I don't often comment on here, much less write articles, preferring to 'listen' to others' opinions. Today is different and I feel the need to write this down... Apprehension, for the first time in a long time the hope that normally fills me before a Watford game has been replaced by apprehension. I don't know why, but I am writing this down so that it may go some way to helping me exorcise this demon, maybe others are feeling the same apprehension as me and looking down rather than up?...Is it that I haven't seen watford win in ages, I missed the Millwall game and Bristol games as I was on holiday, but then we have been on bad runs in the past and the hope has always been there. Not today, it feels like I am going to take my place in the Vicarage Road stand and witness yet another game where we don't realise our potential and look like a team of individuals. It could also be the fact that I live in Brighton and this fixture has a degree of bragging rights associated to it. None more than with my non football following wife (a Brightonian) who always looks towards these two fixtures and sees it as a way of getting one up on me. I also know that for my son being able to go into school and not having the Mickey taken out of him mercilessly by his BHAFC 'supporting' mates (who probably have never been to a game) is a big thing for him. Or is it, not wanting to open the 'red or black shorts' debate again, that I have absolutely no affinity with the kit, for me Red is a massive part of the Watford colours, but in recent years more often than not it has played nothing more than a bit part in the kit and this season for the first time in ages there is not one jot of red, even in our badge, apart from that in the sponsors logos. This smacks of desperation in trying to understand why I feel like I do, but something is just missing and I need to find what it is. Finally, could it be that most people on certain blogs or forums seem to be so underwhelmed, not me I might add, with our transfer dealing in January. We needed a striker...we got two, even one that has pace it would appear, but still people are not happy and some are lamenting the outbound loans of Fabbrini and Acuna, both good players and in the case of DF with an abundance of skill, but haven't taken to the championship for whatever reasons. We needed to find a midfielder that would replace the much maligned Jonathan Hogg (oh what I would give to see him lining up today in Yellow) and we have signed players with pedigree and who will hopefully do the business. I know we have a lot to be thankful for in having the Pozzos and I do shudder at the thought of what might have been!! So why apprehension over hope? I don't know what the answer is, personally after writing this I think it is just that we haven't found that special ingredient (an ingredient that no amount of transfers can bring into a squad) that turns a bunch of individuals into a team and allows them to become greater than the sum of the parts. Obviously I hope that come 5pm today that we have three points in the bag and I can look forward to our next game with not apprehension but with HOPE...hope that we have finally turned the corner. But I just don't know.... If you have got this far, well done and thanks for reading my ramblings COYH
A very good ramble HHTFC1. Somehow I think that expectations were built up to a much higher level last season than could be justified. Superb football at times just made you wait for the next game, and the results kept coming. Or did they? We stumbled over the line in the end rather than grab the chance to be in the top two. The loss of four key players, I include Hogg and Abdi, is not something that many teams can deal with, and GFZ seemed to be at a loss without them. Expectations were non-existent before we played Man City, yet we saw enough to suggest that we could actually perform well. However the harsh reality of the Championship soon had us down to earth again with a bump. The transfers seem to have given us options, but we don't know how they will perform. This time people seem to be more measured in their views, maybe because some of their previous comments about automatic promotion have turned round and bitten them rather too hard for comfort.
Quality post HHTFC1. I enjoy very much the thoughts and feelings of fellow Hornets on here on the one thing that brings us together Watford FC. On your comments on the kit i sat watching our team on Thursday against Forest and at half time even though we were winning came to the conclusion that our performance matched our kit.. bland which being the fact it is largely yellow i thought a strange conclusion but like our performance it seemed something is missing there is no spark to it and it seems lifeless. Change the black for red on the top, keep the black shorts and have socks with all three colours in their design would bring it to life. A far easier remedy than whats called for with the team this season although keeping possesion and passing to a fellow Watford player would be a big step in the right direction. HHTFC! i hope you enjoy todays game and we all get the win we badly need.
For whatever reasons--manager unable to inspire, too many nationalities in the squad, demands of the Championship, some players not committed to the cause, lack of on-field leadership--the group of (talented) players assembled by the Pozzo's over the summer just did not gel into a competitive team. Now the team has to be rebuilt, so we must wait and see if the new group is good enough to stave off relegation. I would HOPE that they are, but APPREHENSION remains --because I thought that the last squad was good enough to be promotion challengers, and look what happened there! Now the task for Sannino is to integrate the new players into the squad and to find his best formation/team as quickly as possible. In the process some old favourites may be marginalised (Pudil, Forrestieri, Anya, Murray....) but we must be HOPEFUL that he knows what he is doing and quickly finds the key. Starting today.
I am always worried before a game starts. If the game is KA Watford or the national team it does not matter. Watford have to win a game soon, there is law of average. What I think we all want is not to lose first, then to win and after that to win well. We have to take the first step first.
I've said it before and I say it again we need an on pitch leader not the No1!!! Until this is sorted we will remain an unfulfilled promise, maybe Park will be the one?
It seems as if we have a leader when Fitz Hall is playing. Made a huge difference to the defence talking to the others non-stop. Rather more hope again tonight.
I think we are probably a side in transition, though I'm not sure what we are transiting too. Last season was a fluke. A number of players came to get her and gelled. Some played better than even they expected. I suspect that Vydra will never play as well again. Now we have a whole management and coaching set-up that is having to learn about English football. The last two defeats are an example of this. In Italy you don't lose when you are 2-0 up. In Italy, come to that, a Serie B team does not go 2-0 up against the best team in the country. I have more faith in Beppe learning and adapting than I would with many other coaches because of his background, but he needs time. I hope the Pozzos give him that time and also give him a settled squad. But, getting back to Hemel's point, at the moment my expectations have moved from one of victory to one of defeat. I only predicted a win today because I felt that we had to win sometime. It all comes from supporting a team like Watford. Many years ago, after a particularly poor game against Torquay, I think, in the Fourth Division. I said I would never support that lot again. I must admit it is 15 years since I've been to a game! As for the kit, I wish we played in the old red, yellow and green hoops. Stuff the Asian market, those colours would appeal to certain sections of the Jamaican one.
I wonder whether there's no sense of permanence among the players in the current set up. Not only are many playing away from their home countries, there is always the option of returning there if things don't work out.
Well much improved today, and shoots of team cohesiveness...I hope this is not a false dawn, and we can push on from here. Toszer looked the part today and Hall at the back made such a difference. Also nice to see Almunia come and claim a couple of crosses and balls into his 6yd box today, something I think he is poor at and something that good goalkeepers do, it takes sooo much pressure off the defence if you have a keeper that dominates his 6yd box.
