please log in to view this image WATFORD v ROTHERHAM UNITED please log in to view this image Venue: Vicarage Road, Watford Date: 24th February 2015 Time: 19.45 GMT I am sure that you will all of heard about Harry Thickitt and his claim to fame. Well perhaps not, but he was believed to be the first Rotherham player ever to be capped for England, playing his last international which was a 2-1 win over Scotland at Villa Park in 1899. A local newspaper stated; “He is a plucky, speedy, a rare kicker and an earnest and efficient tackler”. Despite Rotherham not being a hotbed for international players, they have had a list of Managers over the years that you might have heard of. Tommy Docherty and Jim McAnearney in the 1960's, Emlyn Hughes and Norman Hunter in the 1980's and Archie Gemmill with John McGoven in the 1990's. In recent times the club has been through two periods when they have been in administration resulting in points being deducted and having to sell key playmaker Lee Williamson and star striker Will Hoskins. In 2008 the club left their Millmoor ground that had been home for 101 years. The owners had started to build a new main stand, but the construction was never finished. The club and owners could not agree a new lease, so for a period of four years maximum the club moved to Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium. In 2010 work started to build a new stadium on the former Guest and Chrimes Foundry site in Rotherham town centre. In 2012 they moved into their new home called The New York Stadium, the owners of the club thinking the name could be of interest to American investors. please log in to view this image The old foundry was a listed building, but was beyond economic repair. please log in to view this image The new ground. Last Saturday was not a good day for either team with Watford showing their soft underside and Rotherham doing little to ease their relegation fears. Despite matching Wolves in shots on goal, corners etc. they finished up on the wrong end of a 5-0 scoreline. The statistics suggest that Watford should not treat the game lightly. Now for the men in who seem to put their stamp on the game. please log in to view this image The referee will be Andy Davies from Hampshire. This will be the first time that Davies has refereed the Hornets since he joined The Football League list back in the 2012/13 season. The Hampshire referee has officiated 22 games this season (6 of which in the Championship), and has handed out 76 yellow cards and 5 red. Linesman – Carl Brook and Matt Foley Fourth Official – Andy Haines. In the game at Rotherham on 19th August Watford won 2-0 with goals from Lloyd Dyer and Gianni Munari despite spending long periods of the game defending against a side determined to beat a team with many good players. Team News: Watford midfielder Sean Murray is Slavisa Jokanovic's only injury problem for Rotherham's trip to Vicarage Road. Midfielders Gianni Munari and Daniel Tozser are both pushing for recalls alongside striker Matej Vydra. Rotherham boss Steve Evans - linked to the vacant position at Peterborough - is likely to make changes at the back after their 5-0 loss to Wolves. Skipper Craig Morgan is set to replace Kirk Broadfoot, with Jack Hunt in ahead of Frazer Richardson at right-back. Form Guide: • Watford lost 3-0 against Norwich at home on Saturday, after winning their previous three games. • Rotherham have won only one of their last 15 away games in all competitions. Their only win on the road since August was 2-1 at Wigan in the Championship on 20 December.
"...The Hampshire referee has officiated 22 games this season (6 of which in the Championship), and has handed out 76 yellow cards and 5 red..." Am I the only person who thinks that an average of 1 red card every 4 and a bit games is inordinately high? A few years ago an average of 3 "bookings" per game would also have been seen as excessive. I notice yellow cards are now creeping into the egg-chasing version. Is this persistent card-waving not ruining the game - or perhaps we have had this discussion before ad nauseum? Anyway, this is the sort of game that we will probably win handsomely, rekindling unrealistic expectations again of automatic promotion. Memories of playing Rotherham include the 68/69 3rd Div. championship winning season where the November game at Millmoor was a huge muddy slog enlivened by a Scullion goal and a farcical own-goal in a 2-0 win. We don't see games like that any more! This was followed in the February return fixture with a 5-1 win played on a pitch resembling a wheat field after cutting, so much straw was on the pitch to keep it from freezing even more than it was in the preceding Monday night game - the Man Utd. cup replay. Both games would probably not have been played these days, such was the state of both pitches.
the only rotherham game i remember was the one i got 30 of my friends to meet at watford junction then all go down to the ground to clear the pitch of snow with ken the manager and some of the players .i got mt picture in the watford observer my dad purchased a season tickets for each lad i think we won 2 nil and the game was shown the high lights on tv as we as one of the few games played i think it was late 60s
I think that was the same game Brian! But we did win 5-1. The only 2-0 home win against the Millers in the 60s was in the Cup in Feb 63 - the first game for nearly 2 months during the "Big Freeze"! No undersoil heating then.......
They either seem to score a load or get hammered...lets hope its the latter! Surely going to have more than 2 shots against them!
Excuse my nerve Mr Vic The Rage appearing on your site without your permission. Of course these red and yellow cards couldnt be connected to the poor behaviour of a fair amount of players on the pitch... always easier to blame the ref for just about everything.(bet you wouldnt like to do the job!) 'Egg Chasers',that old chestnut used by people usually with little knowledge of Rugby, and played by people usually with more respect for those trying to run a game and self restraint than quite a lot of footballers these days. Your loss if you didnt see Wales v England the other week, Was almost certainly at the 5-1 Rotherham game you mentioned....we could have been neighbours if you were there !! there wouldnt have been too many others in those days.Nice thought eh ? Anyway, hope your naughty name calling of a few weeks ago werent spotted and got you a detention. Would have thought that remarks like probably winning particular games handsomely are what lead to unrealistic expectations
Quite a lot of respect is given to rugby referees by the players, although TV is very good at showing up their errors. To watch the way that the ref on Saturday was given a mobbing was not good and somehow needs to be stopped. As I suggested at the top of the thread I don't think we should expect to romp home in this game. We are getting to that stage of the season when teams who are threatened with relegation fight just that bit harder.
At one time, Rotherham seemed to be a permanent fixture in Div 2. Their best times were in 1960-s, with players like barry lyons - went onto the brilliant Forest team of 1966/1967. I've been a few times to Millmoor - once when we queued outside a single (closed) turnstile at 2-30 and someone asked the local Plod if we had to knock to get in ! On Sat, when the 2nd goal flew in, you could see the team felt all the world was against them. Freak pen, followed by freak goal ! Although they are supposed to be professionals etc. I have some sympathy with them. Not that SJ had - which is a good thing. Seems to me we should just keep doing what we are doing, under the radar, just making tbe odd blunder, e.g. winning 4 out of 5, avoiding manager of the month until April. That WOULD be a good month to get it! However, we do have to beat Rotherham, (and Leeds 'cos they deserve it).
I saw them play in a Division 2 game at Anfield on Boxing Day 1960 - lost 2-1 but they did win the reverse fixture the following day 1-0 at Millmoor!
I got mobbed like that on three occasions, each in a different league. Quite simply I cautioned every single one of them and sent off any who swore. I also reported the offending club to the league. As I say, it only happened the once in each league, word soon got around. The referee on Saturday was, even by the standards we have to endure, exceptionally poor over. That is quite an achievement. Utterly embarrassing.
Slavisa Jokanovic stated professional football is not a game for pussies (weak people) and has called on his Watford players to be 'real men' as he looks for a reaction to Saturday's 3-0 defeat. Jokanovic said: "This is not a time to explain my changes but I will be obligated to make changes. We will be playing against a different kind of team and this situation - after the last game and the opposition we will face - will obligate us to move our structure and find something different."
it could well have been. Coming up to almost 50 years with the horns the memory is not good i cant remember what the wife told me yesterday so getting the score right could be a problem i do remember talking with ron rolict from the club on the phone to check if the game could be played and being told only if a lot of fans could clear the pitch as it was going to snow all friday night and we would get in for free the rest as you say was history
No Paredes please. Anya on the right and Pudil on the left. I'd also like to see Munari restored to the side.
i have said much the same about a lot of players but we see the players perform once a week if we are lucky the manager sees them every day
very true sometimes it takes mangers too long to see that .i was a youth manager for 15 years i hate to think the number that i could not get to perform on match days
please log in to view this image Just what was happening to get Steve Evans the Rotherham manager close to an explosion? Clean answers only thank you.
