Category Archives: Graham Taylor

24th April 1999- New Division One, Watford 2 Crystal Palace 1

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BSAD imageBSAD report: Five straight wins, and we’re exploring the chance of ultimate possibility for all it’s worth. Everything stems from belief – once we started believing it was possible, it became so. To the extent where the weekend’s other results mean that we just have to win three more games to reach the playoffs.

It’s a lot to ask. Thrillingly, though, we’re rising to the challenge. Whether we go out or not, this is still a blaze of glory.

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4353
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10th April 1999- New Division One, Watford 2 Bolton Wanderers 0

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http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4351
Sunday Telegraph, 11 Apr 1999
Sunday People, 11 Apr 1999
Observer, 11 Apr 1999
Sunday Mirror, 11 Apr 1999

BSAD imageBSAD report: Back in GT’s heyday, there was never any question of waiting to find out what the opposition was going to do. No polite introductions. So it was here – while Bolton were courteously allowing the game to settle into a pattern, we rudely elbowed them out of the way and hurled ourselves lemming-like at their goal. Within a minute, Mooney sent Wright sprinting through, only for Banks to charge from his line to clear – that was not to be the last time that the Bolton keeper saved his team-mates.

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3rd April 1999- New Division One, Watford 2 Tranmere Rovers 1

The game that started the run in to the playoffs. Just look how far behind Wolves we were in the table even after this game.

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4349
Sunday Mirror, 4 Apr 1999
Sunday Mercury, 4 Apr 1999
Sunday Telegraph, 4 Apr 1999
Sunday People, 4 Apr 1999

BSAD report: Renowned literary academic AC Bradley once wrote of Shakespeare’s “King Lear” that it is “too huge for the stage”. In other words, attempting to squeeze such an absolutely immense, overwhelming spectacle – storms, insanity, rage, evil, revenge, forgiveness, redemption – into a theatre is like trying to trap a hurricane in a matchbox.

You could say much the same of the concluding twenty minutes of Watford versus Tranmere. “Too huge for a football pitch” – lawless carnage that refused to recognise the touchline as any kind of barrier, spilling over into the dugouts, the dressing rooms, and the stands.

English Division OneTable »
Barnsley2-1Sheffield United
Bradford City3-0Grimsby Town
Bristol City2-0Port Vale
Norwich City0-1Crystal Palace
Oxford United0-0Bolton Wanderers
Queens Park Rangers1-1Huddersfield Town
Stockport County0-0Bury
Sunderland3-0West Bromwich Albion
Swindon Town0-6Ipswich Town
Watford2-1Tranmere Rovers
Wolverhampton Wndrs2-0Portsmouth
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https://oldwatford.com/2019/04/02/2nd-april-2019-premier-league-watford-4-fulham-1/

20th March 1999- New Division One, Watford 0 Bury 0

If you want an indication of the loyalty of the Watford fans, it is that nine thousand people did actually choose to spend their money on this, a football match that had absolutely nothing to recommend it. That’s the club’s core support right there – after all, roughly the same number turned up to see us against Crewe and Stockport, back when we were a good bet for some breezy Saturday afternoon entertainment.

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1999-03-20
https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1999-03-20

26th February 1999- New Division One, Watford 0 Swindon Town 1

Painfully, we’re actually battling against ourselves as much as our opponents. The lack of confidence shown by certain key players – and that really is all that’s wrong with them – directly results from some disgraceful behaviour by sections of the Watford support. We’re sixth and there’s a witch hunt going on.

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1999-02-26
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-1/26-february-1999/

16th February 1999-New Division One, Watford 1 Huddersfield Town 1

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No excuses.

All the current talk of transfers and new blood and “lack of ambition” is just a smokescreen, nothing more than the standard knee-jerk reaction of football fans. (It ceaselessly amuses me that the demands for spending on new players are never accompanied by sensible names. Sign someone, the supporters seem to cry…even if we’re immediately going to realise that they’re crap, start slagging them off and demand a repeat performance.) It is a smokescreen in two ways: first, it hides the considerable achievements of this squad of players; second, it allows them to get away with performances like this.

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