21 debut, but he must have been disappointed (despite claiming it couldn't have gone better) that he missed three good chances. I couldn't help thinking that to become regularly involved alongside this mostly Premiership squad he needed to put away at least one of them. However Stuart Pearce said some positive things about him so hopefully he'll get another chance.
My favourite bit of the night was actually the National Flag Parade which took place before the national anthems. It was like a Subbuteo equivilent to that which takes places at a full Wembley international. There you get a military regiment marching whilst holding flags that are about a quarter of the size of the pitch. At the Vic you get a few ballboys jogging randomly around holding two tea towels with the English and Azerbaijan flags printed on them. Classy. Especially the way they held these up to the crowd for applause at the end of the 'parade'. I can't wait for a similar performance at Ghana-Nigeria next month.
Whether we'll get another chance at an England Under 21 international for a long time I doubt. A crowd of 7,738 was the second lowest crowd for a home England game at this level for two years. Only Colchester's Weston Homes Community Stadium provided fewer fans when, a year ago, 500 less turned up for a 3-0 win against Lithuania. In comparison almost 18,000 turned up for a friendly against Norway at Southampton over the summer. You'd have thought with no football now at the Vic for three weeks and Marvin's inclusion a few more would've bothered.
Friday, May 29, 2009
I Need a Fix- Republic of Ireland 1 Nigeria 1
I have become a bit of a football junkie and now we are into the barren desert of the off season I'm looking for anything to vaguely give me a fix. So it was that I found myself travelling to Putney Bridge on a beautiful summers evening to watch the Republic of Ireland and Nigeria play each other in a friendly before they moved on to the more serious business of World Cup qualifiers.
My vague excuse was that I was going to support any 'Orns past or present on show. In reality though I'd have gone if there were no links to WD18 at all. As it was, I hoped to see John Joe O'Toole if he'd managed to break into the senior squad, and Dan Shittu. Of course, JJOT didn't make the squad and Shittu wasn't even on the bench. There was one old friend present however. The fourth official was Stuart Atwell. Alas, unlike Anthony Hopkins, I wasn't able to have him for dinner.
Craven Cottage was a new ground for me. I wasn't there to see the Championship winning game of 97/8 and luckily missed the 5-0 Boxing Day demolition in 2000/1. It instantly won a place in my best grounds list. It goes without saying that its an old fashioned 'proper' football ground but its also in a wonderful location. Obviously everyone knows its on the banks of the Thames but no-one seems to rave about the picturesque Bishops Park that you have to walk through to get to it from the tube.
The programme gave us a potted history of Fulham FC and the ground. It hailed Mohammed Al Fayed as the saviour of both. Apparently no club is more synonymous with its home ground than Fulham. I don't recall those sentiments from Fayed when he tried to move the club to Loftus Road for a few seasons or looked to ground share with Chelsea before their neighbours got mega-rich.
As expected both sets of fans were good natured and in good voice and, although its a cliche, there really was a carnival atmosphere. Not that I'd ever thought differently but it made me think how wonderful it would be to have the World Cup here. Exciting exotic teams playing in beautiful weather in front of happy fans. The chilled out mood of the fans was one of the most noticeable things. At no point did they chant things against each other but put all their energies into supporting their team and the only rivalry was who could be louder. The Irish probably won that battle, although the Nigerians did a decent version of John Lennon's "Give Us a Goal".
I'd forgotten the amount of faffing that goes on before an International and as well as the big fanfare for the teams coming out we also, of course, had the National Anthems. The cameraman literally filmed right in each players face, presumably to check that they were singing. It must have been very off putting even if you did know the words. I don't know if this is standard practise, but this personal space intrusion could explain why Gazza, during Italia'90, told the watching worldwide audience where to go before every match.
As always with friendlies the start was very slow and both teams seemed to spend the first ten minutes complaining that the various balls, in use thanks to the multi-ball system, were too soft. Far more entertaining were the Nigerian adverts that kept popping up on the screens round the pitch. In Nigeria a TomTom is apparently the official candy of the Super Eagles and not a Sat Nav. They are also very keen for you to wear a condom in Nigeria, especially a variety called Gold.
For a while the Nigerians looked like Brazil before the Irish started asserting their more physical presence on the game. This led to some fairly wild tackles going in from the Africans and the blissful mood in the stands wasn't mirrored on the pitch as several times the players squared up to each other.
Against the run of play Nigeria took the lead with a very simple cross and shot. It should have been better defended and left Given no chance.
At this point I will confess that I'd made a fairly bad error in that I'd only worn a T-shirt to the game. It was boiling when I left High Wycombe and I hadn't considered that by 8pm, next to the Thames in a stand sheltered from the sun, the breeze would be quite as chilly as it was. Usually, along with my rule about never going early, I never go to the loo during the action but the cold did me in and I had no choice. So, of course, I missed Ireland's equaliser. There is nothing worse than standing in the gents at a football match and trying to work out what is going on by the noise of the crowd. You hear the beginning of the roar and think 'is it an attack, have they won a corner', but your heart gradually sinks as the roar reaches its crescendo and you realise you've missed a goal. The man standing next to me who sounded just like Father Ted said "Oh f**k, I've missed it" and I knew how he felt.
At half time I tried to recover by going and standing in what remained of the sun but it was hopeless. I remembered that Bill Bryson had said in his book 'A Walk In the Woods' that people don't get hypothermia in extremely cold situations because no one is daft enough to venture out without adequate clothing. The times people get in trouble are on perfectly normal days when they haven't taken anything that anticipates a change in the temperature.
I shivered my way through the second half trying to remember what Bill said the signs of hypothermia were rather than paying great attention to the action. All I could tell you for sure was there were no more goals but Ireland went closer than Nigeria did. My resolve to see out the 90 was severely tested but some how I managed it.
For the first time in a long time I actually managed to force my body into a run on the way back to the station as I tried to get my circulation going again. I don't think I've ever been grateful before to see a packed tube train pulling into a station. The sweaty heat of humanity warmed me up nicely. By the time I'd had a cup of tea at Marylebone I was back to normal, reflecting on the daft things I do to get my football fix.
I doubt you'd imagine this was taken from inside a football stadium.
My vague excuse was that I was going to support any 'Orns past or present on show. In reality though I'd have gone if there were no links to WD18 at all. As it was, I hoped to see John Joe O'Toole if he'd managed to break into the senior squad, and Dan Shittu. Of course, JJOT didn't make the squad and Shittu wasn't even on the bench. There was one old friend present however. The fourth official was Stuart Atwell. Alas, unlike Anthony Hopkins, I wasn't able to have him for dinner.
Craven Cottage was a new ground for me. I wasn't there to see the Championship winning game of 97/8 and luckily missed the 5-0 Boxing Day demolition in 2000/1. It instantly won a place in my best grounds list. It goes without saying that its an old fashioned 'proper' football ground but its also in a wonderful location. Obviously everyone knows its on the banks of the Thames but no-one seems to rave about the picturesque Bishops Park that you have to walk through to get to it from the tube.
The programme gave us a potted history of Fulham FC and the ground. It hailed Mohammed Al Fayed as the saviour of both. Apparently no club is more synonymous with its home ground than Fulham. I don't recall those sentiments from Fayed when he tried to move the club to Loftus Road for a few seasons or looked to ground share with Chelsea before their neighbours got mega-rich.
As expected both sets of fans were good natured and in good voice and, although its a cliche, there really was a carnival atmosphere. Not that I'd ever thought differently but it made me think how wonderful it would be to have the World Cup here. Exciting exotic teams playing in beautiful weather in front of happy fans. The chilled out mood of the fans was one of the most noticeable things. At no point did they chant things against each other but put all their energies into supporting their team and the only rivalry was who could be louder. The Irish probably won that battle, although the Nigerians did a decent version of John Lennon's "Give Us a Goal".
I'd forgotten the amount of faffing that goes on before an International and as well as the big fanfare for the teams coming out we also, of course, had the National Anthems. The cameraman literally filmed right in each players face, presumably to check that they were singing. It must have been very off putting even if you did know the words. I don't know if this is standard practise, but this personal space intrusion could explain why Gazza, during Italia'90, told the watching worldwide audience where to go before every match.
As always with friendlies the start was very slow and both teams seemed to spend the first ten minutes complaining that the various balls, in use thanks to the multi-ball system, were too soft. Far more entertaining were the Nigerian adverts that kept popping up on the screens round the pitch. In Nigeria a TomTom is apparently the official candy of the Super Eagles and not a Sat Nav. They are also very keen for you to wear a condom in Nigeria, especially a variety called Gold.
For a while the Nigerians looked like Brazil before the Irish started asserting their more physical presence on the game. This led to some fairly wild tackles going in from the Africans and the blissful mood in the stands wasn't mirrored on the pitch as several times the players squared up to each other.
Against the run of play Nigeria took the lead with a very simple cross and shot. It should have been better defended and left Given no chance.
At this point I will confess that I'd made a fairly bad error in that I'd only worn a T-shirt to the game. It was boiling when I left High Wycombe and I hadn't considered that by 8pm, next to the Thames in a stand sheltered from the sun, the breeze would be quite as chilly as it was. Usually, along with my rule about never going early, I never go to the loo during the action but the cold did me in and I had no choice. So, of course, I missed Ireland's equaliser. There is nothing worse than standing in the gents at a football match and trying to work out what is going on by the noise of the crowd. You hear the beginning of the roar and think 'is it an attack, have they won a corner', but your heart gradually sinks as the roar reaches its crescendo and you realise you've missed a goal. The man standing next to me who sounded just like Father Ted said "Oh f**k, I've missed it" and I knew how he felt.
At half time I tried to recover by going and standing in what remained of the sun but it was hopeless. I remembered that Bill Bryson had said in his book 'A Walk In the Woods' that people don't get hypothermia in extremely cold situations because no one is daft enough to venture out without adequate clothing. The times people get in trouble are on perfectly normal days when they haven't taken anything that anticipates a change in the temperature.
I shivered my way through the second half trying to remember what Bill said the signs of hypothermia were rather than paying great attention to the action. All I could tell you for sure was there were no more goals but Ireland went closer than Nigeria did. My resolve to see out the 90 was severely tested but some how I managed it.
For the first time in a long time I actually managed to force my body into a run on the way back to the station as I tried to get my circulation going again. I don't think I've ever been grateful before to see a packed tube train pulling into a station. The sweaty heat of humanity warmed me up nicely. By the time I'd had a cup of tea at Marylebone I was back to normal, reflecting on the daft things I do to get my football fix.
I doubt you'd imagine this was taken from inside a football stadium.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
American Arses- San Diego Chargers 32 New Orleans Saints 37
I know how lucky I was to get this ticket. Half a million applied for some 80,000 available.
I used to go to see the London Monarchs back in the early 90's when they played at the old Wembley. I always enjoyed it and I realise now this was because I always managed to get a seat side on to the action.
Alas, for this point scoring fest I was behind one of the endzones and so realised a big difference between watching our football and theirs. You cannot enjoy a game in nearly the same way unless you are well positioned in the middle of the pitch. With the position of the ball being everything to understanding and enjoying the game you can't see anything if you are constantly looking for it through 11 enormous American arses (or in this case I guess the correct term is asses).
One small benefit was that early on when the Saints kicked a field goal the ball missed the large net which is supposed to catch it and the bloke next to me caught it. He was generous and maybe a foolhardy in that he then passed it round for everyone to see and I am pleased to report he did manage to get it back.
We all spent most of the time watching the game on the not big enough big screen opposite. Why in these days of widescreen tv's do stadiums still have 4:3 screens? At some crucial points people turned round to the big screen behind (which was much closer) and took pictures of the action. I found this very weird. You wouldn't sit in your front room taking a picture of the telly. So if you are at a live event take a picture of the thing happening live rather than on a screen. Weird.
Also the acoustics were rubbish. Again I'm sure it was where I sat but it was impossible to hear what was being said by the officials which is a big part of the game as the sound echoed from every speaker making it inaudible.
The match was a good one. Exciting and on a knife edge until the last minute. Far better than last years clash between the Giants and Dolphins. Just a shame the Chargers didn't manage to make it go into overtime. A bit like Watford yesterday they seemed to play really well when they were behind but never quite got it together to get in a position to win the game.
The cheerleaders performed exactly the same routine they had at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night. But they made up for it by still being just as gorgeous.
The stadium was good, but as an old traditionalist I didn't find it as unique or enticing as the old Wembley. You are much nearer the pitch for sure, but aside from the arch you could be at any big stadium in the world. I wouldn't even say its as good as the Emirates. The seats haven't got that special padded bit and whilst the legroom was good it wasn't as impressive as 'longer than in the old royal box' sounds. Even the toilets of which there are meant to be many many more still had long queues at half time.
The worst aspect of the day was the merchandise. There had been problems last year apparently and I'd read an interview in which it was promised these problems had been ironed out. Yet when I arrived at the stadium an hour and a half before kick off all the merchandise stands I visited had sold out of every article of clothing commemorating the day that might have fitted me.
They still had plenty of gear for those supporting either team, and some stands even had stuff for all 32 NFL teams but this completely missed the point. Almost everyone you saw was wearing stuff from one team or another. We already had the stuff on sale. They wouldn't sell Man Utd or Chelsea shirts at a Man Utd-Chelsea F.A Cup Final. It would be like selling snow to eskimos. But this is what they tried to do on Sunday
What we all wanted (and I spoke to a few people whilst we pointlessly queued up to be told they'd sold out) was a t-shirt, sweater or baseball cap that told the world we'd been to see the International Series game. Next year, if there is a game at Wembley, someone sort this out! We wanted this stuff and would've paid the ridiculous amounts charged. Someone (the NFL I guess) would make a fortune.
I used to go to see the London Monarchs back in the early 90's when they played at the old Wembley. I always enjoyed it and I realise now this was because I always managed to get a seat side on to the action.
Alas, for this point scoring fest I was behind one of the endzones and so realised a big difference between watching our football and theirs. You cannot enjoy a game in nearly the same way unless you are well positioned in the middle of the pitch. With the position of the ball being everything to understanding and enjoying the game you can't see anything if you are constantly looking for it through 11 enormous American arses (or in this case I guess the correct term is asses).One small benefit was that early on when the Saints kicked a field goal the ball missed the large net which is supposed to catch it and the bloke next to me caught it. He was generous and maybe a foolhardy in that he then passed it round for everyone to see and I am pleased to report he did manage to get it back.
We all spent most of the time watching the game on the not big enough big screen opposite. Why in these days of widescreen tv's do stadiums still have 4:3 screens? At some crucial points people turned round to the big screen behind (which was much closer) and took pictures of the action. I found this very weird. You wouldn't sit in your front room taking a picture of the telly. So if you are at a live event take a picture of the thing happening live rather than on a screen. Weird.
Also the acoustics were rubbish. Again I'm sure it was where I sat but it was impossible to hear what was being said by the officials which is a big part of the game as the sound echoed from every speaker making it inaudible.
The match was a good one. Exciting and on a knife edge until the last minute. Far better than last years clash between the Giants and Dolphins. Just a shame the Chargers didn't manage to make it go into overtime. A bit like Watford yesterday they seemed to play really well when they were behind but never quite got it together to get in a position to win the game.
The cheerleaders performed exactly the same routine they had at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night. But they made up for it by still being just as gorgeous.
The stadium was good, but as an old traditionalist I didn't find it as unique or enticing as the old Wembley. You are much nearer the pitch for sure, but aside from the arch you could be at any big stadium in the world. I wouldn't even say its as good as the Emirates. The seats haven't got that special padded bit and whilst the legroom was good it wasn't as impressive as 'longer than in the old royal box' sounds. Even the toilets of which there are meant to be many many more still had long queues at half time.
The worst aspect of the day was the merchandise. There had been problems last year apparently and I'd read an interview in which it was promised these problems had been ironed out. Yet when I arrived at the stadium an hour and a half before kick off all the merchandise stands I visited had sold out of every article of clothing commemorating the day that might have fitted me.
They still had plenty of gear for those supporting either team, and some stands even had stuff for all 32 NFL teams but this completely missed the point. Almost everyone you saw was wearing stuff from one team or another. We already had the stuff on sale. They wouldn't sell Man Utd or Chelsea shirts at a Man Utd-Chelsea F.A Cup Final. It would be like selling snow to eskimos. But this is what they tried to do on Sunday
What we all wanted (and I spoke to a few people whilst we pointlessly queued up to be told they'd sold out) was a t-shirt, sweater or baseball cap that told the world we'd been to see the International Series game. Next year, if there is a game at Wembley, someone sort this out! We wanted this stuff and would've paid the ridiculous amounts charged. Someone (the NFL I guess) would make a fortune.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Not Caring- Wycombe Wanderers 1 Darlington 1
I wasn't at St.Marys yesterday partly because it's my wifes birthday weekend but partly because my son had tickets for Wycombe v Darlington, which he got through after school football training (we live in Bucks) so I said I'd take him along.
I've been to Adams Park a good few times as shortly after we moved here the whole Vialli debarcle started. There came a time when I decided I'd had enough. As I'd moved to a new area with a new local team, I'd leave Vialli to it and start going to watch the Wycombe.
I went around half a dozen times even watching them play Brentford one very chilly night in the Auto Windscreens Shield (now Johnstone's Paint Trophy) when the crowd numbered barely more than a thousand. But the trouble is, they just weren't Watford. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get into supporting a team that wasn't wearing the yellow, red and black.
Maybe its the lack of history. When you've watched a team for a long time you can always refer back to other games, or other seasons where similar things have happened.
Maybe its the players. Even in my most concentrated period trying to follow Wycombe I could never remember the names of more than a few. And they meant nothing to me. Whereas I've always been able to recognise most of the Watford reserves, never mind the first XI.
Maybe its the familiarity. I just don't appreciate Adams Park in the same way that I love Vicarage Road. I know the Vic has a lot of flaws but I don't see them. I even love the old East Stand, in fact, its probably my favourite of the lot. Its sad to see it empty but its still nice to see it at all. Whereas going to Adams Park I can see every flaw. For a start its possibly the only league ground actually in the countryside. Sure its just in High Wycombe, but only in the sense that it is the first or last point you come to before endless fields, hills and woods. During a boring bit of the second half I watched three riders on horseback disappearing off into the distance. Because of its location it is THE coldest ground in the country. Also there is only one road in and out so getting to it and home again is a nightmare. I live 6 miles from Adams Park and about 13 from the Vic. Yet I arrived back home at 5.45pm, exactly the same time I usually get home from Watford.
The mascot is stupid. Whereas Harry is clearly a caricuture of a hornet, Wycombe is a caricuture of, um, a person. Yeah, it works really well. Really cute. Think, kind of Its a Knockout crossed with the Adams Family and you've got the idea.
The queues for the loo and food stalls are long, much longer than ours at half time.
I could go on (and on and on). But basically the 'til I die' chant is spot on. Probably I think its in the genes. Trying to support anyone else just doesn't work and I felt no connection for the Chairboys (stupid nickname) at all yesterday, just as I'd failed to do 7 years ago. In fact, I felt more connection with Darlo having seen them once already this season. Their goalkeeper was still in his endearing illuminous orange outfit. And they battled hard and well taking the lead with a nice move in the first half.
The second half provided entertainment of a different kind when there was a punch up and a Darlo player got sent off. In the fall out of this, for no obvious reason, two Wycombe players squared up one hitting the other. He got sent off too. It was the best bit of the game.
We left early. Something I would never ever do at Watford. I can't even understand how people can do it at the Vic (unless maybe they're fans of other teams supporting the 'Orns for the afternoon). But my son was too cold and was asking to go home and not feeling any connection with the team I agreed. Therefore we missed Wycombe's last equalising penalty but I really didn't care.
The Darlo keeper still hasn't quite got the hang of camouflage.
I've been to Adams Park a good few times as shortly after we moved here the whole Vialli debarcle started. There came a time when I decided I'd had enough. As I'd moved to a new area with a new local team, I'd leave Vialli to it and start going to watch the Wycombe.
I went around half a dozen times even watching them play Brentford one very chilly night in the Auto Windscreens Shield (now Johnstone's Paint Trophy) when the crowd numbered barely more than a thousand. But the trouble is, they just weren't Watford. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get into supporting a team that wasn't wearing the yellow, red and black.
Maybe its the lack of history. When you've watched a team for a long time you can always refer back to other games, or other seasons where similar things have happened.
Maybe its the players. Even in my most concentrated period trying to follow Wycombe I could never remember the names of more than a few. And they meant nothing to me. Whereas I've always been able to recognise most of the Watford reserves, never mind the first XI.
Maybe its the familiarity. I just don't appreciate Adams Park in the same way that I love Vicarage Road. I know the Vic has a lot of flaws but I don't see them. I even love the old East Stand, in fact, its probably my favourite of the lot. Its sad to see it empty but its still nice to see it at all. Whereas going to Adams Park I can see every flaw. For a start its possibly the only league ground actually in the countryside. Sure its just in High Wycombe, but only in the sense that it is the first or last point you come to before endless fields, hills and woods. During a boring bit of the second half I watched three riders on horseback disappearing off into the distance. Because of its location it is THE coldest ground in the country. Also there is only one road in and out so getting to it and home again is a nightmare. I live 6 miles from Adams Park and about 13 from the Vic. Yet I arrived back home at 5.45pm, exactly the same time I usually get home from Watford.
The mascot is stupid. Whereas Harry is clearly a caricuture of a hornet, Wycombe is a caricuture of, um, a person. Yeah, it works really well. Really cute. Think, kind of Its a Knockout crossed with the Adams Family and you've got the idea.
The queues for the loo and food stalls are long, much longer than ours at half time.
I could go on (and on and on). But basically the 'til I die' chant is spot on. Probably I think its in the genes. Trying to support anyone else just doesn't work and I felt no connection for the Chairboys (stupid nickname) at all yesterday, just as I'd failed to do 7 years ago. In fact, I felt more connection with Darlo having seen them once already this season. Their goalkeeper was still in his endearing illuminous orange outfit. And they battled hard and well taking the lead with a nice move in the first half.
The second half provided entertainment of a different kind when there was a punch up and a Darlo player got sent off. In the fall out of this, for no obvious reason, two Wycombe players squared up one hitting the other. He got sent off too. It was the best bit of the game.
We left early. Something I would never ever do at Watford. I can't even understand how people can do it at the Vic (unless maybe they're fans of other teams supporting the 'Orns for the afternoon). But my son was too cold and was asking to go home and not feeling any connection with the team I agreed. Therefore we missed Wycombe's last equalising penalty but I really didn't care.
The Darlo keeper still hasn't quite got the hang of camouflage.
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