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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Sept 28, 2006 12:40:08 GMT -1
From now on I shall be posting the weekly e-mail from AB, for the small amount of us hornets on here.
Today's is mostly about the announced changes to the Vic:
Hi everyone,
Today marks the beginning of a new era at Watford Football Club with the announcement of the stadium redevelopment plans. I’m particularly pleased for Graham Simpson and the main driver of the project, Mark Ashton, who has worked very hard to get us to this point.
The work that these guys have put in behind the scenes cannot be underestimated. I’ve talked before about the club as a whole and that’s exactly what we are. From those of us in the spotlight to people like you who support from behind the scenes, we all have a contribution to make to Watford FC. We want you to have not only a team that befits the Premier League, but also a stadium to match.
Having the wind and rain howling in your face will soon become a distant memory!
The Carling Cup draw gave us another home tie, this time against Championship opposition. After the win over Accrington Stanley in the last round, I received a number of emails and letters from fans expressing their feelings that I had either not taken the competition seriously or that I should have played a full-strength team.
I hope that over the last 18 months, we have managed to build a relationship of trust and that no one needs to be reminded the scale of my ambition for this club. I want to win the Carling Cup, the FA Cup, the Premier League and the Eurovision Song Contest this year and every time I send a team onto the pitch, I expect them to win.
Last weekend saw another trip to the north west and another result which I’m sure could have been very different. It’s only a matter of time before the ball starts flying into the net and the journeys home will become a little more bearable.
Onward and upward, we’ve got some great games to come, starting with Monday’s fixture at home to Fulham. Personality, responsibility and belief will drive us forward and make sure the league table will be looking a lot healthier come May.
Let’s get the Vic rocking for Monday night.
Come On!
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Post by Arnold on Sept 28, 2006 12:58:38 GMT -1
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Sept 28, 2006 13:09:47 GMT -1
Before the East Stand nearly collapsed we had around 22,500 tho Arnie!
At least it'll look sharper when it's finally done.
Heard about your plans too, sounds good.
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Post by ovechkin8 on Sept 28, 2006 17:57:33 GMT -1
I reckon AB couldnt do worse than any of the last few entries for the abomination that is known as the Eurovision Song Contest . ;D Shame the Viking wont be in the yellow & black though.HH that is.
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Sept 29, 2006 15:14:22 GMT -1
Heard a rumour that he'll return in Jan. Took it with a humungous pinch of salt, they regularly use him, even as a sub often enough, but still. Will be good to see him back at the Vic on Monday night.
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Sept 29, 2006 16:15:46 GMT -1
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Nov 23, 2006 12:11:07 GMT -1
Well here's the next installment of the 'weekly' e-mail from AB... Aidy reflects on his not particularly subtle words about the not particularly consistent referee at Portsmouth, and comments on the recent Fan's Forum.
"It has been a privilege to be in the company of some many of you over the last couple of weeks. I was at the Fans' Forum last Tuesday and then the Supporters Trust AGM last night where it was great to get your views and see your passion for the club which is clearly second to none. My job now is to get all of you to make a 1% difference to the team in whatever way you can. Whether it's by making more noise, dressing up, painting your face yellow or throwing balloons around, I want you to do whatever it takes. Having said that, I'm sure you will all have taken some of the comments I made at the Fans' Forum in the manner they were meant ? support for the team is a serious business but some of the things I said were firmly done with tongue in cheek. It was also great to take so many of your questions. I could definitely sense there were more than a few frustrated managers amongst you! Moving to matters on the pitch, obviously my comments after the Portsmouth game were all over the papers in the days following the match. Hopefully, you know me well enough by now to have learnt that I don't normally put blame for things on people outside the club. I expect everybody connected with Watford to take responsibility for who they are and what they do. With hindsight, I probably should have sent someone much more mature and intelligent than me to do the press conference after the game, someone like Keith Burkinshaw would have fitted the bill! Having said that, I'm very passionate about my job, and about the people I work with and work for. I include you in that. So if I think we're not being given a fair crack, I'll be out there at the front sticking up for us and I expect all the players and staff to do the same. I think I've talked before about us getting used to this league but now it really is time for the league to get used to us. We're entering a critical period, not just on the pitch and off the pitch but in the whole club's history. Come On!"
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Post by ovechkin8 on Nov 23, 2006 16:46:01 GMT -1
That ref was a homer if ever there was one. I see ABs along to the same school of management ideas as moi. Statistically clibs wearing red have won more titles in England than any other club... however this is not the case in any other leagues so its a moot point about the colour thing. Yellow makes you happy apparently.Which is why we are such a cheerful friendly club & set of supporters along with carrot munchers up Delias way.
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Nov 23, 2006 17:19:48 GMT -1
Whats a clib mate? ;D How important is the Sheff Utd game coming up on Tues??? They are usually decent at the Vic, lets hope we can change that!!
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Post by ovechkin8 on Nov 23, 2006 17:31:01 GMT -1
Hallo GB.Bleary eyed from the cricket ? Oops ! Me typing fast + spelling mistakes. . All the hackneyed cliches but this is a real six pointer . The frustrating thing & for AB is that we haven't been beaten badly in any games apart from two (Crimski & Woolwich). In reality our league position is misleading. We should be right up there in mid table. And I haven't seen any of the teams around us look any great shakes so we can still make it comfortably despite Kings absence. Having said that the longer this goes on the more the feeling of dread grows. What a sucker 2 penalties in the last five minutes of games denying 2 poits at two of the tougher grounds to go to this season. But then again the good news is that there isn't a bald headed mercenary round the corner who'll bleed us dry.I'd be pretty confident that we'd make it back up (though we'd have to let Young go . (I see the press attention has gotten to him.Theres a glint in his eye that tells me all isn't well inside his head.No doubt he's been chatting to u21 team mates & heard the stories. ) I reckon we can have the Blades despite Mortons protestations certainly in any physical contest we're more than a match for them.
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Nov 23, 2006 17:50:05 GMT -1
lol I stayed up and watched a bit of it, not sure why though, after the first ball For damn sure its a 6 pointer, if we can't get 3 points of these lot, my usual (blind) faith may dip. Completely agree, only Arsenal at the Emirates have beaten us by a 3 goal margin. Only Man Utd & West Ham have put two past us I think. We deserve to be higher without a shadow of a doubt, I ain't even gonna get started on the Everton disallowed goals malarkey. But, thats football! Funny how we got our first win in the game after we found out Marlon was out for the season tho, hopefully it galvanizes the lads and we can push on. I don't even know what the hell he's doing now, but I hope he's earning FA! what a tosser!!!! I hope that your wrong bout Ash too, but we must remember this is only his SECOND full season. Damn right we should be able to take them, WE ARE WATFORD, SUPER WATFORD, WE ARE WATFORD FROM THE ROOKERY!!!
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Post by ovechkin8 on Nov 23, 2006 17:58:14 GMT -1
Hallo squire.I watched half an hour before slinking away in shame. Thank goodness for Freddie. Well it will be the same old headlines from the hacks. Blades blunted. Warnock stung. etc etc Regarding the tosser. He only lives a few miles away I think down Enfield Way in the country of Spurs. If I could get my hands on him he definitely wouldn't be swanning around Wentworth Golf Course for a while. I wouldn't waste a penny on his autobiography. But I heard it contained some very unflattering comments about the club.In general a shabby unprofessional outfit to paraphrase. I guess it comes from having a silver spoon in ones mouth. The bald git is a member of the old Italian aristocracy.Apparently us poor peasants didn't shape up too well in his beady eyes. Come on you mighty ,Orns.
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Nov 23, 2006 18:15:09 GMT -1
Alright fella! Just bumped your karma up once again mate. Yeah thats about how long I lasted, started to fall asleep after an hour.... Here's hoping! Do you have the address, I have some contacts you know ;D I really lost all my respect for him after the whole saga at our club. Fairplay, he was a great player for both club & country, but he can't manage a club like us for shit. And to have the cheek to sue after, he deserves a golf club wrapped round his shiny italian nugget. TOSSER!!! He only survived at Chelski cos he had access to decent transfer £. Anyway, thats enough talkin bout a grade A prick! I'm off for dinner! ;D
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Jan 3, 2007 12:08:56 GMT -1
so yeah, here's the next one...
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Jan 11, 2007 13:12:14 GMT -1
Welcome to our Three New Signings
Hi everyone,
First of all, I’d like to talk about the three signings that have been made since the transfer window opened earlier this month.
Moses Ashikodi endeared himself to the fans by scoring on his debut and tried to hug everyone in the ground after doing so! You could clearly see his passion and I’m sure he’ll soon prove to be a Vicarage Road favourite.
Welcome also to Will Hoskins and Lee Williamson. Both of them fit our criteria as young hungry players who are very talented and will add to squad’s competition for places.
I’m making steady progress in my attempts to bring more signings to the club. I met with one player today and hope to persuade him to join the evolution that we’re all part of at Watford. This is a great place to be in terms of where we are now and where we are going.
Also, probably undetected, Toumani Diagouraga has gone out loan to Rotherham until the end of season. He is a player who I have a great deal of hope for in the future. At the moment, he needs games but he’s just signed a two-year contract which gives you an indication of my impression of him.
I hope the loan works for him like it did for James Chambers, Richard Lee and Hameur Bouazza – all three went away and came back refreshed and ready to fight for a place. All have been offered new contracts as a result.
At this time of year, lots of decisions have to made at every football club – mainly about where the club is going in the future. Last year we had a four-year plan to get to the Premier League, now we have a three-year plan to become a top ten Premier League club. After two good results in 2007, we look to build on that in a very difficult game on Saturday.
I look forward to more of your fantastic support when Liverpool come to town at the weekend.
Come On!
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Jan 17, 2007 21:46:11 GMT -1
Putting The Record Straight
Hi everyone,
I’d like to take this opportunity to let you know the latest on the Ashley Young situation and where that stands at the moment. After all the stuff you’ve probably already seen in the press, I felt it was time for me to clear it up.
We had a bid from a Premiership club – a multi-million pound offer – and we decided to accept it for the good of the club. We allowed Ashley to then go to speak to the club in question.
Having met them, he then decided that he didn’t want to join that club which is great news for me as his manager, great for us as a club and great for the team.
I think we all appreciate that Watford is not the biggest club in the Premier League. In fact, we were far from being the biggest club in the Championship last season. We are, however, a model for other clubs who want to punch above their weight and we’ll continue to do that as well as being a club that focuses on the future.
As we look to the future, we want our fans to have the best stadium, so that you can come to watch a team that is thriving in the Premiership. I’ve said before that we’ve got a vision for 2010 that will see us established as a Premier League club.
Last year we had a vision which included a four-year plan to get into the top flight and we did it in one year. Therefore that vision has evolved into a three-year plan to establish this club as a top-ten club in this league.
The vision extends to being a Premiership club in everything that we do in 2010, on the pitch and off it. That’s what we aspire to.
In the meantime, we can put first things first and win the next game. I firmly believe that we can do that and the players do too. We had a blip on Saturday, it was the kind of performance that hasn’t happened very often in my time here and it’s something that I won’t accept. I told the players that and they assured me that they will continue going out and fighting 150% every week for the rest of this season.
I firmly believe that this is a great place to be for players and I’m still working like mad to bring new faces in. I’ll continue doing that until midnight on 31 January.
We also want to keep our best players but I’m realistic enough to realise that a time may come where it is better for the club and the team to get in some money and invest in the future.
I look forward to seeing you all at Villa Park on Saturday where I’m sure we can count on your continued fantastic support.
Come On!
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Feb 2, 2007 9:09:51 GMT -1
The Difference Between Manchester United and Us...
Hi everyone.
So, the end of the transfer window has arrived, thank God!
As you know, we've brought in eight new players but, no doubt, there are many amongst you who might be wondering why we didn't push the boat out to bring in a player for 3 or 4 million, particularly after selling Ashley Young.
I'd like to talk you through the thinking behind each of the new faces we've brought in this month, starting with Gareth Williams. He's a central midfielder from Leicester City and I'd describe him as a footballer in every sense - he can pass the ball and create things. I think his arrival states my intentions for the direction of both the team and the club. His quality on the ball will provide a different aspect to our play.
Steve Kabba from Sheffield United is a player with enormous potential, who is extremely quick, and threatened to become a consistent player at Crystal Palace and Sheffield United but never found his true potential. That's what we hope to get out of him here. I'm sure that, if he fits into our system and does what�s expected, then he'll do well for us.
Similarly, Lee Williamson is a quick athletic player who has developed into someone who can do a job for us straight away.
Will Hoskins, Moses Ashikodi and Cedric Avinel from France are all young players, around the age of 21, who I believe will be pushing to be regular starters in the first team next season after working in the coaching environment we have here.
Having said that, everyone knows that if a player is good enough, I�ll consider him old enough and Will has shown that by getting into the team already.
Johan Cavalli is a French left sided player who reminds me very much of Andy Reid at Charlton. He has a terrific left foot, is not particularly quick but is able to manipulate the ball to create both for himself and others. At 25, he's lost his way a little but is one of the trialists who I liked and decided to take on.
Finally, Douglas Rinaldi is a player we've taken on loan until end of season. A Brazilian from Veranopolis, he's technically very gifted and did enough for me to want a longer look at him.
As I found last year with Sietes, it's not always easy for players to settle in a foreign country. I wanted him on a short-term contract to allow me to see more of him and to judge how he copes with our game.
Overall, am I pleased? Yes, I am. Did we try for the 3 or 4 million players? Yes, we did, but in our situation at the bottom of the league, some people will only look at the short term.
This nicely leads me on to last night's game at Manchester United. Before the game, I walked out of the tunnel at Old Trafford and noticed a plaque recognising a man called James Gibson.
The writing on it explained how in 1931 this guy saved United from bankruptcy. Last night, we saw what a fantastic club they now are � no doubt the biggest in the world with a stadium to match.
It all made me think about us and where we are. It took 75 years for them to get to where they currently stand so us getting beaten 4-0 is not what this story is all about. The real tale is about Watford FC almost going to the wall six years ago but being saved by another group of people, led by Graham Simpson.
Now we build and look to be not another Manchester United but the best that we can possibly be. That means a top ten club, on and off the pitch.
I don�t think that'll take us 75 years, indeed I think we can do it in less than five but what I do strongly believe is that the foundations are in place to:
1) Maintain our push for survival in Premier League 2) Push on in future years with a far stronger squad and backroom team than that which we had in 2005/06 when we achieved what many thought was impossible
So my message is simple really. We're building.
I'm delighted January has now gone and we can get down to the next 14 games with 8 at home, starting with the tough one against Bolton on Saturday.
Like us, not so long ago they were fighting for their lives. Now, not many years later they are thriving in the Premiership.
We are a club with a plan, a club that learns lessons and a club which is willing to take things from others to get to where we want to be.
A final word for all of you who made the trip last night. You know how I feel about not waving during the match, I believe it shows a lack of respect for our opponents.
However, last night, we were 4-0 down and there you all were, singing my name, totally outshouting the United fans, totally winning the supporters� battle of wills.
It will live with me for a very, very long time which is why I broke my rule on this one occasion. So thank you very much for that. Rest assured we�re doing all we can to stay in this league and move forward.
It may have taken Manchester United 75 years to get there but I believe we can reach our goal in less than five.
Come On!
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Feb 27, 2007 10:33:05 GMT -1
Mark Ashton's monthly email to fans, Feb 2007
Dear Supporter As you no doubt saw last week, we were very pleased to be able to offer free coach transport to all fans who intend to go to the FA Cup quarter final at Plymouth. I think the gesture demonstrates how far the club has come in both the financial sense but also in working in a manner which lives up to the values that Watford FC represents. All of our staff have recently spent some time looking into Watford FC, the values that underpin the club, where the whole club is going, how we’re going to get there and then how we’re going to keep moving forward. The easy part is to grab a few cheap headlines with gestures like the free coach transport but the more difficult part is to make sure that decisions made at all levels of the club fit in with what we want to represent. Our thoughts have now turned to the uniqueness that this club has and the values that we hold dear – and how we demonstrate those values to the outside world. Instead of looking at other clubs and what they are doing, we now want to be held up as an example to other clubs. This long process has involved everyone at the club, including the chairman, myself, Aidy, the players and all the staff having their say in what Watford means to them and what standards of working and behaviour we should uphold. The ‘Watford Way’, if you like. Without wishing to make this sound like a moral crusade, it is clear that many decisions at all levels of football are taken without due consideration for the people who are most affected, the supporters. The scheduling of our trip to Plymouth is a very clear example of that and whilst we were unable to influence the FA or the BBC to alter their choice, we were able to do what we can to make things easier for our fans. As the Chairman said in some of his interviews with the media, the financial cost of laying on free coaches is not something we would have been able to do in the past, but now that the whole club is on much more stable economic footing, we didn’t hesitate to step in and lend a hand. We will be faced with further difficult decisions in the months and years to come but please rest assured that each one will be made with the intention of upholding and enhancing the great reputation that this club already has. We’re building something significant here – a redeveloped stadium, an exciting team and a club that will become the envy of others – and we’re going to do it in a manner which will make all of us proud. Thanks for your continued support!
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Mar 21, 2007 20:35:33 GMT -1
....
eah, we're pretty much down and out
By Dave Summers Date: 21/3/2007
Aidy Boothroyd goes on about next season. I can't wait for it to start either. Go on Aidy, tell them to injure Ronaldo...
Hi everyone, I think every stage of the season has been key for us this year but there comes a time in every campaign when you have one eye on next year. At the moment, I’m working with one on our players to see who we might need to move on and one eye on players we could bring in to make ourselves better. I think we’ve had a good turnover of players in and out since I arrived two years ago along with some major changes at the club. Due to the international break this week, I’ve been reflecting on where we’ve come and where we need to get to. I think all of us want to stay up and we know its going to be a massive ask so I have to look at the players who I’ve brought in and the players who got us promoted to see which ones can cut it at Premier level because that's what we’re aspiring to be. We’ve got a great pool of youth in the shape of Adrian Mariappa, Al Bangura, Tamas Priskin, Will Hoskins, Jordan Parkes, Theo Robinson and Moses Ashikodi. With the exception of Aidy, they are all young players who have not had as big a crack at the Premier League as they would have liked but they will all play a big part in the future of Watford Football Club. Now it’s all about timing. We'll be bringing people in, identifying and then getting targets, so, as we speak, we have people looking at players for me so I can make that final decision. Come what may, we won’t ever have been more prepared for a new season than we will in August as the work for that stated in February. With that in mind, Anthony McNamee has joined Crewe on loan till the end of the season and there might be one or two others who go out before tomorrow’s transfer deadline. I was in Manchester in Monday to watch the replay between Manchester United and Middlesbrough. Now we know or opponents in the semi final and we’re up against a fantastic team. They are the league leaders and packed with international players but Middlesbrough ran them very close – it was only a bit of brilliance from Ronaldo that was the difference so ‘Boro were unfortunate. Of course, we’re the big underdogs. We’ve played them twice, seen plenty of them and know all about them so it’s a matter of going up there on the day with a game plan, carrying it out and working hard to cause an upset. In one off games, anything is possible. It’s the 38 one-off games that have been the problem! Thanks for your great support at Tottenham, we look forward to more of the same against Chelsea next week.
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Post by Golden_Boy™ on Apr 5, 2007 9:46:46 GMT -1
Hi everyone, We’ve got two games in three days this weekend and, although it’s the kind of thing other teams tend to moan about, with injuries and tiredness, we actually quite like playing that kind of schedule because we got used to it last year. If I remember right, we had played 31 games before the new year in the Championship so we relish it. There is a bit of travelling involved but Middlesbrough is a team that we’ve already beaten this season and we’ll be looking to build on the performance against Chelsea and then go into the Portsmouth game in good shape. Part of what we have learned this season is that we can’t play teams off the park. For example, we can’t go to Arsenal and try to beat them by playing great football and Chelsea are a winning machine with players who are technically far superior to ours so in the last few weeks we have concentrated on trying to be disruptive and add something else to our style. I was pleased with the way it worked on Saturday up until the very end. Unfortunately, we gave the ball away right when we should have just cleared it and done whatever it takes to make sure we got the point, although it could have been three points if we had taken our chances against a team that’s worth however many hundred of millions of pounds. You may have seen that things on the touchline got lively at times and that was because I want the team, the staff, the bench and myself to operate with no fear. We’ve got nothing to fear and we expect other teams to show us the respect that we are due – we’ve earned the right to play in this league, after all. Just because the opponents have won a couple of trophies, that doesn’t mean to say that we’ll roll over and die. That’s not what Watford’s all about. We’re the little club with the big attitude, if you like. Jose was fine after the game, it was just that we felt his bench was getting out of order and I think it is to our credit that our bench stood up to their bullying. We look forward to your support in the two games coming up. Have a good Easter. Come On!
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