Happy Anniversary of that 4:0 win

Sure there used to be a thread on this, but today is the 20th anniversary of that fantastic 4.0 win at Dog Kennel Road against those who can't be named up the road

 

I think it's about time we let it go to be honest.

They've not been our rivals for some time and I wouldn't be happy if the roles were reversed. I think we need to pity them at best, if just not ignore them.

 

Any current rivalry is futile and immature, but I will never forget that day 20 years ago!

 

I always look out for their score and still get a thrill when they lose to another bunch of no-hopers. Seeing them scuffing around in Division 4 is superb. Never Forget. Never Forgive

 

Let it go? Ridiculous. It still burns bright. They are an abomination on the face of the planet. We'll get them and stuff them again in a cup sooner or later.

 

And also the anniversary of this:

 

I was there!
What nobody's mentioned, as yet, is that those 4 goals came in the first 16 minutes. The L*ton supporters were beside themselves with rage and the game came close to being abandoned because of their misbehaviour. I still think the ref bottled a penalty decision later on (probably rightly!) and have always suspected that GT told the lads to ease off, all because it was all getting distinctly hairy.

 

Refer to WML's Q&A with GT from pre-Pozzo days, go to the end of page 11 and beginning of page 12. http://wfc.net/files/GT.pdf

 

32 mins I think

 

For all you people arrogantly branding our rivalry irrelevant, let me remind you of some tragic facts.

In our 118 head to head meetings, those ****s have won 53, us just 36
Number of seasons in the top flight: Those ****s: 16, us 11
Our highest average attendance? 20,594. Those ****s? 21,455
All time league table. Those ****s 40th, us 45th

and most painful of all: Major trophies won: Those ****s 1 us 0

 

And this is the only stat they will have on us soon.

I can live with that!

 

Yep, and when that is the case, then the rivalry can be dismissed.

Until then though they have the bragging rights. And that should cut every single watford fan deeply.

 

In our 118 head to head meetings, those ***** have won 53, us just 36
We won't be playing them much in the near future.

Number of seasons in the top flight: Those *****: 16, us 11
I can't see them getting near the top flight ever again.

Our highest average attendance? 20,594. Those *****? 21,455
There average for the last 25 years+ has been well below that, once the SEJ stand is expanded we will beat that.

All time league table. Those ***** 40th, us 45th
Is this based on final position or results? If final position we will overtake them soon enough, they have finished above us just once (96/97) since they were relegated from the top flight in 1992. If results it will be more difficult because they will win more games in League 2 than we would in the Premier League.

and most painful of all: Major trophies won: Those ***** 1 us 0
I'm sure one day we will, but for now consolodating our position in the Premier League is the priority.

 

They may be of less interest to us, but that historical win played a large part in that as it truly marked a turning point for both clubs.

The previous season (1996/97) was the last one they've finished above us, when we finished a disappointing bottom half after being play-off contenders for most of the season and they bottled automatic promotion and then the play-offs.

When they went down with us the season before that, both clubs were at a crossroads. Luton at the time were clearly the more successful and arguably bigger club of the two, having spent only seven seasons in nearly 60 years outside the top two tiers, 10 consecutive years in the top flight and almost as long without defeat against us, with a League Cup win and FA Cup runner-up. At the time many people would have looked at us to have overachieved and to be going back to the lower division where we "belonged" (which could well have happened without Elton's timely buying back the club and Taylor returning to the managerial hotseat) and Luton to be the one to make a swift return.

Anyone have any idea just what caused this dramatic role reversal and why the scum have ended up a perennial lower league (and for a while not even that) club? Bad financial management, a succession of mostly poor managerial appointments, the fact that football has moved on and the scum haven't caught up?

 

No. The rivalry can never be dismissed. Under any circumstances.

 

You're quite right, consider my head hung in shame!

 

I think it's because they are complete, total and utter ****s and we're not.

 

The faces behind the goal help make that video doubly enjoyable. All those heads in hands

 

Always the only other score I look for. Watching them throw away a lead at home in the playoffs last season and go out to an own goal was another moment of video magic.

 

Fairly recently you put forward an analogy of Us v Them as Elves v Orcs or the free world v the forces of totalitarian darkness or humanity v Klingons or perfectly normal, liberal people v sub-humanoid ******s.

Well whichever one it was (or something similar) then, while there's obviously a bit of exaggeration and poetic license involved, I firmly believe there's at least a grain of truth in it.

 

I'm almost beginning to dislike the Watford fans who constantly feel the need to tell anyone who'll listen how they feel anything other than longstanding resentment and disgust for Luton and their fans more than I dislike the scum themselves. Almost.

 

Yep, it’s been well publicised that Graham sort of asked them to ease off. To me that makes it even more delicious. We could have beaten them 5 or 6-0 (rarely does a team match or beat a first half hammering) but the fact we took pity on them and eased off because they were going mental makes it even better. Almost like we were playing with a sad puppy faking throwing a ball. Go fetch the ball, here’s the ball, go fetch the ball, here’s the ball....

 

Feel free.

 

Comparing the last 20 years' final positions, division-position [total position]

YEAR WFC.......LTFC......DIFF
1998 3-01 [45] 3-17 [61] 16
1999 2-05 [25] 3-12 [56] 31
2000 1-20 [20] 3-13 [57] 37
2001 2-09 [29] 3-22 [66] 37
2002 2-14 [34] 4-02 [70] 36
2003 2-13 [33] 3-09 [53] 20
2004 2-16 [36] 3-10 [54] 18
2005 2-18 [38] 3-01 [45] 7
2006 2-03 [23] 2-10 [30] 7
2007 1-20 [20] 2-23 [43] 23
2008 2-06 [26] 3-24 [68] 42
2009 2-13 [33] 4-24 [92] 59
2010 2-16 [36] 5-02 [94] 58
2011 2-14 [34] 5-03 [95] 61
2012 2-11 [31] 5-05 [97] 66
2013 2-03 [23] 5-07 [99] 76
2014 2-13 [33] 5-01 [93] 60
2015 2-02 [22] 4-08 [76] 54
2016 1-13 [13] 4-11 [79] 66
2017 1-17 [17] 4-04 [72] 55

In the last 20 years our average position is 28.55, and theirs is exactly 70.

It looks better in the last 10 years our average position is 26.8 and theirs 86.5

 

To be fair it’s been so long since we’ve had anything to do with them a whole generation are growing up not witnessing it for themselves. Most of me would be happy to never play them again but some part of me would like the younger supporters to see it. From the safety of a police cordon of course.

 

It's hard to imagine a more hateful bunch existing throughout all of history.

If true - and I have my doubts - it was the biggest error of judgment in his entire career.

 

The goals.. with sound. It was indeed 32 minutes gone when the 4th went in.




Those who were there will no doubt recall them chanting "it only took 10 years" and our response.. "ten years.. but it's worth the wait"
I remember at the time wondering if i should remind everyone that actually we beat them 2-1 in the Anglo Italian cup four and half years earlier. But that would have been very pedantic of me

 

Thanks for that, Otter.

 

....if you are still living in the 1980s.

 

And would have made an awful chant.

 

Thanks, I stand corrected. But the number 16 keeps coming back to my (obviously faulty) memory. I do remember turning to somebody in the crowd and giving a final scoreline projected from our early goals: Maybe it was 16-0 or something crazy!

 

hating those ****s up the road is just part and parcel of being a watford fan.

Then again, you admit to spending most of the match offering up your arse to be fondled, so perhaps your priorities lie elsewhere.

 

I wish there was still a 'do I not like that' button.