The same. I’ve read some comments on here from switchers who’ve given me the usual crap over the years. The thing is, I’m sure they all know really. Ucko, FTRE, the ones who relentlessly follow us around on this forum. They know it’s how we say it is. They choose not to believe it. Either for financial reasons, for career reasons or for just sheer bloody mindedness. They know, they’ve always known. They’ll never openly admit you’re right though, they’ll shovel something in about ‘lost interest in football’.
As I speculated in another thread, that could be true, but also what's to say that the reason he's pi55ed off is actually because of Nigeria refusing to guarantee him playing time, even though he was in such fantastic form, and so he subsequently thought why should he even bother?
We were relegated with 26pts in 99/00. Based on what we have seen, I cannot see us getting above 20. This is such a depressing season so far. Did I expect us to survive? I had a faint hope we would give it our all and fight tooth and nail for every point we got. Four random results aside, we have not seen or done anything that suggests we can stay up. Last night dumped us in the relegation zone which is exactly where we deserve to be right now. Whether or not Claudio is still here when we kick off at Burnley is futile. It's another big game where we either may or may not turn up in. We have only played 20 games, so we still have 18 more to try and salvage some of the pride we lost as a club last night. I cannot see anything changing over the course of the season though, unless by some miracle the players know they hit rock bottom last night and know the only way is up. If not, the only direction we are going is down.
My daughter was really upset that I don't want to take her anymore. I've always tried to make matchdays fun, regardless of what's on the pitch. I might get the kids nuggets and chips for lunch from Zaks and one of their friends sits a few rows in front of us. I often take them to the front of the Lower GT so they can see the players warming up close or see interviews being conducted beside the pitch and we seek out Harry for a pic most weeks and have a chat with the one remaining hero employed by the club (thanks Harry - you've never let us down). So they've grown to enjoy the day out, even before they really started to get into the game itself, or rather, probably because of that. Now they've seen that I don't want to go anymore and they are upset that our nice days out at the Vic will be over. I feel guilty that I absorbed them into this Watford supporting mess. I inherited it and I shouldn't have passed it on. It is not worth it. Perhaps I can find a similar alternative Saturday afternoon activity for us to do together as a daddy/daughter day and we can put the toxic swamp of Watford behind us as a family,
I paused the Sky coverage when they had Luther on and were going through GTs achievements. He was in awe of the man and asked why can't we have him back...before catching himself in realising the reason we were celebrating the statue he had photos with. Luther gave me my first end of season football trophy which would have been in the early 90s so I'm guessing he'd just come back for his third spell. GT would have been long gone but that community aspect remained and we were of similar standing in football as we are today. Granted there's a bigger partition between a club and the fan generally now but you are spot on that beyond what they are told to do for club PR players couldn't give a toss
Farewell, sweet dream, farewell. We who once thought to dwell 'Pon the sunlit shores of the EPL When the third goal our net did swell Cursed aloud 'oh farking hell' Hearing clear the tolling bell Calling us to Championship hell, Unable now to continue our spell 'Mongst the riches of the EPL. Farewell, sweet dream, farewell.
I've said it before, the club just don't take the player's mentality into consideration when signing them. Mainly because we sign from Mogi's approved dealership. I'm not just talking about whether the player is a massive **** either, we've had the most spineless group I've ever seen at the club for the past 5 or 6 years.
I was talking to my mates 15 year old about 99/00 at the game and it brought it all back. We had League 1 players and GT made the best go of it he could. The players cared. Just weren’t good enough. We were playing Steve Palmer in the PL ffs. This is worse, a lot ******* worse.
I don't disagree that these people are Pozzo sycophants, I just don't understand how there can be any significant incentive for their behaviour. How much money does a YouTube channel with a few thousand subscribers really make? The answer is sweet FA. Is it really worth Pozzo paying them to promote this shambles when the net benefit is so limited? Maybe they just want to be "YouTube famous" lol. It's about time these clowns had the comments section on their channel bombarded with some home truths.
Although I am getting bored of recurring themes of their ownership. I think we should be careful with what we wish for with the Pozzo out chat. So many recent examples of clubs falling apart under dodgy owners, look at Derby right now.
We are going to lose at Burnley. 100%. Even when we are good we get outfought against them. We are very far from good atm.
82 minutes. The camera turns to Pozzo. The face of a man who’s either given up himself or just doesn’t give a **** anymore. I remember the barely containable anger he showed at the cup semi final when we lost. Not anymore.
What a steaming pile of crap that was. Well done Watford for giving it the big un about GT in the build up before delivering a performance which was the antithesis of everything he believed in. A cowardly display of ineptitude. A disgusting way to remember our greatest manager . In fact GT's side from the 80's would destroy this one. The rallying cry has gone from "You don't get cramp at this club" to "you don't have to try at this club" The team has no heart to it, no drive, no desire., it just stands there dazed and confused while the world goes on around them. Sack them all, the manager, the team and the board.
Clint Easton made 19 appearances and don't forget Perpetuini even scored. Those 3 years (League 1 title, playoff and Prem) will always be the high of supporting Watford for me. I had defected from my Arsenal supporting family at the start of 97/98
I don't blame him for getting frustrated and being a bit selfish. He is surrounded by players who are nowhere near good enough. I get annoyed at work when I have to do extra work to cover for colleagues who are *****. Not surprised he is the same. The blame always seem to end up at the feet of the likes of Dennis, Sarr, Deulofeu for getting frustrated rather than the players who have confidently shown themselves not good enough over many years like Cleverley, Cathcart, Kabasele.
It’s more vanity I think. These fools see themselves as the voice of the club and being able to interview Duxbury once a season makes them better than other fans. Or a rare appearance on hive live. Just modern day “look at me” characters.
We are already falling apart. More debt taken out than year and not that many playing assets left to sell.
The joke is, I remember one home game towards the end of that season a fan walking on the pitch from The Rookery and tearing up his season ticket bellowing ‘we still care, why don’t you?’ at GT. Different times I guess.
Why would you blame players who aren’t good enough but are putting effort in as opposed to players who have talent but aren’t putting in the hard yards? If players aren’t good enough they shouldn’t be at the club, that sits on the owners rather than the players.
That’s not really what’s happening though is it? He’s being selfish with the ball and far too self indulgent. In the main he’s not having to pass to Cathcart, Cleverley or Kabasele is he? What was that stupid back heel about, frustration at WTE making errors?
I am loathe to criticize the younger generation as I believe in many ways they've got a ****** deal. This cult of wanting to be YouTube famous etc, however, is really irritating.
Great post. Funnily enough I was thinking about my girls on the drive home last night. They’re 5 and 7, so similarish to yours but not yet been to as many live games. Both have been to a couple of home games and when my dad dropped out at the last minute for the Leicester cup game a fortnight ago I took my eldest. So far they’ve seen us capitulate against Tranmere, bored to death in the front row at home to Southampton and then the cup thrashing. Plus a smattering of wins on tv last season Eldest in particular always wants to know the score. She spotted the Watford calendar at one of those shopping centre mid-aisle stalls (miles from Watford) just after Xmas when out with her mum and insisted on buying it. Yesterday she came out of school and despite having no idea there was a game on later, proudly wanted to show me the Watford badge she’d drawn and coloured in from memory. She’s getting into it even with limited game time. Yet at the moment I can’t see what’s in it for them in getting too involved with Watford. I wanted the same shared experience I had with my Grandad of growing up going to games and getting hooked on the club. That was built on random night games against similarly lowly opposition. Grabbing a programme from the hut. Sitting in the run down East Stand tea bar before a game with my can of coke and sweets my Nan had sent me with. Being a mascot a couple of times. Occasional but genuine interaction with the players or GT Etc etc. Most of us have our own versions of the same story. And even though we live further away, and they have no reason to support Watford other than me, I thought it was doable. But what is it now? Waiting list for season tickets even while the family stand is half empty nearly every game other than top 4 opponent. When they can get tickets, the seats are genuinely appalling with no view. And that’s if you can actually get in without queuing for a week. Then get searched. At Leicester last week their goons insisted my eldest took her hat off and searched her with the wand. After two sweeps from the drugs dog in the queue. Prats. You’d never get a can of coke in these days but don’t worry, you can queue for ages to buy an overpriced bottle of pop which they’ll take the top off. Factor in things that’s aren’t the club’s fault - 1h30m drive at least each way - and I’m seriously thinking of not encouraging it with the girls any more. But like you I need to find an alternative or they’ll just think they’ve done something wrong or they’ll miss out on time with me.
This isn't the same club that gives your kids role models anymore. Just a band of merry men cobbled together season after season. Remember sherlock the Udinese fan telling us all those years ago not to get attached to our best assets or managers. So very very true that turned out to be.
This is one of the lowest points of my Watford supporting life. It’s absolutely devastating to see what a mess we have become. Spineless. Soulless. Basket case. Ironically everything rival fans said about us when Pozzo’s took over have come true. Depressing thing is, our fans are so wet they will never turn on the owners. There is no defending the Pozzo’s and Duxbury anymore, I don’t want to hear it. They have destroyed the soul of this club and they need to go. We are unrecognisable to what we once were as a community led club with passionate players.
I never have any confidence in mild quiet spoken managers like Ranieri. In our situation you need someone like Graham Taylor who is going to throw the teacups about and give the players a proper going over when they are underperforming and/or not giving 100%. It was obvious to me that Cleverly was out of his depth very early on. He is just not up to this level. Being relegated will pay for my summer holiday as I could see this coming but it does give me any pleasure and honestly would like us to survive but cannot see how as we now look more like finishing bottom than out of the bottom three.
I don't understand the media love-in with the flick for the first. He's left in yards of space and lifts his leg behind him for the ball to hit off of, so what?
