CCC Team of the Week - Scott's Watford

They started as Watford Rovers which were formed in 1881 by Henry Grover who played for them as a full-back.  Currently nick-named the Hornets, they joined The Football League in 1920 and started playing at their current home Vicarage Road two years later. The current capacity is 17,477.  

After time in the lower divisions, Watford scaled new heights under the leadership of Graham Taylor (later to become England Manager) and in the 10 years he was there from 1977 to 87 they rose from the Fourth to First Division.  On winning the Fourth Division title they had recorded the most wins, fewest defeats, most goals scored and fewest goals conceded of any side in the division.  1982-83 season Luther Blissett was top scorer in division and helped the team finish second in the First Division and as a result they competed in the Uefa Cup in 1983-84, also reaching the FA Cup Final that season.
 

There was a decade of decline between 1987 and 1997, before Taylor returned as full-time manager, leading the team to successive promotions from the renamed Second Division to the Premier League, (their first match being a win over Liverpool).  They were also a Premiership team under Aidy Boothroyd’s management in 2006-07 after finishing third the previous season and defeating Dave’s Leeds United 3-0 in the play-off final.  However, the team did not record a Premier League win until November and Watford finished bottom after only winning five league games, although they did reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup.  Watford led the Championship by several points early in 2007-08, but only finished 6th; Boothroyd's team were defeated 6–1 on aggregate by Amy’s Hull City in the play-off semi-finals.
 

Watford's weak financial position was exposed in 2002-03 following the collapse of ITV Digital. The club was facing administration, but an agreement by players and staff to a 12% wage deferral helped the club's cash flow, and a run to the FA Cup semi-final generated vital revenue. The current owners the Pozzo family, also own Udinese Calcio in Italy and Granada CF in Spain.  However, their more famous owner was Life-long supporter Sir Elton John, who was the owner during the successful Taylor years. Both John and Taylor serve as the club's joint Honorary Life President.
 

Colourful Watford have had kit’s featuring combinations of red, green and yellow stripes, then black and white, followed by all blue before changing to gold shirts and black shorts which gave them their nickname. The gold has now changed to yellow.  The club crest has a hart on it – a red male deer representing the town’s location in the county of Hertfordshire.
 

Other nicknames for Watford have been adopted, including The Golden Boys, Yellow Army and The 'Orns. Their initial nickname was The Brewers, in reference to Benskins Brewery which owned Vicarge Road.  The club rented the ground until 2001, when it purchased the freehold outright but their financial situation worsened following the purchase, and in 2002 Watford sold the ground for £6m, in a deal which entitled Watford to buy the stadium back for £7m in future which they did in 2004.  At present, only three sides of Vicarage Road stadium are open to spectators. The East Stand, part of which was constructed in 1922, was closed to the general public in 2008 for health and safety reasons, although it still hosts the dressing rooms and the match day press area.

Since 1997, Watford have shared Vicarage Road with rugby union side Saracens and the stadium has hosted matches for the England under-21sand senior international football between overseas teams.  It was also a concert venue for Elton John; he first played at the stadium in 1974, and returned in 2005 and 2010 to stage fundraising concerts for the club. Other former events include horse and carriage shows and greyhound racing!
 

 

On home matchdays, Watford's players traditionally enter the pitch to the Z-cars theme tune before the start of a game.

Random info: 18-year old Northern Irish goalkeeper Pat Jennings played for Watford and during that time made his international debut despite being a Third Division player and England International David James was in goal for the Under-18 team when they won the FA Youth Cup in 1989.

They have a fanzine called Blind, sad and desperate!