From The Rookery End

EXTENDED SEASON

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Sun, 05 May 2013 15:00:49 PDT

The Play-Offs are a real reason to celebrate! This wonderful season has just been extended by 6.5% (to 1 decimal place).

BRING IT ON!!!!!

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Whatever happens, this is just the start...

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Fri, 03 May 2013 05:58:47 PDT

It's nerve-shredding, but isn't it nice? Instead of discussing the possibility of relegation, we've all got our eyes firmly fixed on the top of the table. As I write this, we've no idea what the immediate future holds, but it's a mark of a magnificent season that the very worst we will finish is third.

Third in what is widely recognised as one of the most competitive divisions in the world. I'll take that.

Especially when you take into account where we've come from. The recent revelations about our former owner (this is a happy time, I won't ruin everyone's day by mentioning his name) have left us in no doubt as to the state the club was in. So, no matter the outcome of the upcoming games, let's take time to take stock and evaluate.

With the help of this magnificent cartoon from Vince Pitt (you'll have seen plenty of his work in the match day programme) let's pause to remember that we've come a long way. And this is just the start...

Come on you Horns!

Chalobah's Goal with our Reaction!

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:12:52 PDT

I'm not sure what you sounded like when Nathaniel scored his wonder goal, but we were luckily recording the podcast at the time. This is our audio along with the goal video. John Motson wont be worrying about us taking his job, but we hope you can hear the pure joy!!

WEEKLY PODCAST: In Off The Chalobah

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 00:36:22 PDT

Leicester isn’t far, but it is if your boss doesn’t let you leave early on Friday.

Jon and Jason head over to Mike’s place to watch Watford take on Leicester LIVE on the telly. The ups and downs of the game are recorded. In fact you'll hear a ridiculous noise when this amazing goal goes in!

Frank Smith's opinion piece in the Watford Observer this week sparks a chat about how the 'Yoff' have impacted this our successful season and what awards should give away next week in our last (regular season) podcast of the season!

Do send in your award suggestions, nominees and winners to podcast@fromtherookeryend.com.

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WEEKLY PODCAST: Vodka and Bacardi

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 02:52:50 PDT

This weeks From The Rookery End podcast has EIGHT different Watford fans sharing how they're feeling with three/two games left for this 'unexpected' season.

Pete Fincham joins Jason and Jon in the pub pre-match and chat about the week and how to create an atmosphere. David Lewy gets involved post match, making it three podcasts on the trot, and seems to have a completely different take on Watford convincing 4-0 win over Blackburn. All the way from Denver, Curtis, Kent and Paul (The Denver Hornets) send in their views after watching the game on US TV. And last, but by no means least; Mike had to phone in his contribution to the podcast on what was a GREAT day and game for Gianfranco and the boys.

COME ON YOU ORNS!

TO LISTEN:
iTunes - http://bit.ly/rookeryend
MP3 Direct - http://rookery.receptionmedia.com/get.php?web=podcast-2013-04-20-92699.mp3
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So. How are you feeling?

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:15:36 PDT

As the final whistle went at Millwall last night, I didn't know quite how to feel. Should I be pleased that we'd put in a better performance? Annoyed that Hull had lost and we'd done likewise? Should I be resigned to the play-offs? Should I be happy with the play-offs? It's hard to be too upset when we've spent the last few years fighting relegation. Isn't it? Isn't it?

Well, I wasn't sure so, I took to Twitter to ask fellow fans what they felt, in a bid to try and get my head round it. I asked Watford supporters to let me know their post-Millwall feelings in one word only and the diagram below shows the results. The bigger the word, the more often it was used.

If your feelings aren't represented in the diagram below, feel free to leave your one word feeling in the comments section...

Oh, and for heavens sake, COME ON YOU HORNS!

The one word feelings of Watford supporters after defeat at Millwall - 16/04/2013

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WEEKLY PODCAST: Posh Problems

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:25:07 PDT

As the countdown to the first season under the Pozzo Family continues our Post Posh podcast out now!

Recorded on our way to and from London Road, it features a chat with Frank Smith from The Watford Observer who reflects on the season and the changes that he's seen this year at Watford FC.

In the new pod you can hear the boys chat about the contenders for Player of The Season where you'll hear why David Lewy (who's fastly becoming a regular co-shost) thinks Mark Yeates should be player of the year!

You can listen via iTUNES or download an MP3 DIRECT

Thanks for listening!

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Thursday Fun - Burnley

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 05:00:03 PDT

We've not done one of these for a while. Jason has been using his sweety collection to recreate a memorable incident between Watford and our visiting team this week - Burnley.

Put your thoughts / ideas in the comments section below!

Friday is going to be an important game to not only get the boys back to winning ways, but on the best footing possible for of our MASSIVE games against Hull and Cardiff in the coming week. The Vic looks like it will be a sell out. Let's get right behind Gianfranco and the team in these last 8 games - COME ON YOU 'ORNS!!!!!

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And breathe...

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 03:27:27 PDT

Enjoy the rest Hornets. We've got work to do...

It’s called the International break, but for me it’s nothing of the sort. It’s just a break. A rest. If I’m brutally honest I’m not even sure when the International fixtures are due to take place. It’s not that I don’t care about England, I’ll always want them to do well, but at the moment the International game simply isn’t on my supporters radar. It’s all about Watford.

Like you, I am totally consumed with events at WD18 and as we continue to see one of the most eventful periods in the clubs history unfold, I need to recharge my batteries ahead for the final push. I doubt I’m alone.

Our last two games saw defeats against Blackpool and Barnsley (Why do we have an aversion to beating sides beginning with B?!) and with injuries taking their toll, we have looked a shadow of the side that has motored up the Championship table. (Check this out for a clear illustration of the momentum we had built up)

I think we’ve been collectively jaded. Performances on the pitch have been tough going, and that has been reflected in some muted atmospheres at Vicarage Road. The pressure might have been getting to all of us. It’s not surprising – we’re not used to this, are we? For the last few years our sole aim has been to avoid relegation, and even at the start of this campaign, our first under the new owners, I think the most any of us reasonably hoped for was a comfortable mid-table finish. Consolidation. No drama.

No drama? You’re kidding. This is Watford.

With eight games to go we find ourselves in third place, well and truly in the running for promotion. There’s no hiding from it any more, no dressing it up or playing it down, no staying under the radar. We’re contenders and as soon as you come under that heading, things change. Other teams and their supporters want to beat you, opposition players turn it on against you (The lovable Tom Ince clearly viewed his goal against us a career highlight), the media take more of an interest and perhaps most obviously of all – supporters’ expectation levels are raised. After years of wondering where our next win would come from, it’s incredible how quickly you can get used to seeing your team winning. I’ll be honest - even I, the king of the pessimists, have gone into games expecting us to emerge victorious. It’s unprecedented. Of course, the flipside comes when we don’t win. The reaction to defeats now ranges from hysterical to glum resignation, from hopeful to horrified. We all react differently but we’ve all got something in common. We’re desperate for Watford to do well.

That’s why I’m grateful for this break. It gives us as supporters a chance to relax briefly, to evaluate and take stock of what we’ve achieved. We’ve come a long way and this season has already been a memorable one – we mustn’t forget that. That’s not to say we should rest on our laurels – absolutely not. Success is there for the taking, and this season could yet prove to be one of the most important in our history, but there’s nothing wrong with being pleased with how far we’ve come in such a short space of time.

This lull in proceedings has also given the Football League a chance to reveal their judgment in the misconduct case against our former owner. The verdict is by now well known and Watford will not be the victim of a points deduction or fine, whilst the increasingly hapless looking Laurence Bassini has been banned from football for three years. Good news all round, and we can now look forward to seeing how everyone’s favourite Stanmore businessman comes out of his dispute with the Russo brothers. I know who my money is on.

There is one final benefit to the break. Whilst our new squad has its fair share of internationals (a list that now includes Lloyd Doyley – good luck Lloyd and well done!) and those players will be in action during the pause in league action, it is an undeniable opportunity for the squad to rest, refocus and get ready for the final push. There have been niggling injuries and losses in form, and this gap in fixtures is the perfect opportunity to address both issues.

In summary, we should enjoy this little holiday, this rare opportunity to catch our breath, for by the time Good Friday rolls round, we and the players we cheer on should both be ready to give it their all for the run in. No excuses, no hiding. We need to be ready for action.

There is no point in denying that I’m as nervous as I am excited. It sure beats fretting about relegation, but whilst watching the last few games I’ve felt like I was being suffocated, barely daring to breathe such is the tension. This enforced Watford-free time however has shown me something though. It’s time to man the heck up. No-one ever got anywhere by being tense and nervous. Football is no game for the faint hearted. We’re near the top of the league, are more than capable of promotion and I should be enjoying it. We should be enjoying it. We’ve had a few poor results, fine, but who doesn’t. They have been and gone. There is nothing we or anything else can do about it and we’re still up there and fighting. If you were in any doubt as to the difference us as supporters can have, listen to the Manuel Almunia and Joel Ekstrand interviews on the two most recent podcasts. We can make a difference. They want us to enjoy it, they want us to be noisy, they want us to help them over the line. Eight games left. Let’s do it. Let’s do it together.

Come on you Horns.
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How many points?

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:55:37 PST

Come on own up. Who walked out of Vicarage Road on Tuesday night doing maths? "If we've won and Hull lost then they'd be on 65 and we'd be on 66 and....." and you drift off into a world of possibility and unknown.

The question isn't where are we now, but where could we be at the end of the season? Paul Dewen is a Watford fan over in Denver USA and he is quite the stat man.

He sent us this little analysis:

What do we need to do to finish in 2nd Place?

Over the last 10 seasons, here are the points totals for the team that finished second in the Championship:

- Max = 92

- Mean = 87

- Min = 79

Watford are currently has 66 points and have 10 games remaining. To hit the corresponding totals, Watford would need:

- Max: 2.6 pts/game, or 9 wins

- Mean: 2.1 pts/game, or 7 wins

- Min: 1.3 pts/game, or 4 wins

So how do we become the champions of the Championship?

If you do the same maths for the teams finishing first in the Championship over the last 10 seasons:

- Max = 106 - Watford cannot match this anymore

- Mean = 93 - Watford needs 2.7 pts/game, or 9 wins

- Min = 81 - Watford needs 1.5 pts/game, or 5 wins

So is either 1st or 2nd this achievable?

Well, Watford's form over the last 10 games is 7W, 2D, 1L = 2.3 pts/game. If we keep that up then we would (on the mean average over the last 10 years) finish in 2nd place and be promoted automatically.

We've learnt in the last week that we can "drop points" and no one game in the coming 10 games is going to be the make or break of this season. There have been many of those over the season that meant we dropped points. However a lot could depend on our results against Hull, Cardiff, and Leicester.

Big things for little people...

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:29:02 PST

Fernando. A goalkeeper he is not.

I saw some stuff today.

I saw children physically shaking with excitement as they patiently stood in line to take a penalty against Fernando Forestieri. (Insert your on diving gag here). I saw Gianfranco Zola watching on, encouraging, celebrating with those who were successful, smiling with and high-fiving those that weren't. I saw autograph books being filled up, players taking the time to talk to both kids and parents alike. I saw children explaining to their Mums exactly who had signed their shirt where.

I saw happy faces everywhere.

Today saw the doors of the Legends Lounge at Vicarage Road flung open to any children who wanted to come along and say hello to their heroes. The response was incredible, a seemingly never ending stream of wide eyed children trooping into the venue, the excitement and enjoyment plain for all to see. Watford supporters are rightly proud of the emphasis the club has placed on encouraging young talent on the pitch, but this afternoon was a nice reminder of the importance of nurturing the next generation of supporters, too.

It was rewarding to be there on a number of levels. Firstly, seeing the youngsters faces as they interacted with members of the first team squad and the incredibly friendly and welcoming head coach (Take time to remember how lucky we are to have Gianfranco Zola at the helm, folks. He's a special chap) was an absolute joy. Their obvious excitement provided a pure, stripped back reminder of the joy that football can provide. Secondly, it was nice to know that the club bothers to put these things on. It shows they are thinking. It shows they care.

In a time when there is an awful lot wrong with football, this afternoon was a welcome reminder that there is a lot right with it, especially at Watford. Long may it continue.

***

When Jason, Jon and I weren't stood admiring Fernando Forestieri's goalie skills, we recorded a fantastic interview with a real goalkeeper - the mighty Manuel Almunia. You will be able to hear the full interview on the new podcast which will be out at the beginning of next week. To keep you going until then, we recorded a micro pod at the event today, and you can hear it below:

Come on You Horns!

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EXTRA TIME: Pre Derby @ home

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:23:05 PST

From time to time we may do a short mini podcast that we call "From The Rookery End Extra Time.

Listen to the first one below where we have a question for you.

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The Pozzo Way or Holloway?

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:30:55 PST

It's a thumbs down from us, Ian.

“...there comes a time, for making your mind up”

- Bucks Fizz, 1981

Back in 1981, English pop outfit Bucks Fizz were the toast of Europe (sort of). They swept all before them as they stormed to Eurovision Song Contest glory, singing of speeding up, slowing down, hitting the top and playing around, all set to a routine that culminated in Cheryl Baker’s skirt being ripped off (It’s true kids). Thirty years on and Watford Football Club are having their own little dalliance with Europe. Having been purchased by the Pozzo family, Vicarage Road is now home to a cosmopolitan mixture of talent, and the Hornets are starting to attract attention.

More accurately, they are starting to attract criticism.

The loan situation wasn’t one that immediately sat well with Watford supporters. Truth be told, it’s still too early to tell where it will leave us as a club. There remains uncertainty amongst Watford’s own supporters, so it should come as no surprise that those outside Vicarage Road should be inquisitive and sceptical. It started off as expected, a few jibes from opposition supporters (more often than not the wonderfully imaginative “Udinese B” - oh go on, say it again, please...) but after an initial high profile outburst from West Ham fanatic Martin Samuel, all was relatively quiet.

Then something strange happened. Watford started winning. A lot. They became realistic promotion contenders. They became a threat. They became public enemy number one.

Faux bumpkin Ian Holloway became the catalyst for the latest swathe of anti-Watford feeling, complaining on live TV both before and after Watford’s recent fixture with Crystal Palace about the situation at Vicarage Road. The deliberately contrary Adrian Durham of talkSPORT was only to quick to wade in with a few well placed digs in the following days, whilst opposition supporters warmed to their task, taking to the airwaves and the internet to speak out about the growing problem to football that Watford are posing. The strange thing is that whilst the majority are quick to voice their concern and opposition, most seem startlingly unsure of exactly what it is they are so unhappy about.

Well, as Bucks Fizz so eloquently said, there comes a time for making your mind up. That time is now.

“You’re losing your identity...”

Identity. What is identity when it comes to Football Clubs? For me it’s quite simple, quite stark. A Football Club is it’s name. The badge. The shirt. The supporters and the community it serves. Owners, managers and players come and go, they are completely transient. Amongst them are heroes and villains, legends and losers, the unforgettable and the unforgivable. Each and every one of them plays a part in making the club what it is, but no one player, no team or squad provides an identity. That is something else entirely, something long lasting and indelible.

It’s impossible to ignore that the class of 2012/13 has many more new faces than normal, with the future destination of many of them unsure and an unprecedented number on loan. As with any other season however, the team play at Vicarage Road, and they take to the field in the famous yellow shirt with the Hart upon the crest. Z cars is till played over the PA. They are active in the community and continue to welcome families like no other, whilst the supporters continue to love their golden boys. Any initial concerns at whether or not a team comprised of temporary signings would care about their adopted club have long since been banished, hard working, battling displays have been plentiful.
This is a club in the midst of transition, not an identity crisis.

“You’re just a feeder club, you’ve had it when all the loanees go back...”

It’s been established beyond all reasonable doubt that Watford have a lot of players on loan (thanks to all those who continually point this out, it’s nice to know we’re not going mad). It’s therefore fair to assume that if all of those players were to leave Vicarage Road at the end of the season, the squad would be somewhat threadbare. Of course, imagining that this scenario could actually take place is another thing altogether. To suggest it’s a possibility is to do two things. 1) To ignore what the Pozzo family have achieved in football, and 2) To assume that the Pozzo family are daft. I’ll help you out here. The answer to 1) is: A lot. The answer to 2) is: They are not.

After a recent brush with a less than desirable owner, Watford supporters know that blind faith in the top brass is dangerous, so with the Pozzo regime still in its infancy, it would be prudent to reserve total judgement for the time being. This said, the omens are good. Success at Udinese and latterly at Granada illustrate that these guys know what they are doing. They are also in it for the long haul, they are happy playing the long game. They don’t just achieve success (Champions League for Udinese, promotion to La Liga for extinction threatened Granada), they do it in a sustainable fashion.

Let’s be clear, The Pozzo family want their teams to be successful because this helps them make money. Successful teams are usually filled with successful players, players that can be sold for a profit. It’s a simple premise and there’s no reason to suggest that they want to apply a different business model at Vicarage Road. They want to build a football club that can hold its own, whilst developing high quality players that can eventually be sold on for big money. Not much is certain in football, but it’s pretty obvious they won’t do this at Watford if they simply send all the players back each year. It’s not how they operate, it’s not going to happen.

“All those foreigners mean there is no hope for English talent...”

I like this one. It’s easy. It’s easy because it’s not about opinion or conjecture, it’s about fact. I’m going to give you a list of names. Jonathan Bond. Fitz Hall. Lloyd Doyley. Adam Thompson. Tommie Hoban. Nathaniel Chalobah. John Eustace. Mark Yeates. Jonathan Hogg. Craig Forsyth. Sean Murray. Connor Smith. Troy Deeney. Lee Hodson. I could go on, but I’m sure you’ve twigged by now.

That’s right, they are all British/Irish players who have played for Watford this year, many of them youngsters at the very beginning of their careers with all but Chalobah owned outright by Watford. Indeed, seven of these names came through the Academy at Watford and it’s been a rare occasion where a team in opposition has boasted more academy graduates in their match-day squad.

“All those foreigners mean there is no hope for youngsters...”

Have you learned nothing? See above.

“Why should Watford have all these loans from one club? It’s ridiculous...”

It’s hard to argue that a high number of loans from a single club isn’t a bit strange. It’s certainly not been seen in this country before, and as Ian Holloway was keen to point out again and again and again, clubs can only have a maximum of two players on loan from any one English club. So, yes, I’ll admit, the number of loans from Udinese is, shall we say, unique. There’s an important thing to note here though. It’s perfectly legal. The rules are the same for Watford as they are for every other club. There’s a difference between it being surprising or different to being cheating the system. It’s a level playing field. You think the Pozzo way is going to ruin Watford? Fine, let us worry about that. We’ll cope. You think the system gives Watford an advantage? Fine, you go and get yourself a legion of loans from abroad, too. There isn’t anything stopping you.

Except there is.

You can’t, can you? Not really.

And this is where we get to the crux of the matter. The complaints and allegations I’ve highlighted above are a bit halfhearted. The people making those statements don’t really mean them, Ian Holloway and Adrian Durham included. What they are actually upset about, what they actually feel is a lot more straightforward. They don’t think it’s fair.

One of the most cringeworthy aspects of Holloway’s pre and post match bleating was his mention of Alec (sic) Ferguson. “What must fantastic people like him at the top of our game think?” mused Holloway, presumably by this stage not realising that he was talking out loud. What does Sir Alex Ferguson think, Ian? He probably thinks that Watford are lucky to have resources afforded them by a clever, successful and wealthy owner, that others don’t have. he probably remembers that Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in the world on the back of being top of the league when the planet went Premier League crazy. A bit of luck, right place, right time. He probably thinks they are vaguely similar to Manchester City, a club taken over by one of the richest men in the world, the poor relations of Manchester turned into a global superpower overnight. He probably thinks it has some similarities to Abramovich taking over Chelsea, who went from Ken Bates to Billionaires in an instant. None of these clubs earned their access to additional resources, but they’ve got them. It isn’t fair is it? Sir Alex doesn’t care, Ian.

The moral outrage is a smokescreen. The game is in a precarious state, with clubs facing winding up orders and administration with alarming regularity. League clubs are saddling themselves with millions of pounds worth of debt, gambling on getting to the Premier League, where they will then be forced to gamble further still in an attempt to stay there. The football landscape is dominated by mountain after of debt, and where there is none, hugely wealthy owners such as Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour continue to build the least sustainable model of football club humanly possible. Compare this with the Pozzo way. Use an extensive scouting network to find young, promising players. Utilise these players, loan them to partner clubs with a view to getting the clubs promoted. Sell the players when they are successful, reinvest and start the process again. Too simple to work? Have a look at what Udinese and Granada have achieved and come back to me.

So, whilst the world stands by and is spoon fed the ‘best league in the world’, blindly queuing up to pat the English game on the back for attracting the best players in the world to the Premier League whilst the game teeters on the brink, we are to believe it is Watford and the Pozzo family who are the enemy of football. It is they who are subverting the natural order. Of exploiting loopholes, of threatening the fabric of our once great game. I’m pretty sure I know why football is failing, and it isn’t because Watford have signed Almen Abdi, Marco Cassetti and Matej Vydra from Udinese.

The long and the short of it is that thanks to their owners, Watford have a chance of something special. I don’t expect everyone to be delighted by this, as for some bizarre reason not everyone supports Watford, but if you really have a problem with it, I want and expect you to be certain why. It’s time to make your mind up.

It's only fair.

Silence is Golden

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:53:46 PST

We love a guest contributor on the blog, and Jordi Connor (@jordiconnor) is back with another blog post. This time Jordi looks at the post match reaction after Watford's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.

******

We’re all unique. Every single one of us has a number of attributes that make us different from everybody else. These differences can be incredibly powerful. Over time, little differences have powered evolution.

But differences can work against us too. Sometimes people look for differences to find enemies. Being on the receiving end of such an attitude is unpleasant and leaves you with two options. Depending on the circumstances, you have to choose whether to fight back or ignore it.

Right now, the main thing that distinguishes Watford from other clubs in England is our relationship with the Pozzo family. Their ownership has brought us some much needed stability and financial security off the pitch. However, the most visible benefit of the association is the number of players we have signed on loan from Udinese and Granada.

After the game on Friday night, Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway used his post-match interview to draw attention to our new look squad and claim that such arrangements aren’t right or fair. To many it seemed a strange topic to dwell on. His side had just overturned a two-goal deficit to snatch a point. Surely he would want to focus on praising his players. Instead he turned the spotlight on us.

In the face of such an attack, many Watford fans took to social media and radio to defend our transfer policy and clarify the situation.

Such a reaction is understandable. But it misses the point. Holloway doesn't care whether a year-long international loan counts as a transfer. Nor does he care whether local lads are missing out on the chance to pull on a Hornets shirt. He is looking at the bigger picture.

The battle isn't about who has the most ethical business practices, it's about who gets promoted.

That's all that matters. And it won't just be decided on the pitch.

The New Watford
One of the differences between the pre-Pozzo Watford and the current Hornets team is that we are now a threat to teams who fancy their chances of promotion, amongst them, Crystal Palace.

Last season, Manchester City won the Premiership title on goal difference. That's the margin of success and failure. In professional sport, anything that gives you a competitive advantage is to be exploited.

Following Holloway's outburst, we are now under scrutiny. Footballers are humans too and while some thrive when they are the focus of attention, others struggle.

He's manipulated the puppets in the media and made us the bad guys. And he’ll be hoping that the extra attention affects our form. It might not be nice, but we have to get used to it because as we get to the business end of the season, we can expect more attacks.

It is said that in war, truth is the first casualty.

The fact that we have English, Irish, Swedish, Czech and Swiss players in our squad is irrelevant. Our visible link is to Italy, so we'll probably be accused of diving, gamesmanship, of influencing officials and much more before we head off for our summer holidays.

The fact that we started the game against Palace with only four players from the Pozzo portfolio is irrelevant.
When people have an opinion they tend to adapt ‘reality’ to suit their own viewpoint. So, there is no point entering into a debate or arguing with everyone who has a go at us. They almost certainly aren’t interested in being enlightened.

Just as the players need to show they can deal with the pressure that come with success, so too the supporters have to learn to roll with the punches. Particularly as it will be ten times worse when we go up!

If we respond to every attack, all we do is fan the flames and do Holloway's job for him.

Oscar Wilde was spot on when he observed that the only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about. So over the next few months, whenever someone has a pop at Watford and tries to distract us from our goal of promotion, let’s accept it as a compliment, ignore them and keep our eyes on the prize.

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COMPETITION: Marvin's England U21 Shirt

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:06:51 PST

Win with FTRE!

In the February edition of the podcast, we launched our exclusive competition that gives you the chance to win a match-worn and signed Marvin Sordell England Under 21 shirt.

This is an amazing prize, so as you might expect, you're going to have to work for it. When we spoke with Marvin recently, we asked him to name his favourite Watford team, comprising players that he played with during his time at Vicarage Road. All you have to do to win, is match Marvin's selection!

To win it send an email to podcast@fromtherookeryend.com with the subject "Marvin's Shirt" and tell us the 11 players. We'll be nice and give you a clue - Marvin is in the team, and has gone for a 4-4-2 formation.

Thanks very much to Marvin for the amazing prize, and good luck!

IMPORTANT/FAIR STUFF:
Entries will only be accepted by the above email address. We will pick out two to three answers every podcast, read them out and state how many of the 11 are correct. You can enter as many times as you like.

Be sure to check out the fantastic work Marvin is doing for charity with the Marvin Sordell Foundation. You can find out more information here - http://www.marvinsordell.co.uk/
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The morning after the night before..

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 05:19:40 PST

OI! Zola, what are you looking so happy about?

I’ll be honest. I wouldn’t have made six changes.

That said, Gianfranco Zola and I differ in many ways. There are a lot of things that he has done that I haven’t. Among them, making 629 club appearances and picking up 31 International caps during a playing career that spanned over two decades. He’s also managed in the Premier League. It’s fair to say our footballing experiences have been slightly different. A glittering career and a (well deserved) reputation as one of the nicest men in football shouldn’t mean he is exempt from criticism of course, but I must confess to being shocked at the level of abuse headed Zola’s way in the wake of Watford’s defeat at Bristol City.

High on the list of accusations was complacency. Of not taking bottom of the table Bristol City seriously, making changes because he thought we could just turn up and win. I find that a tough notion to entertain. In twenty seasons of football, Zola will have played against bottom of the table sides at least forty times. I find it impossible to believe that he and his teammates will have left the field after any of these encounters thinking “crikey, that was easy, we should have sent out the reserves…” That’s just not how football is. With this in mind, why would Zola change his outlook now? After being involved in the professional game for 29 years, why on a wet Tuesday night In Bristol would he decide that bottom of the table teams are easy to beat?

The other main charge levelled against Zola, was one of playing a weakened team. A weakened team? A team weakened by the presence of Fitz Hall, one of our most consistent defenders, fans favourite Sean Murray, club captain John Eustace, Jonathan Hogg – who supporters had fretted about losing to Ipswich, Alex Geijo, complete with his record of almost a goal every other game in La Liga and cult hero Fernando Forestieri? I’m sure there are plenty of other clubs who would like to have those sorts of weaknesses.

Quite apart from anything else, if players aren’t good enough to feature in the first team, what are they doing on the books? Weakened team my foot. I’m not having that.

What (I hope) people were actually upset by was the changed team. I wouldn’t say I was particularly angered by the changes, but I’ll repeat my first sentence – I wouldn’t have made six of them. If it ‘aint broke don’t fix it is on the surface of things, a fairly sound motto, but I’ll repeat my second point – Gianfranco Zola knows a lot more about football and the inner workings of this Watford team than I do.

The elephant(s) in the room are Deeney and Vydra. Two of the most feared strikers in the division left on the bench. Were they tired? Did Zola want to keep them fresh and hungry for the upcoming games? Were they carrying slight injuries? Perhaps. We’ll never know. It was a brave move, whatever the reasoning behind it, and whilst it didn’t pay dividends in this particular game, it may benefit them and the team as the season progresses. There’s a long way to go and perhaps even hotshot strikers need a bit of looking after from time to time.

Two of our other stellar performers have been Chalobah and Cassetti, both also left on the bench, both for presumably the same reason. One is very young and playing his first season of competitive football, the other is older and is playing in what must be one of his last. Chalobah has been showing signs of needing a break, losing possession easily on occasion, whilst expecting Cassetti to play 46 games is totally unrealistic. Resting them at different times may have made more sense, but if it turns out we’ve sacrificed this game to keep those two at peak performance for the rest of the season, then it might have been worth it.

Battochio and Doyley were the others to drop out, both of whom will have been disappointed. It’s unlikely however that they’ll have been as disappointed as the 1,000 Hornets fans who had travelled to Ashton Gate and the countless others who were listening in, hoping that Watford could secure second place in the table. I count myself among that number. I hate losing, especially in what looks like a winnable game on the back of a terrific run of form.

The chances are that Zola probably made a few mistakes last night and I’m sure they won’t be his last as Watford boss. I’d be amazed if he wasn’t as frustrated as the rest of us with the result. As supporters our duty isn’t to blindly praise or defend everything that happens, we have the right to be critical, to pass judgement, to offer our opinion. It’s part of the fun, an intrinsic part of the football fan experience. If however you’re going to be critical, try and think it through. Take your arguments or observations through to their natural conclusion. Weigh up both sides before condemning. I repeat. We all have the right to criticise, but there are very few occasions, especially at this moment in time where that criticism can’t be constructive.

Come on You Horns.

Your new favourite Watford goal.

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 06:31:49 PST

Every Watford fan has a list of their favourite hornet goals. The team goal, that Cris Battocchio finished off, against Huddersfield on 19th January 2013 is bound to be added to a list or two. Here, in pictorial form, is that majestic goal.

No-one likes us...

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 02:08:25 PST

It's the lone (loan) ranger. See what I've done.. oh forget it.

A while ago, with Watford firmly in the cross hairs of opposition supporters and a few journalists with an agenda, I wrote the following article. Since I put pen to paper, the Hornets have continued to attract criticism, largely from ill informed local journalists who are seemingly unwilling to do even the most basic of research, whilst opposing supporters still gleefully (but woefully inaccurately) label us "Udinese B" or "Cheating Italians"

On the flip side, however, a few people have started to sit up and take notice, recognising that this is a genuinely exciting team that has a lot of potential - the clinical dismantling of Brighton live on Sky over Christmas certainly caught the attention of those who may previously have dismissed the Hornets as an irrelevance. There are still those who choose to question and criticise Watford and their owners though, so I think it's an opportune time to ask my original question again. No-one likes us. Should we care?...

(Original article written October 2012)

Watford have always had something of a ‘cuddly’ image. They were of course the original family club and in the main, that reputation remains. I’ve never had a problem with it – the clubs active efforts to court families when I was growing up in the 80s are the reason I’m a supporter now. I have no doubt my Dad wouldn’t have taken me and my younger brother to Vicarage Road so often if it wasn’t for the safe environment we were guaranteed.

This continued positioning means that the Hornets have very rarely been viewed as anything other than inoffensive. The closest Watford have come to upsetting people came back in the early 1980’s when Graham Taylor raised the hackles of established Division One managers – largely by beating them and their supposedly better teams week in week out. Aidy Boothroyd ruffled a few feathers too, but in the main it has been hard to find many people with a bad word to say about my club.

Until now.

When the Pozzo family, owners of Udinese (Serie A) and Granada (La Liga) took over at WD18 in the summer, they attracted criticism by immediately sacking Sean Dyche and replacing him with Gianfranco Zola. This was followed up with the implementation of the model that had brought success to Granada – namely loaning the Spanish club players from Udinese. This tactic paid spectacular dividends as Granada earned back to back promotions, but eyebrows were raised and questions asked when bolstered by loans, Watford’s squad ballooned to a total of 42 professional players.

After an indifferent start to the season, the initial interest in Watford’s fortunes seemed to have waned – onlookers dismissing the Pozzo project as an ill thought out idea, doomed to fail. Then the landscape changed again. Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail wrote an article under the headline: “Watford are a snapshot of all that is wrong with the modern game”. It was fairly easy to deduce that the man from the Mail is not a fan. Then came consecutive away wins at Huddersfield and Charlton, welcome wins for Watford, but they brought with them complaints from opposition fans, many of them seemingly upset with the number of foreigners Watford now had in the squad, and the way in which a few of them seemed to have trouble staying upright.

All of a sudden Watford fans have found themselves in the unfamiliar situation of having to defend the club on a number of fronts. Whether it is national journalists suggesting Watford are ruining the game by using the loan system to gain an unfair advantage, or opposition fans furious at the antics of players from overseas, Watford are quickly turning into the club everyone loves to hate.

It could be argued that in becoming a target for opposition fans, we are clearly doing something right. After all would they be so upset if they hadn’t lost to us? If we’re worth getting angry about, we’re at least making people sit up and notice. Indeed, I had a conversation with a fellow Watford supporter last season who surprised me by saying he wished Watford could get rid of their nice guy image. He felt it was a competitive disadvantage and voiced his desire for Watford to be ‘a bit more nasty’.

Well, it looks like the change in perception he wanted has come to pass.

It feels like for now at least, no-one likes us. The real question is – should we care?

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Diving. It's time to take a look at ourselves.

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:29:36 PDT

Mr Tumble. Falling over is no laughing matter.

Good grief this is tiresome.

The weekend’s football was once again shrouded in controversy – an ill judged red card ruined my afternoon’s entertainment at Vicarage Road, whilst elsewhere, Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale were embarrassing themselves with a pair of breath-taking, gravity-defying tumbles. Whilst Hornets fans wait to see if Matej Vydra’s dismissal will be overturned, the rest of the footballing fraternity are embroiled in a debate about diving. Again.

I’m certain that all right minded football fans agree that diving is abhorrent. It’s cheating the referee, it’s cheating the opponent, and perhaps most importantly of all – it’s cheating the viewing public. Anyone with even a vague interest in football is united by a view that something needs to be done, and with a couple of high profile examples bringing the subject back into the spotlight, surely now is as good a time as any to identify the way forward?

In practice, yes, but in reality, football remains its own worst enemy.

At a time when a little sensible debate and reasoned discussion is required, balance seemingly disappears out of the window; one-eyed tribalism and a desire for opportunistic points scoring seemingly more important than tackling the real issue. Take the Suarez incident for example. Understandably, Liverpool supporters have been quick to provide their take on the situation, taking part in radio phone-ins and online debates. Nothing wrong in that of course, it’s their club involved, but instead of looking at the actions of their player, too many chose instead to look at the behaviour of the opposition – in this case Stoke City.

It’s perhaps unfortunate that in this case the game featured another controversial incident, Robert Huth appearing to stamp on Luis Suarez – the Uruguayan seemingly a magnet for high profile talking points. Huth’s challenge was an unpleasant, nasty, dangerous one and certainly warrants discussion – but isn’t valid as a defence for the Suarez dive. “Yeah, but did you see what their guy did to our player first…” just doesn’t wash with me.

Numerous journalists also decided not to give the diving issue the platform it deserved, instead choosing to poke fun at Tony Pulis, the Stoke City Manager. Pulis publicly denounced Suarez for his airborne antics, yet he was mocked for doing so – reminded of his blithe reaction to Peter Crouch’s handballed goal against Chelsea in which he was happy to embrace an ill-gotten goal, welcoming the bit of “luck” he felt it represented. The intimation being that Pulis waived his right to comment on anything when he didn’t condemn Peter Crouch for handling the ball. One of his players has broken a law of the game and got away with it, so why should he moan about an opposition player doing so?

It’s a nonsense. Are we only to accept opinion from those who can claim to have permanently occupied the moral high ground? Can we only take situations seriously when the wronged has never been in the wrong themselves? The truth is it is easier to look at the failings of another, point at an opposition player or a rival manager than to admit fault and take steps to tackle it. “Yes, we may have behaved badly, but don’t forget what they did back then…”

It’s not a sophisticated defence, diversionary tactics have been used forever and a day – largely because they are simple and effective, but whilst we as football people consistently choose to find fault in others instead of taking responsibility for the actions of ourselves or our football teams, this tiresome charade will continue.

WFC in 100 Objects - #32: A Joy Garden Chinese Takeaway Menu

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:36:02 PDT

What has a takeaway menu got to do with a Football Club, let alone be important enough to go into our list of Watford in 100 Objects? Well Matthew Wilsonhome emailed us and told us his special story about how it helped him during his time as a Watford fan. Matt wrote:

Due to parents divorcing I moved to Ingatestone in Essex from Hemel Hempstead at the age of 10.

From the age of 14 I used to tell my mother I was off Saturday shopping in Romford, but used to get the train to Liverpool Street, across London and then up to Watford to see the Hornets.

Post match I used to wait for the Joy Garden to open and treat myself to rice and a soup (easy to eat with a spoon on the way to the station). This went on until I was 18 when I moved back to the area in Oxhey.

For the record I was allowed on my own on the train from 16 but it wasn't until I was 18 that I told my mother what I used to do.

The Joy Garden on Vicarage Road

So that list of Chinese food dishes not only sums up the commitment and passion of a football fan and of course lying to a mother. Let's hope Matt's Mum forgave him!

If you've got a story like Matt's that you want to share then please drop us an email. The list is growing - be a part of it!
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WFC in 100 Objects - #31 The Family Enclosure/Terrace

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:35:50 PDT

The Family Enclosure - Photo from http://goalden.watfordmuseum.org.uk/online.html

On of our highly suggested object is The Family Encloure/Terrace, but it was Orlander Yard's email of his memories of the North-East of Vicarage Road that gave us the perfect reasons to put it into the list:

********

One thing that stands out for me is, because of the makeshift appearance of the main stand. We had both a seated and a standing family area (The family enclosure and the terrace). One thing I can safely say is that Watford fans aren't always the most vocal. With the exception of that fateful Sunderland game when gifton got injured. And the Sunderland fans wished they were as vocal as us. Any way, when ever there was a quiet spell in a game, you could often hear the high pitched chant, "Watford (clap clap clap) Watford.

I often thought that chanting coming from the family terrace was a bit embarrassing for the vicarage road end fans. And that squeaky chant would often inspire the fans to sing, just to drown out the the noise coming from the family terrace.

I also remember in the 80s when we were often beating the big boys. There used to be a young blond boy in the family terrace (he must be in close to 40 now). When ever Watford were winning, he'd take his Watford top off and spin it round over his head. That always made a few of the Vicarage Road regulars laugh.

Cheers

Orlander

********

I adored the old family areas in the East Stand. I have lots of fond memories of my early days as a Junior Hornet, the evenings meeting the players, Ann Swanson running the place telling us off for being negative in our shouts towards Dave Bassett and, as pointed out in an email we got from Dr Billyo, the sticker hunt where I made a swap with David James. I hope that whenever the East Stand is rebuilt that a Family specific area and facilities are built to grow future generations of Watford fans!

-- Jon

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Desperation Stakes?

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 01:12:14 PDT

After Watford's terrific win at Huddersfield at the weekend, Watford fan and regular FTRE contributor Kelly Somers had a few things she wanted to say. Well, what better place to talk about Watford than here at From the Rookery End, so do yourself a favour, get comfy and feast your eyes on Kelly's current thoughts. If you've got an opinion, feel free to add it in the comments box below. These are interesting times at Watford and there is some great debate to be had. All feedback, opinion and interaction is appreciated. It's what makes being a football fan fun.

Over to you Kelly...

Watford FC: A United Front?

Being ‘desperate’ for a win is a phrase somewhat overused in football these days, however on Saturday, for me, this was a place Watford were nearing to finding themselves. Not least because we were slipping down the table into unwanted relegation territory, being without a victory in over a month (it is of course ridiculous to be talking about the table at such an early stage but such is the nature of the game today), but also to prove a point. A victory at high flying Huddersfield following the hysteria stemming from Martin Samuel’s article in the Daily Mail earlier in the week, may just prove a point that myself and many other Watford fans have been trying to prove – that, contrary to the outsider’s opinion, we aren’t just an inflated squad of misfits with miss guided goals, but a united team in progression with a point to prove.

No, it wasn’t a 4-0 victory, or by any means a victory in which Watford fans could feel comfortable in throughout. But this is, arguably, what made the taste of victory all the sweeter. Despite feeling at half time, as I’m sure many Hornets fans did, a serious sense of deja-vu, as the full time whistle eventually blew in Yorkshire, I felt that the team had proved their point and proved it in style. For the Hornets showed resilience and determination – and now as I look back at the manner in which they attacked the game, I realize that the various aspects of the performance, of which I will mention below, meant that this team were never going to come home from the John Smiths stadium with anything less than a victory that they really did deserve.

Zola played tribute to front two and without sounding repetitive, I too cannot speak highly enough of their performance. I have received a great deal of criticism for wanting Troy Deeney to return to the club, but even when doing so, never in my wildest dreams did I expect the number nine to come back in the form he has. On Saturday, not only did he offer what we already knew he could – passion, determination and the ability to put his all into everything and play with his heart on his sleeve – but he also showed a side to his game which often goes unappreciated. Troy is much more than just a Trojan and a hard worker – he has a fantastic touch and even when crowded by numerous opposition players, he can retain the ball and is starting to create moments of brilliance.

Whilst on any other day, this performance and his subsequent winning goal, would easily have won man of the match in my eyes, there was of course another magician alongside, or behind him (depending on which way you translated the formation), in the form of Fernando Forestieri. I was mesmerized by the first glimpse we got of the Italian against Brighton, however I admit to worrying that perhaps I was overly optimistic as I felt he was particularly selfish, and less convincing against Bristol City. How wrong I was though, and the fact that all of the best players are selfish at times – whilst on considerably different levels, take a certain Ronaldo for example – was realized following his performance on Saturday. He took players on and to say he terrorized Huddersfield would not be an exaggeration – yes he often went down easily but the sheer number of fouls committed on him show that at times he really was unplayable.

I do however feel it is also important to pay tribute to the defence – yes there is still work to do, especially as this new formation with ‘wing backs’, especially in a side that contains a less then convincing wing back of Marco Cassetti, does often leave us open to counter attacks. The three centre backs however were truly dominant. Fitz Hall carried on where he left off from last weekend against Brighton and, whilst never shalt we forget ‘Tiny’ Martin Taylor, ‘One Size’ is definitely easing the pain and his goal was just the icing on the cake, topping a commanding defensive performance. As the away end sang, ‘One Size Fitz ‘All’ and Fitz clearly fits in well in our side. Alongside him, whilst I remain unconvinced by Neuton, his performance was arguably his best yet in the yellow jersey, and backed up by Hall and the impressive Hoban behind him, he may as of yet fit into Zola’s 3-5-2 combination.

However, as I mentioned in my previous blog, what has often heartened me this season when worrying about the new regime, is the manner of the fans and the relationship within the squad, however, if there was ever a game to assure fans that this is not a problem, it was Saturday. Not only was the atmosphere in the away end little short of unreal, I realized there is, on the whole, an acceptance, or at the very least a very convincing attempt to buy into the direction of the club. There were songs for every player, (my favourite was still however ‘We buy who we want, we buy who we wa-ant, from Udinese, we buy who we want) and applause for them all. So contrary to Adrian Durham’s tweet in response to Martin Samuels, stating that the club was losing it’s identity and thus the fan’s connection to it, I would say that true Watford fans are doing the polar opposite.

And this was of course, helped by the players. I have been encouraged to see Deeney tweeting pictures of the various outfits donned by some of the players, particularly the new ones, not least because some of them are so ridiculous it is hilarious, but also because it shows the players do have that all important changing room banter of which a team is based upon. And this was reflected in the performance too – the players appeared to care and be working for each other. Forestieri’s reaction to his goal – to run and embrace his manager – and the way in which following full time the whole team clapped the fans whilst congratulating each other, provided proof of this no end.

And of course how can I not mention Saturday without mentioning the academy products. As Samuel’s article last week proved, for the moment, Watford are an easy target, as we do have many foreign imports in our squad. However, as many Hornets fans were quick to point out to Town fans on Twitter after the game, we did in fact have five academy products in our squad in comparison to the home side’s two. And for me, another reason to celebrate Saturday’s result was the first sight of yet another promising youngster in Hoban. He wobbled at times but for a young lad, in a similar vein to Murray when he burst on to the scene last season, showed maturity was beyond his years, and this was only epitomized by an impressive second half block.

So to the sceptics, the journalists, the condemners, and pretty much anyone else who has an opinion on Watford, I hope you paid attention to what happened at the John Smith stadium on Saturday. For on Saturday something special happened – we responded. Not just the players on the pitch, but the fans in the stadium as well. We united as one and cheered each other on and celebrated together as a club. And Mr Samuel, if we are everything that is wrong with modern football as you say we are, perhaps there is not as much wrong with it as we thought after all – I am sure the travelling 668 Watford fans will tell you that anyway.

-- Kelly Somers

Why it’s hard for humans to be Hornets

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 06:13:21 PDT

We've been very lucky to have lots of people email us asking if they can write a piece for our blog. We welcome such offers with open arms, and our latest excellent contribution comes from Jordi Connor.

Jordi has been supporting Watford since October 1984. At his first game stood on his tiptoes in the Vicarage Road end watching Watford take on Coventry.His random Watford claims to fame include seeing Trevor Senior score, meeting Sietes, and scoring six goals during a charity match at the Vic a couple of seasons ago.

You may think it's an obvious statement, but read on to find out why it is hard for humans to be Hornets.

*****

This is a human fly, not a human hornet!

On the whole, supporting a football team is great. Not only do you get the sense of community and camaraderie that we all crave, but as the famous quote goes, you also get to care passionately about something that doesn’t really matter.

Yet for all the tribalism and welcome escapism it provides from the churn of daily life, there are some aspects of being a football fan that clash with human nature – particularly so if you support Watford right now.

The reasons have rather fancy names, but if we recognise them and how they influence us, then perhaps we can enjoy the journey the club has just embarked on.

The Power of Now!

The first reason affects fans of all clubs and is called Hyperbolic Discounting.

In a nutshell it means we tend to give disproportionate importance to immediate rewards - we’d rather have a smaller prize now than wait for a bigger one.

For example, if someone offered you £100 right now or £120 in a year’s time, you’d probably be inclined to take the cash right away. It also explains why you’ll eat a chocolate bar now when you want to look good on the beach in a few months, or smoke when you know the painful consequences that may await you later in life.

When you think about it, it makes sense. You might not be around in a year to claim the money. And who cares if you eat that slice of cake, you can do some exercise to make up for it later. In humans, impulsiveness and weak willpower come as standard. A bird in the hand and all that.

The problem is when Hyperbolic Discounting affects us as fans.

We picked our team years ago. Or it picked us. Either way, we’re stuck with each other for life.

Rationally, we should take the long term view. So what if we have some dodgy results now? Just so long as it is part of a plan to make us better tomorrow. Look at Manchester Utd, their fans are still reaping the rewards of their board’s patience when Sir Alex Ferguson made a slow start after being appointed manager.

At Watford we don’t even expect success; we’re not used to it. Surely we’d be prepared to accept some bad results at the start of a new reign - especially one that is being overseen by a group who has enjoyed success in Italy and Spain.

Well no. We lose 5-1 to Derby County and people are spitting feathers. Some even went as far as to demand Zola’s head.

Is he mad? Selling Martin Taylor! Get him out!

Never mind that

the transfer deadline meant all business had to be concluded by the end of August
we have Nosworthy, Hall, Neuton and Ekstrand in the squad who can play at the back
Taylor is 33 in a couple of months
he played when Derby stuck four past us two years ago
he was offered a longer and better deal by Sheffield Wednesday
he is from the North East and probably wanted to go anyway

No. What mattered is that we’ve lost RIGHT NOW. And we’re vulnerable to set-pieces. Forget the long term plan, forget seeing the bigger picture. We didn’t get immediate satisfaction and we’re angry.

Human nature in action.

The alternative is to show some willpower and overcome our natural desire to live in the present. I’m not suggesting we become robots, devoid of any emotion. We can, and should, still be upset and frustrated after a bad performance - but we should see it in context. Last season we were delighted with a mid-table finish. Can’t we accept that there will be some bad results as foundations get put in place? Shouldn’t we be prepared to write this and maybe even next season off? It might not be fun in the short term, but if it works our patience will be richly rewarded in due course.

It’s not as if we were likely to get promoted before the Pozzos turned up anyway, so what have we got to lose?

It’s hard to be a hypocrite

The second reason that it’s hard to be a football fan is down to something called Cognitive Dissonance. This is particularly relevant right now for Watford fans coming to terms with the new ‘Watford Way’.

In essence, Cognitive Dissonance is the feeling of tension that you get when you have conflicting beliefs. It’s what makes it hard to be a hypocrite.

Here’s an example of it in action…

A man who prides himself on being quite smart and astute with his money buys a new car. He’s quite happy with his purchase until he reads several reviews slating the model for poor handling at high speed. This upsets him because he considers himself to be shrewd and believes that a decent car should be able to be able to handle high speeds, yet is being told that his one doesn’t. This tension leaves him with three options.

First of all he can find other reasons that the car is still a good purchase and outweigh the bad features – it has a large boot, is cheap to service, is a reliable make, is very comfortable etc.
Alternatively, he can reduce the importance of the causes of the tension – he rarely drives on the motorway so handling at high speeds isn’t a major concern
Most drastic of all, he can change one of the causes of the dissonance – either sell the car or admit he’s not as clever as he thinks

So why does this matter to us?

Well, when you think that there are 90 odd teams in the top four divisions and plenty more at non-league level, it’s hard to rationally justify supporting the team you love. If the dream is to win every game, why would you pick a team that never wins anything? We all like to think we know about football and make smart choices in life. Yet we support Watford.

So when we try and rationalise being Hornets, either to ourselves after another defeat or amongst our friends who follow teams stocked with the world’s best players and who regularly challenge in the Champions League, we ease the dissonance by diminishing the importance of winning all the time.

We also start to elevate the importance of things like

supporting your local team
being part of the community
not being a corporate plaything
being loyal and promoting from within
having a great academy
having a team full of locally born players
match day affordability compared with top flight clubs

And so on.

The problem is that we are no longer locally owned but part of an international project based in Italy. What’s more, our first team squad suddenly looks rather cosmopolitan and our beloved Academy has been ‘downgraded’. Worse still, loyal and popular staff have been shown the door. And to top it all off, we are planning on getting promoted and staying up.

Many of the long cited reasons for being a Hornet have been pulled from under us. This has caused Cognitive Dissonance amongst many fans. As in the example of the chap who bought the car, an extreme solution would be to stop supporting Watford, something that very few of us would ever consider.

The other option is to embrace the changes, find new reasons to be cheerful and diminish the importance of the old justifications.

Do foreign players really care less than locals? Did Heidar? Barnes and Blissett were both born in Jamaica, would we rather they hadn’t signed?
Does it matter that we aren’t reliant on our Academy? I’m sure Harrow is a hotbed of young talent, but isn’t it better to have access to a pool of promising players from around the world, some of whom who have already represented their country?
Does it matter that our owner is foreign? Fair enough, we did alright with a bloke from Pinner, but would we prefer to go back to a Stanmore based businessman? Or have Englishmen like Simpson, Ashcroft and Petchey in the boardroom.
Haven’t we used loan players before? Cleverley, Lansbury, Webber, Cork et al. The difference now is that if they make the grade we’ve benefitted and can sign them - we’ll have developed our own players, not Man Utd’s or Arsenal’s. If they don’t cut it, we’re not lumbered with huge wages and long contracts like under previous regimes. What’s the problem?

The status quo has been smashed and change brings uncertainty which can make some people uncomfortable.

However, change can also bring improvement and opportunity.

If we take a moment to step back, we can see that there are still plenty of reasons to be proud and excited to be Watford fans, they are just different to the reasons we’d have given a couple of years ago. And many teams will envy us for them.

Come On You ‘Orns!

While supporting Watford is an emotional decision and not a rational one, it’s great to be able to list off reasons that make the club special. Out of the blue things have changed dramatically and no one asked us for permission. As fans we have to adapt.

Whatever happens with ‘Project Pozzo’, the Club at least (and at last) appears to have owners with real ambition. While there is no guarantee that they will accomplish their objectives, we can be sure that there will be many downs as well as ups as they try.

It’s going to take a while for them to achieve what they want, but they’ve shown with Udinese that they are in for the long haul. Like it or not, we are too. Those of us still around in thirty years will still be trundling off to the Vic every fortnight (hopefully the East Stand will be sorted by then) regardless of the division we’re in.

So, as fans we have a choice. We can give in to human nature and moan and groan every time a result goes against us and ruins our weekend. We can snipe about the foreign players and wish we remained ‘Little Old Watford’.

Or we can choose to embrace the opportunity we’ve been given. Try to keep our eyes on the prize, fight our instincts when things don’t go our way and try to enjoy the journey, wherever it takes us.

I know what I’ll be doing.

By Jordi Connor - @jordiconnor

Pozzo's Watford: The case for the Prosecution

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 07:04:44 PDT

The Pozzo Revolution: This man/bear is not a fan.

A lot of normal, well balanced and pleasant folk will have today done something they would never normally dream of. They will have read an article in the Daily Mail. The article is by Martin Samuel and it represents the first high profile dig at the Pozzo family and what they are attempting to achieve at Watford Football Club. If you haven't read it you can do so here.

I'm not so blinkered as to think that everyone will agree with what is going on at Watford. It's radical and it understandably leaves a lot of people, Watford fans included, feeling very uncomfortable. I think a healthy debate about the right and wrongs of what is unfolding at Vicarage Road should be welcomed and encouraged, and as supporters we'd have been foolish not to expect our club to come in for criticism for their chosen direction of travel. Mr. Samuel is the first high profile journalist to publish an overtly negative view, and whilst he correctly identifies some of the issues currently challenging fans of Watford and indeed football in general, I feel the piece is wide of the mark in a number of areas.

1) Context. Mr Samuel paints a romantic picture of the club pre-Pozzo regime. He correctly singles out Sean Dyche for praise, his achievements as boss last season were astonishing and his sacking was obviously undeserved. What he fails to point out is the backdrop against which Dyche was working. It was a well known fact that Watford didn't have much to spend, but only now is the true chaos that was taking place behind the scenes coming to light.

The previous owner at the club was notoriously quiet, speaking out only to make outlandish promises that he would never keep. It also transpires that he wasn't running the clubs finances in quite the way we'd all of hoped. Suffice to say that if the Pozzo family hadn't taken over at WD18, there would have been every possibility of Watford ceasing to exist. The cold hard facts are this. It doesn't matter if you agree with the Pozzo methods or not. A future with them was the only viable option, it was their way or no way at all.

I'd be interested to learn what Mr Samuel would prefer - a club out of business for good, or a club operating a model which he disagrees with. Which is the lesser of two evils?

2) "This should not be allowed to happen" No-one is denying that the number of loans Watford have on their books is out of the ordinary. Even those with a full understanding of the Pozzo way of working will have been staggered by the number of players coming through the Vicarage Road doors. It's a shock. But is it wrong? Firstly, and this doesn't make it right, there are no rules against it. But what about morally? Are Watford devaluing the Championship by becoming Udinese's "tool"?

I don't think so.

The plan is clear. Improve the club with an influx of borrowed players. Attain promotion. Continue to use the scouting network to loan or purchase quality players and become an established top flight club, eventually becoming self sufficient with no need for loans or wealthy investors. A simple plan - no guarantees of course, but what's wrong with it? What are the options? Not to strive for success? To continue in a continually hard battle to simply stay afloat?

Why is this approach less palatable than watching on as eye-watering sums of money are pumped from various sources across the globe into the 'top' English clubs to ensure their success? The truth of the matter is that journalists, commentators and brainwashed supporters have spent too long fawning over the top of the Premier League, choosing to ignore the spiralling wages, increased costs of tickets and other warning signs, constantly seduced by claims of the self proclaimed best league in the world and Mario Balotelli. Whilst the focus of these people has remined the top four of the Premier League, the rest of football in his country has been fighting an increasingly hard battle to stay afloat. Not just to stay competitive - to stay in existence. "Yeah, but did you see that backheel from Sergio Aguero?..."

So now Watford are trying a different route to success, choosing not to continue down a route that may keep the club in business, but little else. Choosing not to fight consistently fight to just tread water. Choosing to try and move forward. The method of doing so has not been done before in this country, certainly not to this extent so raised eyebrows are no surprise, but just because it's different, it doesn't necessarily make it wrong.

Mr Samuel asserts that loans of this magnitude shouldn't be allowed to happen, so what is his answer? To stand by and applaud as the usual suspects buy their way to glory whilst the rest of the game suffers and stagnates? Watford have a plan, that if successful will see them in a position to be self sufficient. Who is closer to that goal? Watford or Manchester City?

3) The West Ham Three. An inexplicable amount of Mr Samuel's article is devoted to detailing the deal that took Savio Nsereko to West Ham. Apparently, the fact that he cost West Ham £10 million and didn't set the world on fire is enough to suggest that Gianfranco Zola, Gianluca Nani and Scott Duxberry are no good. Dig a little deeper and you'll learn that Savio had been named 'player of the season' at that summers U19 European Championships, making him one of the most sought after players at the time of his transfer, whilst a series of health problems contributed to his troubled career.

Further examination of the tenure of Zola, Nani and Duxberry at West Ham reveals that Zola steered the club to ninth in the Premier League whilst CEO Duxberry managed to shave 40% off the wage bill - an urgent requirement after the gross mismanagement of the doomed Eggert Magnusson regime. Sullivan and Gold came in, sacked the lot and the club was relegated. Make of that what you will, but I have to question the relevance of one deal when it comes to assessing how equipped the trio are to succeed at Watford. I've been told Martin Samuel is a West Ham supporter. I don't know if this is true, but wouldn't it be disappointing if a national journalist was to let his allegiance cloud his judgement?

Of course that's not to say that the piece doesn't articulate the fears and concerns of many supporters. Watford losing their identity is an oft aired worry. Personally I'm inclined to agree with Gabriel Marcotti on this when he said; "For me, if you're a fan, your loyalty is to the shirt and the badge. Nothing else. The guys who wear the shirt and the guys who run the club are just caretakers." but when a club parachutes in 14 loanees, it's hard not to share those concerns.

The article also highlights Watford's excellent track record with developing youth and it's hard to believe that this hard earned reputation won't be damaged as part of the adopted approach, with players who would previously have been attracted to Watford by first team opportunities being forgiven for thinking twice about joining with a swathe of players ahead of them. Whilst reputational damage seems inevitable, how it plays out in practice will only become clear with time.

If the article achieves anything, it is to highlight the fact that these are uncharted and unsettling times for the majority of Watford fans, many of whom feel utterly contradicted by recognising and understanding both the good and the bad of the Pozzo plan. Whatever their feelings though, I'm sure Hornets supporters will be united in refuting Martin Samuels' claims that "Watford are a snapshot of all that is wrong with modern football". For that, I suggest he looks a bit closer when he returns to writing about the best league in the world.

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A state of flux...

fromtherookeryend@googlemail.com — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 03:33:01 PDT

Well then. Bristol City. 2-2. It was all a bit weird really wasn't it? Watford and their hastily assembled band of loanees and new signings showed glimpses of hat could be achieved under Zola and the new Pozzo regime, whilst also continuing to treat us to enough kamikaze defending to last us a lifetime. And there were some people saying Watford had lost heir identity...

The crowd was very quiet - a definite trend for the season thus far, and I think it's because we're in a state of flux. There isn't really enough to get too excited about, whilst there is an underlying feeling (hope?) that the bad stuff will get sorted out - eventually. Personally I get the feeling that most Watford fans understand the situation we're in, and whilst none of us would choose to go on a winless streak, we recognise that Rome wasn't built in a day.

Personally I found it hard to sum up how I felt after yesterday's game. Semi-deflated, I guess. But that's just me - I wanted to know how my fellow Hornets supporters felt, so via the wonderful medium of Twitter, I asked Watford supporters to give me one positive and one negative from the Bristol City performance. There was a great response, and I have listed them below. We'd love to hear yours too, so feel free to add them in the comments box - it's really interesting to guage thoughts at a time that is proving quite hard to get to grips with.

Over to the good folk of Twitter (Thanks to everyone for their replies!). Remember, the question was one positive, and one negative...

@demonskot - Positive: We didn't lose, Negative: We didn't win.

@PatMcNicholas - Positive: Deeney's game changing performance, Negative: Cassetti and other loans.

@therumpokid1 - Positive: Deeney looked strong, purposeful and changed the game, Negative: Sean Murray has gone a little off the boil recently.

@Chris_G_ - Positive: Deeney, unfortunately, Negative: Defence.

@Chris_Nunn - Positive: Deeney looks very sharp and hungry, something that's been lacking. Negative: We can't seem to defend in the box.

@davesto - Positive: Can see what Zola's doing he needs time. Negative: Some of the loanees not good enough, too many in starting XI.

@benclarkewfc29 - Positive: We are getting better and starting to gel, Negative: Only Deeney seemed able to make a difference in the final third.

@BoltonsBoots - Posiive: Deeney's return made us look more likely to score, Negative: Defence still has work to do, still looking frail.

@SimonGrosse - Positive: Troy Deeney slotted nicely into the new team and had a big impact, Negative: Atmosphere at Vicarage Road needs a boost.

@alcastle01 - Positive: Tory Deeney, Negative: Defensive frailties.

@khvb2 - Positive: Playing two strikers in the second half, Negative: The defence throughout.

@willyworthWorth - Positive: Chalobah, calm, composed ad allowed midfield to play, Negative: 3-5-2, substituting defenders to win the game.

@Carlwfc - Positive: Troy Deeney back up front looked a different team, Negatve: defending (Cassetti) and Zola's tactics.

@ryankman - Positive: Predictions about Deeney's comeback proved to be pessimistic. Negative: Defence looked suspect and poor marking at times.

@corbyhornet - Positive: Great passing and ball retention, Negative: Can't defend to save our lives!

@goldenboyLB - Positive: Chalobah ran the midfield, Negative: Yeates is still playing.

@TheJordanllyas - Positive: Outplayed Bristol City all game, Negative: Still conceding sloppy goals.

@babyhornetdan - Positive: We created chances, Negative: most were tame and straight at the keeper.

@WFCPaul82 - Positive: The return of Troy Deeney, Negative: The tiredness in the last 10 minutes form everyone.

@AmyWFC - Positive: Vydra's goal was good, he's my favourite at the moment! Negative: Full backs are just not good enough.

@jonny18andrews - Positive: Deeney, Negative: Cassetti.

@Iveco76 - Positive: We were shooting loads, Negative: We're not very good at it!

@footbalcoachjr - Positive: The passing game is coming on well, no aimless punts, Negatve: The preventable goals conceded, especially the 2nd.

@onedavidlewy - Chalobah a massive positive and Deeney/Vydra looks like a promising partnership, Negative: Moving Chalobah to right centre half - and Yeates.

A wide range of views then, (why not give those that made them a follow on Twitter?) but we'd love to hear what yours were/are. Even better, how does Gianfranco Zola go about making the most of the positives and improving on the negatives? Let us know in the comments section below...

We recorded the new podcast at the game and you can hear it by clicking on one of the links in the top right of this page. It's got John Barnes on it!

Come on You Horns!

PS You can follow us on twitter too - we're @RookeryMike, @RookeryJon and @JasBailey.

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