Watford FC - History Thread

Discussion in 'The Golden Years' started by Nuandy, Apr 18, 2015.

  1. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Thanks for the comprehensive info, Jossy. It just shows how the memory plays tricks: I had forgotten about the temporary seating, but I hadn't realised the lower tier wasn't completed for so long. I suppose it makes sense when you think about our decline in status over that period. By the way, let's not forget Bruce Dyer's contribution to funding the Vicarage Road stand as well!
     
  2. Abso

    Abso First Year Pro

    Picture 8 - The term "shells" is used. Do you think this is correct even back then or was it supposed to read cells?
     
  3. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    I think they mean 'shell like' as in the convex shape of the sections.


    PS For the record, the sale of Bruce Dyer part paid for the Vic Stand and likewise the sale of Furlong did the same for the Rookery Stand.
     
  4. PhilippineOrn

    PhilippineOrn First Team

    So many great pictures here it's difficult to know which ones to comment on.


    This one intrigued me, so far as I remember the dancing hatters (yep, I never realised that either till relatively recently) electronic scoreboard was already in situ by my first home game..can anyone confirm the year it was installed? For sure, it's a surprise to me the previous scoreboard was powered by Etch-A-Sketch.


    Apart from the prices (obviously), the attire and the lack of Times New Roman font, that is exactly the view I remember of the Vic end terraces when I first started going (1980)
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2017
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  5. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    The last game for the "Etch-A-Sketch" was on May 8th 1978.. Herts Cup Final vs Tring. It's last 'proper' game would have been the last ever 4th division game we played vs Southport. As you can see they only needed a medium size truck to cart it away. Wonder where it went?

    vicscoreboard.jpg



    The first game for the new scoreboard was a friendly loss to Wolves August 8th 78. The first full fixture being the 4-0 win over Brentford in the League Cup four days later. It's final game was the 1–0 loss to Oxford United on 8 May 1993.. the last game for the old terrace.

    Captureffgggg.JPG

    The new scoreboard didnt look quite finished in the bottom pic.. still awaiting some advertising boards.
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2017
  6. PhilippineOrn

    PhilippineOrn First Team

    God and l love you Stevo..if everyone else thinks you're a tw&t it's their problem.
    (It's a line from the Full Monty... Nobody thinks you are a tw&t, maybe)
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2017
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  7. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    My brother once sent me a birthday card with something similar.. only worse.

    The front said "God loves you man" and inside it said 'But everyone else thinks you're a c****!'






    Going back to that original scoreboard.. could they possibly have been able to read it from the Rookery end?
     
  8. We hate 48

    We hate 48 Reservist

    Thanks for posting. I can see myself in that photo just to the right of the scoreboard as you look at it. 1978-nearly 40 years ago. I have just looked back at my 1978 Promotion book to confirm

    How times fly
     
  9. ST1968

    ST1968 First Year Pro

    That's some way to get to Gillingham. We all like to complain about the M25 but that's a 3hr trip each way at least. PS - I think that game I've seen on one of your vids on youtube. Would be about the right time. We won 3-1 ???
     
  10. ST1968

    ST1968 First Year Pro

    Just checked - I was wrong, it was 1978 and we won 3-2. Great vid though Stevo, encapsulates the terrace culture of the day.
     
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  11. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    That's the one. A nice little turn out from Watford. It was on MOTD. No segregation, Luther getting racial abuse from the crowd and old fashioned bundles on the terracing.


     
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  12. ST1968

    ST1968 First Year Pro

    I would only have been 10 and didn't go to the likes of Gillingham at that age of course but I do love the old terrace bundles you describe which I started to enjoy a few years later first hand.

    Knees Up Mother Brown anyone?

    In fact I 'star' in the terrace bundle at the end of your Kaiserslautern vid as a 15 year old but to save my own embarrassment (cringe-worthy performance and haircut) I'm not saying which one I am.
     
  13. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    I found you :)

    hhhhhhhhhh.JPG
     
  14. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    I found this in my garage over the weekend, not club history but fans' history and I remember that it caused a stir in the national press at the time....

    DSC_0030 1.JPG
     
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  15. ST1968

    ST1968 First Year Pro

    no you haven't.

    You're about 0.1secs too early, 5 metres too far away and nowhere near bouncy enough

    You'll know who by now with that clue.

    Keep it to yourself ;-)
     
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  16. onion8837

    onion8837 Reservist


    I recall GT being a bit miffed after the Wolves friendly because they had been testing it out and putting lots of daft stuff up and the crowd were taking the piss, missing the bigger picture as he saw it.

    We also used to sing "69 69 69" for a full minute when the clock ticked round - simpler times !
     
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  17. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Yesterday i found a new source of old Watford pics. Ive found quite a few interesting ones so i hope youre ready for them!


    I'll start with this one from the Fa Cup 4th round tie vs Man United in Jan 1950. 32,384 in attendance.. it was the first 30k plus crowd in our history and one of only five times we have topped that total in home matches.

    Captureuuuuyyyyyy.JPG
     
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  18. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    More from the same game..

    watman49.JPG

    Capturekkkjjjjj.JPG
     
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  19. vic-rijrode

    vic-rijrode First Year Pro

    Amazing to think that after that epic Cup Tie and finishing 6th in the old Div. 3 South that year, only just over a year later we were applying for re-election to the Football League along with Palarse! Both of us succeeded....

    Highlights of the 50-51 season were 5-0 and 6-0 defeats away to Southend and Northampton, a 4-0 defeat at The (old) Den and a 2-0 reverse at Carrow Road in the First Round of the FA Cup. However we did manage to do the double over Leyton Orient on Christmas Day (home) and Boxing Day (away) - our only away win of that season.
    Also remarkable is the fact that Norwich, Ipswich and Nottingham Forest were all in that division at the time - also B'Muff then known as & Boscombe Utd. Forest were champions and promoted (following their near neighbours County who went up in 49-50). Only one team were promoted in those days. Norwich, who finished in second place 7 points ahead of 3rd, stayed down.
     
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  20. onion8837

    onion8837 Reservist

    A propos of nothing very much, my school old boys 1st xi came 3rd in the southern amateur league in 1936-37 behind Ipswich town and Cambridge United
     
  21. PhilippineOrn

    PhilippineOrn First Team

    How is the total attendance only 32k? I counted almost 25k in that picture alone.
     
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  22. ST1968

    ST1968 First Year Pro

    and double that number of flat caps
     
  23. vic-rijrode

    vic-rijrode First Year Pro

    So is that anything to do with Watford FC History? I thought not - if you are not interested in my comment, then don't read it, rather than trying (and failing) to be clever. Simple enough.....
     
  24. onion8837

    onion8837 Reservist

    It’s not.

    I was interested.

    It’s true.
     
  25. vic-rijrode

    vic-rijrode First Year Pro

    I never doubted your interest for a minute - that's also true.
     
  26. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    No discord on the history thread please..



    Here's some more pics for you :)

    Barnes-Featured-Image.jpg




    scan-713 (2).jpeg

    2340.jpg



    Can you name the games these were taken at?
     
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  27. onion8837

    onion8837 Reservist


    Ps it wasn’t directly related to your post, which is why I didn’t quote it
     
  28. Warrington Hornet

    Warrington Hornet Reservist

    Top one is Brum away in the quarter final in 84.

    Next are Newcastle at home, probably division 2 (79/80?) as I think that is Eric Steele in goal and then Arsenal away (Malcolm Allen 85/6?).
     
  29. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    Second one is from the 81/82 season.
     
  30. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    FA cup QF at St Andrews.. 80/81 home to Newcastle and 85/86 at Highbury, the time we beat the Gunners two days running.
     
  31. onion8837

    onion8837 Reservist

    Nice to see Roger Joslyn completely crunching someone in the build up to the first goal :cool:
     
  32. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

  33. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

  34. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Some more pics of Wembley 99..


    Captxcvbure.JPG

    Captullkiiure.JPG

    Cøøøppapture.JPG

    oiuk.JPG
     
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  35. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Something i found recently to cheer us up in these somewhat depressing times..


    e2b3ba2376e189c58e45f053fc840b8f.jpg


    Leicester play off game in case you didnt realise. Which i guess qualifies as history now.
     

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