Yes yes. We have to stick together. No booing. Yada yada. Okay, we know. But the very fact people are booing says something is wrong. That the team who are bottom of the table and whose manager considers them relegated, has now done the double over us bellows in an extremely loud way that something is wrong.

It is much said that all you need to survive in this division is to find three teams worse than you. For much of the season we’ve been comfortably above that threshold. But suddenly form, cohesion and the ability to shoot seem to have deserted us at just the wrong moment, which means a league meeting with Rochdale in the near future doesn’t seem to be quite such an unlikely prospect as it was after those fine Tuesday night wins in early February.

I wouldn’t usually quote Aristotle but his ‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ comment applies to this Watford team, only in reverse at the moment. If I consider each player individually I come to the conclusion that we’ve got enough quality to easily survive in the Championship. Loach, not the finished article yet but capable of making brilliant saves, who should be protected in his more vulnerable moments by the sheer brute force of DeMerit and Taylor in front of him. Mariappa, when he isn’t suffering a crisis of confidence, quietly effective at the back and useful going forward. Lloydinho doing the same on the other flank, the Watford player you’d want beside you in the trenches. Tom and Angela, too quick and clever for most in this division. Eustace and Cowie, not in anything like the league of our loanees but always willing to try, always running. H and Graham, the perfect make up of centre forwards, tall enough to win headers but skillful enough to not just rely simply on nodding in crosses. Then add in a supporting cast of Hodson, Jenkins, Harley and Hoskins.

It sounds like a decent enough team. But put them all together and it isn’t working. The man responsible for them needs to start coming out publicly with some home truths. I’m sure he is doing this in the dressing room. But to constantly remind us about sticking together is beginning to stick in the throat in the same way Aidy’s ‘Show your colours’ and ‘Who are we-Watford’ did at the end the 07/08 season. It sounds as if we’re being at least partly blamed for what’s going on. What we witnessed yesterday wasn’t good enough and Malky needs to come out and say that so we know he is seeing what we see. Not to do so risks the likelihood of more rather than less booing. It also might give the players the kick up the backside they need to start playing as a team again and avoid a trip to Spotland in 2010/11.

This will be the 16th home meeting for Watford against Peterborough United. Of those meetings we’ve won 6, drawn 2 and lost 7, scoring 22 and conceding 21. A bit of a surprise as they were one of the teams I would’ve thought we’d have a positive record against.

Our last meeting at the Vic was in the Southern Area Semi FInal of the Associate Members Cup when we went down 0-1 in February 1997. Five months before that we’d met them in the ‘new’ Divsion Two and drawn 0-0. This season we gave their ex-manager Mark Cooper his one and only success when we went down 2-1 at London Road just before Christmas.

Peterborough are currently bottom of the division with 27 points from 35 games. They are yet to win on their travels this season and have only managed four draws in their 17 away games. On Tuesday night they beat Sheffield United 1-0.

They have no ex-Horns on their playing staff currently, but a mutual friend is Aidy Boothroyd who lined up for the Posh in our meetings in the 96/97 season.

It goes without saying we need a win today. Without wishing to turn this blog into some Mystic Meg type site I vaguely recall dreaming on Thursday night that we’d lose today. Going by my record with the Swansea match I hope I did.

With Newcastle traveling to Middlesbrough tomorrow, Tyne Time continues it’s feature which see us put our wits up against one of the leading sports psychics in the world, Dean Midas Maynard..

Entered our Prediction League yet? Well, this is one of the best places to do it. Find out the details at,
Barnsley ’til I Die Prediction League; Prove your knowledge
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Crystal Palace were a really good side, and I suppose they still are. Warnock had a lot going for him there (even if we did all hate [...]

Youth Alliance Cup Semi Final –  Southern Section
Team: Wright, Harriman, Waters, Bailey, Olley, Ehmer, Doughty, Bewick, Nanetti, Fernandez, Cox.
Subs: Massih, Perring, Abdullah, Graham, Molloy
Joe Wright came in for the injured Niki-Lee Bulmer and Michael Harriman returned at right back. The sky was now overcast and the strong wind was to certainly have an effect on [...]

Ah well…. In the meantime here’s one Geordie you can laugh at…

Well it might not have been John Ruddy Chris Hughton and co. were looking at in their quest to Scotland a day ago I expected. instead, the attention has turned to their centre-back, Mark Reynolds..

Ah, a trip to Deepdale – where the pies apparently are lovely, so I’m looking forward to that at least (if Jon Parkin and Neil Mellor are advocates, they’re clearly hard to resist!).  Billy takes his new charges to his old club and will be keen to get Forest’s away results back on the rails.  [...]

Ah, a trip to Deepdale – where the pies apparently are lovely, so I’m looking forward to that at least (if Jon Parkin and Neil Mellor are advocates, they’re clearly hard to resist!).  Billy takes his new charges to his old club and will be keen to get Forest’s away results back on the rails.  [...]

Firstly the good news: skipper Paul “Kenna” McKenna’s injury does not require surgery and so there is a glimmer of hope that he may return before the season ends (which would be especially useful if we end up in the dreaded play-offs).

In the meantime, the sponsorship deal with Victor Chandler has been extended by two [...]

Firstly the good news: skipper Paul “Kenna” McKenna’s injury does not require surgery and so there is a glimmer of hope that he may return before the season ends (which would be especially useful if we end up in the dreaded play-offs).
In the meantime, the sponsorship deal with Victor Chandler has been extended by two [...]

Every week in my match preview I ask you for your prediction as to how the game will turn out on the next day. These have always just been informal and for the sake of themselves, not as part of a competition.
Thanks to www.soccerpro.com that is now changing. Previously 2 T-Shirts have been given away for [...]

…The most astonishing thing is there’s about 20 Celtic fans climbing the floodlight pylon, not out of malice, but to get a better view. The astonishing part is they’re wearing shorts and short-sleeved shirts. Absolute loonies!…

There are reports emerging that Chris Hughton was in Scotland yesterday to watch John Ruddy play and keep tabs on the youngsters progress. The 23 year-old which is quite young for a keeper is on loan..

Filed under: Amusing

Filed under: Amusing
Read the original post on Through the seasons before us
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Team: Ikeme, Stewart, Gorkss, Connolly, Hill, Leigertwood, Faurlin, Ephraim (Buzsaky), Taarabt (Ramage), Simpson, Priskin (Vine)
Subs Not used: Cerny, Borrowdale, Balanta, German
Attendance: 14,578
Neil Warnock was just getting out of his car as I was walking past and he got a great reception from those R’s fans present. The Coningham soon filled up and by the time [...]

Disappointment at the end of the 1967 season gives way to a new school for Gary, but more importantly a new season and a new experience – watching the Forest away…
Still in second place we beat Villa 3-0 and I thought it was our God-given right to score three goals at home games. Unfortunately Manchester [...]

Although he didn’t get the Championship player of the month award, Chris Cohen can at least content himself with a slot in the Championship Team of the Week (opens as a PDF).
New boy George Boyd (reminds me of “what are the scores, George Daws?”) had a very decent first half and a reasonable second period [...]

Although he didn’t get the Championship player of the month award, Chris Cohen can at least content himself with a slot in the Championship Team of the Week (opens as a PDF).
New boy George Boyd (reminds me of “what are the scores, George Daws?”) had a very decent first half and a reasonable second period [...]