Riding high in company with Liverpool. ‘Big lumps’, in the self-deprecating words of Troy Deeney, who make life uncomfortable for opponents.
A humble and thoughtful coach on the bench, smiling politely and yet unafraid to rattle illustrious visitors with hard tackles, tireless running and direct football.
In the stands, Sir Elton John letting his emotions run free amid an upsurge of goodwill from supporters.
Chairman Elton John shares a joke with Watford’s players in the early 1980s
Many things have changed but for anyone of a certain vintage it has been impossible to witness Watford’s explosive start to the campaign without rekindling the days when Graham Taylor was on the touchline.
When they climbed from the bottom of the fourth tier to the top of the first in seven years, appearing at the summit for the first time after beating West Bromwich Albion in September 1982.
Back then, they won four of the first five games, fired eight past Sunderland, beat Arsenal home and away, won at Tottenham, beat champions Liverpool, finished the season as runners-up and qualified for the UEFA Cup.
‘Great days,’ said Ian Bolton, signed from Notts County in 1977 and one of four who played in all four tiers for Taylor’s team.
‘I met Graham when I went on loan to Lincoln and I was his second buy when he moved to Watford that summer. He signed Sam Ellis, a centre half, at eight o’clock in the morning and me at noon.
As they rose up the divisions, Taylor added quality with players including John Barnes
‘Later he said he wanted the two meanest and ugliest so-and-sos he knew. I said, “I hope I’m the meanest”. We came at the beginning and there was a greyhound track around the pitch and dog handlers walking through the dressing rooms, but once I’d met the gaffer I knew I should hang on to his shirt-tails because he was going to be successful.
‘His philosophy was to score one more goal than the other team. Football is a very, very simple game and has been for years.
‘We had a lot of characters in the dressing room and as we moved from Division Four to Three to Two to One, he improved the quality with players like John Barnes.’
There was a buzz in the ranks about Barnes from the time youth-team coach Tom Walley popped into first-team training and suggested they came to watch the lad in the reserves who is ‘going to be a star’.
Goalkeeper Steve Sherwood, another of the quartet who came through the divisions with Watford, was among those who went to see what the fuss was about. ‘He was so good, they took him off after 30 minutes in case anyone was watching,’ said Sherwood. ‘His touch was sublime and you could see that style with his head up.
‘With him and Nigel Callaghan, we had two of the best wingers in the game at the time.’
Musician John became chairman in 1976 and invested heavily before selling the club in 1987
Watford oozed attacking intent but the direct style was heavily criticised. Taylor’s aim was to move the ball quickly into dangerous areas and create chances.
Sherwood was under orders to launch the ball as far as possible and, if he dared to question the method, he would be hit with a barrage of statistics proving how many goals came from his kicks.
Luther Blissett, according to the manager, would average a goal every 10 shots and, since he scored 27 in 41 Division One games in 1982-83, averaged more than six efforts at goal per game. AC Milan were impressed.
Watford were super-fit, able to bombard teams for 90 minutes with stamina forged on training camps in Scandinavia. ‘I loved it,’ said Gerry Armstrong, scorer of Watford’s first goal in the top flight, against Everton.
‘Up at 6am, we’d run from the hotel to training, do 12 minutes running on the track, 200 sit-ups, jog back for breakfast. We’d do ball-work at 10.30am and play a small-sided game in the afternoon.
‘Graham was a brilliant manager, way ahead of his time. Philosophical, determined, very honest, he instilled a mentality. We wanted to win. We attacked. We played with two up front and two wingers.’
Nottingham Forest had achieved great things playing a very different style but Brian Clough appreciated Watford. When Forest beat them 7-3 in a breathless League Cup tie at the City Ground, he marched down the tunnel with a message.
The club rose from bottom to top division in just four years, also reaching the 1984 FA Cup final
‘The dressing door opened and it was Cloughie,’ said Bolton. ‘We all looked up and he said, “You lot, I love you”. Then he turned round and walked out. We’d lost but our fans knew there would be more goals in the next game.
‘They were with us on that journey. It was just a brilliant time for the club, the town. Little Watford into Europe. I really believe Graham Taylor, the players, the club and the town did not get the praise they deserved. It was phenomenal.’
Taylor pulled the town behind the team, and was among the first to write community work into players’ contracts. Fans were invited to the end-of-season awards at Baileys nightclub to see players and the coaching staff performing songs and sketches. Steve Harrison’s impression of Elton John is the stuff of legend.
‘Steve came out dressed in all this gear in the colours of the American flag,’ said Sherwood.
‘He even had a little trampoline and he jumped on it and sprang into the air before he got behind the piano. Sam Ellis, John Ward and some of the other coaches were Showaddywaddy. Me and Eric Steele did Renee and Renato. I was the woman. There was a real spirit. We had a good team and it was a great place to be.’
The chairman was with them, too, never far away, adding a unique sparkle to proceedings. Taylor ran the football side carefully and ensured Elton did not over-indulge his players but there were plenty of parties.
On the Sunday before each season, there was a tradition of a garden party at the chairman’s mansion in Berkshire.
Players and their families were invited, as were groundsmen, caterers and the club’s office staff and a bus laid on from Watford. There was entertainment for the children and Elton mingling with showbiz guests including, one year, Kiki Dee.
Players, lucky to own a Ford Capri in this era, were offered the chance to select from a fleet of sports cars and go for a spin.
Armstrong recalls an outing in a red Ferrari with Luther Blissett at the wheel and Sherwood remembers organised races in Sinclair C5s around the gardens.
John is still involved with the club and attended Sunday's victory over Tottenham
At the Christmas party or on tour, Elton would settle down at the piano and field requests. Once, on tour in China, as he belted out his hits in the hotel dining room, one tourist grabbed a camera in haste, sprinted towards the pop star and crashed into a plate glass window, bringing the impromptu concert to a close in a shower of broken glass and blood.
The Pozzo family, who took control in 2012, were criticised for changes to the youth system and reliance on loan signings in the early years, but they have won fans over.
‘I’d like to see more involvement with the fans and the community but I do congratulate the Pozzos for what they’ve done,’ said Bolton, who still lives in the area.
They won promotion, the training ground has been upgraded and Vicarage Road transformed into a smart venue with a vibrant match-day atmosphere.
They have also taken care to cherish their traditions, building a stand in Sir Elton’s name, appointing Blissett in an ambassadorial role and commissioning the Taylor statue after his death last year. ‘
I love going back to Vicarage Road,’ said Sherwood, who lives near Grimsby. ‘At the back of the Graham Taylor Stand, they’ve hung pictures from all the promotions over the years.
‘The last time I saw Graham before he died was there. I was having a coffee and I saw him walking past the photos, looking at them and he stopped and smiled. It’s my lasting memory of him.’
Taylor would have been 74 this month. What better tribute to the Rocketmen of the 1980s than Gracia’s team playing a robust, aggressive, high-energy brand of football, creating chances and knocking illustrious opponents out of their stride?
Would he not like that?
Link article
https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/05/the-original-rocket-men-eltons-smiling-again-just-like-time-taylor-got-a-tune-out-of-watford/
Main photo article Riding high in company with Liverpool. ‘Big lumps’, in the self-deprecating words of Troy Deeney, who make life uncomfortable for opponents.
A humble and thoughtful coach on the bench, smiling politely and yet unafraid to rattle illustrious visitors with hard tackles, tireless running and direct ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Sport HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/04/20/4FB00BE200000578-6131757-image-a-32_1536090369991.jpg
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