The Watford Gene It started with my granddad. I dedicated Watford fan. Regularly at The Vic. Then he brought my dad into the club. My dad still tells me the story, of sitting at the top of the stairs in his old house. With the radio perched on the landing, and my dad moving the Arial around trying to pick up a good signal., to desperately hear the latest score from the Watford game. So we have my granddad who passed the ‘Watford gene’ (as I like to call it) down to my dad, then guess where it went next. Yes, the burden of supporting Watford was thrust upon on me from a mere age of 7. All I wanted to do was re-enact the best players at the time, then I was told to support Watford? I make it sound as if I hated it, but to be honest it was great. I’ll remember the playground of primary school. Sometimes we would get a sponge football, from the big hall, and kick it around for the hour we had for lunch. My best mate at the time, a Chelsea fan would run around like a headless chicken with the ball, screaming “IM ZOLA!!!!! IM ZOLA!!!!” then if I got the ball at my feat, I would run around screaming “IM TOMMY MOONEY!!!!!!” and the other kids staring at me, wondering whose Tommy Mooney and why I was wearing a yellow shirt, I must have seemed crazy to them. but even at that age, I would still get the usual “Watford are rubbish, man u are the best”. this used to anger me, and to this day I still get it now. And so do most Watford fans, but also most football fans as well, the shouting across the office or classroom of the Manchester united fan or the Chelsea fan, they have no real interest football, they just call themselves a supporter of a club to fit in. they see it as a excuse to make fun, take the Mickey, generally really take the pee out of your club. And you don’t really care, but it gets annoying after a while, a stick like man, dressed in a blue shirt shouting “Watford 0 - Plymouth 3” or whatever the score happened to be that week. And when your team wins, this stick like man, seems to be off sick or away on holiday, but you can bet he’ll be there when the next defeat occurs. We get this at school. The glory hunters (man u, Chelsea, arsenal) and even non football fans seem to have a desire to comment on the latest lost. This has become worse, with Watford’s recent promotion to the premier league. As the media coverage goes up, so do the jeers and taunts of opposition fans. don’t get me wrong, Watford have been poor lately, and I can except that from ‘real’ football fans, but from the boy who cant come up with a answer to “why do you support your team then?” that is what I cant stand. Another thing that I cannot stand, it’s the new breed of Watford fans, they have emerged since that whistle blew for full time in Cardiff on that very special Sunday. I’m not talking about the clappy stixs or the yellow wigs, but the people who actually think they can now say to me who should be playing, whether its mahon king, or Marlon Gavin. But as most now, with success come many negatives. I am not bothered if Watford go down this season, in lots of ways I prefer the championship. The regular away home away home fixture list, the loyal away fans that come to vicarage road each week and of course to the chance to give Luton a real good stuffing. But I will miss the ability to watch the whole game on sky on Saturday night, I wont miss match of the days biased analysis and highlights though, that’s for sure. Watford belong in the premiership, when this time of belonging will come, I hope its soon, and Aidy will be the first one to say, we are not going down this year and I will join him, until it is mathematically impossible to stay up, I do think, WE WILL STAY UP!!!!! Sorry if this seems all over the place, my first attempt, but I hoped you enjoyed reading it, in enjoyed writing it. thanks for reading
very good mate. i had a 25 minute arguement with my mate yesterday about the so-called 'shitness' of my team. needless to say he left the friendly yet aggressive arguement well beaten and nothing but saying 'YOUR **** , YOUR ****' whenever i tried to say anything. he supportes arsenal because he grandad lives near the groung. MY ARSE!! if his grandad lived next to rushden and diamonds ground would he support them? i seriously think not.
I think most of us can totally relate to what you've been through and I agree with the next season thing. Just think yourself lucky, I grew up in Luton so had to deal with not only constant abuse but a few kickings for being the only 'Orn in the school. I REALLY HATE LUTON
Excellent. Can we swap jobs for a day?? At my school in Harrow there was only 1 other 'Orn in 1100 kids. Shocking when you consider Watford are the 2nd closest league club to Harrow. Anyway, out of the whole School the only person I still see regularly after 25 years is the other 'Orn ;D
In a way i know what you mean about "the new fans" but as long as they sing im not to bothered, but what also pisses me off on the same subject is just because im fairly young, 16, people assume im one of these, one game this year where i said something about smith not tracking back and some guy turns round and says "o f**n hell, all these c**t kids think they know something, they don't know sh*t, where were they all at plymouth away last year" when as a matter of fact i was in the stand, all right ive decided that this year im going to do every game which i didnt in the championship, but this could be our only year in the prem for 3 or 4 years (hopefully not, but it could be) but the real point of what im saying is it pisses me off just because i am 16 and don't wear a shirt, im accused of being a "premiership fan"
I think at the end of the day, if glory hunters wish to give our club the money for the tickets so be it, (but put them in crappy seats) I for one was happy with the membership system that made it clear to glory hunters they werent gonna get a ticket easily! When one of those supporters can turn to me and say "yeh i went to a man city away match when i was 11 hearing god knows how many fights and even a gun shot, walking in probably the most roughest part of manchester ive known" then il care about them ;D But like you said, im not too bothered about them if they join in with aiiiiiiidy boothroyd doo doo doo doo ;D In reference to the original post, its was great by the way can totally relate to everything you said! However in my school i was one of 2 'orns aswell but the only girl one so i got the constant "your a girl, you know nothing about football thats why you support the bumblebees" jibes.
