-
Kill the Witch
Watford v Blackburn 26/10/24 Tom Cleverley’s mission to make a fortress of Vicarage Road took another tentative step forward against a hapless Blackburn Rovers on Saturday. Watford’s home form is impressive, but fears remain that closer inspection of the foundations may yield the discovery of little more than sand. Coming into the game the visitors…
-
Smash and Grab
Watford v Middlesbrough 05/10/24 Michael Carrick had the air of a man who’d spent all night patiently amassing chips in a casino, only to then greet the dawn penniless and worse for wear. His team had dominated at Vicarage Road. Adorned in pale blue and white, Middlesbrough had looked assured and unhurried. They monopolised the…
-
Belligerent Citizens
Manchester City v Watford 24/09/24 In a two horse race odds of 20/1 are very long indeed, but less surprising if one of the competitors are Manchester City. It’s almost two years since the Citizens last tasted defeat in their publicly funded home stadium. Against Watford they have won fifteen games straight, the last five…
-
Freedom of the City
Watford v Coventry City 14/09/24 Coventry City have come a long way since being relegated to the fourth tier on a pitch littered with pink plastic pigs. A joint effort with supporters of Charlton Athletic, the ‘flying pigs protest’ of 2017 was aimed at the respective owners of the two blighted clubs. When Sisu, a…
-
Sissoko Show
Watford v Derby County 24/8/24 In rain falling with the persistence of a particularly egregious hangover, Daniel Bachmann was already remonstrating with his defenders. The goal was unnervingly simple. From a throw in left back Yasser Larouci was easily bypassed, the ball then centred for Ebou Adams to volley home. In response Watford prodded and…
-
Valerian’s Last Stand
Watford v Coventry City 09/03/24 Valerian’s reign was over the moment Watford’s Georgian dynamo was poleaxed just before half time. The challenge that did for Georgi Chakvetadze would have been at home in a ‘hardmen of the 70’s’ lowlight reel, oftentimes labelled as a ‘reducer’. The absence of a yellow card or even the award…