Guys and gals, if you have a minute would you be able to write me a short paragraph about this season. What you expected at the start, how you think its gone, highlights/lowlights. Just a short review. I would like to use one of yours and a Leeds fan's views in my match thread for the final game. Obviously its not over yet, so feel free to wait for a bit, so long as i have it before the Leicester game so that i can add it on the monday and post the thread. Thanks guys
As I currently have some time on my hands..... This season has been a bit of a roller-coaster. Prior to the take-over, I was looking forward to continued improvement under Dyche - continuing on with the improvement started half way through the previous season that saw a creditable mid-table finish. Then the take-over - I simply wasn't sure what to expect from the new owners. Then the shock, disbelief and anger at the treatment meted out to Dyche -closely followed by amazement and wonder that Zola, the Italian legend, was signed as his replacement. More amazement and wonder followed with the arrival of the so-called loanees from Udinese & Granada - how on earth would Zola mould these and existing squad members into a team - not just how, but would he be able to? Having got us to within a hair's breadth of automatic promotion, Zola has certainly exceeded all expectations - probably even his own - whether or not we gain promotion. And if we don't get it this year, I'm sure it will come next year. Highlights? Lots - but most notably, and in no particular order: * The emergence of Troy Deeney - from the darkness of his prison cell into the limelight. He is fast becoming our most influential striker since Sir Luther, and is probably the most feared in the Championship at the moment; * That team goal against Huddersfield - simply has to go down in our history as the best ever, probably even better than Scully's piece of individual magic all those years ago; * That win at Leeds in November. Yes it was against nine men, but boy didn't we show Cardiff - who had somewhat fortunately scraped home with an injury time winner against nine man us only two weeks prior - how to really play against a nine man team? * The Pozzo's faith in our home-grown youth, evidenced by the five-year contracts handed to the best of them. Lowlights? There have been some disappointing performances, true - but those are to be expected however the season is going. So my lowlights are nothing really to do with the team's performance so far - rather: * The inordinate number of injuries we appear to have suffered. True we probably have our largest ever squad of players, but I wouldn't expect our injury toll to be directly proportional to the squad size. So what has happened to cause this? Especially now that we are at the business end of the season, and find ourselves with four injured centre backs - three of whom are arguably crucial to our success. * The standard of refereeing in the Championship this season. It has been truly abysmal - and there's not much more to say about it really. * The 'disappearance' of Sean Murray. After such a positive start to his career last season, anecdotal reports suggest a 'Double A' problem - attitude and alcohol - has caused his progress to stall. If true, I hope he manages to overcome both. That enough Dan - or have I rambled too much?
This season has been incredible really. I am just waiting for that cherry on the cake. If that doesn't happen. well, we seem to be in safer hands, sadly after Dyche's forced exit I thought this season might be a joke with all the influx of players. Zola's done wonders thus far. Remember this is the first season in the Championship for him and a lot of the players. We have scored some amazing goals and are playing football like I've never seen a Watford team play. We've ruffled a fair few feathers with the sustainable way the Pozzos appear to be running things. I hope this works for the long term. If we don't go up it won't be a disaster, but it could be harder now most teams will know what 'little Watford' are about. A remarkable season really - just think where we could have been without the new owners - scary really.
Yep, I also forgot to add the potential points deduction we avoided. That was also part of the rollercoaster.
There have been times when our off-field issues threatened to overwhelm the action on the pitch, but steadily GFZ improved the team and individual players, and built them into a force that took many by surprise. Matej Vydra hit a rich vein of scoring goals in a manner we had forgotten. He forged a partnership with Troy Deeney that created problems for many a defence. Our own defence looked shaky more than once and with many injuries we wondered if we really did have enough strength in depth. A special word for two of our own. Jonathan Bond who suddenly found himself in the firing line due to injury and aquitted himself well, and Lloyd Doyley who has now passed 400 games for the team and must be one of the most improved players of the season.
Yes - gutted Our form simply isn't good enough to win via the play-offs - I doubt that we'll even reach the final now. Unless of course GZ waves his magic wand..... I think it's probably time to start experimenting with the the starting line up and look at the likes of Murray, Smith, Buaben etc. - it's probably safe to say we'll be in the play-offs, so why not start tomorrow?
At the beginning of this, and every season, I expect to win the league. But I didn't expect for us to be playing such wonderful football, and have the highest goalscoring record in the football league. At first I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of loan signings, and disappointed at the sacking of Dyche. I'm glad to find he's at another club. My Lowest point this season was the 5-1 loss to Derby, but things only got better. My highest point was when we won in the last minute at Peterborough. it was my first game of the season, and it started off our promotion challenge. Best Players this season have been Matej Vydra, he's scored tonnes, except for his long drought now. Troy Deeney picked up where he left off last season after suffering the set back of going to prison. Almen Abdi and Cristian Battocchio shined in midfield providing a creative spark Watford have lacked in recent years. Defence has been brilliant all year, with Lloyd Doyley ( ) , Joel Ekstrand, Fitz Hall, Nyron Nosworthy being solid at the back. Manuel Almunia has made some outstanding saves, and he saved us losing so many points. Finally I would like to give praise to our 3 younger players this season. Nathaniel Chalobah, Tommie Hoban, and Jonathan Bond. Chalobah, on loan from Chelsea, has been playing with such confidence beyond his years. He will be a world great one day. Tommie Hoban has looked assured in defence when most needed him, and has become a first choice centre back within a small space of time. Jonathan Bond, playing for Watford against Man City, must have been daunting, but he got better and better and when Almunia got injured, he was brilliant, great saves all around, especially against Hull in that very important match. Is on his way to the top (with Watford). I think our seasons gone really well, auto-promotion would've been nice but hey, we still have a chance of going up.
Wellâ¦its been emotional. Like many others at the start of the season I felt very disappointed to lose Dyche and decided straight away that nothing other than an improvement on last years 11th place and 61 points would do. However looking back at the excitement of seeing GFZ at the first pre-season game of the season, perhaps it should have been obvious that this was to be no ordinary season. Highlights have been plenty. Leeds, Brighton and Birmingham away, Burnley and Huddersfield at Home and going to the Etihad stand out. Seeing the transformation of Troy Deeney since his release from prison from a fairly average striker into one of quality and a reformed character who signed endless autographs at the open training session at the Vic. Meeting GFZ recently at Half Term with Mini Bloother and seeing just what a total Gentleman he is. Watching the likes of Abdi, Vydra, Chalobah and Cassetti (the same Cassetti who, at the start of the season, I didnât rate. How wrong was I?). But the stand out for me has been some of the most sublime football ever seen at the Vic, perfectly encapsulated by Battocchioâs goal against Huddersfield. Low point? For me Blackpool at home stands out. Didnât deserve to lose and the total lack of class from both of the Inceâs made me so glad we didnât appoint Paul Ince as manager, even though he was near the top of my list when MM left. And maybe, looking back, the Blackpool game was a sign of things to come. Regardless of how it ends this has been a great season and one that I will gladly add to the old memory bank. But for Mini Bloother, after a few average seasons, this is his first season of watching a promotion chasing team and the first experience that he will be able to look back on and say âI was thereâ.
Oh wow! It's been amazing...and it seems a real shame, though perhaps predictable that it seems to be ending, not with a bang, but a whimper. Hopefully that won't mask the amazing achievement of the team, the head coach, the backroom staff, not to mention the Pozzos and their team. How we went from 'little ol' Watford' to a team that others were frightened of playing, a team that everyone wanted to moan about...haters! Gracious, when do we ever have haters!? The highlight...too many to mention, though Leeds away, 1-6, was incredible! The lowlight..Bristol City away, without a doubt. The season changing match, 6 changes..2-0 down, a horrid ground, horrid weather, and a disasterous journey home. I've had more cups of expensive coffee than i care to think about, but every one of them has been worth it...my most away games ever, and such immense excitement! Thank you, all at Watford FC, it's been a truly tremendous season, whatever the future brings i can't wait til next season!
How things change in a couple of weeks in the Championship. Would you like to re-think this BB? "Our form simply isn't good enough to win via the play-offs - I doubt that we'll even reach the final now. Unless of course GZ waves his magic wand..... I think it's probably time to start experimenting with the the starting line up and look at the likes of Murray, Smith, Buaben etc. - it's probably safe to say we'll be in the play-offs, so why not start tomorrow?"
How things change in a couple of weeks in the Championship. Would you like to re-think this BB? "Our form simply isn't good enough to win via the play-offs - I doubt that we'll even reach the final now. Unless of course GZ waves his magic wand..... I think it's probably time to start experimenting with the the starting line up and look at the likes of Murray, Smith, Buaben etc. - it's probably safe to say we'll be in the play-offs, so why not start tomorrow?"
