Tag Archives: Graham Simpson

26th August 2006- Premier League, Watford 1 Manchester United 2

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4718

Ryan Giggs scored the second-half winner for Manchester United as they saw off a spirited Watford challenge.

BBC-SPORT-_-Football-_-Premiership-_-Watford-1-2-Man-Utd Download

Boothroyd’s Watford clearly lack the class of the side Graham Taylor took into the old First Division 24 years ago. Taylor’s team were derided for their direct approach yet still managed to finish runners-up to Liverpool that season. The present Watford team look to King to hold the ball up front with Damien Francis giving support from midfield and Ashley Young providing accurate centres from the right.

The wonderful Watford website Blind Stupid and Desperate bowed out with their final match report at this game.

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By Ian Grant

So, here it is. It doesn’t seem possible, really, but here it is. Just another day in front of the monitor, another afternoon spent bashing away at the keyboard, while the television burbles inanely behind me and the washing machine rumbles away in the kitchen. Another day, apparently as mundane as all of the others in the same vein…and yet, one that I know I’ll never forget. The last match report. The day in which BSaD enters the past tense. There’s no putting it off, not any more. Wish there was, but I know there isn’t.

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=2006-08-26

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/premier-league/26-august-2006/

22nd August 2006- Premier League, Watford 1 West Ham United 1

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4717

Watford had to work hard to pick up their first point of the season in an entertaining draw with West Ham.

BBC-SPORT-_-Football-_-Premiership-_-Watford-1-1-West-Ham Download

Tuesday was great. Football. Right in front of you. So close it suffocated you. So close it got hold of you by the neck and shook you until you took notice. So close I could smell Shittu’s deep heat-laden legs. So close I could sense the tension in Ben Foster’s every mis-kick. So close I could see the menace in the eyes of Aidy Boothroyd. Hell-bent on non-failure (that’s success to you) this team, hell-bent on being something more than nothing. Hell-bent on casting aside memories of ’99, 2000. Just hell-bent. Whatever they want to do, they really want to do it. And more often than not they go out there and do it as they wanted to do it before they went out and did it.

Comparing last night with Goodison Park on Saturday, we managed some more of what we’d tried then, considerably more effectively – but that could have had something to do with the opposition being different. Everton were big and solid, to a man. (Have you seen Alan Stubbs close up?) West Ham were more…human, somehow, faster (Andy Johnson included), more our cup of tea. And if the rest of the teams we’ll play are in that mold, rather than the brick en-suite low-flush houses of the Toffeemen, we may very well prosper enough to survive. Our first home game was bound to be a bit special, though. A splendid sight greeted us, once we’d got into the ground and past the security checks, which I hope are to do with the global paranoia, rather than merely the Premier League’s. A beautiful pitch, and the Yellow Army dense in seven-eighths of the ground.

I did not, in all honesty, expect to be at the match. First home game in the Premiership would surely be a sell out? Er…apparently not, and late in the day I was able to take my place in the Vicarage Road stand – despite having no membership credentials other than my dad being a season ticket holder.

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=2006-08-22

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/premier-league/22-august-2006/

9th May 2006- Championship Playoff Semi-Final Second Leg, Watford 0 Crystal Palace 0 (Watford win 3-0 on aggregate)

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http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4714

Watford will meet Leeds in the Championship play-off final after cruising past a lacklustre Palace.

Adrian Boothroyd faces the threat of being banned from the touchline for the play-off final against Leeds United, comfortably the biggest game of his brief managerial career, after being sent to the stands last night following a mass brawl in front of his dugout. The Watford manager sparked mayhem midway through the second half when he flicked the ball away from Fitz Hall with a hand as the Crystal Palace defender sought to take a quick throw-in.

Daily Telegraph, 10 May 2006

Independent, 10 May 2006

Evening Standard, 10 May 2006

BSAD reports: There is an air of something approaching hysteria inside Vicarage Road.

Immense. Amazing. Rock solid. Tense. Iron-willed. Undefeated. Just some of the words we used, once we’d calmed down, to describe the fight on the touchline which was triggered by maybe a little too much management of the game and, in particular, the ball. But if we focus on that, we’ll be overlooking a job done with just as many of the qualities as we brought to the 60th-minute melee.

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30th April 2006- Championship, Watford 0 Hull City 0

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4712

Watford secured third place and will play Crystal Palace in the play-offs after a dismal draw at Vicarage Road.

The key to winning the Championship play-offs, according to Hull City’s manager Peter Taylor, whose team has played three of the clubs involved in recent weeks, probably lies in having your top striker fit and in form. After watching his defenders, helped by a couple of fine saves from the excellent goalkeeper Boaz Myhill, prevent Watford’s Marlon King adding to his 21 league goals this season, Taylor reckons the fact that Andy Johnson will suddenly have the World Cup on his mind makes Crystal Palace favourites to go up.

The first goalless draw at Vicarage Road since the start of October…and not an entirely unpredictable one, in hindsight. Since Sheffield United stumbled over the finishing line, we’ve covered up the meaningless nature of the fixtures rather well, with some help from our opponents: Ipswich were kind enough to take part in an entertainingly shambolic end-to-end friendly, while Queens Park Rangers’ general ill-temper spiced up what might’ve been thoroughly bland. Hull, on the other hand, weren’t nearly so obliging.

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=2006-04-30

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-championship/30-april-2006/

17th April 2006- Championship, Watford 2 Ipswich Town 1

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4710

Darius Henderson scored a goal in each half to earn promotion hopefuls Watford their first win in five matches.

Daily Mirror, 18 Apr 2006

Daily Telegraph, 18 Apr 2006

Independent, 18 Apr 2006

Just before the full-time whistle, it was announced that Aidy Boothroyd would like the fans to stay behind for a few minutes after the game for a special word… What actually transpired was a practice penalty shoot out: a team of yellow against a team of red. Aidy asked the crowd to boo and create a “hostile” atmosphere which was fun, to say the least. I won’t list all the takers but Marlon King scored (top right corner, unsaveable), Theo Robinson scored (just like Marlon, could be good that kid), Gavin Mahon missed (which could be a blessing), Matthew Spring scored (after being treated to a chorus of “scum, scum, scum” followed by his usual song), Alec Chamberlain missed (a very unpopular result) and some others scored, some missed. Yellow won.

9th April 2006- Championship, Watford 1 Luton Town 1

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4708

Ahmet Brkovic’s first goal of 2006, 17 minutes from time, rescued a point for Luton at Vicarage Road to virtually end Watford’s hopes of automatic promotion. It also means Luton’s slim hopes of gaining a play-off spot were extinguished.

The point confirms Watford’s play off place, but almost certainly means they won’t catch Sheffield United in the race for second spot.

Asked if he was concerned at his team’s poor form, Boothroyd said: “Yeah, 73 points. Awful.”

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=2006-04-09

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-championship/09-april-2006/