Category Archives: Slaven Bilic

7th March 2023- Slaven Bilic leaves and Chris Wilder is appointed Head Coach until the end of the season

https://www.watfordfc.com/news/club-statement-bilic-departs
https://www.watfordfc.com/news/official-wilder-appointed-head-coach

Watford Observer: Bilic goes, Wilder arrives – and supporting Watford gets harder

BBC Sport: Watford: Chris Wilder replaces sacked Slaven Bilic as head coach

The Guardian: Seventeen minutes after Bilic’s departure was confirmed, Wilder was announced as their new manager.

Official site: Wilder: Meet Our New Head Coach

Chris Wilder’s First Press Conference | “Let’s Take The Handbrake Off!”

4th March 2023- Championship, Watford 0 Preston North End 0

Slaven Bilic’s final game as Head Coach.

Attendance: 19,244

BBC Sport: The Hornets’ best chance came mid-way through the second half as Ismaila Sarr volleyed just wide from a Ken Sema cross.

Sky Sports: The contest had all the excitement of a pre-season friendly for much of the afternoon, with Preston keeper Freddie Woodman producing the only two saves of note during 90 forgettable minutes.

BHappy: After the break as the half time introductions of Davis and Asprilla offer us at least the suggestion of potency, the visitors resort to base thuggery.  Bambo Diaby is a centre back in the Dan Shittu mould… outstanding at anything asking questions of his physical attributes, he does as good a job of standing up to  Keinan Davis as anyone has this season.  Anything that requires defensive nous or, you know, a football however and he’s less effective – he gives the ball away clumsily in midfield on two occasions as the chinks in North End’s considerable armour begin to show, and manages to avoid censure for sacking Ryan Porteous at a corner. 

Fran’s Watford blog: I was in Watford bright and early on Saturday to attend the Match of the Century at the West Herts, which was celebrating 100 years at Vicarage Road for the Hornets and 100 years of local sport at the West Herts.  The two teams were the West Herts football team and a team made up of Watford fans who had bid to be part of the Watford Centurion team.  West Herts wore the yellow, red and green shirts that the club wore in 1901.  The Centurions wore the current third kit that was worn by the club when Vicarage Road opened.  It was a competitive game that West Herts won 3-0, despite a decent performance from Matthew Archer in the Centurions’ goal and a lively cameo from young Alastair Grass.  The defeat for the Centurions was hardly surprising, given that they had only met that morning, but it could not be blamed on Tommy Mooney, their manager, who was taking his role very seriously so could not be approached to sign copies of the Watford Treasury until after the game.

21st January 2023- Championship, Watford 1 Rotherham United 1

WFC.Net Goal Commentary: 1

Attendance: 18,911

BBC Sport: Watford were left to rue a host of missed chances as they were held to a draw by Rotherham. Mario Gaspar hit the outside of the post early on for the hosts, before Shane Ferguson gave the Millers the lead as he blasted in from close range. Vakoun Bayo grazed the Rotherham bar soon after, while Matheus Martins also struck the upright for the promotion-chasing Hornets shortly after the restart.

Sky Sports: Joao Ferreira rescued a point for Watford in a 1-1 draw with Rotherham but the result did little to help their automatic promotion chances. In addition to Ferreira’s superb equaliser from 20 yards, which cancelled out Shane Ferguson’s first-half opener, Watford clipped the visitors’ woodwork on two occasions on what proved to be a frustrating afternoon for the Vicarage Road crowd.

BHappy: Rotherham aren’t dirty or particularly defensive, but they are strong and organised and, frankly, bigger than us.  With new, young signings and promising youngsters and that we are relatively lightweight…  Choudhury, stamping all over the midfield once again, and Sierralta stand out for their ability to give some back but Koné, whilst he has a good touch and the nous to spot and execute a long range pass isn’t nearly robust enough.  We get bullied once again, as we have far too often this season;  there’s a lack of physical presence up front in particular, where we simply don’t have a target for a direct ball and aren’t clever enough in trying to play through, but also in midfield despite Hamza’s best efforts.

Fran’s Watford Blog: At half time, Richard Johnson was talking about the week that the Academy players have had with the appearances in the FA Cup, the Youth Cup win against Everton and the league appearances including Adeyemo’s tremendous goal against Blackpool.  One thing that he didn’t mention was an event that the under 15s attended on Monday at which Eve Kugler, a child Holocaust survivor, spoke of her experiences during the rise of Nazi Germany.  I was lucky enough to be invited to join them.  Eve kindly spent her 92nd birthday talking to the group.  Her story was both chilling and very moving.  It is wonderful that the club educate the youngsters in this history and encourage them to learn about different communities.

14th January 2023- Championship, Watford 2 Blackpool 0

WFC.Net Goal Commentary: 1  2

Attendance: 19,679

Official site: Watford fans inside The Vic marked the GT Matchday by paying tribute to the club’s greatest ever manager before kick-off, raising their scarves aloft as the teams walked out onto the pitch, while all in attendance honoured the late Gianluca Vialli with a minute’s applause.

BBC Sport: Teenage substitute Tobi Adeyemo helped send Watford up to third in the Championship with his first senior goal in a win against strugglers Blackpool.

Sky Sports: The striker, 17, looked as stunned as he was elated to have found the net in the 72nd minute – just four minutes after replacing Vakoun Bayo for his first taste of league action. 

BHappy: His celebration is magnificent, and mirrors the response in the stands – pure joy to start with, he has the armspan of an albatross.  Then giddy disbelief as he clutches his fingers to his scalp before being mobbed, youth team colleague Jack Grieves first on the scene from his touchline warm-up.  The youngster’s popularity is evident from the reaction of his teammates, who make a bee-line for the mob in the corner.

Fran’s Watford Blog: As if a goal from a 17 year-old making his league debut wasn’t pleasing enough, he scored it in the 72nd minute on the GT matchday.  I am sure that the great man was celebrating with the rest of us. 

26th December 2022- Championship, Watford 0 Millwall 2

Attendance: 20,204

BBC Sport: Andreas Voglsammer scored his first goal in English football to set Millwall on the road to a vital victory over Watford in their fight for a Championship play-off place.

Sky Sports: The home side were reduced to 10 men in the 38th minute when Hassane Kamara was sent off but they were comprehensively outplayed on their own turf.

BHappy: The first half was a one-sided farce.  Daniel Bachmann, for all that he almost gave an opening goal away with a sloppy clearance before redeeming himself by throwing himself across goal to block Bradshaw’s resultant shot, kept us in the game with a number of brave stops, none better than a reaction save to deny Voglsammer after yet another Cooper knock-down.  By that stage however we were already a goal down after a rare Cathcart error contributed to Bradshaw setting up Voglsammer to stroke past Bachmann.  “That had been coming”, said everyone in the stadium.

Fran’s Watford Blog: There was then a long break in play after João Pedro was fouled by Saville and seemed to slip as he went down.  After treatment on the field, he limped off the pitch and was sat on the sideline while his ankle was strapped up.  In the meantime, the Hornets won a corner, the delivery from Sema was met by Ngakia whose header was straight at Long in the Millwall goal.  While João Pedro was being treated, Asprilla had stripped and was ready to come on, but the Brazilian returned to the field even though he was limping heavily.  It didn’t look like there was any chance that he could run it off, so it was no surprise when he went down again.  He was clearly distraught as he left the pitch to be replaced by Asprilla.  Losing our best player was pretty upsetting, but Christmas was properly ruined soon after when Kamara chased a ball in the Millwall box and collided with the goalkeeper.  An altercation with McNamara followed, Kamara lashed out and the referee showed a straight red.  It was an utterly stupid thing to do and there was no sympathetic applause as he left the pitch, instead he received a smattering of boos. 

11th December 2022- Championship, Watford 0 Hull City 0

I’ve not checked the stats, but I’m pretty sure this is the first competitive game we’ve been involved in where three substitutes who came on were themselves substituted during the game.

Attendance: 18,846

BBC Sport: Watford and Hull City played out a dour goalless draw, as the home side missed the chance to move up to third in the Championship.

Sky Sports: Attempts on goal were sporadic, with Hull’s Jacob Greaves sending a header from a corner well wide and Christian Kabasele sliding in to block Tyler Smith’s shot from the right of the Watford box.

BHappy: The first half is utterly joyless.  It’s insanely cold for one thing…  I think I remember being colder for that 2-1 defeat to Manchester United when Troy scored at both ends but this is still ridiculous, particularly since I am now versus then seven years closer to having to recognise that I’m approaching middle age, and have dressed accordingly.   The atmosphere is non-existent, and nobody in the stadium objects… there’s a tacit recognition of the circumstances.  The home ends are painfully sparse until kick-off, when all those sensibly huddling in the concourses for the illusion of warmth scuttle out into the stands.  The game starts and briefly there’s the relief of stuff getting back into the groove… I’ve not half missed it because, you know.  It almost doesn’t matter what happens, it’s just football.