Category Archives: November

25th November 2023- Championship, Leicester City 2 Watford 0

https://www.skysports.com/football/leicester-city-vs-watford/teams/484897

BBC: Jamie Vardy’s first goals since early October ensured Leicester City stayed top of the Championship as they beat Watford 2-0.

Sky: It had looked like being a half of frustration for the former Premier League Golden Boot winner, after he somehow missed an open goal from four yards out in the 74th minute.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Leicester City 2 Watford 0

Air of inevitability in defeat as Watford fail to grind out a draw

Ismael not happy with first-goal defending and Bachmann’s initial yellow card

Jet-lag a major factor in Saturday’s team selection

Fran’s Watford Blog: Most Watford fans that I spoke to after the game thought that it had been a decent performance from the Hornets.  They had set up to frustrate Leicester and had been very effective but, once the breakthrough came, a comeback looked unlikely.  The Bachmann sending off was frustrating, although the first yellow seemed rather harsh.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67459828

11th November 2023- Championship, Watford 5 Rotherham United 0

https://www.skysports.com/football/watford-vs-rotherham-united/teams/484893

WFC.Net Jon Marks Goal Commentary: 1 2 3 4 5

BBC: The Hornets are up to 13th and unbeaten in six, their best league run since April 2021, and have conceded just three goals in that spell.

Sky: Injury and illness had forced Ismael into three of five changes made from the goalless draw at Huddersfield, including a first league start this season for goalkeeper Ben Hamer after regular shotstopper Daniel Bachmann was ruled out due to a concussion in training.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Watford 5 Rotherham 0

Learnings from last week paved the way to five-goal romp

Clinical Watford canter to impressive five-goal victory

BHappy: Rotherham are pretty terrible.  That’s the caveat.  The opening goal saw Ken Sema afforded enough time to grab a coffee and nip to the loo before sending in the cross that Rajović directed into the net and this will be a feature of the first half in particular.  As significant is the fact that our passing is much crisper;  fewer touches, less dawdling.  Rotherham are narrow, and we’re successful at switching the play quickly.

Fran’s Watford Blog: What a difference a week makes.  From utter tedium at Huddersfield to a thrilling goal fest at Vicarage Road.  The Hornets had dominated both games against poor opposition, but the difference came with the attacking intent shown.  Huddersfield had set up to defend, but I felt that the Hornets didn’t press them enough.  Against Rotherham there were plenty of willing runners who got behind the defence and caused problems.  King Ken was one, but it was also great to see Andrews back making surging runs.  Rajović had a great day at the office.  He can be invisible when there is no service, but he was perfectly placed for both of Sema’s crosses and is the goal poacher that we needed.  Hamer didn’t have a lot to do, but coped well with everything that Rotherham threw at him, which was good to see given how little he has played of late.

4th November 2023- Championship, Huddersfield Town 0 Watford 0

https://www.skysports.com/football/huddersfield-town-vs-watford/teams/484872

BBC: The draw – the first between the sides in 17 meetings – means their league positions stay unchanged, with the Terriers 21st and Watford 16th.

Sky: In a game short of clear-cut opportunities, Yaser Asprilla and Matty Pearson came closest for either side, on an otherwise comfortable afternoon for both goalkeepers.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Huddersfield 0 Watford 0

Passing without purpose and loitering without intent

‘At some point we have to do something, we have to shoot’ – Ismael on bore draw

Why was the balance between trying to win and not losing so wrong?

Hoedt accepts Hornets didn’t move the ball quickly enough

BHappy: What follows is, without wishing to be unduly melodramatic, quite possibly the worst game of competitive football that I’ve ever seen (that’s now 1300 Watford games and counting – yes I’m a bit sad, sue me).  Not “worst” in terms of a low level of competence, although heaven knows this was, generously, unremarkable in that regard.  Nor the worst in terms of the overall experience;  we’ve all been at games sat in the rain rather than watching from beneath a roof, harassed by locals or stewards or sat near complete scumbags rather than just vaguely boisterous lads looking for a way to keep themselves entertained. But it terms of entertainment this was completely appalling.

Fran’s Watford Blog: It had been a strange game.  The second half was better than the first, but that isn’t saying much, and the overriding impression was that neither team wanted to lose.  This meant that Huddersfield were happy mostly to sit back and defend.  The Hornets had the vast majority of the play but were very cagey, playing around at the back and shooting from distance when a few more runs at the Huddersfield defence could well have paid dividends.  Watford certainly had the better of the chances, but they were few and far between and the travelling Hornets were not impressed.  At the end of the game Hoedt was the first over to us to give his shirt to a fan.  He was greeted with boos and looked less than impressed at the reception.  Interestingly, King Ken was the last to come over to applaud us and give away his shirt.  He was greeted with cheers.  Maybe the boo boys had left at this point, but I was glad that he got a good reception.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67247351

26th November 2022- Friendly, Watford 1 Blackpool 1 (played at the Pinatar Arena, Spain)

Game played behind closed doors

Watford Observer: Head coach Slaven Bilic took the chance to take a look at Jeremy Ngakia on the right side of defence for the first time, while midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru also started – though it must be said the line-up was almost totally changed during the interval.

12th November 2022- Championship, Bristol City 0 Watford 0

The programme was only available digitally

BBC Sport: Bristol City’s winless run stretched to five games as they fought out a goalless draw with Watford at Ashton Gate. The Robins enjoyed the better of the contest but were unable to find a way past visiting keeper Daniel Bachmann.

Sky Sports: City dominated for long periods without coming up with a finish, while the out-of-sorts visitors went the whole game without registering a shot on target.

BHappy: Shorn of Sarr, João Pedro and Asprilla on top of Louza we lack any verve whatsoever and all the cracks that their presence renders ignorable are painfully exposed.  Those four aren’t… an unfair advantage of course, for all that they are each surely destined to return to playing at the top level with or without Watford.  You’re allowedto have good players. Had we sold Sarr and/or JP over the summer as we surely expected to, we’d have invested in some Polyfilla (other brands are available) to fill some of those cracks.

Fran’s Watford Blog: At half time the City team of 97-98 were welcomed back for the 25th anniversary of the season in which they won promotion to the second tier.  It was a little ill advised to do that when Watford were visiting as our memory of the corresponding tie that season was of the home fans holding up a banner declaring themselves Champions.  Pride went before a fall and it was the Hornets who topped the division that season on our way to the Premier League.  Still, the first person to be introduced to the crowd was the manager that season, the wonderful John Ward, who was given a very warm reception by the travelling Hornets.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63523490

8th November 2022- Championship, Watford 2 Reading 0

WFC.Net Jon Marks Goal Commentary: 1  2

Attendance: 18,847

BBC Sport: Joao Pedro’s double was enough for a victory over Reading that sent Watford into the Championship play-off places.

Sky Sports: Goals in both halves ensured the Hertfordshire side bounced back from defeat against Coventry last weekend.

Fran’s Watford Blog: As this was the nearest home game to Remembrance Sunday, Bilić and Ince laid wreaths on the touchline and a trumpeter played the Last Post to impeccable silence in the ground.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62776174