please log in to view this image Watford Vs Southampton please log in to view this image Sunday 23 August 2015 Kick Off 4PM Vicarage Road Stadium This Sunday we move on to game 3 of our first Premier league season since 2006 / 2007 and our guests are Southampton. Form After a very creditable 2-2 draw against an Everton side who last week won 3-0 at Sunday’s visitors we played out a goalless draw at home to West Bromwich Albion. The general view from the media was that we played well and would have won if we had more of a cutting edge. Hopefully we can put that right on Sunday. Southampton began their league campaign with a 2-2 draw at Newcastle anmd this will be their 6th game of this season having seen off Vitesse Arnheim in the Europa League and drawing 1-1 at home to Denmark’s FC Midtylland on Thursday in the first leg of the final qualifier. Southampton The last 10 years have been interesting if you’re a Southampton supporter. Having been relegated in 2005 after being in the top flight for 27 years the club suffered financially and were relegated to the third tier in 2009 having gone into administration. The y retiurend to the Championship in 2011 and tok the league by storm. In the three seasons since they have become synonymous with selling players for big sums, replacing them and still producing an attractive brand of winning football. Mauricio Pochettino left the club in the 2014 close season and was replaced by Ronald Koeman. Having lost the likes of Luke Shaw, Rickie lambert and Adam Lallanna the naysayers predicted the worst but Koeman and co confounded their critics to finish in seventh, their highest ever Premier League placing. There has been more of the same in this close season with Morgan Schneiderlin going to Manchester United for £25 million and Nathaniel Clyne joining Liverpool for 12.5 million. Artur Boric, Cody Cropper, Jos Hooiveld, Danny Osvaldo, Omar Rowe and Jake Sinclair were all released. Joining the ranks at St Mary’s are goalkeeper Martin Stekelenberg from Fulham (on loan); defenders Ryan Bertrand from Chelsea (10 million), Stephen Caulker from QPR (loan), Cedric Soares from Sporting Lisbon (4.7 million) and Cuco Martina from FC Twente (1 million); midfielders Jordie Clasie from Feyenoord (8 million) Dominc Gape (unassigned) and striker Juanmi from Malaga (5 million) Watford transfer news I’m not going to dirty my match day thread with some of the rumours circulating this week but we have now completed the loan signings of Italian international attacking midfielder / striker Alessandro Diamanti from Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande and Dutch youth international midfielder / defender Nathan Ake from Chelsea. Head to head In 74 games we have been successful 25 times, lost 32 and shared the spoils on 17 occasions. At home we have won 18 lost 6 and drawn 12. There have been some high scoring games with the Saints drubbing us 11-0 in the Southern league in 1902 but most hornets fans will always remember when a top flight Southampton side came to Vicarage road to defend a 4-0 lead in the league cup on 2 September 1980 and were beaten 7-1. That feat was followed up with a 4-1 mauling of the then European champions Nottingham Forest. The last time Southampton visited the Vic they ran out 3-0 winners on 25 February 2012. Man in the middle The referee will be Andre Marriner with Scott Ledger and Darren Cann as assistants and Robert Madley the fourth official. Last season Marriner officiated 20 Premier League games issuing just one red card but 87 yellows! The last time he took charge of one of our games was 29 September 2009 when we lost 3-2 at home to Coventry. Amazingly, not one card was issued – looks like someone has since told him where he is supposed to keep them… Enjoy the game and safe travels to both Watford and Southampton supporters but I'll leave the last word with this man: please log in to view this image
having lived away from Watford for so long there are many games that I wished could have seen, but if I could have chosen 1 to see it would have been this one in 1980.
Nice one Dan. I remember that 7-1 home match against the Saints so well, in fact I was discussing it with GT at the awards dinner in May. He really is such a nice man, you can see why he obtained the best from his players at club level.
Great thread Dan, thanks. I didn't see you at the awards dinner Super! Though I don't remember much tbh. This could be a tough game and we will need to start taking our chances but of course we will be victorious with a score line of 3-1! COYH! !!!
I decided not to wear my super horns name label as I was in disguise!! I'll give you some clues for next year, look for a short, fat, old, bald chap drinking red wine!! COYH's
No, this is me and family hobnobbing with the boss. Unfortunately my lovely wife did not know who the small Italian guy at the end was!!!
Breakfast and then Home to Leeds Leeds to Manchester Manchester to MK MK to Watford COME ON YOU ORNS!!!
Hoping for a win of course. Southampton didn't look outstanding in their midweek Europa game...not that that's necessarily much of a guide. I'll go for 2-1. Is it on TV?
Last time a striker was omitted but not with injury occured was Marvin Sordell for a game at Millwall and we know what happened then.
Nice thread Dan, first chance to have a look at it. I feel disconnected from the game for some reason. Maybe it is because the house has been infiltrated by so many people from Leeds.
Which mk train are you just. My eta WJ is 13:00 assuming we actually pull out of kings langley... no idea what the hold up is :-(
Watford 01 Gomes 02 Nyom 05 Prödl 15 Cathcart 25 Holebas 29 Capoue 08 Behrami 21 Anya 24 Ighalo 07 Jurado 09 Deeney Substitutes 03 Britos 11 Forestieri 19 Layun 22 Abdi 23 Watson 32 Diamanti 34 Arlauskis Southampton 22 Stekelenburg 03 Yoshida 06 Fonte 26 Caulker 33 Targett 12 Wanyama 14 Romeu 02 Soares 10 Mané 08 Davis 19 Pellè Substitutes 01 Davis 07 Long 09 Rodriguez 11 Tadic 15 Martina 16 Ward-Prowse 20 Juanmi
