Tag Archives: Steve Palmer

23rd April 2000- Premier League, Watford 2 Arsenal 3

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4397

Brief highlights from the Premier League website

Really, this made no sense whatsoever. A spewed, skewed mess of a football match, mercilessly thrilling throughout. Goals, misses, controversy, aggression, mistakes, mayhem. The thunderstorm that clattered around during the second half, blackening the skies except for occasional sharp flashes of lightning, could hardly have been more appropriate – this was furious, elemental stuff.

Oh what the hell, the season’s run-in is upon us – this is the batch of games we looked at from afar and thought, oh God, please don’t let us need the points from these games to stay up, please let us be sorted by then. And you know something? We don’t. And we are. So let’s party like last year was 1999, and next year we’ll be back in this division, this league, this wretched pandemic loadsamoney pissing contest…and we can send GT out on a high.

https://oldwatford.com/2006/12/26/26th-december-2006-premier-league-watford-1-arsenal-2/

25th March 2000- Premier League, Watford 0 Tottenham Hotspur 0

Scan 1
Scan 2
Scan 3
Scan 4
Scan 5
Scan 6
Scan 7
Scan 8
Scan 9
Scan 10
Scan 11
Scan 12
Scan 13
Scan 14
Scan 15
Scan 16
Scan 17
Scan 18
Scan 19
Scan 20
Scan 21
Scan 22
Scan 23
Scan 24
Scan 25
Scan 26
Scan 27
Scan 28
Scan 29
Scan 30
Scan 31
Scan 32
Scan 32
Scan 33
Scan 34
http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4393

BSAD report: There are less than ten minutes left. Robbo’s receiving a pass and steaming down the left like an irate, stampeding wildebeest. He whacks a cross towards the penalty area, hitting a defender and winning a corner. His momentum takes him over the touchline and towards the Rookery, fists clenched and bellowing insanely to demand more support. Spurs are visibly rattled by our bruising assault, suddenly defending a draw rather than pursuing a victory.

In the stand that Robbo’s glaring at, we’re all on our feet. My vocal chords are taking more abuse, screaming encouragement. I’m bracing myself for the winner.

Take a freeze-frame of that moment. Think about it. We’re supposed to have accepted relegation, to feel humbled by the Premiership experience. Yet it takes only the slightest encouragement to flip the script entirely, to bring us back to life as this roaring, snarling beast of a team.

Screen Shot 2018-03-15 at 12.46.49
Screen Shot 2018-03-15 at 12.46.13

18th March 2000- Premier League, Watford 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0

A late goal from Allan Smart gave Watford the points in this battle between the Premiership’s worst two sides. 

Sunday Telegraph, 19 Mar 2000
Observer, 19 Mar 2000
Independent, 19 Mar 2000
Daily Telegraph, 19 Mar 2000

It only takes a second to score a goal. It only takes a goal to win a game. It only takes a win to make my day….And it would only have taken a few more days like this to make a season.

It’s tempting to write only about the last ninety seconds of this game. Watford played beautifully, Smart scored early thanks to a splendid assist from star forward Tommy Smith, then we defended stoutly and resolutely for the arduous and seemingly endless remainder of the game, displaying the excellent teamwork that has often been lacking, etc., etc.

https://oldwatford.com/2015/05/02/2nd-may-2015-championship-watford-1-sheffield-wednesday-1/

4th March 2000- Premier League, Watford 1 West Ham United 2

For once, Watford fans had more than blind faith to cling to as kickoff approached. Not only the encouragement of two vastly improved performances, especially that mighty effort at Chelsea, but also the knowledge that we’d be able to field an unchanged side. This was it, this was our first win of the new year. No doubts.

Playing crap I can tolerate – it happens, whatever the division you are in. But showing such an APPARENT LACK OF EFFORT? The “half-arsed” element to our play in that first half still rankles, 48 hours on.

I saw us lose 4-0 at Spurs this season but there we were undone by the magician Ginola. In the first half against West Ham we showed a complete lack of the application and spirit that GT instilled over twenty years ago, and that simply cannot be tolerated.

12th February 2000- Premier League, Watford 1 Leicester City 1

BBC SportIn an open, entertaining match Watford’s Allan Smart could have had a hat-trick in the space of four frantic first-half minutes – but each time he shot just too high or straight to Leicester goalkeeper Tim Flowers. 

BSAD imageThis was not a classic, just a well-matched contest with plenty of incident. A healthy serving of good, wholesome footie. And we didn’t lose either.

Screen Shot 2018-02-12 at 12.42.44
Screen Shot 2018-02-12 at 12.42.03