please log in to view this image Watford v Arsenal please log in to view this image Venue: Vicarage Road Stadium Date: 17th October 2015 Kick Off: 17.30 BST My link between the two teams does go back rather a long time to the 1958/1959 season when Watford signed one Clifford Charles Holton from Arsenal for the huge sum of £10,000. Born in Headington, Oxfordshire in 1929, he joined Arsenal in 1947, but didn't appear for the first team until 1950. In the two seasons from 1959 to 1961 he scored 74 goals for Watford, helping them to promotion from Division 4 to Division 3. When the board sold him to Northampton there were huge protests from the fans, made worse when he continued to score goals for them. Certainly a player with one of the hardest shots I have ever seen, he played in both defense and attack, and could even do well in goal. He died in 1996, but those who watched him will always remember the sense of anticipation when he lined up a free kick outside the penalty area. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "We are now equipped around the whole team to say we are really advanced in the way we work, prepare and develop players. I know you want to ask me if we will win the championship this year? "I think we are back in contention and we have a good chance. All of our numbers confirm that we have the potential to be in the fight." Watford head coach Quique Sanchez Flores on the future of forward Odion Ighalo: "I'm not scared about [losing] Ighalo. I'm happy with him and not thinking about what might happen in the winter market. "He had the chance to go out in the summer but decided to stay here and that was an amazing decision. When a player plays well the value changes to buy him. But we now think Ighalo is our most important player, he is very happy and can play in different positions." Team News: Watford trio Ikechi Anya, Valon Behrami and Allan Nyom are expected to feature despite not playing during the international break because of injury. Jose Manuel Jurado, Joel Ekstrand and Tommie Hoban remain unavailable. Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez is a doubt because of a hip problem. Laurent Koscielny has had a hamstring injury and will also be assessed. Midfielders Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta should return from a hamstring injury and a dead leg respectively. Head-to-head: Arsenal have won all four Premier League meetings - most recently a 2-1 win at Watford on Boxing Day in 2006. The Hornets' last win over Arsenal came at Highbury in April 1988. There has only been one draw in their 21 meetings. Current Form: Watford: Watford are the Premier League's lowest scorers at home with one goal in four matches. Their four home league matches have featured just two goals in total, compared to 11 goals in four away fixtures, They have only conceded three goals in their last six top-flight home matches. Arsenal: Arsenal have won three of their four away league games this season. Theo Walcott has scored 12 goals and assisted three in his last 14 PL games. Among goalkeepers to have made a minimum of five saves, Petr Cech has the best Premier League save percentage. please log in to view this image Wherever You Are In The World Enjoy The Game
Here we are then. The big day in the H-F household sporting calendar. Watford v Arsenal. Man v Woman. Husband v Wife. Small town STH team v big city STH team. Reasonably talented internationals v cosmopolitan football superstars. Left side of the training ground hedge v right side of the training ground hedge. The big one. COME ON YOU HORNETS, LET'S STING 'EM!!!
Thank you Sky. Due to the game being on TV and the change in KO time I will miss the game. Hopefully MOTD will not keep me up too late.
Thank OFH-sorry you won't be able to see it. With my son at football training now, then down to Northants to see a friend over from Oz, then heading down to the game. ETA Watford 1600ish. Think it should be a cracking atmosphere. Just got to try and not let them out of the blocks too fast first half, but can see a bit of an onslaught second half. If we defend like we know we can, we're in with a shout. COYH!
Been signed off since Wednesday with a chest infection. Missed half man half biscuit on Thursday night and now have to miss this too. Those of you going will just have to shout for me. Thanks for the thread OFH!
Odds at 9.30 this morning in the local bookies: us to win and both sides to score: 7-1. Them to win and a total of 4 or more goals in the match: 11-4. Mike Jones is the referee but I've no idea what his stats are.
Thanks OFH for the post. I'm being led astray, going to the pub in the parade with my daughter and friends before the game, might need the gaviscon tonight!!!
A win, which I don't expect but would be happy to accept would put us above Liverpool. That would do me for today.
please log in to view this image “Of course we can win,” Flores said. “If I didn’t think we could win then I would stay at home and we wouldn’t have trained during the week.
please log in to view this image Theo Walcott thinks facing Watford will be “special” because of the derby atmosphere that surrounds the fixture. “I remember playing them a few years ago and it is a great place to play football and it is a great club. It will be a tense derby I’m sure and they are very difficult to break down but it will be our job to get three points.”
Tottenham 0 - 0 Liverpool FT Chelsea 1 - 0 Aston Villa HT Crystal Palace 1 - 1West Ham HT Everton 0 - 2 Man Utd HT Man City 4 - 1 BournemouthHT Southampton 2 - 0 Leicester HT
Arsenal look quite good. They are the best team I've seen us play. On another note, I quite like these breakfast games. It's just a shame we aren't winning.
A bad result when you look to see what went around us. I see we would have been lucky to have gained anything from a team like Arsenal.
That Mini Bloother and I are disappointed says a lot about our performance. First hour was great, but we then capitulated for 15 minutes before the match played itself out. Arsenal obviously had another gear, but after seeing the replay I still think we should have had a penalty. Don't care how theatrically he went down (not as theatrically as Ozil before the first goal by the way) he was impeded. One worry is that the subs added virtually nothing. Ibarbo was ok, but Berghuis was awful and Paredes cannot defend. The other worry is...goals.
Citeh may have more tricks and flicks but frankly Arsenal are the better team and arguably the best we've played this season by quite some distance. I thought 0-3 was, if not entirely, flattering to Arsenal and quite harsh on us. Welcome to the Premier League and all that.
Haven't watched it yet. Will look forward to that one. So much effort today, just undone by that neat Arsenal interplay. Never seen Deeney put so much work in, he was immense. Just got to remember it won't be teams like that every week.
