Month: January 2009

27th January 2009- Championship, Watford 3 Burnley 0

Tamas Priskin came off the bench to score a clinical brace as Watford earned a vital Championship win against a very disappointing Burnley.

Burnley got off to the worst possible start when McAnuff struck inside the opening minute.

Before Saturday, my co-editor suggested that Mr.Rodgers needed to give us something to cling to.  Well this wasn’t so much a damp rope to cling to as a luxury yacht with well stocked galley and attentive staff.  Wallop! And there was me suggesting that we were doomed with him in charge.  Shows how much I know.  Why are you still reading this?

More games from 27th January at https://oldwatford.com/tag/jan27

24th January 2009- FA Cup Fourth Round, Watford 4 Crystal Palace 3

Watford booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup despite a late Crystal Palace rally at Vicarage Road.

Some quite terrific goals all told;  the first owed a lot to defensive ineptitude that wouldn’t have looked out of place at the other end of the park, the third could also have been better defended although it was finished well and suggested a long-missed stock move.  But the second and fourth were marvellous breakaways, truly exhilarating.  Good stuff.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008%E2%80%9309_FA_Cup

17th January 2009- Championship, Watford 0 Sheffield United 2

Sheffield United extended their unbeaten run to eight games, thanks to ex-Watford striker Darius Henderson. After a frustrating opening period for the visitors, Henderson headed into the path of Danny Webber who swivelled and fired into the net.

My brother speculated on the way back to the car that this may be the worst Watford team he has ever watched.  I’d still have to cite Colin Lee’s late 1990 vintage as worse.  But looking back, that side may have featured McLaughlin, Andy Kennedy, Mark Gavin… but it also featured David James, Gary Porter, Nigel Gibbs, Paul Wilkinson….  And the fact that we’re as much as having the conversation…???

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=2009-01-17
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-championship/17-january-2009/

9th January 2009- Championship, Reading 4 Watford 0

Watford, who had a penalty appeal for handball turned down by referee Andy D’Urso, barely troubled Reading and remain close to relegation territory.

“There were many aspects I was pleased with,” said Rodgers, who had no triumphant return to the club whose academy he used to direct. “I’m obviously disapopointed to concede five minutes before half-time because I thought we had played well and dominated possession and in the second half we had a crazy one-minute spell that killed the game.”

I’m glad I was only watching it on the telly.

3rd January 2009- FA Cup Third Round, Watford 1 Scunthorpe United 0

Grzegorz Rasiak’s second half goal sent championship side Watford into the fourth round of the FA Cup at the expense of League One Scunthorpe.

We’ve seen some awful cup performances in recent years (in stark contrast to one era in our history in particular).  But this was a particularly disconcerting flavour of awful.  Lots of possession, very little penetration, an incomprehensible retraction back to a lone striker once we got ahead… it all felt a bit Vialli again somehow.

‘The band and the goal, that was all that was worth seeing’ I heard a bloke on the way out say and he was right. Still, its nice to be in the next round.

More games from 3rd January at https://oldwatford.com/tag/jan3