retired_brianrt

November 2007 Summary

(Championship unless stated)

Watford 2-1 Blackpool
Ellington (67) Rinaldi (74) : Southern (44)

West Brom 2-2 Watford
Slusarski (60) MacDonald (72) : DeMerit (17) Priskin (41)

Watford 3-1 Scunthorpe
King (14,pen 27) McAnuff (86) : Ormerod (45)

Southampton 0-1 Watford
Smith (26)

Watford 2-0 Hull
Smith (26,90)

retired_brianrt

After the misfortune of failing to qualify for the 2000 European Championships, Scotland found themselves unfortunate not to qualify for the 2002 World Cup Finals. They started off the qualifying group in great form, gaining 8 points from 4 matches, however after a 2-0 defeat in Belgium, they could not take any hold in the group. Their campaign for qualifying for the 2004 European Championships was anything but great, the word shambolic springing to mind. With Berti Vogts installed as the new manager, the Scots got off to a shocking start, drawing 2-2 with the Faroe Islands. Worse still was to come few months later as Lithunaia beat them 1-0. However after few lucky results, Scotland found themselves in the play offs for a stake in Euro 2004. After a lucky 1-0 home victory against Holland, they were smacked for six in the return leg and failed to qualify. A string of disastrous friendly results, such as a 4-0 defeat against Wales and 3-0 at home against Hungary added insult to injury. Just as things could not get any worse, they actually did, they lost at home in a crucial world cup qualifier against Norway and Vogt’s men drew 1-1 against Moldova, the weakest team in the section, and unfortunately for Berti Vogts, this proved to be his last match in charge. Walter Smith was appointed the new boss of Scotland and the response was immediate. Despite not qualifying, plenty of encouragement was taken, including a fine 3-0 win against Slovenia, an encouraging 1-1 draw against the future world champions Italy and a super 5-1 thrashing of Bulgaria. Scotland now have every chance of qualifying for the 2008 European Championships.

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Scottish football is on the up, very much so, and they currently sit second in a group that contains World Champions Italy and runners up France. Walter Smith has got the Scottish side playing with heart, and they have some real quality players in the ranks of the national setup. Any Scotsman is proud to see how well they are doing. It was doubly good for me personally as my club side were also doing well, sitting top of the Championship. Our opening game of December was a televised 5.15 kick off, against the team sitting in second place. Our trip to Sheff Utd was expected to be a tough one, but come the final whistle I had been surprised by how one sided the game had been, as we ran out with a comfortable 4-0 victory. Jobi McAnuff set us on the way with a 25 yarder, before second half strikes from Lee Williamson and Al Bangura sealed the game, and Jobi's second finished the game off emphatically, sending the home side to their first defeat at Bramall Lane all season.

I was delighted with the performance of the lads in that win over a very good side, and the fact we had kept three successive clean sheets was also pleasing. More good news came on the Monday morning, Barry Nicholson and Jorge Rojas both having agreed terms and they would join up with the squad on New Year's day. The same day, I travelled up to Liverpool to watch our reserve side play in a re-arranged game. I came out of the match with another potential transfer target, French midfielder Damien Plessis having impressed me throughout the 90 minutes, as he helped his side to a 3-1 win. The squad was strong enough to cope with the heavy schedule, but I was always looking for players who could improve the overall ability of the squad

retired_brianrt

Emma and myself had been having a few problems of late, she seemed to feel that I was concentrating more on my job than I was on my marriage. I was, obviously, inclined to disagree, as I felt I was doing a good job juggling them both. She said I never gave her the attention she needed anymore. The most worrying aspect was that we had argued more since I took the job than in the previous ten years. I tried to put it down to adapting to a new life, but the arguments and shouting matches played heavy on my mind as we got ourselves ready to entertain Cardiff at Vicarage Road. Maybe my thoughts swayed onto it too much, and maybe it rubbed off on the team, because we were shockingly bad. We could not create even a sniff of a chance, and we deserved to have nothing in the goals for column. Fortunately, the visitors were just as awful as we were, and the 0-0 draw was flattering to both sides. It was by far an away the worst we had played under my management so far

The next game, against bottom side Colchester, wasn't much better. We created more chances, and played better overall, but we could not find a way through and drew a blank for the second game running. Priskin and Ellington were not given the service, and they had to rely on creating the chances for themselves, meaning more hard work for them which gave less opportunity for finishing the chances. I was disappointed with the team, something which I let them know in no uncertain terms. We needed to be much better than we had been the last two games if we were going to gain promotion

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The arguments with Emma were becoming more frequent, and more heated, one of them even resulting in a candlestick flying through the air towards my head. I had expected things to cool down, especially once she got used to our new life and my new job, but they were getting much worse. It had taken its toll severly on Emma, and when I arrived home to an empty house after training on the Friday, I knew it had gotten to her. The note on the coffee table really hit home how it affected her

I didn't know what to do. I sat there, not in hand, and I cried. I just couldn't think what else to do. Then, it came to me. The only man who could help me in this situation, the only man who I could talk to about it. So I picked up the phone, and I dialled the number...

retired_brianrt

Adjusting to life on my own was tough, and it really was difficult to focus on the footballing aspect of life. Even on the coach on the way to East Anglia, all I could think about was Emma. The team were asking what was wrong, but I didn't want them focused on anything other than the football. Norwich were our next opponents, and Peter Grant's side had been underperforming consistently throughout the season. This was a game that they played well in, and they went in at half time in front thanks to David Strihavka's strike. The team picked it up in the second half, and it was Ronnie Wallwork who equalised after 65 minutes, brekaing free from the defence and sliding underneath the home side's 'keeper. Both teams had chances in the remaining 25 minutes, and either side could have won it, but we had to settle for our third successive draw

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My pain had been helped thanks to my conversation with Shaun. That's my best friend, I've known him for about 24 years now. He moved to my street when we were 7, and from that moment on we were inseperable. We went everywhere together, apart from the football, as he was a Rangers fan. The only fault he has really. We talk to each other about everything, and I just knew that he would be able to help me out. I phoned him, and we spoke on the phone for hours. He got in his car and drove down from Scotland, a 7 hour drive. I didn't ask him to do that, he offered. As a friend, he's brilliant, and I couldn't wish for a better friend than Shaun. He was also a bit of a statistics freak, and his love of useless information came in handy when he told me that if the team avoided defeat in our next match against Barnsley, it would be a club record. I hadn't known that, but apparently the previous best was set between 28th September 1996 and 4th March 1997. 23 games, 24 if we avoided defeat. This made me determined to be the holder of the record, and I opted to pin a notice up on the board in the dressing room to inform the lads. It motivated them big time, and they were all determined to beat the record

Unfortunately for Barnsley, the determination of the team shone through, and even when Miguel Mostto put the visitors in fron, we were even more determined to win. To be fair though, we had to wait until the final 12 minutes to secure the points, as Danny Shittu headed home McAnuff's corner, before Al Bangura's rocket from 20 yards and Nathan Ellington's ijury time goal gave us the win and a club record 24th game unbeaten

retired_brianrt

Coming off the back of the record breaking game, I was greeted by good news, as Kilmarnock's Canadian midfielder Rhian Dodds had agreed to join up with the team. He wasn't the most talented individual on the planet, but for a fee of £8,000 I was more than willing to give him a chance. He had made the trip down to the South of England for his medical, and he agreed to stay and watch the lads in action. Leicester were the team who had the mammoth task of dampening our Christmas spirits, and they very nearly managed it too, as we were only saved by an 82nd minute goal from substitute Steven Kabba. The former Sheff Utd man had only took his place on the bench because of injuries to Ellington and King, which left Priskin and Tommy Smith the starting strikers, but Kabba was the man who sealed the points.

The side were in excellent voice on the shortish trip to the seaside, and with the confidence of knowing a win would keep us top of the table by 7 points going into the New Year was a real boost for the side. Having said that, you wouldn't have known from the way they played in the game with Plymouth, as we were awful. The creativity was seriously lacking, and the defence, particularly DeMerit and Shittu, had to get us out of the mire on more than one occasion. Still, our resilience shone through and Tommy Smith's stunning volley two minutes from time was enough to seperate the sides. I was happy with the win, as playing badly and winning games is always the sign of champions. All the good teams do it, so that was one positive from the game. I had been worried by how badly we had played though, and it was an issue I was looking to address in the upcoming weeks

retired_brianrt

December 2007 Summary

(Championship unless stated)

Sheff Utd 0-4 Watford
McAnuff (28,88) Williamson (55) Bangura (83)

Watford 0-0 Cardiff

Watford 0-0 Colchester

Norwich 1-1 Watford
Strihavka (24) : Wallwork (65)

Watford 3-1 Barnsley
Shittu (78) Bangura (88) Ellington (90) : Mostto (27)

Watford 1-0 Leicester
Kabba (82)

Plymouth 0-1 Watford
Smith (88)

retired_jgirl87

Excellent work, sherm - I'm really enjoying this story. :cool:

retired_brianrt

Thanks a lot Spav - I'm really enjoying writing (and playing) it, so hopefully I can keep you interested

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Going into 2008 at the top of the table was nice, and although I was happy with the squad, I had managed to add four players who joined up with us on New Years Day. The first man to arrive at the ground was Barry Nicholson. The midfielder was a player who had more than enough talent to do a job at Championship level, and I was sure he could be a valuable asset to the side. The transfer fee I had paid was the highest I had forked out, £1.5 million, but for a man of Barry's talents I was happy enough to pay that. He was followed shortly after by another man who had joined from an SPL side, as Rhian Dodds joined us from Kilmarnock. For £8,000, I didn't feel like he was a gamble, and the Canadian would provide some useful back-up to the first team. Both Dodds and Nicholson travelled up North to Deepdale, but we had left the previous night, celebrating New Year's Eve in the hotel bar. Preston had picked up their form a little bit, and were sitting just 3 points outside the play-off places. I was still confident of the team's ability to pick up the three points, although the way we started the game didn't suggest that. It took Tamas Priskin to recue us, as he used his pace to break the home side's offside trap and slide the ball underneath Andy Lonergan to send us in at half time in front. The second half was much easier on my eye, as we controlled the game, passing the ball nicely and creating three good chances, but it was 'The Duke' who secured the points, playing a lovely one-two with McAnuff before ramming home in the third minute of injury time to keep us top of the table

Both Dodds and Nicholson had been impressed with the side's win, and they were soon joined by their other two new colleagues, as Frenchman Damien Plessis stepped foot inside his new home while we were picking up three points at Preston, but America's left winger Jorge Rojas didn't join the squad for training until the day before the F.A Cup game, but straightaway he looked impressive, even after suffering jetlag, and he took his place on the bench for our second successive trip to Lancashire. Our opponents this time however, were a totally different kettle of fish, as the Premiership Leaders Man Utd entertained us at Old Trafford. They were on a great run of form, having not lost in any competition since September, so I didn't really fancy our chances. Ironically, the team proved me wrong, as we were the better side in the first 45 minutes, even having the cheek to take the lead after 7 minutes, Priskin heading across Van Der Sar and into the far corner. I think that the home side got some of Sir Alex's hairdryer treatment in the half time interval, as they came out all guns blazing in the second half, goals from Nani, Saha, Brandy and a Ryan Giggs penalty ensuring we were well and truly beaten and would not be taking our place in the 4th round

retired_brianrt

Marlon King had resumed full training after his injury, but I didn't want to rush him back into the fold and risk him getting an injury again, so I sent my scouts out to have a look at the loan and free transfer list for a decent back-up striker to give support to my main three. Since Marlon's injury, Nathan Ellington and Tamas Priskin had stepped up to the main two striking berths, but I knew I had to find a striker to support them. The best option appeared to be Liverpool's Hungarian striker Krisztian Nemeth, and I duly made a bid to take him on loan for the remainder of the season, although I was a bit unsure if he would want to come and ply his trade at Vicarage Road for a few months.

The home game against Wolves saw Damien Plessis come in for his debut, as Al Bangura had picked up a slight strain, and Jorge Rojas took his place on the left wing. Rojas was terrific, as he bombed up and down the left hand side, whipping crosses onto the head of Priskin and Ellington. No matter what we tried, we could not find the breakthrough, as Matt Murray kept everything out that we hit towards him. We could not find the goal that would have given us the three points, and we had to settle for a 0-0 draw, and although it's always nice to keep a clean sheet I felt we should have won the game

I was surprised when Nemeth agreed to join us for the rest of the season, but needless to say I was happy to have the talents of a man rated very highly at Anfield. He showed his obvious class in his very first training session with the side, as he could, and did score from anywhere. His passing was different class too, and he was an obvious class act who should be far too good for the Championship. I was growing more and more content with the team, although when I had listened to the radio that night my mood changed drastically. Steve Cotterill had been on TalkSport in an interview, and his basic philosophy was that he didn't want us to go up, and he wanted to put a dent in our promotion hopes by beating us in the next game. This really got under my skin, and I was determined to show Cotterill how much we deserved our promotion and that we were going to get it, come hell or high water

retired_brianrt

Burnley visited Vicarage Road wanting to hand us our first defeat of the season, and the lads were determined to stop this happening. The first half was all one-way traffic, as we controlled the game with ease, but Nathan Ellington's lone strike was enough to send us in at the break in front. I don't know what Steve Cotterill said to his side, but he obviously fired them up, as Robbie Blake equalised for the visitors just four minutes into the half. This stunned us slightly, and we could have found ourselves behind and in some serious trouble, as in the space of a crazy 15 minutes, Burnley had 4 good chances to go in front. In the end, we managed to get in front ourselves, as Priskin headed home from Lloyd Doyley's right wing cross. We nearly had a third in injury time too, Barry Nicholson curling his 20 yard strike onto the bar, with the Burnley 'keeper well beaten

It had been a sweet victory over Burnley, and it saw our lead extended to 9 points at the top of the table, a lead which was comfortable and one I was delighted to be holding. Our final match of January saw us travel to the Potteries for an away game against a hard working Stoke side. Marlon King made his first appearance since mid-November as he started in place of Tamas Priskin, and he certainly made an impact, opening the scoring after 18 minutes with his twelfth goal of the season. We should have advanced our lead even further, but out inability to convert the chances that came our way came back to bite us, as James Keene headed his side level. In the end, we were rescued by our American Centre Back Jay DeMerit, as he volleyed home from 5 yards to give us three points that, looking back, we fully deserved after dominating the match