Monthly Archives: April 2024

27th April 2024- Championship, Watford 1 Sunderland 0

https://www.skysports.com/football/watford-vs-sunderland/teams/485241

WFC.Net goal commentary: 1

Sky: Tom Cleverley was able to celebrate his appointment as permanent manager with the club’s first home victory since November 28, ending a run of 12 winless games.

BBC: A dull end-of-season affair between two mid-table sides was settled by a moment of quality midway through the second half.  Ismaël Koné played a perfect pass in behind the Sunderland defence and youngster Andrews coolly slotted past keeper Anthony Patterson.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Watford 1 Sunderland 0

A home win and a clean sheet, but not many positives otherwise

A home win, light relief – but home form has to be much better next season

BHappy: What followed was various ebbs and flows of a match-up with a lot of things not going for it.  Two average-to-mediocre Championship sides with not an awful lot to play for in in constipated form…  three of our last four games had finished nil-nil, Sunderland’s last four had featured a grand total of two goals.  We hadn’t won here since November, Sunderland were on a run of two wins in fourteen.  It was never likely to be a classic.

Fran’s Watford Blog: The game had been real end of season fare.  It wasn’t great, but it was considerably better than the reverse fixture, which was absolutely terrible.  Dennis had a ‘mare.  Koné wasn’t much better in the first half but is forgiven for his stunning pass to set up the goal for Andrews.  Grieves didn’t have much of a chance on his debut as nobody seemed to want to pass to him.  The positives are that the goal was a thing of beauty and a home win to finish the season was very welcome.  Tom Cleverley was saying all the right things, and I am excited to see what he does with the team next season.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68862294

24th April 2024- Tom Cleverley confirmed as Head Coach

He had been acting as Interim Head Coach since Valerin Ismael was sacked on 9th March.


Watford Observer: Cleverley is appointed Watford’s new head coach

OPINION: Appointment of Tom is a sign of the owner acting Cleverley

BBC: Cleverley named permanent Watford boss

The morning before Tom’s appointment this article appeared on the BBC website.

I lacked ambition as a player but not as a coach – Cleverley

20th April 2024- Championship, Watford 0 Hull City 0

https://www.skysports.com/football/watford-vs-hull-city/teams/485229

Sky: Ozan Tufan’s penalty blunder left Hull facing a mammoth task to make the play-offs after a 0-0 draw at Watford.

BBC: The Tigers were awarded a penalty with just nine minutes on the clock after Wesley Hoedt brought down Fábio Carvalho, although Bachmann dived low to his left keep out Tufan’s spot-kick. That rescue act lifted the hosts who saw Yaser Asprilla and Emmanuel Dennis spurn chances before Bachmann once again denied Tufan, this time from a clever backheel.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Watford 0 Hull City 0

Long search for a home win goes on after Hornets held

Cleverley admits he has to change the team’s mentality

BHappy: The most immediate consequence of the penalty save was that the level of niggle in the game was amplified.  Watford’s support raged at the visitors’ propensity to hit the deck easily;  the away end no doubt perceived instead an attempt by the home side to kick the shit out of their opponents.  In truth there were elements of both, perhaps exaggerated by a refereeing performance that comprehensively failed to command respect even if it never entirely lost control of proceedings.  An ongoing spat between Jaden Philogene and, astonishingly, Ryan Porteous was the most prominent; the Scot, along with the rest of the Three Amigos at the back, picked up a yellow as eight were shared between the two sides.

Fran’s Watford Blog: So, the Hornets are still waiting for their first home league win since November.  After a poor first half, the second was much better and the Hornets had some decent chances, but didn’t test the keeper.  Hull City were very annoying opponents, going down far too easily.  I spent a large part of the game turning the air around me blue at their antics.  Thankfully none of my neighbours reported me to the stewards.  Dan Bachmann comes in for a lot of criticism that I have never really understood, but he had an outstanding game saving a penalty and making a couple of other decent saves to preserve his clean sheet.  Another positive from the game was the return of King Ken, which was very welcome.  I am not in the camp that abuses Lewis, but Ken offers so much more.  Seeing him running at players quickens the pulse and he always looks as though he will create something. 

13th April 2024- Championship, Southampton 3 Watford 2

https://www.skysports.com/football/southampton-vs-watford/teams/485215

WFC.Net goal commentary: 1  2

Sky: Will Smallbone and Che Adams had put Saints on course to capitalise on Leeds and Leicester’s earlier defeats before Ryan Porteous and Ismael Kone levelled things up.

BBC: But Downes netted in the ninth minute of stoppage time, leaving the fourth-placed Saints seven points behind second-placed Leicester but with a game in hand, and having played two fewer matches than third-placed Leeds.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Southampton 3 Watford 2

Ridiculous stoppage-time decision by officials rob Watford

‘I am struggling to see how we have led to that corner being taken’

Cleverley took positives from Saturday but knows he needs to start winning

Fran’s Watford Blog: I was absolutely gutted at the end of the game.  It was a cruel way to lose, we didn’t deserve that at all.  After a disastrous start to the game and a first 20 minutes when the Hornets had struggled, the lads had done incredibly well to get back in the game and had the better of the second half.  We deserved to come away with at least a point, so the celebrations in the home stands really hurt.  The players were cheered off the field by the travelling Hornets, which was as it should have been.  We have been greatly entertained in most of the games since Cleverley took over and, with such a difficult run of games, have done considerably better than I would have expected.  All we need now is a home win (or two).

10th April 2024- Championship, Ipswich Town 0 Watford 0

https://www.skysports.com/football/ipswich-town-vs-watford/teams/485203

Sky: Ipswich missed the chance to take over at the Sky Bet Championship summit but did move up to second after they were held to a goalless draw at home to Watford.

BBC: Watford improved vastly after the break and almost won it at the end but are now five games unbeaten under interim boss Tom Cleverley.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Ipswich 0 Watford 0

Another unexpected point as Watford earn a deserved draw at Ipswich

‘We’ve asked them to give everything for the club and they’ve done it yet again’

Half-time adjustments key to such a strong second half at Ipswich

Frans Watford Blog: So, the second goalless draw in a week, but this was a completely different game to the bore draw on Saturday.  There was plenty to get the pulses racing and the Hornets were good value for their point.  This was only the second time that Ipswich have failed to score at home this season and it was due to a sterling defensive effort from Hoedt, Porteous and Pollock, with great support from their colleagues further up the field.  There was more attacking intent from the Hornets in the second half and we could have won it with Kayembe’s audacious strike, but a draw was a fair result and rather an impressive one against a decent team like Ipswich.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68719948

6th April 2024- Championship, Watford 0 Preston North End 0

https://www.skysports.com/football/watford-vs-preston-north-end/teams/485193

Sky: Tom Dele-Bashiru and Yaser Asprilla both had early shots for the hosts. A clearer opportunity was created by one wing-back Ryan Andrews, whose low cross fell into the path of the other, Jamal Lewis, after 13 minutes. Yet, when a cool head was needed, Lewis rushed his shot and lifted it high over the bar. The match was not aided by the difficult gusts of wind which made it difficult to construct passing moves with any confidence.

BBC: Watford left-back Lewis, on loan from Premier League Newcastle, blasted an 85th-minute effort wide as the Hornets drew a third successive game.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Watford 0 Preston 0

A match that put the stale into stalemate

Watford boss far from happy with another home draw

BHappy: what a bloody wonderful thing Preston North End’s gentry day is.  It’s not new, it’s been celebrated in this way for nearly twenty years…  and I’m sure I was aware of it before today.  But we’d never seen it, never hosted until now the annual celebration of Preston fans, players and friends recently lost.  There are bowler hats all over Vicarage Road.  Not just one or two blokes having a laugh, which would have been fine in itself, but sported by hundreds upon hundreds in the away end.  Many have gone the whole hog and suited up, enough such that the spivvy suits aren’t unusual either, they’re everywhere.  Before the game, we are told, a wreath has been laid at the grave of former PNE invincible and Watford boss John Goodall in the Vicarage Road cemetery.  And the away end is full.  Not just busy, full.  Anyone who’s done the reverse trip knows that Watford to Preston is a bloody long way, PNE don’t have the biggest fanbase in the division and an outside chance of a play-off place isn’t going to do the job on it’s own.  Folk have come down specifically for gentry day, that’s what fills their stand.  It’s absolutely beautiful.  It’s poetry.  PNE celebrating their own people, their own reality.

Fran’s Watford Blog: The half time guest was Danny Graham.  He had come down from the North-East with his family for the game.  I was reliably informed that his children were wearing this year’s shirts with Graham 9 on them.  He was asked if he’d seen Clevs as manager material when he played with him.  He said that he was only 19 then, but he certainly looks the part now and could be in it for the long haul.  He was impressed at how much the ground had been improved.  He also spoke proudly about being table tennis champion (he still has the trophy).  And his happy memories of the wear a vest for Danny day, in honour of the vests that he would reveal after scoring a goal.  He still has a vest from that day.  It was lovely to see him back at the Vic.  Oh, how we could do with a goalscorer like Danny Graham in the current team.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68696849