May 1997 - 24 (yes, that's twenty four) years ago. No-one used the internet, Tony Blair was only just coming to power, the UK last won Eurovision, the first Harry Potter was published and the UK handed Hong Kong over to China. It was also the last time that that lot from up the road finished above us. A whole generation of Watford fans have grown up never being troubled by finishing below our biggest rivals, exactly how it should be and will continue to be for at least one more season. Since then, we've been up (and down) to the Premier League three times, a cup final and watched footballers they could only dream of grace the Vic. In the same period, their highlights have been changing their home kit to a garish orange and Andre Gray being the best player they've had since the 80s. L*ton lining up before kick off at their home ground Make no mistake about it, this is their cup final of cup finals, the chance to put a dent in their better neighbours' promotion hopes whilst they languish in a lower mid table position as pointless as their club. Despite the lack of fans, they will be up for this and taking any points from us will be one of the greatest results in the history of their club. Anything can happen in a one off game (well, apart from when we play Manchester City...) but even if the worst does happen, there is, once again, no doubt who the better team are. If ever a team represented its town perfectly, it's Luton. A ramshackle club in a joke of a stadium in a rundown area that is perennially at the top of the Crap Towns list. Even their forum is backwards, something that wouldn't have looked out of place all those years ago when they last finished above us, and they are bizarrely obsessed with when our club was founded, devoting multiple threads to some tinfoil hat conspiracy theory that it should be later than 1881. Kennelworth Street "Stadium" And if ever a manager was perfect for a club, it's the chippy, grimey goblin that is Nathan Jones. He is a proper whinger, always blaming anything else but himself. He did try to move onto better things but the Stoke players hated him so much he had to return to Bedfordshire a few months later. He complained last time about it not feeling like a derby so fully expecting him to send his bunch of cloggers out to kick lumps out of our superior players. We'll need to be strong and calm as they will use every trick in the book to try to close the obvious gap in class. Opposition manager Nathan Jones being interviewed after defeat at Vicarage Road earlier this season Last time around we easily dispatched them 1-0 despite our chaotic start to the season. We were playing 3-5-2, Sierralta was still fifth choice centre back, Will Hughes and Kiko weren't in the team and Sarr was making his first start of the season but we were still far too strong for the Hatmen. A clearly unfit Troy Deeney made a comedy cameo from the bench doing little other than forcefully bumping into some Luton player in injury time in an attempt to shore up his legend status. And of course, we've also shown ourselves to be a class above at their place before, coincidentally later in 1997 where our heroes had obviously taken exception to finishing below the Hatsters.
Don't know why I thought they were moving the kick off back by only 15 minutes to avoid a clash with the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, seems it hasn't been announced when the game will be moved to yet! Mods - can you amend thread title when we know when the game will be?
Big game for a host of reasons. At this point, what else can we say about L*ton fans? They’re all in Beds.
Their forum looks like it was created in Microsoft Paint. With no fans' we cannot really call this a derby really, although to the players they know it will mean something. Despite having nothing to play for, they will still see this as a reason to halt our promotion train. It's certainly a game we must win, Derby or not. I would actually play Wilmot in place of Troost, and why not give Hungbo a start? He is raw and looks exciting - he deserves a full game under his belt. Pedro has been very out of sorts goal scoring wise, but his trickery and skill is still worth a shot - who else do we have? Perica cannot get near the side, Gray is Gray and then their is Success, who has shown glimpses of his former self. Tough game against the scum, but to Xisco it's just another game, and one we need to win. Do that, and we can go to Norwich knowing a point (or even a loss) would not be too bad. 2-1
We will have far too much for them going forward, defensively they're not the quickest and we have to get at them from the off. I honestly can't see any other result than an away win.
Seems as good a time as any to remind everyone before they get too cocky that these kunce beat us by almost any measure you care to think of. - more major trophies - above us in the all time league table - better head to head record against us But we win the played more times in the Premier league than them Cup. Plus the biggest Cup final humiliation trophy.
I'm pleased that a Luton fixture doesn't really mean too much anymore. Sure, if we play them again with fans in the ground it will probably be different, but right now it doesn't mean anything in terms of a rivalry. Bournemouth is far more of a grudge match than Luton these days. Luton is a traditional rival, that's died with the Dodo. On to the game, and this is one we should win and if we do it will make it highly likely we'll be promoted automatically. However, there is a flip side to this. If we fail to win, there could be a real chance we could get caught by the chasing duo. So it's an important game for this reason. I think we'll win, but if we don't I'll be worried for our automatic hopes.
Won’t be easy as the first time we played them, but then again our team/performances were nowhere near as strong then either Most important thing we can do is go and attack them, don’t fall into the trap we did against Boro of playing a cagey and nervous game
Can the senior pros express to all the others the importance of this fixture, not only to us but to the opposition. "The Little G nome", as the guard called Baldrick in Blackadder III will have his players psyched for this match,especially given his post match mumblings at the Vic. I've been far less confident in these games,notably when Back Seat Pleat was in charge but I'm still nervous. COYH!
Yes, but I had a few days off and went to the Kennel for our 4-0 victory as shown in the video clip at the bottom of the article I was referring to in that post
Remember that game on opening day 1993 when Ashby and Drysdale were both sent off? That was insane and pretty dodgy getting away afterwards.
From a Luton perspective this is their biggest game for about 15 years. Whether we think of them as our no.1 rival or not, they absolutely see us as their biggest rival by a country mile. This will be fuelled by an inferiority complex, that we have been ahead of them in the league for years, combined with the fact they think they didn’t do themselves justice in the first game. There will be little/no time on the ball and the game will be played at 100 mph. There will be tackles flying around and we need to make sure we don’t have a meltdown like the Muff game. We need to be aggressive and get on the front foot, and if we get ourselves ahead go for the 2nd goal. Players like Zingerman worry me in this game, as they seem to think they have lots of time on the ball. I’d bring back Cleverly for this one, assuming he is fit
I've attended 40 local derbies and was put in hospital after one of them, but I fail to understand the significance of your comment. The rivalry is dead as a dodo from a Watford stance, but not saying it didn't use to be fierce. It just isn't now. It's always meant more to them than us. Now it's totally insignificant to us but I admit is probably the biggest thing for them since the 1988 League Cup final.
Leventhal has confirmed on Twitter that Pedro won’t be subject of retrospective action for barging that Reading player on Friday. Good news.
I seem to remember we were the better side with 9 men - think Furlong played a blinder and they were hanging on at the end ? Getting home after the 4-0 was far worse as their monkeys had all left at about 35 minutes in so were waiting for us outside. Good job the Bedfordshire Police were up to their usual standard (i.e. were nowhere to be seen)
Swearing is at its best when it is unexpected wouldn't you say?! I'm not so sure he should start,given his form and his hot headedness,especially given what davisp2 has mentioned. They'll disembowel Freddie,every opponent does but they'll target JP for certain. Dare I suggest the G word?!
Get your point, but the way he drops into pockets of space & the interchanging he allows the front 3 to display is exactly the type of forward play that they will find very difficult to cope with. We don’t want to get caught up in any 1 for 1 match-ups as that’s where the scum defenders will feel more comfortable.
Yes you're quite correct. His play is very adroit and we are far more cohesive with him in the side. XM has to impress upon him the need for creative and emotional discipline in such a heated atmosphere. He is only 19 after all.
But bearing in mind background, he may feel quite at home as the team coach wends its way towards the ground, sensing some identity with the architecture.