Watford Fc 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday - 02/04/2021

I'm always nervous before games. I was nervous against Birmingham despite the fact we have a fantastic record against them and we have had many significant wins like the penalty shoot out success in the second leg of the play-off semi-final. My worry was that good runs must come to an end sooner or later. No Sarr or Zinc beforehand didn't help my nerves but this new breed of Horns brushed the Blues aside, no problem.

Now I am nervous for this Sheffield Wednesday match for different reasons. In that crunch game at the end of the season to win the Championship I was very nervous indeed. Mostly this was because I would have loved to see us win the highest silverware in our history. But also, I had a double at the bookies taken out at the beginning of the season before a ball was kicked, Watford and Bristol City to win their respective leagues, so with City already champions of League One, a sizeable sum loomed on the horizon. Then there was a distaste for the Owls borne out of being chased, harried and harrassed whenever I've been up there over many years, the 4 -0 drubbing in the League Cup under Vialli was a particuarly long and harrowing night.

I arrived early at the ground for that fateful last match of the season (nervous excitement you see). I went to buy a programme and shock-horror, there was Gomez on the front cover shouting from the rooftops "Now for the title!". I couldn't believe it, "If that's not tempting fate, I don't know what is" I said, to echoes all around of "Relax, enjoy it, remember you're buying tonight!" I couldn't read that programme before the game, I didn't want to put the mockers on things did I? plenty of time to savour that headline in years to come...

Onto the match, 1 - 0 up but Bournemouth winning comfortably so 'many a slip' going through my mind. "Relax" they all said, "It's over, enjoy the moment..." Please ref blow, just ******* blow. He did but for a free kick. Connolly what did you have to do that for? A melee up the far end in front of the Vic, blue shirts dancing up and down, utter, utter disbelief. Even now, etched on my mind forever!

The moral to the story? If Watford can **** it up, they will. Never count your chickens, never think we are home & dry 'till we are absolutely and completely are. "But these are a new breed of Horns" I hear you cry. Well I hope so but deep down inside there is still a little niggle, a gremlin whispering and reminding me that where Watford is concerned anything can happen and probably will.

I have never read THAT programme, still tucked away somewhere, out of sight but sadly not out of mind, hopefully to be brought out when the God of Football smiles on us and bestows all the favours he has been holding back down the years. Until then I will try to stay positive, Watford to beat Wednesday...fingers crossed!

 

I just checked my collection of programmes after reading that, and I have it as well, it also has Troy looking very passionate (presumably from a picture taken of his many goal celebrations) - I agree with you that that may have tempted fate too much and made us look a bit arrogant and might have spurred on the Wednesday players to get a draw, having that inside the programme would've been fine, just not on the front cover!

 

BTW I notice a pattern in our run of games against relegation candidates:

People (myself included) think the game at Rotherham is going to be a tough 'un, they're fighting for their lives and won their last game - we win 4-1 and it could've been more.
People think the game against Brum is going to be tough, as they've just got a new manager and won their last game - win 3-0 and end up toying with them towards the end.

Wednesday also won their last game - is this going to be a hat-trick??

 

It's actually precisely the opposite...

 

That’s Glen Murray 10 years ago.

 

Must.

Win.

Game.

End.

Of!

 

Newcastle fans are diet liverpool fans

 

Surely no one actually thinks the Sheff Weds game is going to be tough? We will absolutely humiliate them - they won't even be able to compete against our Championship superstars, I wouldn't be surprised to see them forfeit half way through the game. Anything less than a 3 or 4 nil win would be embarrassing.

 

Hopefully get everyone back fit from international duty and fingers crossed for Zinckernagel and Sarr. Cleverley too.
Make a good positive start and I can only see one team winning. They Wednesday look nothing but ordinary in the games I've seen. Ok they beat Barnsley somehow but that was more down to Barnsley than Sheff Wednesday being better. Just need a professional display and the points are ours.

 

I too still think of that fateful day, I was giddy with excitement of the thought of Watford lifting silverware. However, you have to remember the games we had during the run in that put us in that scenario. Away at Derby and home to Middlesbrough were huge games against direct rivals, away games at Millwall and Brighton that were tricky. We came through them, let’s hope we can emulate that this year.

 

A lot of the animosity seemed to centre around the fact they believed that, being from 'the south' we were all raging Thatcherites; she had just become PM that week.

 

Shudders

 

Wednesday remind me a little of us last season, they’ve lurched from one managerial appointment to another, and have seemingly been sleep walking towards relegation from day one.

 

Not sure you'd call it 'sleepwalking' when they started on -12 pts lol

 

Kabasele was also called up to their 30 man squad by Belgium but he may not have made the cut.

 

Not listed in their final cut https://www.rbfa.be/en/national-teams/red-devils/red-devils-team-selection

 

He's definitely here.
I saw him on SSN this morning I think,possibly yesterday,talking about a 'Kick it Out' education programme that the club were hosting,Luther was involved too I believe.

 

Sorry if I've missed it but given his involvement, has the Club finally apologised to Luther for stupidly drawing his name into that Andre Gray interview? I have seen lots of names being announced as Hornets Ambassadors in recent weeks (and pleased to see those chosen) but Luther, as the most deserving of that accolade, hasn't yet been included. He might have turned an offer down of course, given recent events.

 

I haven't seen anything and given the time that's passed I would suggest an apology now would seem extremely hollow. Apologies should be given immediately and the club were,to their shame,silent.
If I were a twitter person I would ask Luther. I suppose Instagram?

 

In fairness, the club may have apologised to Luther in private, not everything has to be out in the open

 

That has happened to him before.

 

In an ideal world he'd be given something a rung up from ambassador.

 

Luther has always been an ambassador for our club.

 

Player-manager.

 

HB1 you're talking a load of ****. Our fans crept onto the pitch with 5 minutes + still to play. Their celebration was a big F you. Watching the highlights posted has pissed me right off. If anyone reading this went onto the pitch that day before the full time whilstle hang your heads in shame

 

A sad tale indeed.

Almost makes me feel guilty for running on the pitch like a demented chimp.

Almost.

 

Jeez I'm missing football. A two week break from the turgid offerings under Ivic would have felt like a holiday. But I've realised this week how much I've enjoyed the post Coventry Munoz Watford.

This week is going to be another long week.

May be it's just me, but I'm more nervous before these "easier" games than I am before we play the 'tougher" games.

As Captain Obvious would say, we need to win this one to keep the momentum going.

Hopefully we'll put this game away in a similar way to Rotherham and Brum. My nerves won't settle until we are at least 3 up with 5 minutes to go though!

 

Quite!
Should be able to hold on for a draw in that case!

 

Yep, I’d admit to at the very least taking great pleasure in snatching a draw and, as a result, the oppositions title if a bunch of arses couldn’t wait until full time before jumping onto the pitch. Sheff Weds may have scored anyway but players were clearly distracted by what was going on.

You don’t get many opportunities to win things in football when you’re a club like Watford. Hope the bizarre crowding was worth it.


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Gomes looked really angry with you for slapping him on the top of the head.

 

Researchers from Harvard university found that humans who achieve 'demented chimp' status at least once a year are up to 10 times happier than those who don't.

 

Ravel Morrison training with Sheff Weds apparently

 

No, they just think they are.

 

In all seriousness what has happened to Wednesday? They were always a top half, outside shot at play-offs side and had a few seasons gunning for the top two. Is it just a dodgy owner?