sherm Posted November 1, 2007 Author Share Posted November 1, 2007 Our final two pre-season games saw us grab a win and suffer a defeat. Boreham Wood were easily defeated, with Priskin and an Aaritalo brace enough to win it. The worrying result however saw us succumb to a 3-1 loss to Premiership side Portsmouth. It wasn't that we lost that worried me, it was that we were outclassed by nothing better than an average Premiership outfit. Leroy Lita and Sylvain Distin were the home side's goalscorers, while Marlon King scored our consolation, but I was not happy with the performance. I knew we needed to perform better than we had done against Harry Redknapp's side. I completed what would be my final signing of the Summer Transfer window after the Portsmouth game, as Manchester City's goalkeeper Joe Hart signed on a permanent contract after his impressive performances last season on loan. The was £625,000, which was a nice sum for such a talented performer. He signed just in time to be registered for our opening League game, which saw the squad completed, at least for now anyway --- Walking out of the tunnel at Craven Cottage was a mind blowing experience. To be walking out of the tunnel as a Premiership manager for the first time in my career was unbelievable. I wanted this to be a regular thing, in fact I was determined to make it regular. I loved the thrill of being a manager, and I wanted it to be there for the rest of my life. Our opponents in the opening Premier League fixture were Fulham, who were an established club in the top flight, so I expected a tough test. Just how tough it would be though, I hadn't known, as Moritz Volz and Clint Dempsey put the home side into a 2-0 lead at half time. We showed our fighting spirit in the second half though, as substitue Nathan Ellington, and then a penalty on debut from Mika Aaritalo earned us a point that our second half performance deserved. I was delighted with the team for the way that they had come back and fought their way to the point that we got. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 1, 2007 Author Share Posted November 1, 2007 We stayed in London for our second game, this time against West Ham, but yet again we started slowly, Luis Boa Morte heading home after 12 minutes, but once again our fighting spirit showed through, as Jay DeMerit powered home McAnuff's corner. It looked like we would go in level, but that changed right on half time, Dean Ashton's volley beating Mart Poom and putting the home side ahead for the second time. The second half saw one team in the game, as we peppered the goal of our opponents. Chance after chance rained down on the goal, but Roy Carroll kept everything out. It looked like being one of those games, but Jobi changed all that in stoppage time, firing a cross-cum-shot across the goal and in off the far post. Yet again we had shown our fighting qualities, and came out of a tough away game with a hell of a good point, and in a season where we needed every point we could get, I was delighted with the start --- After spending so long as a married man, it took some getting used to trying to adapt to single life. Just as I was starting to come to terms with it, the divorce papers arrived. I don't know why it hit me so hard, I'd been expecting it. The moment my signature went on that piece of paper, that was it. I wasn't a married man anymore. Shaun had been brilliant throughout, and he took me to the pub that night for a few quiet drinks. We sat in the far corner, and sat and talked for hours. He knew I wouldn't be looking for anything for a while, particularly serious, but as usual his cooler head prevailed, and he convinced me not to start living a casanova lifestyle. I agreed with him, and decided to get my mind off it, keeping my head focused on the football side of things for now. He also suggested arranging a trip to see my parents, since I hadn't seen them in nearly 18 months. Just before I took the Watford job in fact. I had been in contact, but had never had the chance to go up to Edinburgh and see them. I made my mind up to ring them the following day and arrange a visit to see them. I would be spending Christmas with my parents, spending a couple of days up there, but with games on Boxing day and New Years day I couldn't be there too long. There were still plenty more games before then, and our next task was to entertain the team that finished fourteen points behind us last season, Sheff Utd. They were yet to get off the mark this season, and that was still the case after 90 minutes at Vicarage Road, as we controlled the game with composed ease. Mika Aaritalo got the scoring started, as he broke free of the defence and slotted underneath Paddy Kenny. The Finnish international had made a big impression on me so far, and I was sure he would be a big hit with the fans. Despite having the better of the match, we had to wait until the final five minutes to secure the points, as Jobi McAnuff and Tommy Smith both scored efforts from outside the box to give us our first win of the season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 1, 2007 Author Share Posted November 1, 2007 We followed up the win against Sheffield Utd with another three points in our next game, a trip to Teeside to face Gareth Southgate's talented Middlesbrough side. Marlon King was back in the side, while Lee Martin made his first start on the left hand side due to Tommy Smith's injury. It was King who scored what turned out to be the winning goal, his twelve yard shot deflecting past Schwarzer and into the roof of the net. I was pleased with how the defence played, keeping our second clean sheet of the season, and with three of our first four games having been away from home it was nice to be unbeaten so far We had a break from the League games, as the Crling Cup drew upon us. We had been drawn away from home, but in reality it should have been an easy win. The side we faced, Barnsley, had started badly and were sitting 23rd in the Championship table, but with some important Premiership games coming up I opted against playing a full strength side. Altogether there were 7 changes from the side that beat Middlesbrough, and the team I had put out was one I fully expected to win the match. We didn't make it easy for ourselves though, as we allowed Coulsen to put the home side ahead. This woke us up, as Bernardo Corradi's forst goal for the club levelled things up, before Jay DeMerit sent us in at half time with a lead. Tommy Smith all but sealed it with a 62nd minute free kick, and even Michael Ricketts 72nd minute goal was no more than a consolation, as we advanced comfortably into the 3rd round. --- Shaun had travelled North to visit his sister in Manchester, so my nights were spent in front of the T.V alone. It seemed to be a sport week on FilmFour, with Mean Machine, Happy Gilmour and When Saturday Comes having been the order of the week so far. Watching a film with a pizza and a couple of cans was a regular occurence for me since Emma had left, but for the first time in about 6 weeks I had thought about her that night. It was thinking about her that made me realise that I needed a woman in my life. Not necessarily a marriage, but a commitment of some sort. I couldn't go on living alone, being on my oen, and being in a relationship, a serious relationship for ao long made me crave for the things that couples had. I wanted that again, I really did. I couldn't stand being alone anymore I still hadn't shook the thoughts of the previous night off my mind, and maybe this contributed to our first defeat of the season. Mark Hughes' in form Blackburn made the trip to Vicarage Road, in what was to be our final game of the month. We started well, for the first time in a few games, and took a 30th minute lead through Tamas Priskin's first Premiership goal. We held this lead till three minutes into the second half, when Steve Sidwell curled the ball home past Joe Hart, and the visitors sealed the win when Mehdi Mahdivikia scored a magnificent solo goal, beating three men before rounding Hart and sliding home the ball. We hadn't played badly, but maybe my half time team talk had been the wrong type. The defeat was one I took responsibilty for, something which as manager I knew I needed to do. Still, it had been a decent start to the season, and I couldn't have asked for much more from the team Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 1, 2007 Author Share Posted November 1, 2007 August 2008 Summary (Premiership unless stated) Fulham 2-2 Watford Volz (17) Dempsey (34) : Ellington (61) Aaritalo (pen 77) West Ham 2-2 Watford Boa Morte (12) Ashton (45) : DeMerit (25) McAnuff (90) Watford 3-0 Sheff Utd Aaritalo (37) McAnuff (85) Smith (89) Middlesbrough 0-1 Watford King (36) (League Cup 2nd Round) Barnsley 2-3 Watford Coulsen (6) Ricketts (72) : Corradi (12) DeMerit (30) Smith (62) Watford 1-2 Blackburn Priskin (30) : Sidwell (49) Mahdivikia (58) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 1, 2007 Author Share Posted November 1, 2007 England had confirmed recent media speculation that they were going to bid for the 2018 World Cup, which would mean that if they were successful then it would be the first time since 1966, 52 years. It would be interesting to see if FIFA would allow England to hold such a prestigious tournament. I had also been interested to be approached by the press about the vacant job at my first club, Aberdeen. They had dispensed with the services of Jimmy Calderwood after a disappointing start to the SPL season which had seen his side win just one of their opening 11 games and sitting bottom of the table. I didn't answer the question but I knew that I wouldn't be taking the job North of the border --- Our second month in the Premiership saw us open with the side that had dominated us in a pre-season friendly, as we travelled to Fratton Park to face Portsmouth. They had outclassed us in the pre-season, and they did so again here, racing into a 3-0 lead by half time. John Utaka opened up the scoring after 7 minutes, before two goasl in 7 minutes from Thomas Kahlenberg and Dave Nugent put the game beyond doubt. We did show the home side a bit of our bulldog spirit, as Danny Shittu and Mika Aaritalo scored goals to give us a glimmer of hope, but in the end the experience of Redknapp's side shone through and they grabbed all three points. It's never nice to lose, but I was pleased with the way we fought back, which saw us going into the next game with confidence. Our record at home was terrific since I had taken over, and when David Moyes brought his Everton team I was hopeful of another three points. The team took the same attitude as me, and our on-form Finnish striker continued his goal scoring antics as he side footed the ball home just before the half hour, giving us a well deserved lead. This lead was doubled in the second half, as Danny Shittu rose above everybody to head past Tim Howard and seal the points. Shaun had come back with an interesting bit of news...plus his sister, who had come to stay with him for a few weeks. Apparently, she was working down in Watford for a few weeks and could possibly lead to a permanent fixture. That wasn't his interesting news. His news did involve his sister, but it involved me too. She had been sympathetic of my marriage breaking up, and she had been in the same situation not too many years ago. She had offered to be a friend, a shoulder to cry on, somebody to talk to who had experience with the situation. I was grateful for the offer, and took it up. It was very kind of her to do that, as she had no need to, but I was thankful for the fact that she did Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 1, 2007 Author Share Posted November 1, 2007 The third round of the League Cup had thrown us Premiership opposition, as we made our second trip of the campaign to Craven Cottage to once again play Lawrie Sanchez's Fulham side. The Carling Cup, despite not being too high on my list of priorities, was something that could provide a decent amount of revenue if we got a good run. It looked like we would advance, as we started the game in a stylish fashion. We created three good chances in the opening ten minutes, and probably should have already been ahead before Tommy Smith slid us in the lead after 18 minutes. This only seemed to awaken the home side, and they were back level within ten minutes, Romanian striker Stancu firing home from the corner of the box. It was level going into the second half, but we were finally eliminated from two goals in the space of four second half minutes, Stancu grabbing his second of the game before Diomansy Kamara's free-kick sealed their passage through to the fourth round I wasn't all that disappointed to be out of the Carling Cup, as it meant more of a focus on the Premiership campaign, and we travelled to the other end of the country for our next league game, one which would turn out to be the last of the month. Our opponents were 10th placed Wigan, who had some good players but had been plagued by inconsistency throughout the last season and so far in this one. To be fair though, they showed no signs of that in this game, as they ran us ragged throughout the match. Once Franchman Jimmy Briand had put them in front after 11 minutes, they should have put the game beyond question, and their inability to convert chances would cost them dearly. It didn't look that way five minutes from time, as Al Bangura got himself sent off for a second bookable offence, but once again we showed ourn resilience, Marlon King heading home an 89th minute equaliser to rescue a very undeserving point for us, keeping us in the top half of the table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 1, 2007 Author Share Posted November 1, 2007 September 2008 Summary (Premiership unless stated) Portsmouth 3-2 Watford Utaka (7) Kahlenberg (31) Nugent (38) : Shittu (48) Aaritalo (70) Watford 2-0 Everton Aaritalo (28) Shittu (69) (League Cup 3rd Round) Fulham 3-1 Watford Stancu (28,71) Kamara (75) : Smith (18) Wigan 1-1 Watford Briand (11) : King (89) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 1, 2007 Author Share Posted November 1, 2007 I had spent a few days mulling over how the football side of things, but during that time I managed to have a couple of decent conversations with Jess (that's Shaun's sister). It was really refreshing to talk to somebody who had been through the same thing as myself, and she really spoke a lot of sense. It turned out she was 34, two years older than me, although looking at her I couldn't tell that. She was down in Watford working for Hewlett Packard, managing their branch due to a leave of absence, but she was expecting to be here permanently. We learnt quite a bit about each other, and it made a nice change to speak to a woman as closely as I just had, and knowing that the woman wasn't your wife. It was different, felt a little weird, but it was nice. The best thing about her was that she didn't care about the football, not one bit. So it left me to get that off my mind when I was talking to her. --- Our opening game of the month had us at home, with the visitors being a surprisingly struggling Arsenal side, who were sitting in 12th place in the table. It was a great opportunity to pick up three points against one of the better sides in the Premiership. Joe Hart had been performing well, so he kept his place between the posts, while Jordan Parkes replaced the injured Lloyd Doyley for his Premiership debut. Come the final blow of Mark Halsey's whistle, the fans had cause for celebration, as we had secured a great win. We deserved it too, as we had been the better side in the game. The visitors had three good chances throughout the game, Van Persie and Eduardo the culprits who missed for Arsenal, but we had created several chances. The best one fell to Mika Aaritalo, our Finnish striker netting his fifth of the season twenty minutes from time and giving us am victory. I hadn't expected to win the game, but I had expected even less for us to play so well. I would put it down as the best performance we had given so far this season, and with the victory we moved into the European spots. I was impressed with the way we had started life in the Premiership, adapting to it like a duck takes to water, and after 9 games, the table made for decent reading, in fact it was that good I kept re-reading it constantly <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> PL W D L GD PTS 1. Chelsea 9 7 1 1 +12 22 2. Everton 9 6 1 2 +7 19 3. Man Utd 7 6 0 1 +7 18 4. Tottenham 9 5 1 3 +6 16 5. Man City 10 5 1 4 +4 16 6. WATFORD 9 4 3 2 +5 15 7. West Ham 10 4 3 3 +4 15 8. Newcastle 10 4 3 3 0 15 </pre> We had found scoring to be fairly comfortable, finding the back of our opponents net in every game we had played so far this season, but the aspect that bothered me was the fact we had kept just four clean sheets in 11 games, less than half the games we had played in. This was an issue that needed addressing, as clean sheets go halfway towards winning games. Joe Hart looked ready to oust Mart Poom from the number one 'keeper spot, and the defence was a better than average standard, but a lot of people had been questioning the credentials of them recently, so they were determined to prove them wrong. Kepping a clean sheet against a team like Arsenal, a team filled with attacking prowess, was no mean feat, and I was proud of the boys for their response to the critics Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 2, 2007 Author Share Posted November 2, 2007 Our next match was televised, probbaly due to the fact that we played League Runners up and current League leaders Chelsea. Their team looked like something out of a dream team competition in the paper, so I wasn't expecting much going into the game. I turned out to be proved right, as the home side racked up an incredible 24 shots to our 4 during the 90 minutes, so surely you would expect us to have suffered a defeat? Wrong. We claimed the most obvious smash and grab win I've ever seen, as Marlon King's goal was enough to steal the points...literally. Man of the match went to the only candidate it could have done, Joe Hart, as he was brilliant and kept absolutely everything out that Chelsea threw at him. I was so proud of the boys, as we had picked up two wins against two former Premiership winners, something the fans could never have imagined before the season started. I was getting happy with the way the team were adapting to Premiership life, and with the new additions fitting in well I was becoming content with things The month finished, despite it only being the 17th, with a home game, as Man City visited Vicarage Road. For the third straight game, we managed to stop our opponents scoring, but this time we couldn't find the back of the Manchester team's net. Marlon kept his place in the side thanks to his goal at Chelsea, but he had two good chances, while Mika Aaritalo missed a hat-trick of chances, but I couldn't say I was too disappointed with the result. I was also pleased with Riki's progress, as he was a matter of days away from full training, and would be ready to make his debut in around about a month or so, so I was delighted that our current club record signing was nearly ready to come into the first team fold Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 2, 2007 Author Share Posted November 2, 2007 October 2008 Summary (Premiership unless stated) Watford 1-0 Arsenal Aaritalo (70) Chelsea 0-1 Watford King (21) Watford 0-0 Man City Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 2, 2007 Author Share Posted November 2, 2007 Jess and myself had been getting on really well, and our friendship was becoming more and more intense. The only thing was, I found myself thinking of her in different ways than a friend. I don't know why, but I just seemed to be thinking of her as more than a friend. I felt guilty for doing it, I really did, but I just couldn't help it. I think the reason is because she is only the second woman who actually took an interest in me, who sat down and talked to me, finding out about me, and nobody had done that before Emma, and Jess was the only other woman who did it. I think that was why I had other thoughts about her. I didn't tell her, I don't think that she'd appreciate that, so I'm going to leave it be. Plus, it's my best mate's sister. I don't think Shaun would be too pleased either. Still, nothing will come of it. What's Jess going to see in a daft oaf like me? Stop it. Stop thinking of things like that. You really need to stop it, it'll get you into trouble... --- After just three games in October, the team was relatively fresh, bar a couple who had been on international duty, so when we travelled to the Midland's to face Aston Villa I was confident of another three points to add to the total. I had personally set the target of 38 points before the start of the season, believing that to be enough to keep us up, and after just 11 games we were halfway there, so I was feeling a little more at ease than I had been. I don't know why, I can't explain the reason, but we were very slow to start the game against Villa, taking half an hour to get on track, but we paid for our bad start when Stewart Downing put his side in front with a beautifully struck left footed free-kick. The second half saw much of an improvement, although to be fair I don't think we could have been any worse, and we had to wait a while for our rewards, substitute Marlon King heading home with just 8 minutes remaining and looking like he had rescued a point for the team. In the end, we lost the match, Gary Cahill headed home Downing's corner to win the game for the home side and send us to our first defeat in the league since the start of September A home game with Roy Keane's Sunderland was the next challenge we faced, and when Tommy Smith gave us an 86th minute lead it looked like we would get back to winning ways, but a goal in the third minute of injury time from Irish defender Paul McShane gave the Wearsiders the point. I was interested in the appointment of Aberdeen's new manager, as Jim Jeffries took the job at Pittodrie. I wasn't sure if he was the right man for the job, but his experience and knowledge would surely be enough to see them into a safe position in the SPL Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 2, 2007 Author Share Posted November 2, 2007 With our game against Man Utd re-arranged to January due to international commitments, we had a few extra days rest, and our next opponents were another team from the Midlands, this time they travelled to Vicarage Road and this time it was Wolves. They had struggled so far, having picked up just one win, and they sat bottom of the table. Their bad form showed, as they completely lacked confidence in our game and we came away with a comfortable win. Jobi McAnuff started the scoring after ten minutes, firing across the 'keeper and into the far corner. This was how it stayed until into the second half, when substitute and debutant Riki picked the ball up and curled it beyond the goalkeeper and into the goal. The result and the points were sealed two minutes from the end, Mika Aaritalo ramming home the loose ball after a scramble in the area, and we ran out comfortable 3-0 victors. I felt that the team were more than showing their capabilties in this division, and more than holding their own against some of the more established sides in the division, but I was still surprised to recieve an offer from Newcastle for Hungarian Tamas Priskin. Tamas had fallen out of favour this season, with the arrivals of Aaritalo, Riki and Benjelloun, so when the £4 million offer came in for him I was more than happy to let Tamas go. He quickly agreed terms on a move and would join his new teammates on January 1st. I was still looking for possible new additions to the team, and obe that had particularly caught my eye was Bordeaux's 18 year old French Under - 21 international Henri Saivet. For an 18 year old, he was experienced, and his ability was unquestionable, and I had made my mind up to try and make Saivet a Watford player by the end of the January window More forthcoming issues however, saw Priskin's future employers Newcastle play host to us at St James Park. They sat 5th, one place above us, and had some real talent amongst the ranks, so when they took the lead in the 21st minute I feared the worst, but we played ourselves back into the game, and were unlucky not to be going in at half time level. As it happened, we found ourselves 2-0 behind 5 minutes into the second half, as Maldonado's free kick deflected off the wall and wrong footed Joe Hart before dipping over the line. Lee Martin's free-kick, and his first goal for the club 6 minutes later gave us a bit of a chance, but the experience of Newcastle came up trumps and they finished with the three points Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 2, 2007 Author Share Posted November 2, 2007 November 2008 Summary (Premiership unless stated) Aston Villa 2-1 Watford Downing (33) Cahill (84) : King (82) Watford 1-1 Sunderland Smith (86) : McShane (90) Watford 3-0 Wolves McAnuff (10) Riki (64) Aaritalo (88) Newcastle 2-1 Watford Aissati (21) Maldonado (50) : Martin (56) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 2, 2007 Author Share Posted November 2, 2007 Our re-arramged game had been put forward to the start of December at the request of the Champions, something which got my goat big time, as it meant that we had to play two games in three days. I questioned the decision but there was nothing I could do other than to get the team ready for the visit of Man Utd to Vicarage Road. In terms of the performance, we couldn't have played better, especially considering the fact we had 24 hours to prepare for the game, and it looked like we would get the point that we deserve as we entered the final five minutes, but we were cruelly beaten by a Febian Brandy goal, as he collected the ball from Giggs (he did look offside) and fired hard and low past Hart and in off the post. It was a horrible way to lose and I was so disappointed for the lads, having worked their guts out and deserved at least a point out of the game, but as it was we suffered the defeat by the 1-0 scoreline. --- I was supposed to be meeting Shaun that night for a drink, but he had to work late so I got Jess as a substitute instead, not that I was complaining, and as it was we enjoyed each others company, chatting, joking and, although I had promised myself that I wouldn't, there was flirting...from both parties. We didn't leave the pub too late, we both had work the next day, but out of instinct I invited Jess back to mine for a coffee. We sat and had a coffee, and a chat, and as we both stood up I could feel something in the air...she put her lips close to mine, I could smell her perfume, and as she moved closer, our lips met and the moment I had been thinking about happened there and then, as we kissed. She pulled away with a smile on her face, and as she made her way to the taxi she kissed my cheek with that gorgeous smile on her face I walked into the ground on the morning of our match in the best mood I had been in for weeks. The lads sensed this, and they seemed to be pick up on the fact and they themselves were in a good mood. This mood, coupled with my passionate pep talk, sent us to a famous 2-1 victory, as Liverpool would fully admit that they deserved a defeat. Once Andriy Voronin missed a 26th minute penalty, that was that, and goals from Riki and Bernardo Corradi sealed the win for us. Jack Hobbs headed home an equaliser in between, but it made no difference and we took home all three points to keep our place in the top 8 of the Premiership Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 2, 2007 Author Share Posted November 2, 2007 Tottenham were next to pay us a visit, and Mrtin Jol's expensively assembled squad were occupying a Champions League spot, so I expected a tough test. The first half wasn't up to much, as both sides tentatively tried to get a grip on the game, and at half time the deadlock remained unbroken. It took a full back to break it, as Pascal Chimbonda cut inside onto his left foot and fired home past Joe Hart. This stunned us into action, and we were soon level, Spanish striker Riki continuing to pay back his transfer fee with his third goal for the club. We should have gone on to win the game, for two reasons really. We were the better side after the goal, and Robbie Keane was sent off after 72 minutes, and we really should have made the points ours, but a point is a point and I would have taken it before the game --- I was becoming closer to Jess all the time, but I hadn't told Shaun yet. I wasn;t sure how he would take the fact that I was interested in his sister. He was still my best mate after all. We had been out a couple of time for drinks, but our first real date was the Friday before the Fulham game, as I took her to a restaurant for a meal. As always seemed to be the case, we enjoyed each others company, plus the food was top notch too, and at the nights end I went to bed as a happy and contented man. This contentedness was enhanced further by the news that Bordeaux had given in and allowed me permission to speak to their French striker Henri Saivet. I was delighted at this news, and arranged for him to fly out to Vicarage Road to sit in the executive box with the chairman. I personally met him at the airport, and straightaway I liked him. He was a polite, jovial young man and just wanted to improve his game in his career. I sat and had a really good chat with him, and after a discussion that lasted just over three hours, he finally put pen to paper on a 5 year deal, which would commence from January 1st. To have such a talented player joining the squad was a boost for me, and when I introduced him to the players they took to him instantly, just as I had done. Henri would watch his new club in action the following day, before flying back to Bordeaux to finish his days at Girondins Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 2, 2007 Author Share Posted November 2, 2007 Our fourth successive home game in the League saw 16th placed Fulham make the short journey to Vicarage Road, and with Henri Saivet watching, the lads were keen to make a lasting impression. This they certainly did, as we raced into a three goal lead before 20 minutes had elapsed. On form Spaniard Riki was the chief destroyer, as he struck twice in four minutes, before Finnish striker Aaritalo headed home a third. Sanchez's team did not know what had hit them, and they had absolutely no answer to our performance. We ran the visitors ragged, creating chance after chance, and the fact we didn't add to our tally of three goals was disappointing. It was disappointing too that we aloowed Aaron Hughes a free header at goal, but we ran out with three goals, three points and one of our better performances of the season so far, which left myself and the team in a lot of Christmas cheer as we took a couple of days off With Christmas having been as tedious as usual, we travelled up North on Christmas night, not wanting a journey of some 200 plus miles on Boxing Day. It would be our final game of the month and of 2008, aswell as our first away game of December as we faced Bolton at the Reebok. Again, we started like a house on fire, with Aaritalo and Riki firing us into a two goal lead within 11 minutes, but the home side got back into it with a goal from Generolo on the stroke of half time, and Vaz Te rescued a point for them three minutes into stoppage time as we ended the year in the top half, and just 7 points fom my target of safety. If 2009 started in the same manner, I would be a very happy manager Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 2, 2007 Author Share Posted November 2, 2007 December 2008 Summary (Premiership unless stated) Watford 0-1 Man Utd Brandy (86) Watford 2-1 Liverpool Riki (45) Corradi (78) : Hobbs (69) Watford 1-1 Tottenham Riki (67) : Chimbonda (53) Watford 3-1 Fulham Riki (7,11) Aaritalo (18) : Hughes (68) Bolton 2-2 Watford Generolo (45) Vaz Te (90) : Aaritalo (7) Riki (11) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny.harv Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 Great results against Arsenal and Chelsea on the previous page Congrats on the promotion as well Sorry I haven't posted on here recently but my internet has been down Back up again now tho so KUTGW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 6, 2007 Author Share Posted November 6, 2007 Cheers danny.harv, glad you're enjoying the story --- The New year started with a new player joining the ranks, as Henri Saivet completed his £7.5 million transfer from Bordeaux. With our first game of 2009 in the third round of the F.A Cup, he went straight into the squad for his debut. That Cup game saw us entertain Championship side Charlton, who I fully expected us to beat despite my choice of side, one that lacked 8 first team regulars. Obviously the BBC felt differently to me, as they sent their cameras to the Valley for the 5.15 kick off. We started badly, allowing the home side to take the game by the scruff of the neck, and it seemed as if the cameras affected us, but we made mistake after mistake, and paid dearly for this when Jordan Parkes gave away a penalty and it was slotted home by Marcus Bent. This woke us up then, and we started playing the football I knew we were capable of playing, as we passed it nicely, created some good chances, and yet for all our good play we found ourselves going in 2-0 behind at the break, Izale McLeod heading home Bent's cross and scoring what would turn out to be the final goal of the game. We were poor in the second half, and I was disappointed to be going out at the third round stage, but the only bright spot was that we could concentrate solely on the Premiership survival --- My time in management so far had been enjoyable, and it was something I loved doing. But god, it's infuriating. It really is. To be able to pick up good wins against the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal, then go and lose to Charlton. I still can't get my head round it. Still, I'm sure we all go through it as managers. It wouldn't be the beautiful game without ups and downs. I love this game, and I love being in the dugout, involved in day to day activities with the players, the staff. It's brilliant. When you get appreciated aswell, it's nice, and when you break a club record, it's nice too. The best feeling I ever had as a player was running out for my debut with club and country. It was exhilirating. Everything as a manager matches this, and I want to be here until I cannot physically cope anymore. Football is my world, and I love it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 6, 2007 Author Share Posted November 6, 2007 With Jess and myself now very much a couple, I felt the need was there to tell Shaun. I couldn't really keep it from him much longer, so with that thought I picked up the phone and dialled his number. An hour later, it was all fine, as Shaun had not only said he was pleased his sister had settled down but that he had a feeling it would happen anyway. It was nice to know that, and with our next League game away against the League leaders, I invited both Shaun and Jess down for the game, hoping the team could show them how much they had come along in the season. Both of them accepted the invite, and they travelled down to Old Trafford on the Friday night with the team, rather than take the long journey on the Saturday morning. Man Utd were our first Premiership opponents of the year, and it was the second time we had to play them in the space of a month, having lost 1-0 at Vicarage Road in early December. We had played rather well in that game, and we were unlucky to come away with nothing, so I was hopeful that we could do the same again, but this time, we were well and truly beaten. Once Wayne Rooney had powered home a loose ball from twelve yards in the 27th minute, the Mancunians turned on the style, as Cristiano Ronaldo doubled the advantage, Rooney put them 3-0 up before half time, and Anderson hit a stunning 30 yard shot that thundered into the corner of Joe Hart's goal and sent us crashing to a 4-0 defeat, our heaviest in the Premiership so far, and one that we could do nothing about. I was sympathetic towards the team, as we were beaten by a world class team on they day and couldn't blame ourselves --- I wanted to get the Utd game frimly out of our heads before our next game, which saw us at home to another United, this time, it was Alan Curbishley's West Ham Utd, a side who sat in mid-table and a side whose manager was in serious jeopardy of losing his job. It looked like we might secure the win to ensure that was what happened, as Jobi McAnuff's 25th minute strike sent us in at half time in front. In the end, we had to settle for just the one point, as full back John Pantsil drilled home the equaliser and rescued his team, but I couldn't fault the performance, to come back as we did from a 4-0 hiding was impressive, and I was delighted with the team I also had non football matters to worry about, with Jess' 35th birthday coming up in the next fortnight, so I was frantically trying to find a present that was worth buying. I had never been any good at that sort of stuff though, so I wasn't making any progress, and with that in mind I enlisted the help of the Chairman's secretary Margaret, who gave me a woman's input to shopping for a woman. It helped a lot, and I finally managed to get Jess a present, a silver studded diamond Necklace that would look terrific on her, so I was pleased with the choice and thanked Margaret for her help Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 6, 2007 Author Share Posted November 6, 2007 I was still checking up on my first club Aberdeen, and it was nice to see that they had hauled themselves well away from the bottom of the table and now sat comfortably in 7th place after a revival under the new manager. The club had started a hall of fame on their website several years ago, and they wanted the fans to vote for their greatest players and managers to go into the hall of fame. There were currently 9 people in that hall of fame, and there was two more soon to be added. One of them would be Sir Alex Ferguson, but nobody was sure who the second one would be. So imagine my surprise when I recieved a phonecall and was told I would be inducted into the Aberdeen hall of fame. I was shellshocked. Delighted of course, but shocked. I couldn't believe it, I really couldn't. This dis-belief stayed with me for a few days, not even subsiding when we travelled to Sheffield to face our fellow promoted side and the team at the bottom of the table, Bryan Robson's Sheff Utd. Alan Quinn put the home side in front with a 21st minute penalty, but goals from Riki (right on half time), and a stunning 25 yard volley from Jobi McAnuff were good enough to put the game beyond doubt and seal three points for us I was forced to delve into the loan market for a goalkeeper when Mart Poom picked up a knee injury, and this saw a deal quickly tied up to bring Arsenal's young Polish 'keeper Wojciech Szczesny to Vicarage Road on a loan deal till the end of the season. He went onto the bench for the visit of Middlesbrough, and he, like the rest of the people in the ground, probably thought we were going to suffer a defeat due to Jeremie Aliadiere's 26th minute goal, but when Julio Arca brought down Riki in the area, Bernardo Corradi stepped up and duly slid home the penalty to rescue the point and send us 8th in the League. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 6, 2007 Author Share Posted November 6, 2007 January 2009 Summary (Premiership unless stated) (F.A Cup 3rd Round) Charlton 2-0 Watford Bent (pen 16) McLeod (41) Man Utd 4-0 Watford Rooney (27,45) Ronaldo (30) Anderson (90) Watford 1-1 West Ham McAnuff (25) : Pantsil (54) Sheff Utd 1-2 Watford Quinn (pen 21) : Riki (45) McAnuff (58) Watford 1-1 Middlesbrough Corradi (pen 90) : Aliadiere (26) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 6, 2007 Author Share Posted November 6, 2007 All Dons had to be at the 1995 Skol League Cup Final. I had a major role to play, courtesy of a goal in the semi-final. What irony only a year before we were nearly bust and the Hibs Chairman Wallace Mercer had tried to merge us? A “Hands off the Dons†campaign was formed and Tom Farmer saved the Club from that disaster and now we were in the Cup Final. We were favourites having knocked out Rangers and having recently thumped the “Pars†3-0. What a day, a champagne breakfast out fo the question, which made me determined to make it a champagne reception after the game. I arrived, as did the rest of the team, in my club suit, picked out by the captain (his fashion sense was never that good) Then we walked out onto the Hampden pitch. I'd played here before, for Scotland, but nothing came close to this. Three hours before kick off and the ground was half full, the fans eagerly anticipating the match, neither side having been in a cup final for a long time Poor first half, surely it could only get better. The second half did. Both sides came out fired up and almost immediately, the Hibs defence was all at sea and our right-winger Davey McGhee was bought down- PENALTY!! Referee? Yes, get in. I put the ball down, in front of 12,000 screaming fans in green and white, run up, and...it's there, 1-0 Aberdeen. We can win this now, come on boys. The boys were fired up, we needed a second goal. Our goalie John “Budgie†Burridge, already an English League Cup winner with Aston Villa, had nothing to do but Hibs were picking it up now. A mistake, and the Hibs player is clear. Round Budgie...Dammit!!! 1-1. Come on buys, win the game now. It needed a titanic effort, and I was determined to give them that. I picked up the ball, 50 yards out, 5 minutes left. Running at the defence, I see Keith Wright six yards away. Scored in every round. Wrighty, it's your ball...left foot...Yes!! the Trophy's coming home Blow the whistle ref, blow it!! The final whistle bought untold joy, I couldn't believe it. This was real Roy of the Rover’s stuff and I had witnessed it first hand, been a part of it. The most memorable day of my career. Ended the day in a drunken stupor, but even now I remember that day like it was yesterday. My first ever trophy in Professional football, and one I hold dearly to this day --- I used to think about my old memories all the time, I just loved thinking about my career. It meant I was in a good mood going into our home game with a Portsmouth team who were on a shocking run of form, having won just once since mid October. I was confident that we could dominate the match, and by all rights we did, but we came up against David James in prime form, as he kept everything out that we threw at him. He deserved his man of the match award, and he was responsible for earning the visitors a point, and denying us all three which we would have richly deserved After the Portsmouth game, we travelled North to face Blackburn at Ewood Park, a game I expected to be tough. It was everything I expected and more, as the home side used all of their experience and know-how to control the game, but they met Joe Hart in a scintillating mood, as he kept out everything that came his way. Joe's Heroics were the key to an undeserved victory, as substitute Ronnie Wallwork curled home a shot from the edge of the area to give us the points, and even though it was harsh on the home side I wasn't going to complain about it, and we went back to Watford with the points in the bag Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 6, 2007 Author Share Posted November 6, 2007 Another difficult game was soon to follow, they came thick and fast in the Premiership, that's for sure. Everton were a side that occupied that all important 4th place in the League, that final Champions League spot, and with the fact that they hadn't lost at home, I wasn't overly confident of picking much up from the game. That theory, as so many of mine seemed to be by the players, was blown out of all proportion, as we ended up on the right end of a thumping 3-0 victory. At half time, it was goalless, and I would quite happily have taken that there and then, but the boys seemed determined to win. That desire shone through, and a brace from Riki in the space of four minutes was enough to send our 1,000 fans into raptures. They were even more rapturous after 77 minutes, substitute Henri Saivet grabbing his first goal for the club and putting the seal on a stunning 3-0 win and quite possiblly our best performance of the season so far --- Jess' birthday celebrations went well, and she loved her present. I made myself a mental note that I must buy Margaret some flowers to say thankyou for her help in buying the gift. After the usual dealings of the day, myself, Jess, Shaun, and their mum and dad went out for a meal, which I offered to pay for but nobody would take me up on the offer. The food was nice, the restaurant was classy, but the fact I had a 12.45 kick off to prepare for the enxt morning meant I was tucked up in bed by midnight. That early kick off was against Wigan, again a game I felt we were more than good enough to win, but I was very disappointed with the performance. We were lethargic, sluggish,s econd to every ball, and lacked creativity, and Jimmy Briand's sole first half goal gave Wigan a win that they were good value for. We were better in the second half, as Saivet, Riki and Aaritalo missed chances, but if we had got a point I wouldn't have minded. As it were, Wigan came away with all three and I couldn't complain. We were crap and deserved a heavier defeat than we suffered Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 6, 2007 Author Share Posted November 6, 2007 February 2009 Summary (Premiership unless stated) Watford 0-0 Portsmouth Blackburn 0-1 Watford Wallwork (90) Everton 0-3 Watford Riki (47,51) Saivet (77) Watford 0-1 Wigan Briand (21) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 6, 2007 Author Share Posted November 6, 2007 March was due to be a relatively quiet month, as we were only scheduled to play three games because of International and European commitments. This meant that the lads had plenty of time for relaxing, but they certainly would not be taking their foot off the gas. I would make sure of that. I had spent the first few days admiring the League table, and being certain that we had avoided relegation, bar a terribly bad run of form anyway <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> PL W D L GD PTS 1. Man Utd 28 20 3 5 +22 63 ---------------- 2. Chelsea 28 18 5 5 +34 59 3. Arsenal 28 14 5 9 +15 47 4. Newcastle 28 14 4 10 +14 46 5. Aston Villa 28 14 4 10 +13 46 6. Everton 28 13 7 8 +10 46 7. WATFORD 28 11 10 7 +9 43 8. Tottenham 27 13 4 19 +8 43 </pre> The table looked good, and to be 7th with ten games remaining was beyond anything that I had expected at the start of the season. Our performance was all the more remarkable when you look at the bottom of the table and saw both of the sides promoted with us down there, with Wolves 18th and Sheff Utd 20th, so I was delighted to have virtually secured safety for the season. The next ten games were just about picking up as many points as possible, trying to finish as high as possible and getting a nice lump sum to put in the bank balance. Scotland were busy over the next week, with two games that could make or break their World Cup qualifying campaign. The bottom line of the situation meant that they had to win their next two games, otherwise qualification would look very slim. Their first game was away, in Estonia, and it was comfortable enough, goals from James McFadden and Kevin Thomson sealing a 2-0 win for the team. The real test came as Germany made the trip down to Hampden Park, themselves needing a win, and I managed to get myself a ticket to watch my home nation in their make or break game. We played, much to my surprise, really well, and for the best part of 75 minutes, were the better side. After 78 minutes though, a nightmare struck, as a harmless long ball from Phillip Lahm was headed back by Steven Naismith, but he wasn't aware that Craig Gordon was out of position, and the ball tricked past the 'keeper, and eventually over the line despite the despairing dive of the Sunderland stopper. The heads of Scotland were down, and their misery was compounded when Miroslav Klose headed home a second in stoppage time and it looked like Scotland would be crashing out Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 6, 2007 Author Share Posted November 6, 2007 Our third game of the month, which was scheduled to be an away trip to face Man City, was re-arranged to May, which meant that we had two games in a month. The first od these saw us visit the Emirates stadium to be entertained by third placed Arsenal. Entertained is the right word, as the home side played some sparkling football from the first blow of Matt Messias' whistle. However, come the half time whistle, we had annoyed the home team byu having the cheek to take the lead in the 36th minute, Riki breaking the offside trap and firing across Fabianski and into the far corner. The second half was completely different, and it was almost as if we didn't get a touch. Arsenal were phenomenal, and how they only scored twice is a mystery. Their goals came from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Abou Diaby, and consigned us to a defeat (as revenge for our 1-0 win last year I think) and send us into tenth in the table --- It wasn't that we had played badly, we were just outclassed by a better side, which happens. I wasn't too happy to be facing our second game just three days later, especially with two weeks of the month left, but it was the way it went and I prepared the team to welcome 2nd placed Chelsea to Vicarage Road. For the second successive game, we seemed to meet a team in their element, and we were taught another footballing lesson. First half goals from Kroos and Terry sent the visitors in comfortable, and they could (and probably should) have had many more in the second hald. As it happened, Mika Aaritalo's first goal of 2009 was the only one, but the 2-1 scoreline was never a fair reflection of the pounding we recieved, and with 33 shots the visitors were certainly on form. Joe Hart earnt himself a 9th man of the match award of the season, but despite the defeat we stayed 10th, and I couldn't blame the boys for coming up against two teams in their peak of form Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 6, 2007 Author Share Posted November 6, 2007 March 2009 Summary (Premiership unless stated) Arsenal 2-1 Watford Huntelaar (63) Diaby (74) : Riki (36) Watford 1-2 Chelsea Aaritalo (90) : Kroos (15) Terry (24) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 With March having been as quiet as it was, it had given me more chance to spend some quality time with Jess. We had gone out for meals, for a few drinks, and just had quiet nights in, curled up on the sofa with a film, as I flatly refused to go to the cinema. I enjoyed her company immensely, and I just loved being around her. I had a smile on my face whenever I was. With that in mind, I invited her along to our next game, which happened to be at home, as she had only been to one game before and saw us lose convincingly. She accepted the invitation, and she took her place in the press box with the chairman and his 'friends'. The game that Jess was watching was a home game against Aston Villa, a side who were struggling in mid-table, possibly not where they should be. With us being at home, I was fully expecting the three points, and at half time it looked possible. It was a hell of a first half, and once Stewart Downing opened the scoring after four minutes, the floodgates opened. Mika Aaritalo equalised on 18 minutes, rising highest to head home Lloyd Doyley's cross, and four minutes later we were ahead, Saivet breaking free and sliding underneath Thomas Sorensen, but the visitors soon got back into it, as Shaun Maloney volleyed home from the edge of the box to send the sides in level at half time. There was goal-scoring action left, and it was just one goal, and that came from John Carew, just five minutes before the final whistle, the loose ball dropping to the big Norwegian and he thumped it home past Joe Hart to send the Birmingham side home with the three points The defeat meant that Jess had yet to see the side win when she had watched them, so I was debating not asking her again, maybe she was bad luck. Three successive defeats in the Premiership had dropped us down the league to tenth place, which was still a highly respectable position after promotion, and one I would quite happily have taken at the start of the season. The football we had played had been good, nothing wrong with out goalscoring abilities, but we had not kept many clean sheets, an issue that I would be looking to address during the impending transfer window. The team were certain to stay up, and I was delighted with the way that we had performed throughout the season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 After the defeats to Arsenal, Chelsea and Villa, we needed to get back on the winning road, and with our next two games against sides in the bottom 5 places, we had an excellent chance of doing this. The first of these saw Sunderland play host to us at the Stadium of Light. They had suffered a bit of second season syndrome and sat 16th in the table, so I was confident of the win. Mika Aaritalo gave us the ideal start, hitting the ball on the half volley from 25 yards as it flew into the back of the net at a thunderous pace. We were two up before the half hour, Riki's tenth goal of the season enough to secure the 2 goal lead, his shot curling beyond Craig Gordon and into the bottom corner. The game was sealed in the second half, a Jobi McAnuff cross coming in from the right hand side which saw Rodriguez sticking his foot out and diverting the ball over a helpless Craig Gordon to seal the impressive 3-0 win for the team --- I was getting overly concerned with the lack of progress in contract talks with the board. The fact was that I had up until June on my contract, then I would be a free agent. I wanted to stay at Watford, and I was more than happy to sign on the dotted line. The problem was that I had not been given a new deal yet, had not even had it mentioned to me. This thought was constantly playing on my mind, and in the end I decided to go and find out what was happening myself. Two hours later, I came out as a re-assured man, after Graham Simpson promised me that a new contract was in the offing, and that it would be with me within the week The news about my new contract had brightened me up, and I was a happy man as the team travelled to the Midlands for our away visit to relegation threatened Wolves. Mick McCarthy's side had struggled through the season, and the predominant reason for this had been their lack of goalscoring options upfront. This was evident in the game, as we were never forced to get out of 2nd gear as we ran out with a surprisingly easy 3-0 win. Henri Saivet opened the scoring after 16 minutes, and the lead was doubled three minutes later when Lee Martin curled his free-kick into the corner of the net. It was three before half time, Mika Aaritalo dinking the ball deftly over Matt Murray with ten minutes remaining in the half to seal the win and the second three goal victory in succession Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 Two more games remained in April, with 5 more left in the Premiership season, and our next game was at Vicarag Road, and saw Sam Allardyce's Newcastle the opponents. They were a decent side, with some good players, and they were looking for a top four finish. When Joey Barton fired his side ahead after 21 minutes, they looked like they might push on and win, but Henri Saivet's 4th Watford goal equalised the scoreline. It was level at the break, but nine minutes later we were in fron, Aaritalo's volley going in off the post, before DeMerit headed home a third from Lloyd Doyley's corner. Geremi curled a free-kick in to get his side back into it, but we held on for our third win on the trot and the third successive game in which we had scored three goals --- Some of the signings I had made had performed well, in particularly Riki and Joe Hart, but for me the star of the show had been Mika Aaritalo. The Finnish striker had adapted his game to playing on the wing, and he had been terrific, actually being the teams top scorer so far this season, and the fee of less than £1.5 million had looked to be money very well spent Mika was again in the team for the trip North to face a vastly underachieving Liverpool side, who sat 7th in the table. They wanted to improve on that, and they started the game very well, forcing us onto the back foot immediately, but it took them 40 minutes to take the lead, Ryan Babel picking up Gerrard's pass and slotting the ball home. They shoul have been in front by a few more, but as it was they weren't, and they paid for this when Riki rammed home the rebound of Aaritalo's shot and earnt us a point that we were a little lucky to get. Still, I was more than happy to take it, and our unbeaten run stretched to four games Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 April 2009 Summary (Premiership unless stated) Watford 2-3 Aston Villa Aaritalo (18) Saivet (22) : Downing (4) Maloney (26) Carew (85) Sunderland 0-3 Watford Aaritalo (4) Riki (28) Rodriguez (O.G 78) Wolves 0-3 Watford Saivet (16) Martin (19) Aaritalo (35) Watford 3-2 Newcastle Saivet (24) Aaritalo (54) DeMerit (77) : Barton (21) Geremi (79) Liverpool 1-1 Watford Babel (40) : Riki (63) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 Aaritalo's excellent recent performances had been recognised, as he earnt himself the player of the month award, while Riki claimed third place. It was nice to be over the half century of points, and I was delighted with the way that things had gone so far. The season's end was drawing near, and with 35 games gone, it meant just three were left, and I thought it would be nice to end the season on a high note with an unbeaten run. Mart Poom had to be drafted into the squad for the first time since January due to Joe Hart's injury, so it meant that Szcesny came into the team for his debut. It came against a team we were better than, as Bolton visited Vicarage Road. It was a dull game, and that was being kind, as there were two good chances throughout the 90 minutes. Neither 'keeper was kept too busy during the match, and a 0-0 draw was, without a doubt, a just result for both teams, and the fans went home bored stiff I would imagine Our re-arranged game with Man City was just two days later, and it saw 7 changes from a tired team that had taken the field against Bolton. The tiredness of the side seemed apparent early on in the match, as the home side dominated the match, creating at least four or five good chances, but at half time it was us that went in ahead, as Jobi McAnuff's 44th minute cross beat everybody and dipped into the far corner over Isaksson. Eriksson's team talk worked, and again they came out all guns blazing, although this time they got their just rewards, as substitute Emile Mpenza headed home Elano's cross to give his side the point that they deserved. To be honest, they deserved all three, as they were easily the better side, but a point for us was a great result --- There were several rumours going round that I was in the running for manager of the year, which, coupled with me joining the Aberdeen hall of fame, would be a wonderful achievement. I was growing closer to Watford as a football club all the time, and the affection I had for them as a player had been tripled as a manager. The fans had taken to me, as I had tried to play free-flowing and attacking football throughout my tenure, and the fact I had done this and picked up results too was another major factor. After the Man City game, the chairman had called me into his office, and I had walked in to find my contract laid out on the desk. I didn't even read it, although I did notice a pay rise of £2,250 per week, but within a minute I had signed on the dotted line to be here for two more seasons. I wanted to bring this club the success it deserved, and I felt I was close to doing that Having signed the new contract, I was in a superb mood as we were entertained at White Hart Lane in our final game of the season. Tottenham were pushing for a European place, and they needed a win, which they duly got with an efficient and professional performance. We played well, and Aaritalo and Riki missed good first half chances, but it was Teemu Tainio who put the home side in front, as he hit a screamer from twenty yards. That turned out to be the only goal of the game, and we succumbed to a 1-0 defeat, our first in 7 games, and we ended the season in a commendable tenth place Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 May 2009 Summary (Premiership unless stated) Watford 0-0 Bolton Man City 1-1 Watford Mpenza (59) : McAnuff (44) Tottenham 1-0 Watford Tainio (42) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 To finish tenth in the Premiership was a brilliant effort, and one I was delighted with, and obviously the footballing luminaries had felt the same, as I had finished third in the Manger of the Year category. Mika Aaritalo and Jay DeMerit had been voted into the Team of the year, while Aaritalo came second in the Young player of the year section, all three achievements fully deserved for the hard work and effort of the side throughout the season. I kept glancing at the table, proud of where we had finished in the best league in the world <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> PL W D L GD PTS 1. Man Utd 38 26 4 8 +33 82 --------------- 2. Chelsea 38 23 8 7 +34 77 3. Aston Villa 38 20 6 12 +15 66 4. Arsenal 38 19 8 11 +19 65 5. Newcastle 38 18 8 12 +18 62 6. Everton 38 17 10 11 +13 61 7. Tottenham 38 17 8 13 +11 59 8. Liverpool 38 15 13 10 +11 58 9. West Ham 38 15 11 12 +10 56 10. WATFORD 38 14 13 11 +12 55 </pre> With the transfer window just a month or so away, the players jetted to far away destinations for their hard earned summer holidays. My destination was the Bahamas, as myself and Jess got away from it all for two weeks. Well I didn't necessarily get away from it all, as I still had my laptop and was working on bringing in new players. but it was ncie to do this on sandy beaches in gloriously hot weather. It was my first holiday abroad in nearly five years, and one that I had been looking forward to since I booked it. The thought of work was hardly on my mind, maybe an hour or so a day, but the chance to kick back and relax was too much to resist and I spent two weeks saoking up the sun Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 Work had to be done to bring some quality players into the squad, but one consolation was that I did have a fair budget of near £16 million to spend for the upcoming season. I really looked hard, and all my scouts were on duty to find some players that would bolster the squad and advance us on from our tenth placed finish. The players I had were good, and had proven themselves, but new talent always needed to be added in order for the squad to move forward. I did manage to secure our first new addition just 48 hours after my summer break, as PSV Eindhoven's attacking midfielder Mika Vayrynen agreed terms on a £2 million move. He was the second Finnish international in the ranks, and as a player he was top notch, having racked up 50 odd appearances for the Dutch champions, and I was absolutely delighted to have him join up with the squad. Mika wouldn't be joining up with the team until the 1st of July, but on the same day he would be joined by another two players. Newcastle's Welsh midfielder Robbie Savage had agreed a one year contract on a free transfer, and I was sure that his experience and knowledge of the Premiership game would be handy, and although he wouldn't get much playing time he would be a useful addition to the squad. The third new signing of the summer was another international, as Atletico Madrid's Greek international full back Giourkas Seitaridis agreed a £21,000 per week contract, and he would join for a fee of £2.2 million. The signings I had secured so far would be good additions, of that I was sure, and I had my eye on a few more players, some of them proven Premiership players, and I really felt that we could advance in the league this season, pushing for a higher finish than tenth, and I was delighted to be here for at least another two years, hopefully more than that. I was trying desperately to bring in a top notch goalkeeper, as I felt that we needed one if we were to progress, despite Joe Hart's impressive performances, and that was at the top of my list of priorities Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 The opening of the transfer window came, and Mika, Robbie and Giourkas joined the boys for their first full training session. Vayrynen looked a class act, as did Seitaridis, and Savage was his usual boisterous self, and they fitted in well with the squad. I had not yet managed to secure any more signatures, although I was working dilligently to do just that, and as we approached our first pre-season game I was determined to add a few more players to the ranks. It took another 5 days, but I managed to finally get myself what I thought was a Premiership quality 'keeper, as Manchester Utd's Tomasz Kuszczak agreed to join on a four year deal, for which I had to pay £3.3 million. It was a fee that I had been happy to pay for a man who had racked up 43 appearances for Utd before being ousted by Ben Foster, and he certainly made an impression on the lads, as he pulled off save after save in training In the space of another 48 hours, I had made two more signings, with Liverpool's out of favour right winger Jermaine Pennant becoming a Watford player, while Middlesbrough were kind enough to allow their defensive midfielder Mohammed Shawky to join us for £1.5 million. Both players had plyed their trade in England's top league, and I felt they would make great additions to the Watford ranks. All six of the new signings went into the team for the pre-season match against Turkish side Bursaspor. It proved to be an easy game, and a 5-0 victory was no more than we had deserved. Kuszcak, Vayrynen, Pennant, Seitaridis and Shawky all started, and Pennant and Vayrynen both got themselves on the scoresheet, and a brace from Henri Saivet and Aaritalo's sublime volley finished off the game. I did have more targets in mind, but if we could play as well as that throughout the season we would have no problems Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 During the next 7 days, I finalised the rest of my transfer dealings in the market, by securing 3 long term loan deals and 3 permanent transfers. The first man to join was Arsenal's young Danish defender Havard Nordtveit, who agreed a loan deal until the end of the season. He was highly rated at the Emirates stadium, and they felt he would be a hell of a player, and from what I could see they were right. Havard could play in central defence or central midfield, so he was versatile, and to have a player of such talent was a huge boost to me and the squad The next day, two more transfers were complete, with Tottenham's Tomas Pekhart agreeing a £1.8 million deal, another highly rated hot prospect, while the second player from Atletico Madrid joined on a season loang loan, midfielder Jose Manuel Jurado bringing with him 23 international caps and 54 career goals, and oozing ability. They all went into the squad for our second friendly game, which saw us travel to play MK Dons. We again ran out with an easy win, as goals from Riki, Aaritalo and Savage sealed a 3-1 win --- We secured the signature of another young prospect, albeit on loan for the season, as Tottenham's young English striker Daniel Sturridge agreed to come to get some first team action at Vicarage Road, something which I had assured him would happen. He was a pacy striker, with good finishing ability, and Spurs rated him highly enough to pay £4 million for his services before he had played 20 senior games, so I was delighted to have beaten a number of clubs to his signature The final two signings joined within 12 hours of each other, as Portsmouth's full back Hermann Hreirdarsson joined for a nominal fee of £120,000 to bolster our options on the left hand side, while another full back agreed terms, this time it was Arsenal's Justin Hoyte, who I managed to get the 4th placed finishers to part with for a fee of £2.1 million, a fee which I was delighted with, especially as he was a player I rated very highly. I was happy with the signings that I had made, and felt they would be the players to really push us up the league Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 Our final pre-season games saw us play a variety of different teams, with Getafe the first test we faced. They were a decent side who had played in European competition in the last two seasons, so I expected a tough test. I wasn't wrong, and we came away with a tough and gritty 2-2 draw. The goals came from the head of Danny Shittu and the right foot of Mika Vayrynen, who hit his shot so hard he nearly took the lace of the ball. It was a good performance against a good side, and we were having good preparation for the upcoming season, our third ever in the Premiership Northwood weren't much of a test, and we ran out with a 4-0 victory, Vayrynen and a hat-trick from Aaritalo good enough to seal an easy win and keep our momentum at a high as the season approached. Before that though, there was just one more pre-season game to play, and that saw Boreham Wood travel to Vicarage Road. They were a side that, to be honest, I knew nothing at all about, but once the 90 minutes had finished, I knew that they were useless, as we put 6 past their hapless 'keeper, with three from Sturridge, and one a piece from McAnuff, Martin and Bangura securing the win and sending us rolling into the opening day of the season full of confidence and all the players were match fit as they could be --- The relationship between Jess and myself was blossoming more and more, and she was now asking to come to football matches with me, instead of me inviting her to them. With this in mind, she took her place in the executive boxes for our opening game of the League season, which saw last seasons 6th placed finishers Everton make the trip to Vicarage Road. They were a good side but had not strengthened too heavily over the summer, whihc hadn't pleased their fans. It didn't take us long to get off the mark for the season, Henri Saivet firing across Howard and into the far corner after 9 minutes. The visitors got themselves back into the match in the second half, as Yakubu used his pace to beat his man and slot underneath the onrushing Kuszczak. This only helped us, and spurred on the players, and two goals in the space of three minutes from Riki and debutant Mika Vayrynen were enough to secure us an opening three points. Chavdar Yankov got his side back into it with an 88th minute goal, but it was irrelevant to the game and we cam away with all three points We faced another tough test at home a few days later, as Sven Goran Eriksson's Man City came to Vicarage Road. This time, we were slow to start, and David Jones, a summer acquisition for City, curled a free-kick into Kuszczak's goal from 25 yards. This boosted the hopes of the visitors, and they could have been further in front come the second half, but the one remaining goal in the game came our way, as Henri Saivet broke free and deftly lofted the ball over Isaksson and into the back of the net to give us a point Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Well done on you return to the Premiership and good luck with the new season. I like the look of some of those signings, sherm. KUTGW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 8, 2007 Author Share Posted November 8, 2007 Cheers Spav, glad you're enjoying the story. When I got my transfer budget I was a bit shocked, but I'm sure that the players I've signed will do the job (of course, I'm further ahead so I know) --- After a decent start, we were faced with our first test of the season, as we made the short trip to the Emirates stadium to take on Arsene Wenger's Arsenal. Some of the talk that was flying around was that a couple more bad results, and Wenger could be going to the nearest job centre, which was crazy to me, especially considering all he had done for the club. I looked at the eleven players that strolled out of the tunnel and wondered how such a talented group could fail to win games. I didn't even take my seat before we were behind, Van Persie firing a left footed shot into the roof of the net from 16 yards after just 23 seconds. After that, we more than matched the home side, creating chances of our own that we really should have buried. Our lack of goalscoring cost us dearly in the second half, as Eduardo sealed the points in the 73rd minute with a header from Van Persie's cross. I had been happy with the way we had played, and it certainly looked like we were ready to push on this season, but in this game we had to make do with a 2-0 defeat --- Jess and myself had been together for about 9 months or so now, and we were growing closer both physically and in terms of talking, but something Jess had said to me had stuck in my mind. She said that we needed to get Shaun fixed up with someone, seen as he hadn't been in a relationship for a few years. She had said it in a joking manner, but I got to thinking and felt that she may have been right. Shaun hadn't been in a relationship for a while, and he needed to settle down, so I made it a mission to find Shaun a female companion Before that though, there was football issues to deal with, as we made the trip North to face Derby. They had just gained promotion, and would be looking to finish in a safe position in the table, but we were looking to push on from our survival. It was the home side who started the better though, as Matt Oakley slid his side in front after eleven minutes. This stunned us into action, and we dominated the match after that, as we rightly should have. We were level before half time, Mika Aaritalo breaking free of the defence before curling the ball home. We should have won the game in the second half, as Mika Aaritalo, Mika Vayrynen and Henri Saivet all had chances, but in the end we had to settle for just the point, which wasn't too bad a result in truth Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 8, 2007 Author Share Posted November 8, 2007 The League Cup saw us faced with what looked an easy test on paper, as League Two side Swindon played host to us. I was confident of a win, and with that in mind made 10 changes from the side who drew with Derby, only Havard Nordtveit keeping his place. Within ten minutes of the game, we were in front, as Jobi McAnuff curled his free-kick beyond the Swindon goalkeeper. We kept pushing and pushing, and the home side could not cope. It was obvious that they played in a low standard of league, and when Riki volleyed home a second after a deft touch by Bangura, it was game over. To be honest, we probably should have scored more, Tomas Pekhart the guilty party as he missed a hat-trick of chances in the second half, but I was more than happy to settle for the 2-0 win and seal our progression through to the third round. It had been comfortable, no more than that, and we never had to get out of second gear to beat what was a very poor set of opposition to be honest, but it could have been a potential banana skin so I was happy to be through it --- I'd sat down with Shaun in the pub and discussed with him about women in his life. Seeing if he was interested in anyone, was he looking for a relationship, you know, things like that. He said he wasn't looking as such but he did feel it was about time he got settled down, especially as I was and he couldn't let me beat him to the altar. I told him I would make a few enquiries about single women who may be interested in him, but I also gave him the number of a speed dating club one of the girls from the club office goes to. Actually, maybe she could meet Shaun. I must have a word with her tomorrow... I hadn't been able to have a chat with Janine, due to other things to concentrate on, in particular the visit of Sunderland to Vicarage Road. They had started well, and sat second in the table, so I was expecting a tough game. When they went ahead after 15 minutes, Kalou sliding home after recieving the pass, it looked like getting a whole lot more difficult, but we managed to restrict them to just the one goal. The second half could have been even worse, especially when left back David got himself sent off for a shocking tackle on Billy Sharp. We looked like we might be heading for defeat, but debutant Daniel Sturridge saved us, coming off the bench to use his pace and slot the ball home underneath the on-rushing Craig Gordon to rescue an undeserved point Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 8, 2007 Author Share Posted November 8, 2007 August 2009 Summary (Premiership unless stated) Watford 3-2 Everton Saivet (9) Riki (85) Vayrynen (87) : Yakubu (56) Yankov (88) Watford 1-1 Man City Saivet (77) : Jones (6) Arsenal 2-0 Watford Van Persie (1) Eduardo (73) Derby 1-1 Watford Oakley (11) : Aaritalo (40) (League Cup 2nd Round) Swindon 0-2 Watford McAnuff (6) Riki (37) Watford 1-1 Sunderland Sturridge (75) : Kalou (15) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 8, 2007 Author Share Posted November 8, 2007 When I joined the Golf club when I split up with Emma, it would be fair to say that I was a little rusty. Now, twelve months on, I have really improved, and can give Shaun a decent game when we play. Admittedly, I don't play that much, having hardly picked up my clubs for a couple of months. So I was pleasantly surprised to recieve a phonecall two days before our next league game, and when I picked it up I heard Gary MaCallister's think Scottish accent. I hadn't spoken to Gary for a while, but I held his friendship in very high value, so it was nice to get away for a round and play Gary Mac. I told him about what had happened with myself and Emma, and as usual he listened and his friendship was priceless. We said our goodbyes with the promise of more rounds of golf together, and I left to prepare myself and the team for the next game --- That next game saw us travel to the South Coast to play a Portsmouth side that had spent big money in the summer, and their fans (and board) were expecting a big push for Europe, so I was expecting quite a tough game. Daniel Sturridge kept his place in the side thanks to his goalscoring debut against Sunderland, and after thirteen minutes he did it again, using that blistering pace he possessed to get in behind the defence and slide underneath David James. It looked good for us at half time, as we went in ahead, but the second half was a disaster. Danny Shittu recieved his marching orders for a second bookable offence after 67 minutes, which saw a quick reshuffle of the defence, but when Giourkas Seitaridis was dismissed 6 minutes later we really had our work cut out. We played superbly well, battling hard with all nine men behind the men, but with seconds left we were denied all three points, as David Nugent headed his side level and earnt them a point, but I was delighted with the way the side had battled after being reduced to nine men. We didn't have to wait long for our next test, as Midlanders Aston Villa made the trip to Vicarage Road. After 16 minutes, we were behind. Wilfred Bouma's free-kick flying into the corner. From that moment on, we were brilliant, as we scored four unanswered goals to seal our first league win since the opening day of the season. Saivet scored the first two, with a 26th minute header and a lovely finish just four minutes into the second half. Jermaine Pennant's first for the club put us two goals clear, before Havard Nordtveit's first ever senior goal sealed the game and a comfortable 4-1 win. Nordtveit had impressed me throughout the season so far, and I could what the Arsenal management saw in the lad. I was more than happy to give him first team experience and build him up into a top notch player, but I was pleased to have that second win under our belts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 8, 2007 Author Share Posted November 8, 2007 The League Cup threw us up another relatively simple game, as we welcomed Barnsley to Vicarage Road. Again, I rang the changes, with a total of 9 this time from the team that beat Villa, and it turned out to be a good move on my part, as we thumped six goals past the hapless visitors. When Spanish striker Riki opened the scoring after ten minutes, it was all good from there, and despite the equaliser from Souza, and Miguel Mostto's 85th minute goal, it was all too easy. Riki scored his second just after half time, but Pekhart's first Watford goal had seen us go in at the interval ahead, while second half goals from Benjelloun, Aaritalo and an own goal saw us romp our way into the fourth round of the competition --- Aberdeen had started their SPL season in great style, winning their opening five games and sitting top of the table, but it was debatable wether they could stay there or not. I did have the odd fluttering of interest in my first ever club, but the majority of my interest was in Watford and what they were doing under my management, and although it was nice to see them doing well in the SPL, I would give that up to see Watford doing well in the Premiership We faced another difficult test, as Chelsea entertained us at Stamford Bridge. It was always a tough game when the money men of the Premiership were on the other side of the pitch, and it was no different this time, as Cassani's individual effort put them in fron after 18 minutes. This time though, instead of Chelsea pulling clear, we fought back, and Mika Vayrynen scored just after the half hour to levl things up. It was us that took the lead too, as Henri Saivet's 5th goal of the season put us in front, but with just five minutes left the home side looked to have rescued a point with Belletti's stunning thirty yard strike. It wasn't to be however, and Mika Aaritalo gave us all three points with an injury time winner, and we came away with a deserved victory Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 8, 2007 Author Share Posted November 8, 2007 September 2009 Summary (Premiership unless stated) Portsmouth 1-1 Watford Nugent (90) : Sturridge (13) Watford 4-1 Aston Villa Saivet (26,49) Pennant (53) Nordtveit (57) : Bouma (16) (League Cup 3rd Round) Watford 6-2 Barnsley Riki (10,49) Pekhart (18) Benjelloun (54) Foster (O.G 83) Aaritalo (90) : Souza (14) Mostto (85) Chelsea 2-3 Watford Cassani (18) Belletti (86) : Vayrynen (32) Saivet (68) Aaritalo (90) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbor! Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 Great story sherm, really enjoyed reading it. Hope you can keep it up, and the detail is fabulous. Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 9, 2007 Author Share Posted November 9, 2007 Cheers Wilbor. Glad you enjoyed the story and that your reading time wasn't wasted. Glad to have you along on the story --- October began with my 100th game in charge of the club, which was at Vicarage Road, and saw struggling Lancashire side Wigan make the visit. They had struggled throughout the season, and I was sure that the team could pick up all three points in the match. We started at a fair pace, and created three chances of note in the first half hour, but it was six minutes before half time that we went in front, Mika Aaritalo latching onto a loose ball in the area and ramming in past the helpless Chris Kirkland. Although we only had the one goal lead, we were virtually assured the points, but we had to wait until the final few minutes of the game to wrap up the victory, as first Daniel Sturridge and then Riki gave us a 3-0 win and sent us up to fourth in the table. Sturridge had looked a real good player since he joined on loan for the season, and I could see why Tottenham rated him so highly, but if his goal scoring form continued in the way it was at the moment then he could well earn a permanent transfer --- I had finally managed to get hold of Janine, and asked her if she would mind taking Shaun along to the speed dating session that week. She agreed, after some persuasion, and her and Shaun made their way to the Community Hall. I wasn't sure if he would get the knack of the speed dating thing, but when he came back and met me in the pub two hours later, he had actually really enjoyed himself. He said he might make it a regular thing, as there were some interesting women there who he wanted to get to know better. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had never though it would be his sort of thing, but I was wrong obviously Shaun had travelled up North with the team (albeit in his own car) as I prepared the team to face an under performing Liverpool side, who sat 12th when it really should be 2nd. They had some top quality players in their side, who I would be delighted to have in mine, but there was some serious unrest in the camp due to the poor performances of the team. The home side came out and started brilliantly, forcing Kuszczak into three good saves, and we did manage to force Reina to save some efforts of our own, but it was just before the hour mark when the first goal came, Emiliano Insua rising above everybody else and powering a header past Kuszczak. This stung us into life, and with Liverpool trying to hold on to the lead, we managed to win the match, as a Mika Aaritalo brace sent us third in the table and kept up our recent good run of form Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 9, 2007 Author Share Posted November 9, 2007 After four successive league wins, the team was feeling confident that they could beat anybody. This mood was continued as Tottenham made the short trip from North London, but we did receive some bad news just before the game, as our Flying Fin Mika Aaritalo picked up a knock before the game, which meant that Henri Saivet regained his place back in the side. The French under-21 international seemed intent on showing me he should be in it more often, as his 13th minute volley flew into the back of Ben Alnwick's net and sent us into the lead. We were much the better side, as we dominated the game throughout and created chances galore, but it was substitute Lee Martin who secured the win, his 20 yard drive finding its way into the net off the inside of the post to give us a fifth straight league win and keep our confidence levels unbelievably high. The table was pleasent to look at, as we sat third in the Premiership, out highest position ever, and the way we were playing we could be staying there for a while. The top 6 made strange reading for many, including myself, with Watford, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Bolton occupying four of the places. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> PL W D L GD PTS 1. Chelsea 10 7 2 1 +12 23 2. Sunderland 10 7 1 2 +16 22 3. WATFORD 11 6 4 1 +9 22 4. Bolton 11 7 1 3 +8 22 5. Man Utd 10 5 4 1 +8 19 6. Aston Villa 11 4 4 3 +2 16 7. Blackburn 10 4 4 2 +1 16 8. West Ham 11 4 3 4 +3 15 </pre> --- Shaun's speed dating seemed to be a regular occurrence, and one which meant I needed to find a new golfing partner. I had played the odd round with Gary Mac, but his family commitments meant he was an unlikely choice, but I soon found the golfing partner I needed, although it was a complete accident. I was being interviewed on TalkSport Radio on the morning breakfast show, when Alan Brazil mentioned he wanted to get back into the sport. I offered him the chance, and he took it up quickly, meaning my fellow Scotsman was my new golfing partner Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 9, 2007 Author Share Posted November 9, 2007 The League Cup had thrown us up an away tie against Premiership leaders Chelsea. Normally, I would have been worried about the game, but having beaten Chelsea just a few weeks previously, I was a little more confident than usual. The home side had a strong team out, with the likes of Pandev, Lampard, Cech, Terry all starting the game, while I stuck with my policy of resting several first team players. We went behind early, as Drogba used his power and pace to beat his man and power past Joe Hart. This was the sign for both teams to open the game up, as both sides played a free-flowing passing game, and both Petr Cech and Joe Hart were forced to make saves. The second half was much of the same, although we probably should have had a penalty (an incident which would see me earn a £12,000 fine) but in the end the home side held on and secured their progression into the quarter finals of the competition --- My first round of golf with Alan went well, as I managed my best round of 62, while he carded a 71 (his claim of runtiness looked flawed to me) but we enjoyed a good chat, before embarking to the club house for a beverage afterwards. He asked all about my life and stuff, as I did to him, before we got onto football. He stated his surprise at how well we had done so far this season, and asked if I felt we could continue it throughout the season. After the round and drinks, we said our goodbyes and arranged to meet for another round the next week. I arrived back to find Shaun in a good mood, seen as he had arranged to go on a date with one of the girls from the speed dating, so I was pleased that he was starting the ball rolling with his female company The month finished with an away trip to Old Trafford to face fifth placed Man Utd, a game which turned out to be a thriller for the fans. Darren Fletcher gave his side the lead after 6 minutes, but Riki equalised fifteen minutes later with a stunning solo effort. two second half goals for the home side from Rooney and Cathcart looked like they had secured the points, but they got a scare 8 minutes from time as Daniel Sturridge got us back in it, but the Champions held on and resigned us to our first defeat in six games, but we stayed in the top four Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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