Watford F.C. season 2009–10
Encyclopedia
Watford Football Club (also known as Watford, Watford F.C. and The Hornets) are an association football club from Watford
, Hertfordshire
, England
. Home matches were played at the club's stadium, Vicarage Road
, which had a capacity of 17,504 for the 2009–10 season. Watford's season officially began on 1 July 2009 and concluded on 30 June 2010, although competitive matches were only played between August and May. They competed in the Football League Championship
, the second highest division in English football, following their relegation from the Premier League in 2007.
After guiding the club to a 13th-placed finish in 2008–09, Brendan Rodgers
resigned as manager of Watford in June 2009 to take up the same role at Reading
, with three members of his coaching staff doing likewise. He was replaced as manager by ex-Watford player and coach Malky Mackay
. Early in the season, first-team players including Player of the Season Tommy Smith and Hungary
international striker Tamás Priskin
left the club. New arrivals included striker Danny Graham
and former Scotland
international midfielder Scott Severin
. Among Watford's five loan signings were former Watford player Heiðar Helguson
, and Tom Cleverley
, who went on to become the club's Player of the Season.
Although Watford twice occupied a playoff position in late 2009, they gradually slipped down the table over the course of the season. With five games to go, they were in 21st position in the Championship, separated from the relegation zone only on goal difference. A 3–0 win over Reading secured Watford's Championship survival in their penultimate match of 2009–10. They eventually finished in 16th position out of 24 teams. In other competitions, Watford were defeated in the third round of the FA Cup
by eventual winners Chelsea
, and eliminated from the League Cup
in the second round by Leeds United.
and Chelsea
academy boss Brendan Rodgers
. New arrivals Jack Cork
, Don Cowie and Mike Williamson
contributed to Watford's improved form between February and May 2009, lifting Watford away from the relegation
zone in the closing weeks of the season. The club's financial problems had been well documented and several changes to the playing staff were anticipated over the summer. In addition to anticipated player sales, another person linked with a move away from Vicarage Road
was manager Rodgers, who had been linked with a move to former club Reading. He was not happy with the suggestion that he was in talks with Reading and suggested that his integrity was being questioned. When he subsequently joined Reading in June, Watford received an initial £500,000 in compensation. First-team coach and former Watford and Scotland
player Malky Mackay
was appointed as his successor. The only player to leave the club prior to the start of pre-season training was Lee Williamson
, who had spent the second half of the 2008–09 season on loan at Preston.
on 1 July 2009. The first team began with friendly matches
at local sides
Boreham Wood
, Hampton & Richmond
and Wealdstone
, before a pre-season tour to Spain where they faced CF Balaguer
and UE Lleida
. Meanwhile, a development side including several first-team squad members faced Tring Athletic and St Albans City
. The club's final pre-season fixture was a 3–2 home victory against Italian side Parma
.
Watford sold striker Tamás Priskin
to Ipswich Town days before the start of the season and started the Championship campaign
with the future of several players unresolved, including those of top scorer and player of the season Tommy Smith, highest earner Jobi McAnuff
, and the club's most expensive ever player Nathan Ellington
.
Legend
All matches played in England unless otherwise stated.
in the 2009–10 season. Each team played 46 matches; two against every other team, one match at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. At the end of the season the top two teams would gain promotion to the Premier League. The bottom three would be relegated to Football League One
. The teams that finished 3rd–6th competed in the play-offs
, with the winner earning the third and final promotion place.
The provisional fixture list was released on 17 June 2009, but was subject to change in the event of clashes with other competitions, inclement weather, or matches being selected for television coverage. Watford's home games against Sheffield Wednesday and QPR
were played on a Friday and Monday respectively, as a result of live television coverage. The home game against Sheffield United
was postponed and rescheduled due to adverse weather conditions, while the away fixture at Blackpool
was brought forward from a Tuesday to the preceding Saturday, as both clubs were eliminated from the FA Cup
in the third round.
Watford's first league match was at home to Doncaster Rovers, a team who finished the 2008–09 season level on points with Watford. Mackay was banned from the match, due to a suspension from an incident in the previous season. Watford lined up in a 4–4–2 formation, with Tommy Smith playing as a striker, and Don Cowie and Jobi McAnuff as wingers. Scott Severin
was playing his first competitive match for Watford, and fellow debutant Danny Graham
scored the opening goal after 27 minutes, a close range finish from a Tommy Smith cross. This was followed by a headed equaliser from Doncaster's James Hayter
ten minutes later. In the second half, Doncaster striker Dean Shiels
had a shot which his manager felt had crossed the line. However, the referee deemed that it had not, and the match finished as a draw. Watford were defeated 2–0 at Sheffield United in their next league fixture, with Jamie Ward
and Ched Evans
scoring for the opposition. The result caused Watford to slip into the relegation places for the only time of the season. Mackay expressed disappointment at his side for the goals they had conceded, and revealed that club was considering a transfer offer for Smith.
Despite the transfer speculation, Smith played for Watford at Nottingham Forest
, scoring one goal and assisting
two more. Also involved were Lee Hodson
, who made his first competitive starting appearance, and loan players Henri Lansbury
and Tom Cleverley
. Forest scored twice, but Cleverley scored Watford's fourth goal to secure the club's first league win of the season. The home game against Blackpool
at Vicarage Road
proved to be Smith's final game for the club. His and Cleverley's goals were equalised by Alex Baptiste
and Gary Taylor-Fletcher
respectively, giving Blackpool their fourth consecutive draw. The final match before the closure of the transfer window was a trip to Welsh side Swansea City, where Watford continued with their 4–4–2 formation. The departures of Smith, Williamson and McAnuff meant that Lansbury and Marvin Sordell
made their first starts, and helped Hodson retain his place in the team. Graham nutmegged
goalkeeper Dorus de Vries
to put Watford ahead, but Swansea defender Alan Tate scored a late header to salvage a 1–1 draw.
Watford did not play another game for two weeks, due to international fixtures. On the resumption of club football, they faced Barnsley
and Plymouth Argyle, who were both near the bottom of the Championship at the time. Watford changed to a 4–5–1 formation for the home match against Barnsley, with Jon Harley
replacing Sordell. Their other change to the starting lineup was an enforced one. Captain Jay DeMerit
suffered an injury whilst on international duty with the USA, and was replaced by Dale Bennett
, who made his Football League debut. Graham scored the only goal of the game with a close-range finish in the 54th minute. Watford's clean sheet was their first in the league since March. Playing the same formation, they recorded an identical result at Plymouth, with Tom Cleverley's early goal proving decisive. For both of these wins, Watford's defence consisted entirely of players who had progressed from their youth system.
Former Watford player Heiðar Helguson
rejoined Watford on loan from QPR
on 15 September 2009, and his first game was as a substitute against Leicester City. With Watford trailing 2–0 at half time, Mackay changed from a 4–5–1 formation to a 4–4–2, with striker Helguson replacing attacking midfielder Henri Lansbury
. Helguson's impact was immediate. He set up Graham for Watford's opening goal, before scoring twice to put Watford into a 3–2 lead. However, Helguson suffered an injury shortly before the end of the match, and Ellington replaced him for the final ten minutes. Leicester subsequently equalised, and the match ended 3–3. A total of 3,389 Watford fans attended the away match against Reading, who were managed by ex-Watford manager Brendan Rodgers
. Former Watford player Grzegorz Rasiak
scored Reading's goal, in a match that also saw Jobi McAnuff
and Brynjar Gunnarsson
facing their former club. Graham equalised for Watford, and despite a red card for Ellington, the match finished as a draw. Preparation for Watford's game against Coventry City was affected by a virus affecting six first-team players. Will Hoskins
scored his first goal of the season, but Coventry scored three goals to inflict Watford's first home defeat of the season. Four days later Cardiff City
defeated Watford 4–0; Watford's heaviest home league defeat since January 2004.
Don Cowie made his debut for Scotland
during the October international break. Upon the resumption of club football, Watford recorded an away win at Middlesbrough
, who had just been relegated from the Premier League. Three days later, Ipswich led Watford 1–0 at the end of standard time at Portman Road
, but Nathan Ellington
equalised in the last minute to deny Ipswich their first league win of 2009–10. Watford's game against Sheffield Wednesday was their third in seven days, and first goals of the season for Lansbury, Adrian Mariappa
and Jon Harley
ensured Watford's second win in that time. Eight days later Watford travelled to fourth-placed West Bromwich Albion. Watford were defeated 5–0—their heaviest defeat of the season and biggest ever defeat against West Brom. They responded with a home win over Preston in their next match, with Cleverley scoring to join Danny Graham as the club's leading goalscorer of the season.
After a break for the last international fixtures of 2009, Watford resumed the season with a 3–0 home win over Scunthorpe United. Helguson scored two goals, meaning that at that point he was averaging more than a goal per game in 2009–10. Watford suffered consecutive defeats away to Crystal Palace
and Newcastle, failing to score in either match. The Newcastle match was followed by a home game against Queens Park Rangers two days later, due to television coverage. Lloyd Doyley
scored his first ever goal in professional football to equalise before half-time, and Watford eventually won 3–1. This marked Watford's fourth consecutive home win, and took them into a playoff position. Such was the surprise at Doyley's goal, that the club released a commemorative t-shirt, with the slogan "I was there when Lloyd scored!" However, Watford's sequence of home wins ended with a 1–0 loss to Derby County
, and was followed by a defeat at the league's then bottom side, Peterborough United—their first win since sacking manager Darren Ferguson
. The team finished 2009 with consecutive draws against Nottingham Forest and Bristol City
.
Watford's start to 2010 was impacted by the unusually cold winter
, which caused the postponement of two home matches in January. Consequently, they played only two matches that month: 2–1 and 3–2 defeats away to Doncaster Rovers and Blackpool
respectively. They recorded two wins and a defeat from their first three matches of February, before again suffering a postponement, this time due to a waterlogged pitch at Loftus Road
. A 2–2 draw against Scunthorpe United on 20 February left Watford 13th in the Championship on 39 points, having played the fewest matches of any club in the division.
Mackay later remarked that fixture congestion in March and April caught up on his relatively small squad. Between 20 February and 20 April, Watford played fifteen matches, winning two (against Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town), drawing four and losing nine. Although they never entered the relegation zone, with five games remaining they were separated from it only on goal difference. However, wins against Plymouth, Reading and Coventry City
ensured that Watford remained in the Championship for the 2010–11 season
.
. Survival was sealed in the penultimate match with a 3–0 win against Reading. A subsequent victory at Coventry elevated Watford to a final position of 16th, their highest place in the table for two months. The team finished with 54 points – 16 fewer than Blackpool in the final playoff position, and 7 more than Sheffield Wednesday, the highest placed of the three relegated teams.
Key
W: Win
D: Draw
L: Loss
GF: Goals for
GA: Goals against
GD: Goal difference
H: Home fixture
A: Away fixture
Pld: Games played
Pts: Points scored
(known as the Carling Cup for sponsorship reasons) took place on 16 June 2009. It included all Football League clubs for the forthcoming season with the exception of Newcastle
and Middlesbrough
, who were given byes to the second round. Watford were drawn to play an away match against north London side Barnet
. Barnet were two divisions below Watford, in Football League Two
. In the match, Malky Mackay
gave a first competitive start to 17-year-old academy right back
Lee Hodson
and a first game of the season to goalkeeper Richard Lee
. The match was goalless after 90 minutes, before Scott Severin
and Mike Williamson
scored for Watford in extra time.
or UEFA Europa League. Leeds United were selected as the home side against Watford, in what would be the first match between the two teams since the 2006 Football League Championship play-off final. Leeds took the lead with a Robert Snodgrass
goal in the 38th minute. Marvin Sordell
scored his first senior goal for Watford, taking the game to extra time. However, Snodgrass scored his and Leeds' second goal to secure a 2–1 victory for the League One
side.
clubs enter the FA Cup
at the third round stage, where they are joined by the 20 winners from the second round for a total of 64 teams. The draw took place on 8 December 2009. For the third consecutive cup draw of the season, Watford were the away side, this time against 2008–09 FA Cup winners Chelsea
. Watford's first match of the year was an FA Cup
third round match away to holders Chelsea
. Despite the absence of Chelsea's top scorers Didier Drogba
and Nicolas Anelka
, Watford conceded five goals without reply, and were eliminated from the competition.
No. = Squad number
Pos = Playing position
P = Number of games played
G = Number of goals scored
GK = Goalkeeper
DF = Defender
MF = Midfielder
FW = Forward
= Yellow cards
= Red cards
Correct as of the final game of the season. Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances in parentheses where applicable.
Watford signed three permanent players before the first game of the season: former Scotland international Scott Severin
, Carlisle United striker Danny Graham
, and Slovenian left back Jure Travner
. The transfer window
closed at the end of 1 September 2009, meaning that Watford could not buy or sell further players until the opening of the January transfer window on 1 January 2010. The club took this opportunity to sign Scotland under-21 international Stephen McGinn
, young Rochdale winger Will Buckley
, and 30-year-old centre back Martin Taylor.
Unless a country is specified, all clubs play in the English football league system
.
and Al Bangura, Tamás Priskin
was sold to Ipswich Town in the first week of August, just before the start of the Championship season. Despite being able to transfer players at any stage between 1 July and 1 September, Watford conducted much of their business in the last week of the transfer window. Portsmouth
submitted transfer bids for Smith and Williamson. Negotiations with Reading
for Smith were ongoing, while their bid for McAnuff was accepted. Smith's transfer to Portsmouth and McAnuff's move to Reading were confirmed before Watford's match against Swansea City, with Williamson's transfer following a few days after. Mackay later expressed frustration at the latter transfer, revealing that after Watford rejected Williamson's transfer request, he declared himself unfit to train, play, or travel to Swansea.
Watford's final sale of the season came when the January transfer window opened on 1 January 2010. John-Joe O'Toole
, who was already on loan at Colchester United, was signed on a permanent transfer by former Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd.
All clubs play in the English football league system.
clubs, offering them early experience of competitive football. First to arrive was Tom Cleverley
, who scored on his debut and was eventually voted Watford F.C. Player of the Season. Other players acquired in this manner included his Manchester United teammate Craig Cathcart
, and Arsenal
midfielder Henri Lansbury
. Watford's other significant loan acquisition was former player Heiðar Helguson
. The Iceland international made an instant impact on his return to Vicarage Road, scoring two goals as a substitute in a 3–3 draw against Leicester City
.
to lower-league sides, in the hope that they would gain first-team experience. They also used the system to send Mat Sadler to Stockport County, and Nathan Ellington
to Greek side Skoda Xanthi. In both cases, the loans were made with the option of a possible permanent move.
played for the United States
in the Confederations Cup
, where he helped his team reach the final at the expense of Spain
, and the 2010 World Cup, where he played against England
and Slovenia
. Heiðar Helguson
played five matches for Iceland
, scoring two international goals in a 4–0 win over Andorra
. Don Cowie made his debut for Scotland
against Japan
, and was selected again by manager George Burley
to play against Wales
. Another debutant was Michael Bryan
. He toured the United States with Northern Ireland
, making his international debut as a substitute against Turkey
and four days later starting for his country against World Cup qualifiers Chile
.
Several further players participated in youth international matches. Loan duo Tom Cleverley
and Henri Lansbury
played alongside goalkeeper Scott Loach
in England under-21
's UEFA Euro 2011 qualifying campaign. Reserve team defender Jordan Parkes
played for England against Uzbekistan at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, and Ross Jenkins
also played for the team in a friendly against Montenegro. Other professional players to represent their countries at youth level included Lee Hodson
and Craig Cathcart
for Northern Ireland under-21
, Stephen McGinn
for Scotland under-21
, Rob Kiernan
for Ireland
under 19's, and Eddie Oshodi
for England under-17's
.
.jpg)
left Watford to join Reading
, and was joined by assistant manager Dean Austin
, football consultant Frank Lampard and physiologist Karl Halabi. As a result, previous reserve team manager Malky Mackay
became the club's new permanent manager, with youth team coach Sean Dyche
becoming his assistant. Mackay also appointed former Northampton Town and Nottingham Forest coach David Kerslake
as a first team coach.
East Division, and played their home matches at Boreham Wood
's stadium, Meadow Park
. Other teams in the league included Watford's historic rivals
Luton Town
and fellow Hertfordshire side Stevenage Borough. Watford finished the season as champions with 41 points, 8 ahead of nearest challengers Ipswich Town. In the Herts Senior Cup
, the reserves were defeated 4–1 in the first round by nearby Hemel Hempstead Town's first team. Piero Mingoia scored Watford's only goal of the competition, which was eventually won by Bishop's Stortford
. At the end of the season, Liam Henderson
was the team's top scorer with 11 goals, which included 4 in a 9–3 home win against Stevenage. A total of 14 players appeared for both the senior and reserve teams in 2009–10, including Henderson, Lee Hodson
, Dale Bennett
and Michael Bryan
.
Watford's youth system operates in partnership with the Harefield Academy in Hillingdon
. First and second year scholars (aged 16–18) are officially attached to Watford, but also undergo a programme of academic and vocational study at the academy. Players aged 16 and below compete for the school team in their respective age groups under the name Harefield Academy, but wear Watford shirts. On occasion, Harefield schoolboys competed for Watford's under-18 side.
The club's under-18 side competed in Group B of the Premier Academy League
, where they finished in 6th position out of ten teams. They played home matches at Watford's training ground, University College London
Athletic Ground in Shenley
. Three players featured for both the under-18 and senior teams in 2009–10: defender Eddie Oshodi
, midfielder Kurtney Brooks, and striker Gavin Massey
. Professional footballer Rob Kiernan
also played for the academy; he spent part of the season playing first team football on loan at Scottish Premier League
club Kilmarnock
. Harefield Academy's under-15 and under-16 sides both won the Schools' Cup; the first time in the history of the competition that a school won the trophy in multiple age groups.
, has a capacity of 17,504. The precise number of season ticket holders has not been stated, but Jimmy Russo revealed in the company's accounts that they numbered approximately 10,000. Visiting clubs received an allocation of 2,300 tickets for their supporters.
The club played 23 competitive home matches in 2009–10, all of them in the Championship, as well as a pre-season friendly match against Parma. Their highest home attendance was 17,120 against Newcastle on Saturday 27 February 2010. The lowest competitive attendance was 12,179 against Bristol City on Tuesday 9 February 2010, while the lowest home attendance overall was 3,598 in the Parma match on Saturday 1 August 2009. Watford's average attendance in competitive matches was 14,344.
Watford played 26 competitive away matches in 2009–10. The match against Newcastle at St James' Park
on Saturday 5 December 2009 attracted 43,050 spectators. This was the largest crowd at any Watford match that season, although this was aided in part by the fact that they did not play at another stadium with the capacity to beat it. Another notable away fixture was the match at Madejski Stadium
against Reading. Brendan Rodgers
, Watford's manager for the second half of 2008–09, left Watford for Reading under controversial circumstances in June, having previously stated that his integrity was being questioned when linked with the managerial vacancy. Reading's matchday squad also featured three former Hornets, two of whom had played for Watford under Rodgers. The match attracted 3,389 Watford fans, and ended in a 1–1 draw, with ex-Watford player Grzegorz Rasiak
scoring Reading's goal, and Jobi McAnuff
and Brynjar Gunnarsson
also playing a part.
: WFC). Its 2008–09 financial year ran from 1 July 2008 until 30 June 2009. The company released its audited accounts and annual report on 6 November 2009. It included details of the club's major shareholders, showing that Fordwat Limited—the investment company of Michael Ashcroft
—owned 37.16% of Watford Leisure, Valley Grown Salads (VGS)—owned by Watford Leisure directors Jimmy and Vince Russo—held a 29.98% stake, and that previous Watford chairman Graham Simpson had a 16.79% share.
The accounts showed an operating loss of £1.465 million, and a net loss of £1.987 million. Throughout 2009, Watford Leisure found themselves in need of finance on several occasions, and were loaned the money by VGS. On 30 November, VGS lent the club a further £1m, taking the total loan to the club to £4.88 million, secured
against the club's stadium Vicarage Road
. Upon announcing the loan, Watford revealed that this finance would only be sufficient to cover the club's costs until 22 December, and that a further £5.5 million would be needed to keep the business afloat until 30 June 2010.
Watford Leisure's Annual General Meeting
was held on 15 December 2009. That meeting began with chairman Jimmy Russo, and fellow directors Vince Russo and Robin Williams resigning from the board. Former Watford manager Graham Taylor was appointed interim chairman. VGS requested immediate repayment of the outstanding loan balance. The club received an offer from Fordwat to underwrite a rights issue
worth £7.5m, but revealed that for this plan to work VGS would have to agree to suspend the loan repayment, indicating that they would be placed into administration unless agreement were reached. VGS refused to do so, and Jimmy Russo stated that unless something changed, VGS were left with no option but to begin the process of placing the club in administration. However, administration was avoided when Fordwat paid VGS the money on 21 December 2009, and the club announced two days later that it would borrow money from Elton John
's "Playing for Players" concert to fund its running costs until it received the money from the rights issue.
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Home matches were played at the club's stadium, Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
, which had a capacity of 17,504 for the 2009–10 season. Watford's season officially began on 1 July 2009 and concluded on 30 June 2010, although competitive matches were only played between August and May. They competed in the Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
, the second highest division in English football, following their relegation from the Premier League in 2007.
After guiding the club to a 13th-placed finish in 2008–09, Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers is a Northern Irish former footballer, who is currently the manager of Swansea City.After retiring as a footballer at the age of 20, Rodgers stayed at Reading and was appointed as youth team coach. He joined Chelsea, under the leadership of José Mourinho, as youth team manager in...
resigned as manager of Watford in June 2009 to take up the same role at Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, with three members of his coaching staff doing likewise. He was replaced as manager by ex-Watford player and coach Malky Mackay
Malky Mackay
Malcolm George "Malky" Mackay is a Scottish football manager and former player, who played as a central defender. He is currently the manager of Cardiff City. Mackay began his playing career in Scottish football, with Queen's Park and Celtic. He joined English side Norwich City in 1998, remaining...
. Early in the season, first-team players including Player of the Season Tommy Smith and Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
international striker Tamás Priskin
Tamás Priskin
Tamás Priskin is a Hungarian professional footballer, who plays as a striker for Derby County, on loan from Ipswich Town. Born in Czechoslovakia, Priskin joined Hungarian side Győri ETO FC at the age of 15, making his debut at 16 and obtaining Hungarian citizenship in 2005. He moved to English...
left the club. New arrivals included striker Danny Graham
Danny Graham (footballer)
Daniel Anthony William "Danny" Graham is an English footballer who plays for Premier League side Swansea City as a striker. He started his professional career at Middlesbrough in 2003, making his debut for the club in a Premier League match against Manchester United the following year...
and former Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
international midfielder Scott Severin
Scott Severin
Scott Derek Severin is a Scottish professional footballer, currently playing for Dundee United. Severin has previously played for Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen, where he was club captain for two seasons. He has also made 15 appearances for Scotland national football team...
. Among Watford's five loan signings were former Watford player Heiðar Helguson
Heiðar Helguson
Heiðar Helguson is an Icelandic footballer who plays as a striker for Queens Park Rangers....
, and Tom Cleverley
Tom Cleverley
Thomas William "Tom" Cleverley is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder in the Premier League for Manchester United....
, who went on to become the club's Player of the Season.
Although Watford twice occupied a playoff position in late 2009, they gradually slipped down the table over the course of the season. With five games to go, they were in 21st position in the Championship, separated from the relegation zone only on goal difference. A 3–0 win over Reading secured Watford's Championship survival in their penultimate match of 2009–10. They eventually finished in 16th position out of 24 teams. In other competitions, Watford were defeated in the third round of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
by eventual winners Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, and eliminated from the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in the second round by Leeds United.
Background
The 2008–09 Championship season took place between 1 July 2008 and 30 June 2009, and Watford finished the season in 13th place in the league table. Previous manager Aidy Boothroyd left the club by "mutual consent" in November 2008 and was replaced by former ReadingReading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
academy boss Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers is a Northern Irish former footballer, who is currently the manager of Swansea City.After retiring as a footballer at the age of 20, Rodgers stayed at Reading and was appointed as youth team coach. He joined Chelsea, under the leadership of José Mourinho, as youth team manager in...
. New arrivals Jack Cork
Jack Cork
Jack Frank Porteous Cork is an English footballer currently playing for Southampton. He is a versatile player who can play across the back, and can also play in midfield...
, Don Cowie and Mike Williamson
Mike Williamson (footballer)
Michael James "Mike" Williamson is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Newcastle United, as a defender. He signed for Newcastle from Portsmouth on 27 January 2010.-Early career:...
contributed to Watford's improved form between February and May 2009, lifting Watford away from the relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
zone in the closing weeks of the season. The club's financial problems had been well documented and several changes to the playing staff were anticipated over the summer. In addition to anticipated player sales, another person linked with a move away from Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
was manager Rodgers, who had been linked with a move to former club Reading. He was not happy with the suggestion that he was in talks with Reading and suggested that his integrity was being questioned. When he subsequently joined Reading in June, Watford received an initial £500,000 in compensation. First-team coach and former Watford and Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
player Malky Mackay
Malky Mackay
Malcolm George "Malky" Mackay is a Scottish football manager and former player, who played as a central defender. He is currently the manager of Cardiff City. Mackay began his playing career in Scottish football, with Queen's Park and Celtic. He joined English side Norwich City in 1998, remaining...
was appointed as his successor. The only player to leave the club prior to the start of pre-season training was Lee Williamson
Lee Williamson
Lee Trevor Williamson is an English-born Jamaican footballer who plays for Sheffield United as a Midfielder. Born in Alvaston, Derby he started his career at Mansfield Town before spending time at Northampton Town, Rotherham United and Watford before joining The Blades...
, who had spent the second half of the 2008–09 season on loan at Preston.
Pre-season
Watford started pre-season training at their training ground in London ColneyLondon Colney
London Colney is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. It is located to the north of London, at Junction 22 of the M25 motorway....
on 1 July 2009. The first team began with friendly matches
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
at local sides
Team
A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
Boreham Wood
Boreham Wood F.C.
Boreham Wood F.C. are a football club based in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, at Meadow Park football ground. They were established in 1948, and have reached the FA Cup 2nd Round proper twice in their history. For 2011-12 they will play in Conference South...
, Hampton & Richmond
Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C.
Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. are an English football club based in the suburb of Hampton, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. They were founded in 1921 and formerly known as Hampton F.C. until 1999 when they changed their name in an attempt to draw a wider support base from around the...
and Wealdstone
Wealdstone F.C.
Wealdstone Football Club are an English semi-professional football club who formed in Wealdstone, in the London Borough of Harrow, but are currently based a few miles away in Ruislip, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. At present, the club are members of the Isthmian League Premier Division. They...
, before a pre-season tour to Spain where they faced CF Balaguer
CF Balaguer
Club de Futbol Balaguer is a Spanish football team based in Balaguer, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded in 1945, it currently plays in Tercera División - Group 5, holding home games at Municipal de Balaguer, with a capacity of 3,500...
and UE Lleida
UE Lleida
Club Lleida Esportiu is a Spanish football team based in Lleida, Catalonia. Founded in 2011, it plays in Segunda División B, holding home games at Camp d'Esports, with a capacity of 13,500 seats.-History:...
. Meanwhile, a development side including several first-team squad members faced Tring Athletic and St Albans City
St Albans City F.C.
St Albans City Football Club is a football club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded in 1908 and plays its home matches at Clarence Park, about 800 yards from the city centre. The club is in the Premier Division of the Southern League...
. The club's final pre-season fixture was a 3–2 home victory against Italian side Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
.
Watford sold striker Tamás Priskin
Tamás Priskin
Tamás Priskin is a Hungarian professional footballer, who plays as a striker for Derby County, on loan from Ipswich Town. Born in Czechoslovakia, Priskin joined Hungarian side Győri ETO FC at the age of 15, making his debut at 16 and obtaining Hungarian citizenship in 2005. He moved to English...
to Ipswich Town days before the start of the season and started the Championship campaign
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
with the future of several players unresolved, including those of top scorer and player of the season Tommy Smith, highest earner Jobi McAnuff
Jobi McAnuff
Joel Joshua Frederick Dave "Jobi" McAnuff is a professional footballer who plays for and captains Reading F.C.. He is a midfielder and has played for Jamaica.-Early career:...
, and the club's most expensive ever player Nathan Ellington
Nathan Ellington
Nathan Levi Fontaine Ellington is an English footballer who plays a striker for Championship side Ipswich Town.-Non-league and Bristol Rovers:...
.
Legend
All matches played in England unless otherwise stated.
Football League Championship
A total of 24 teams competed in the Football League ChampionshipFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
in the 2009–10 season. Each team played 46 matches; two against every other team, one match at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. At the end of the season the top two teams would gain promotion to the Premier League. The bottom three would be relegated to Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. The teams that finished 3rd–6th competed in the play-offs
Football League Championship play-offs
The Football League Championship play-offs are a series of playoff matches contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the Football League Championship table. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with 6th playing 3rd and 5th playing 4th, with the return fixtures following...
, with the winner earning the third and final promotion place.
The provisional fixture list was released on 17 June 2009, but was subject to change in the event of clashes with other competitions, inclement weather, or matches being selected for television coverage. Watford's home games against Sheffield Wednesday and QPR
QPR
QPR usually refers to Queens Park Rangers F.C., an English football club.QPR may also refer to:*Queen + Paul Rodgers, a 2004-2009 musical supergroup*Queen's Park Rangers , a football club playing in the Grenada League...
were played on a Friday and Monday respectively, as a result of live television coverage. The home game against Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
was postponed and rescheduled due to adverse weather conditions, while the away fixture at Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
was brought forward from a Tuesday to the preceding Saturday, as both clubs were eliminated from the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
in the third round.
2009
| Watford's team for the first game of the season, a 1–1 draw at home against Doncaster Rovers. |
Watford's first league match was at home to Doncaster Rovers, a team who finished the 2008–09 season level on points with Watford. Mackay was banned from the match, due to a suspension from an incident in the previous season. Watford lined up in a 4–4–2 formation, with Tommy Smith playing as a striker, and Don Cowie and Jobi McAnuff as wingers. Scott Severin
Scott Severin
Scott Derek Severin is a Scottish professional footballer, currently playing for Dundee United. Severin has previously played for Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen, where he was club captain for two seasons. He has also made 15 appearances for Scotland national football team...
was playing his first competitive match for Watford, and fellow debutant Danny Graham
Danny Graham (footballer)
Daniel Anthony William "Danny" Graham is an English footballer who plays for Premier League side Swansea City as a striker. He started his professional career at Middlesbrough in 2003, making his debut for the club in a Premier League match against Manchester United the following year...
scored the opening goal after 27 minutes, a close range finish from a Tommy Smith cross. This was followed by a headed equaliser from Doncaster's James Hayter
James Hayter (footballer)
James Edward Hayter is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Doncaster Rovers.-Bournemouth:...
ten minutes later. In the second half, Doncaster striker Dean Shiels
Dean Shiels
Dean Andrew Shiels is a Northern Irish footballer who plays for Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premier League. Shiels is on loan to Kilmarnock from Doncaster Rovers...
had a shot which his manager felt had crossed the line. However, the referee deemed that it had not, and the match finished as a draw. Watford were defeated 2–0 at Sheffield United in their next league fixture, with Jamie Ward
Jamie Ward
Jamie John Ward is an English-born Northern Irish international professional footballer, who plays as a midfielder or forward for Derby County...
and Ched Evans
Ched Evans
Chedwyn Michael "Ched" Evans is a Wales international footballer currently playing as a striker for Sheffield United.Born in St Asaph, Denbighshire Evans was an inexperienced youth striker with Manchester City, when he arrived at Norwich City on loan in 2007...
scoring for the opposition. The result caused Watford to slip into the relegation places for the only time of the season. Mackay expressed disappointment at his side for the goals they had conceded, and revealed that club was considering a transfer offer for Smith.
Despite the transfer speculation, Smith played for Watford at Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, scoring one goal and assisting
Assist (football)
In association football, an assist is a contribution by a player which helps to score a goal. Statistics for assists made by players may be kept officially by the organisers of a competition, or unofficially by, for example, journalists or organisers of fantasy football competitions...
two more. Also involved were Lee Hodson
Lee Hodson
Lee James Stephen Hodson is a professional footballer, currently playing in the Football League Championship for Watford. Hodson is a defender, and plays primarily as a right-back...
, who made his first competitive starting appearance, and loan players Henri Lansbury
Henri Lansbury
Henri George Lansbury is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United, on loan from Arsenal.-Arsenal:Lansbury was born in Enfield, London and grew up in Potters Bar. In 1999, he joined Arsenal as a schoolboy from the books of Norwich City. He has featured regularly for both the club's...
and Tom Cleverley
Tom Cleverley
Thomas William "Tom" Cleverley is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder in the Premier League for Manchester United....
. Forest scored twice, but Cleverley scored Watford's fourth goal to secure the club's first league win of the season. The home game against Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
at Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
proved to be Smith's final game for the club. His and Cleverley's goals were equalised by Alex Baptiste
Alex Baptiste
Alexander Aaron John "Alex" Baptiste is an English footballer who plays for Blackpool. He usually plays in central defence, but has also played at both full back positions and as a defensive midfielder.-Mansfield Town:...
and Gary Taylor-Fletcher
Gary Taylor-Fletcher
Gary Taylor-Fletcher is an English footballer. He plays for Blackpool and is a midfielder who can also play as a forward...
respectively, giving Blackpool their fourth consecutive draw. The final match before the closure of the transfer window was a trip to Welsh side Swansea City, where Watford continued with their 4–4–2 formation. The departures of Smith, Williamson and McAnuff meant that Lansbury and Marvin Sordell
Marvin Sordell
-External links:*...
made their first starts, and helped Hodson retain his place in the team. Graham nutmegged
Nutmeg (football)
A nutmeg is a technique used in football or field hockey, in which a player rolls the ball through an opponent's legs. This can be whilst passing to another player, shooting or occasionally to carry on and retrieve it themselves.- Origin :...
goalkeeper Dorus de Vries
Dorus de Vries
Dorus de Vries is a Dutch football goalkeeper signed to English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.De Vries began his professional career in his native Holland with Telstar, before spending three seasons with ADO Den Haag. He moved to Britain in 2006, when he spent a season at Scottish...
to put Watford ahead, but Swansea defender Alan Tate scored a late header to salvage a 1–1 draw.
Watford did not play another game for two weeks, due to international fixtures. On the resumption of club football, they faced Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
and Plymouth Argyle, who were both near the bottom of the Championship at the time. Watford changed to a 4–5–1 formation for the home match against Barnsley, with Jon Harley
Jon Harley
Jon Harley is an English footballer who has played for Chelsea, Wimbledon, Fulham, Sheffield United, West Ham United, Burnley, Watford and Notts County.-Chelsea:...
replacing Sordell. Their other change to the starting lineup was an enforced one. Captain Jay DeMerit
Jay DeMerit
Jay Michael DeMerit is an American soccer player who plays for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer, and for the United States national team...
suffered an injury whilst on international duty with the USA, and was replaced by Dale Bennett
Dale Bennett
Dale Owen Bennett is an English professional footballer, who currently plays for English Football League One side Brentford on loan from Championship side Watford as a defender.-Career:...
, who made his Football League debut. Graham scored the only goal of the game with a close-range finish in the 54th minute. Watford's clean sheet was their first in the league since March. Playing the same formation, they recorded an identical result at Plymouth, with Tom Cleverley's early goal proving decisive. For both of these wins, Watford's defence consisted entirely of players who had progressed from their youth system.
Former Watford player Heiðar Helguson
Heiðar Helguson
Heiðar Helguson is an Icelandic footballer who plays as a striker for Queens Park Rangers....
rejoined Watford on loan from QPR
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
on 15 September 2009, and his first game was as a substitute against Leicester City. With Watford trailing 2–0 at half time, Mackay changed from a 4–5–1 formation to a 4–4–2, with striker Helguson replacing attacking midfielder Henri Lansbury
Henri Lansbury
Henri George Lansbury is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United, on loan from Arsenal.-Arsenal:Lansbury was born in Enfield, London and grew up in Potters Bar. In 1999, he joined Arsenal as a schoolboy from the books of Norwich City. He has featured regularly for both the club's...
. Helguson's impact was immediate. He set up Graham for Watford's opening goal, before scoring twice to put Watford into a 3–2 lead. However, Helguson suffered an injury shortly before the end of the match, and Ellington replaced him for the final ten minutes. Leicester subsequently equalised, and the match ended 3–3. A total of 3,389 Watford fans attended the away match against Reading, who were managed by ex-Watford manager Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers is a Northern Irish former footballer, who is currently the manager of Swansea City.After retiring as a footballer at the age of 20, Rodgers stayed at Reading and was appointed as youth team coach. He joined Chelsea, under the leadership of José Mourinho, as youth team manager in...
. Former Watford player Grzegorz Rasiak
Grzegorz Rasiak
Grzegorz Rasiak born 12 January 1979 in Szczecin, is a Polish international footballer who last played for AEL Limassol in Cyprus. Since 2002, he has played for the Poland national team....
scored Reading's goal, in a match that also saw Jobi McAnuff
Jobi McAnuff
Joel Joshua Frederick Dave "Jobi" McAnuff is a professional footballer who plays for and captains Reading F.C.. He is a midfielder and has played for Jamaica.-Early career:...
and Brynjar Gunnarsson
Brynjar Gunnarsson
Brynjar Björn Gunnarsson is an Icelandic footballer who is currently playing his club football as a defensive midfielder for Reading in the N-Power Championship...
facing their former club. Graham equalised for Watford, and despite a red card for Ellington, the match finished as a draw. Preparation for Watford's game against Coventry City was affected by a virus affecting six first-team players. Will Hoskins
Will Hoskins
William Richard "Will" Hoskins is an English football player who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion as a striker. He came through the youth scheme at Rotherham United and has represented England at many levels up to under-20....
scored his first goal of the season, but Coventry scored three goals to inflict Watford's first home defeat of the season. Four days later Cardiff City
Cardiff city
Cardiff City may refer to:* Cardiff city centre* Cardiff City Council* Cardiff City F.C.* Cardiff City L.F.C.* Cardiff City Stadium...
defeated Watford 4–0; Watford's heaviest home league defeat since January 2004.
Don Cowie made his debut for Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
during the October international break. Upon the resumption of club football, Watford recorded an away win at Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
, who had just been relegated from the Premier League. Three days later, Ipswich led Watford 1–0 at the end of standard time at Portman Road
Portman Road
Portman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted a number of England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly international match, against Croatia in 2003...
, but Nathan Ellington
Nathan Ellington
Nathan Levi Fontaine Ellington is an English footballer who plays a striker for Championship side Ipswich Town.-Non-league and Bristol Rovers:...
equalised in the last minute to deny Ipswich their first league win of 2009–10. Watford's game against Sheffield Wednesday was their third in seven days, and first goals of the season for Lansbury, Adrian Mariappa
Adrian Mariappa
Adrian "Aidy" Joseph Mariappa is an association football player. Born in England, and of Fijian descent, Mariappa plays as a defender for Watford in the Football League Championship. He progressed through Watford's youth academy, and has spent his entire professional career at the club...
and Jon Harley
Jon Harley
Jon Harley is an English footballer who has played for Chelsea, Wimbledon, Fulham, Sheffield United, West Ham United, Burnley, Watford and Notts County.-Chelsea:...
ensured Watford's second win in that time. Eight days later Watford travelled to fourth-placed West Bromwich Albion. Watford were defeated 5–0—their heaviest defeat of the season and biggest ever defeat against West Brom. They responded with a home win over Preston in their next match, with Cleverley scoring to join Danny Graham as the club's leading goalscorer of the season.
After a break for the last international fixtures of 2009, Watford resumed the season with a 3–0 home win over Scunthorpe United. Helguson scored two goals, meaning that at that point he was averaging more than a goal per game in 2009–10. Watford suffered consecutive defeats away to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
and Newcastle, failing to score in either match. The Newcastle match was followed by a home game against Queens Park Rangers two days later, due to television coverage. Lloyd Doyley
Lloyd Doyley
Lloyd Colin Doyley is an English footballer who plays for Watford as a defender. He is primarily a right-back, but can also play as a centre-back and left-back. He is the longest-serving current player for the Hornets, and is contracted until 2012.- Watford : Doyley was born in Whitechapel, London...
scored his first ever goal in professional football to equalise before half-time, and Watford eventually won 3–1. This marked Watford's fourth consecutive home win, and took them into a playoff position. Such was the surprise at Doyley's goal, that the club released a commemorative t-shirt, with the slogan "I was there when Lloyd scored!" However, Watford's sequence of home wins ended with a 1–0 loss to Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, and was followed by a defeat at the league's then bottom side, Peterborough United—their first win since sacking manager Darren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson is a Scottish football manager and former player, currently in his second spell as the manager of Peterborough United...
. The team finished 2009 with consecutive draws against Nottingham Forest and Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
.
2010
| Watford's lineup for the final match of 2009–10, a 4–0 win against Coventry at their stadium, the Ricoh Arena Ricoh Arena The Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino... . |
Watford's start to 2010 was impacted by the unusually cold winter
Winter of 2009–2010 in Europe
The winter of 2009–2010 in Europe was unusually cold. Globally, atypical weather patterns brought cold, moist air from the north. Weather systems were undergoing cyclogenesis from North American storms moving across the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and saw many parts of Europe experiencing heavy...
, which caused the postponement of two home matches in January. Consequently, they played only two matches that month: 2–1 and 3–2 defeats away to Doncaster Rovers and Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
respectively. They recorded two wins and a defeat from their first three matches of February, before again suffering a postponement, this time due to a waterlogged pitch at Loftus Road
Loftus Road
Loftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...
. A 2–2 draw against Scunthorpe United on 20 February left Watford 13th in the Championship on 39 points, having played the fewest matches of any club in the division.
Mackay later remarked that fixture congestion in March and April caught up on his relatively small squad. Between 20 February and 20 April, Watford played fifteen matches, winning two (against Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town), drawing four and losing nine. Although they never entered the relegation zone, with five games remaining they were separated from it only on goal difference. However, wins against Plymouth, Reading and Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
ensured that Watford remained in the Championship for the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Watford F.C. season
-Football League Championship:A total of 24 teams competed in the Football League Championship in the 2010–11 season. Each team played 46 matches; two against every other team, with one match played at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one for a draw, and none for defeats...
.
Results
Summary
From their 3rd game until their 31st, Watford found themselves in a mid-table position; seldom in the top six, but several points clear of the relegation zone. A series of fixture postponements meant that, as of their 30th fixture, Watford had played fewer matches than any other Championship team. The postponements were followed by a run of one win in 12 games between February and April, leading to Watford slipping close to the relegation places. With five matches to play, they were 21st, ahead of Sheffield Wednesday only on goal differenceGoal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
. Survival was sealed in the penultimate match with a 3–0 win against Reading. A subsequent victory at Coventry elevated Watford to a final position of 16th, their highest place in the table for two months. The team finished with 54 points – 16 fewer than Blackpool in the final playoff position, and 7 more than Sheffield Wednesday, the highest placed of the three relegated teams.
Key
W: Win
D: Draw
L: Loss
GF: Goals for
GA: Goals against
GD: Goal difference
H: Home fixture
A: Away fixture
Pld: Games played
Pts: Points scored
| Game | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A |
| Result | D | L | W | D | D | W | W | D | D | L | L | W | D | W | L | W | W | L | L | W | L | L | D | D | L | L | W | L | W | D | L | L | L | L | W | L | L | D | L | D | D | W | L | L | W | W |
| Points | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 35 | 35 | 38 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 43 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 51 | 54 |
| Position | 8 | 22 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 16 |
First round
The first round draw for the 2009–10 League CupFootball League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
(known as the Carling Cup for sponsorship reasons) took place on 16 June 2009. It included all Football League clubs for the forthcoming season with the exception of Newcastle
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
and Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
, who were given byes to the second round. Watford were drawn to play an away match against north London side Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
. Barnet were two divisions below Watford, in Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. In the match, Malky Mackay
Malky Mackay
Malcolm George "Malky" Mackay is a Scottish football manager and former player, who played as a central defender. He is currently the manager of Cardiff City. Mackay began his playing career in Scottish football, with Queen's Park and Celtic. He joined English side Norwich City in 1998, remaining...
gave a first competitive start to 17-year-old academy right back
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
Lee Hodson
Lee Hodson
Lee James Stephen Hodson is a professional footballer, currently playing in the Football League Championship for Watford. Hodson is a defender, and plays primarily as a right-back...
and a first game of the season to goalkeeper Richard Lee
Richard Lee (footballer)
Richard Anthony Lee is an English footballer. He is a goalkeeper and currently plays for Brentford.-Playing career:...
. The match was goalless after 90 minutes, before Scott Severin
Scott Severin
Scott Derek Severin is a Scottish professional footballer, currently playing for Dundee United. Severin has previously played for Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen, where he was club captain for two seasons. He has also made 15 appearances for Scotland national football team...
and Mike Williamson
Mike Williamson (footballer)
Michael James "Mike" Williamson is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Newcastle United, as a defender. He signed for Newcastle from Portsmouth on 27 January 2010.-Early career:...
scored for Watford in extra time.
Second round
The second round draw, held on 12 August 2009, included the 35 winners from the first round, as well as Newcastle, Middlesbrough, and the 13 Premier League teams not involved in the UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
or UEFA Europa League. Leeds United were selected as the home side against Watford, in what would be the first match between the two teams since the 2006 Football League Championship play-off final. Leeds took the lead with a Robert Snodgrass
Robert Snodgrass
Robert Snodgrass is a Scottish footballer who plays for Leeds United as a winger comfortable playing on either side of the pitch. He can also play as a forward...
goal in the 38th minute. Marvin Sordell
Marvin Sordell
-External links:*...
scored his first senior goal for Watford, taking the game to extra time. However, Snodgrass scored his and Leeds' second goal to secure a 2–1 victory for the League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side.
FA Cup
Premier League and ChampionshipFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
clubs enter the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
at the third round stage, where they are joined by the 20 winners from the second round for a total of 64 teams. The draw took place on 8 December 2009. For the third consecutive cup draw of the season, Watford were the away side, this time against 2008–09 FA Cup winners Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. Watford's first match of the year was an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
third round match away to holders Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. Despite the absence of Chelsea's top scorers Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
and Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Anelka
Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team...
, Watford conceded five goals without reply, and were eliminated from the competition.
Statistics
Over the course of the season, 31 players made at least one first team appearance for Watford. Of these, Adrian Mariappa was the only one to start all 49 matches. Goalkeeper Scott Loach started every league match, while Danny Graham also played some part in every Watford fixture. Graham also finished as the club's top scorer with 14 goals, all of them coming in the Football League. Tied for second place were Heiðar Helguson and Tom Cleverley, both of whom scored 11 goals. Three Watford players were sent off in 2009–10: Cleverley, Jon Harley and Nathan Ellington received one red card each.No. = Squad number
Pos = Playing position
P = Number of games played
G = Number of goals scored
GK = Goalkeeper
DF = Defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
MF = Midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
FW = Forward
Correct as of the final game of the season. Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances in parentheses where applicable.
| No. | Pos | Name | P | G | P | G | P | G | P | G | |
|
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship Football League Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League... |
FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
League Cup League Cup In association football, a League Cup or Secondary Cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946/47 and was entitled the Scottish... |
Total | Discipline | |||||||||
| GK | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | ||
| DF | 46 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | ||
| DF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | ||
| MF | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | ||||
| MF | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 0 | Joined club on 21 August 2009 | |||||
| DF | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | ||||
| MF | 40(1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | |||
| MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Joined club on 15 January 2010 | ||||
| MF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Left club on 27 August 2009 | |||
| 10 | FW | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 0 | — | |||
| 11 | FW | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 0 | Joined club on 15 September 2009 | |||
| 11 | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Left club on 27 August 2009 | ||
| 12 | DF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | |||
| 13 | GK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 14 | MF | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | ||||
| 15 | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | |||||
| 16 | GK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 17 | DF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | |||
| 18 | FW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | |||
| 19 | FW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | |||||
| 20 | MF | 33 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |35 | 11 | 5 | 1 | Joined club on 17 August 2009. | ||
| 22 | DF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Joined club on 14 September 2009, and left on 5 January 2010 | ||
| 22 | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Joined club on 26 January 2010. | |||
| 24 | DF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 24 | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Left club on 1 September 2009. | |||
| 25 | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Left club on 1 January 2010 | ||||
| 26 | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Left club on 1 September 2009. | |
| 26 | FW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 27 | DF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 28 | MF | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 | — | ||||
| 29 | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |||
| 30 | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 31 | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | ||||
| 33 | DF | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | ||||
| 34 | DF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |||
| 36 | FW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |||
| 37 | GK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 38 | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 39 | FW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |||
Awards
- Player of the season: Tom CleverleyTom CleverleyThomas William "Tom" Cleverley is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder in the Premier League for Manchester United....
- Player's player of the season: John EustaceJohn EustaceJohn Mark Eustace is an English footballer who plays for Watford as a central midfielder. He has previously been contracted to Coventry City and Stoke City, and has spent time on loan at Dundee United, Middlesbrough, Hereford United and Derby County.-Coventry City:Born in Solihull, Eustace began...
- Young player of the season: Scott LoachScott LoachScott James Loach is an English footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Watford in the Football League Championship, having previously spent loan spells with non-league Stafford Rangers and League Two sides Morecambe and Bradford City. He has played for England at under-21 level, and in August...
- Goal of the season: Lloyd DoyleyLloyd DoyleyLloyd Colin Doyley is an English footballer who plays for Watford as a defender. He is primarily a right-back, but can also play as a centre-back and left-back. He is the longest-serving current player for the Hornets, and is contracted until 2012.- Watford : Doyley was born in Whitechapel, London...
(vs QPRQPRQPR usually refers to Queens Park Rangers F.C., an English football club.QPR may also refer to:*Queen + Paul Rodgers, a 2004-2009 musical supergroup*Queen's Park Rangers , a football club playing in the Grenada League...
on 7 December 2009) - Hall of fame inductee: Nigel GibbsNigel GibbsNigel James Gibbs , is a former English footballer. A Watford supporter, as well as a product of their youth system, Gibbs spent his entire professional career as a right back for the club. He was voted Watford F.C. Player of the Season in 1992, and later captained them...
In
Scott Severin
Scott Derek Severin is a Scottish professional footballer, currently playing for Dundee United. Severin has previously played for Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen, where he was club captain for two seasons. He has also made 15 appearances for Scotland national football team...
, Carlisle United striker Danny Graham
Danny Graham (footballer)
Daniel Anthony William "Danny" Graham is an English footballer who plays for Premier League side Swansea City as a striker. He started his professional career at Middlesbrough in 2003, making his debut for the club in a Premier League match against Manchester United the following year...
, and Slovenian left back Jure Travner
Jure Travner
Jure Travner is a Slovenian football defender, who currently plays for Bulgarian A PFG side Ludogorets Razgrad.- Career :Travner began his playing career with NK CM Celje in 2004....
. The transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
closed at the end of 1 September 2009, meaning that Watford could not buy or sell further players until the opening of the January transfer window on 1 January 2010. The club took this opportunity to sign Scotland under-21 international Stephen McGinn
Stephen McGinn
Stephen McGinn is a Scottish professional association football player currently playing for English Football League Championship side Watford.-Career:...
, young Rochdale winger Will Buckley
Will Buckley (footballer)
William Edward "Will" Buckley is an English footballer who plays either as winger or a striker. He currently plays for Brighton & Hove Albion, having moved from Watford during June 2011. He has previously played for Rochdale.-Career:Buckley started his career at Rochdale, becoming a youth scholar...
, and 30-year-old centre back Martin Taylor.
Unless a country is specified, all clubs play in the English football league system
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
.
| Date | Player | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2009 | Scott Severin Scott Severin Scott Derek Severin is a Scottish professional footballer, currently playing for Dundee United. Severin has previously played for Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen, where he was club captain for two seasons. He has also made 15 appearances for Scotland national football team... |
Aberdeen Aberdeen F.C. Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen... (Scotland Scottish football league system The Scottish football league system is a series of generally unconnected leagues for Scottish football clubs. The Scottish system is more complicated than many other national league systems, consisting of two completely separate systems of leagues and clubs, senior football and junior football... ) |
Free |
| 2 July 2009 | Danny Graham Danny Graham (footballer) Daniel Anthony William "Danny" Graham is an English footballer who plays for Premier League side Swansea City as a striker. He started his professional career at Middlesbrough in 2003, making his debut for the club in a Premier League match against Manchester United the following year... |
Carlisle United | £200,000 |
| 18 July 2009 | Jure Travner Jure Travner Jure Travner is a Slovenian football defender, who currently plays for Bulgarian A PFG side Ludogorets Razgrad.- Career :Travner began his playing career with NK CM Celje in 2004.... |
Celje (Slovenia Football in Slovenia Football in Slovenia is governed by the Football Association of Slovenia . Slovenia has participated in international football as an independent nation ever since 1991 when the country separated from SFR Yugoslavia... ) |
Undisclosed |
| 15 January 2010 | Stephen McGinn Stephen McGinn Stephen McGinn is a Scottish professional association football player currently playing for English Football League Championship side Watford.-Career:... |
St Mirren (Scotland Scottish football league system The Scottish football league system is a series of generally unconnected leagues for Scottish football clubs. The Scottish system is more complicated than many other national league systems, consisting of two completely separate systems of leagues and clubs, senior football and junior football... ) |
Undisclosed |
| 26 January 2010 | Will Buckley Will Buckley (footballer) William Edward "Will" Buckley is an English footballer who plays either as winger or a striker. He currently plays for Brighton & Hove Albion, having moved from Watford during June 2011. He has previously played for Rochdale.-Career:Buckley started his career at Rochdale, becoming a youth scholar... |
Rochdale Rochdale A.F.C. Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921... |
Undisclosed |
| 29 January 2010 | Martin Taylor | Birmingham City Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the... |
Free |
Out
The club's financial shortfall necessitated the sale of players in the summer of 2009, with Jimmy Russo confirming in the annual accounts that the club would need to continue to sell players "year on year" in order to "meet the financial requirements of the business." After the early departures of Theo RobinsonTheo Robinson
Theo Laroyan R. S. Robinson is an English footballer who plays for Football League Championship side Derby County.-Watford:...
and Al Bangura, Tamás Priskin
Tamás Priskin
Tamás Priskin is a Hungarian professional footballer, who plays as a striker for Derby County, on loan from Ipswich Town. Born in Czechoslovakia, Priskin joined Hungarian side Győri ETO FC at the age of 15, making his debut at 16 and obtaining Hungarian citizenship in 2005. He moved to English...
was sold to Ipswich Town in the first week of August, just before the start of the Championship season. Despite being able to transfer players at any stage between 1 July and 1 September, Watford conducted much of their business in the last week of the transfer window. Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
submitted transfer bids for Smith and Williamson. Negotiations with Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
for Smith were ongoing, while their bid for McAnuff was accepted. Smith's transfer to Portsmouth and McAnuff's move to Reading were confirmed before Watford's match against Swansea City, with Williamson's transfer following a few days after. Mackay later expressed frustration at the latter transfer, revealing that after Watford rejected Williamson's transfer request, he declared himself unfit to train, play, or travel to Swansea.
Watford's final sale of the season came when the January transfer window opened on 1 January 2010. John-Joe O'Toole
John-Joe O'Toole
John Joseph "John-Joe" O'Toole is an Irish footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Football League One club Colchester United.-Watford:...
, who was already on loan at Colchester United, was signed on a permanent transfer by former Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd.
All clubs play in the English football league system.
| Date"End of season" denotes players who were available for the final game of the season, and subsequently left upon the expiry of their contracts. | Player | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 July 2009 | Theo Robinson Theo Robinson Theo Laroyan R. S. Robinson is an English footballer who plays for Football League Championship side Derby County.-Watford:... |
Huddersfield Town | Undisclosed |
| 23 July 2009 | Al Bangura | Released | Mutual termination |
| 7 August 2009 | Tamás Priskin Tamás Priskin Tamás Priskin is a Hungarian professional footballer, who plays as a striker for Derby County, on loan from Ipswich Town. Born in Czechoslovakia, Priskin joined Hungarian side Győri ETO FC at the age of 15, making his debut at 16 and obtaining Hungarian citizenship in 2005. He moved to English... |
Ipswich Town | Undisclosed |
| 27 August 2009 | Jobi McAnuff Jobi McAnuff Joel Joshua Frederick Dave "Jobi" McAnuff is a professional footballer who plays for and captains Reading F.C.. He is a midfielder and has played for Jamaica.-Early career:... |
Reading Reading F.C. Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship... |
Undisclosed |
| 27 August 2009 | Tommy Smith | Portsmouth Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from... |
Undisclosed |
| 1 September 2009 | Mike Williamson Mike Williamson (footballer) Michael James "Mike" Williamson is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Newcastle United, as a defender. He signed for Newcastle from Portsmouth on 27 January 2010.-Early career:... |
Portsmouth Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from... |
£2 million |
| 1 January 2010 | John-Joe O'Toole John-Joe O'Toole John Joseph "John-Joe" O'Toole is an Irish footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Football League One club Colchester United.-Watford:... |
Colchester United | Undisclosed |
| 21 June 2010 | Jordan Parkes Jordan Parkes Jordan David Parkes is an English professional association footballer, playing as a full-back for Barnet.Parkes left Parmiter's School in Garston, Hertfordshire aged sixteen in order to pursue a football career at Watford... |
Released | Mutual termination |
| 30 June 2010 | Richard Lee Richard Lee (footballer) Richard Anthony Lee is an English footballer. He is a goalkeeper and currently plays for Brentford.-Playing career:... |
Released | Free (end of contract) |
| End of season | Jay DeMerit Jay DeMerit Jay Michael DeMerit is an American soccer player who plays for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer, and for the United States national team... |
Released | Free (end of contract) |
| End of season | Will Hoskins Will Hoskins William Richard "Will" Hoskins is an English football player who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion as a striker. He came through the youth scheme at Rotherham United and has represented England at many levels up to under-20.... |
Released | Free (end of contract) |
| End of season | Jon Harley Jon Harley Jon Harley is an English footballer who has played for Chelsea, Wimbledon, Fulham, Sheffield United, West Ham United, Burnley, Watford and Notts County.-Chelsea:... |
Released | Free (end of contract) |
In
Having sold several first team players, Watford used the loan system to sign young players from Champions LeagueUEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
clubs, offering them early experience of competitive football. First to arrive was Tom Cleverley
Tom Cleverley
Thomas William "Tom" Cleverley is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder in the Premier League for Manchester United....
, who scored on his debut and was eventually voted Watford F.C. Player of the Season. Other players acquired in this manner included his Manchester United teammate Craig Cathcart
Craig Cathcart
Craig George Cathcart is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a centre back for Blackpool and the Northern Ireland national team...
, and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
midfielder Henri Lansbury
Henri Lansbury
Henri George Lansbury is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United, on loan from Arsenal.-Arsenal:Lansbury was born in Enfield, London and grew up in Potters Bar. In 1999, he joined Arsenal as a schoolboy from the books of Norwich City. He has featured regularly for both the club's...
. Watford's other significant loan acquisition was former player Heiðar Helguson
Heiðar Helguson
Heiðar Helguson is an Icelandic footballer who plays as a striker for Queens Park Rangers....
. The Iceland international made an instant impact on his return to Vicarage Road, scoring two goals as a substitute in a 3–3 draw against Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
.
| Start | Player | From | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 August 2009 | Tom Cleverley Tom Cleverley Thomas William "Tom" Cleverley is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder in the Premier League for Manchester United.... |
Manchester United | End of season |
| 21 August 2009 | Henri Lansbury Henri Lansbury Henri George Lansbury is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United, on loan from Arsenal.-Arsenal:Lansbury was born in Enfield, London and grew up in Potters Bar. In 1999, he joined Arsenal as a schoolboy from the books of Norwich City. He has featured regularly for both the club's... |
Arsenal Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
End of season |
| 14 September 2009 | Craig Cathcart Craig Cathcart Craig George Cathcart is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a centre back for Blackpool and the Northern Ireland national team... |
Manchester United | 4 January 2010 |
| 15 September 2009 | Heiðar Helguson Heiðar Helguson Heiðar Helguson is an Icelandic footballer who plays as a striker for Queens Park Rangers.... |
QPR Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
End of season |
| 25 March 2010 | Ryan Noble Ryan Noble Ryan Noble is an English footballer who plays for Sunderland as a striker.-Sunderland:A product of the club's youth academy, Noble made his first professional appearance for Sunderland on 2 January 2010, coming on as a substitute for Darren Bent in a 3–0 FA Cup victory against Barrow at the... |
Sunderland Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League... |
20 April 2010 |
Out
For similar reasons to their young acquisitions, Watford loaned players such as O'Toole, Billy Gibson and Marvin SordellMarvin Sordell
-External links:*...
to lower-league sides, in the hope that they would gain first-team experience. They also used the system to send Mat Sadler to Stockport County, and Nathan Ellington
Nathan Ellington
Nathan Levi Fontaine Ellington is an English footballer who plays a striker for Championship side Ipswich Town.-Non-league and Bristol Rovers:...
to Greek side Skoda Xanthi. In both cases, the loans were made with the option of a possible permanent move.
| Start | Player | To | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 September 2009 | John-Joe O'Toole John-Joe O'Toole John Joseph "John-Joe" O'Toole is an Irish footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Football League One club Colchester United.-Watford:... |
Colchester United | 1 January 2010 |
| 16 December 2009 | Billy Gibson | Wealdstone Wealdstone F.C. Wealdstone Football Club are an English semi-professional football club who formed in Wealdstone, in the London Borough of Harrow, but are currently based a few miles away in Ruislip, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. At present, the club are members of the Isthmian League Premier Division. They... |
11 February 2010 |
| 1 January 2010 | Nathan Ellington Nathan Ellington Nathan Levi Fontaine Ellington is an English footballer who plays a striker for Championship side Ipswich Town.-Non-league and Bristol Rovers:... |
Skoda Xanthi Skoda Xanthi Skoda Xanthi F.C. , or F.C. Skoda Xanthi Athletic Club, is a Greek football club, based in the city of Xanthi. The club currently competes in the Super League Greece.-History:... (Greece Greek football league system The Greek football league system includes five levels in which teams can possibly make it to Super League Greece, Greece's highest division of football.-Promotion and relegation:Super League Greece: Bottom three clubs relegated to Football League.... ) |
31 December 2010 |
| 22 January 2010 | Jonathan North | Oxford City Oxford City F.C. Oxford City Football Club is an English football club, currently playing in the Southern Football League Premier Division after gaining promotion via the Division One South & West playoffs... |
February 2010 |
| 29 January 2010 | Mat Sadler | Stockport County Stockport County F.C. Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport... |
End of Season |
| 1 February 2010 | Scott Severin Scott Severin Scott Derek Severin is a Scottish professional footballer, currently playing for Dundee United. Severin has previously played for Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen, where he was club captain for two seasons. He has also made 15 appearances for Scotland national football team... |
Kilmarnock Kilmarnock F.C. Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park... (Scotland Scottish football league system The Scottish football league system is a series of generally unconnected leagues for Scottish football clubs. The Scottish system is more complicated than many other national league systems, consisting of two completely separate systems of leagues and clubs, senior football and junior football... ) |
End of Season |
| 1 February 2010 | Rob Kiernan Rob Kiernan Robert Samuel Kiernan is an Irish association footballer who plays as either a centre back or central midfielder for Wigan Athletic. He previously played for Watford, and spent time on loan at Kilmarnock, Yeovil Town, Bradford City and Wycombe Wanderers... |
Kilmarnock (Scotland) | End of Season |
| 1 February 2010 | Marvin Sordell Marvin Sordell -External links:*... |
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers F.C. Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system... |
April 2010 |
| 19 March 2010 | Lewis Young Lewis Young Lewis Jack Young is English footballer. He can play either as a striker or on the right wing. Lewis currently plays for Northampton Town.-Playing career:... |
Hereford United | April 2010 |
International
Four Watford players represented their country at senior international level in 2009–10. Club captain Jay DeMeritJay DeMerit
Jay Michael DeMerit is an American soccer player who plays for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer, and for the United States national team...
played for the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in the Confederations Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
, where he helped his team reach the final at the expense of Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, and the 2010 World Cup, where he played against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
and Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
. Heiðar Helguson
Heiðar Helguson
Heiðar Helguson is an Icelandic footballer who plays as a striker for Queens Park Rangers....
played five matches for Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
, scoring two international goals in a 4–0 win over Andorra
Andorra national football team
The Andorra national football team represents Andorra in association football and is controlled by the Andorran Football Federation, the governing body for football in Andorra. The team has enjoyed very little success due to the Principality's tiny population, the fourth smallest of any UEFA...
. Don Cowie made his debut for Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
against Japan
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
, and was selected again by manager George Burley
George Burley
George Elder Burley is a Scottish football manager and former player and manager, formerly the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. Burley had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player making 628 appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps...
to play against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
. Another debutant was Michael Bryan
Michael Bryan (footballer)
-External links:...
. He toured the United States with Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
, making his international debut as a substitute against Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
and four days later starting for his country against World Cup qualifiers Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
.
Several further players participated in youth international matches. Loan duo Tom Cleverley
Tom Cleverley
Thomas William "Tom" Cleverley is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder in the Premier League for Manchester United....
and Henri Lansbury
Henri Lansbury
Henri George Lansbury is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United, on loan from Arsenal.-Arsenal:Lansbury was born in Enfield, London and grew up in Potters Bar. In 1999, he joined Arsenal as a schoolboy from the books of Norwich City. He has featured regularly for both the club's...
played alongside goalkeeper Scott Loach
Scott Loach
Scott James Loach is an English footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Watford in the Football League Championship, having previously spent loan spells with non-league Stafford Rangers and League Two sides Morecambe and Bradford City. He has played for England at under-21 level, and in August...
in England under-21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
's UEFA Euro 2011 qualifying campaign. Reserve team defender Jordan Parkes
Jordan Parkes
Jordan David Parkes is an English professional association footballer, playing as a full-back for Barnet.Parkes left Parmiter's School in Garston, Hertfordshire aged sixteen in order to pursue a football career at Watford...
played for England against Uzbekistan at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, and Ross Jenkins
Ross Jenkins (footballer born 1990)
-External links:*...
also played for the team in a friendly against Montenegro. Other professional players to represent their countries at youth level included Lee Hodson
Lee Hodson
Lee James Stephen Hodson is a professional footballer, currently playing in the Football League Championship for Watford. Hodson is a defender, and plays primarily as a right-back...
and Craig Cathcart
Craig Cathcart
Craig George Cathcart is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a centre back for Blackpool and the Northern Ireland national team...
for Northern Ireland under-21
Northern Ireland national under-21 football team
The Northern Ireland national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Northern Ireland.-Former coaches:* To 20 August 2008.-2008/09 Matches:-Current squad:Squad to play San Marino.-Other Recent Call-Ups:...
, Stephen McGinn
Stephen McGinn
Stephen McGinn is a Scottish professional association football player currently playing for English Football League Championship side Watford.-Career:...
for Scotland under-21
Scotland national under-21 football team
The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team....
, Rob Kiernan
Rob Kiernan
Robert Samuel Kiernan is an Irish association footballer who plays as either a centre back or central midfielder for Wigan Athletic. He previously played for Watford, and spent time on loan at Kilmarnock, Yeovil Town, Bradford City and Wycombe Wanderers...
for Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
under 19's, and Eddie Oshodi
Eddie Oshodi
Edward Abdullai M. O. "Eddie" Oshodi is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender. He is currently with Conference National outfit Forest Green Rovers...
for England under-17's
England national under-17 football team
-Elite Qualifying Group 3:-Group stage:-Fifth place play-off:-FA International U17 Tournament:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship qualifying round....
.
| Country | Team | Player |
|---|---|---|
 Kingdom of England |
Under-21 England national under-21 football team England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team.... |
Tom Cleverley Tom Cleverley Thomas William "Tom" Cleverley is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder in the Premier League for Manchester United.... |
| Henri Lansbury Henri Lansbury Henri George Lansbury is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United, on loan from Arsenal.-Arsenal:Lansbury was born in Enfield, London and grew up in Potters Bar. In 1999, he joined Arsenal as a schoolboy from the books of Norwich City. He has featured regularly for both the club's... |
||
| Scott Loach Scott Loach Scott James Loach is an English footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Watford in the Football League Championship, having previously spent loan spells with non-league Stafford Rangers and League Two sides Morecambe and Bradford City. He has played for England at under-21 level, and in August... |
||
| Under-20 England national under-20 football team - Round of 16 :-Friendlies:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup running from 29 July to the 20 August 2011.-Recent call-ups:... |
Ross Jenkins Ross Jenkins (footballer born 1990) -External links:*... |
|
| Jordan Parkes Jordan Parkes Jordan David Parkes is an English professional association footballer, playing as a full-back for Barnet.Parkes left Parmiter's School in Garston, Hertfordshire aged sixteen in order to pursue a football career at Watford... |
||
| Under-17 England national under-17 football team -Elite Qualifying Group 3:-Group stage:-Fifth place play-off:-FA International U17 Tournament:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship qualifying round.... |
Eddie Oshodi Eddie Oshodi Edward Abdullai M. O. "Eddie" Oshodi is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender. He is currently with Conference National outfit Forest Green Rovers... |
|
 Iceland |
Men's senior Iceland national football team The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition.... |
Heiðar Helguson Heiðar Helguson Heiðar Helguson is an Icelandic footballer who plays as a striker for Queens Park Rangers.... |
 Malta |
Under-17 Malta national under-17 football team The Malta national under-17 football team represents Malta in international football competitions in the FIFA U-17 World Cup and the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, as well as any other under-17 international football tournaments. It is governed by the Malta Football Association. In... |
Vjorn Sultana |
 Northern Ireland |
Men's senior Northern Ireland national football team The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association... |
Michael Bryan Michael Bryan Michael Bryan is a Dutch R&B/Soul singer who has had some success in the Netherlands. He had collaborations with K-Liber , The Partysquad and Lange Frans & Baas B... |
| Under-21 Northern Ireland national under-21 football team The Northern Ireland national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Northern Ireland.-Former coaches:* To 20 August 2008.-2008/09 Matches:-Current squad:Squad to play San Marino.-Other Recent Call-Ups:... |
||
| Craig Cathcart Craig Cathcart Craig George Cathcart is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a centre back for Blackpool and the Northern Ireland national team... |
||
| Lee Hodson Lee Hodson Lee James Stephen Hodson is a professional footballer, currently playing in the Football League Championship for Watford. Hodson is a defender, and plays primarily as a right-back... |
||
| Under-17 | Adam Thompson Adam Thompson Adam Lee Thompson is a Northern Ireland international footballer who plays as a defender for Watford of the Championship.-Club career:A member of the Watford academy, he was handed the number 29 jersey for the 2010–11 season... |
|
| Jack Warburton | ||
| Under-16 | Dominic Ball |
| Country | Team | Player |
|---|---|---|
 Republic of Ireland |
Under-19 | Rob Kiernan Rob Kiernan Robert Samuel Kiernan is an Irish association footballer who plays as either a centre back or central midfielder for Wigan Athletic. He previously played for Watford, and spent time on loan at Kilmarnock, Yeovil Town, Bradford City and Wycombe Wanderers... |
| Under-17 Republic of Ireland national under-17 football team The Republic of Ireland national under-17 football team, is the national under-17 football team of the Republic of Ireland and is controlled by the Football Association of Ireland and competes in the biennial UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship.... |
Jack Bonham | |
| Sean Murray | ||
| Connor Smith | ||
 Kingdom of Scotland |
Men's senior Scotland national football team The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872... |
Don Cowie |
| Under-21 Scotland national under-21 football team The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team.... |
Stephen McGinn Stephen McGinn Stephen McGinn is a Scottish professional association football player currently playing for English Football League Championship side Watford.-Career:... |
|
 United States |
Men's senior United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF... |
Jay DeMerit Jay DeMerit Jay Michael DeMerit is an American soccer player who plays for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer, and for the United States national team... |
 Wales |
Under-21 Wales national under-21 football team The Wales national under-21 football team, also known as the Wales U21s, is the national under-21 football team of Wales and is controlled by the Football Association of Wales. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years... |
Kurtney Brooks |
| Jonathan North | ||
| Under-17 Wales national under-17 football team The Wales national under-17 football team is the national under-17 football team of Wales and is controlled by the Football Association of Wales.-Current squad:... |
Jonathan Bond |
Management and coaching staff
Watford's managerial and coaching setup changed considerably between May and July 2009. Manager Brendan RodgersBrendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers is a Northern Irish former footballer, who is currently the manager of Swansea City.After retiring as a footballer at the age of 20, Rodgers stayed at Reading and was appointed as youth team coach. He joined Chelsea, under the leadership of José Mourinho, as youth team manager in...
left Watford to join Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, and was joined by assistant manager Dean Austin
Dean Austin
Dean Austin is an English former footballer who played as a defender.He started his career at St Albans and went on to play for Southend United, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace...
, football consultant Frank Lampard and physiologist Karl Halabi. As a result, previous reserve team manager Malky Mackay
Malky Mackay
Malcolm George "Malky" Mackay is a Scottish football manager and former player, who played as a central defender. He is currently the manager of Cardiff City. Mackay began his playing career in Scottish football, with Queen's Park and Celtic. He joined English side Norwich City in 1998, remaining...
became the club's new permanent manager, with youth team coach Sean Dyche
Sean Dyche
Sean Dyche is an English former footballer. Dyche played for six clubs in his career, with his longest spell being with Chesterfield. He is currently the manager at Watford having previously been assistant manager to Malky Mackay. Dyche cites current Sheffield Wednesday manager Gary Megson as an...
becoming his assistant. Mackay also appointed former Northampton Town and Nottingham Forest coach David Kerslake
David Kerslake
David Kerslake , London is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Queens Park Rangers, Swindon Town, Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Ipswich Town and Wycombe Wanderers. He later became a coach.Kerslake won 29 England youth caps, a record at the time...
as a first team coach.
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Malky Mackay Malky Mackay Malcolm George "Malky" Mackay is a Scottish football manager and former player, who played as a central defender. He is currently the manager of Cardiff City. Mackay began his playing career in Scottish football, with Queen's Park and Celtic. He joined English side Norwich City in 1998, remaining... |
| Assistant manager | Sean Dyche Sean Dyche Sean Dyche is an English former footballer. Dyche played for six clubs in his career, with his longest spell being with Chesterfield. He is currently the manager at Watford having previously been assistant manager to Malky Mackay. Dyche cites current Sheffield Wednesday manager Gary Megson as an... |
| First team coach | David Kerslake David Kerslake David Kerslake , London is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Queens Park Rangers, Swindon Town, Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Ipswich Town and Wycombe Wanderers. He later became a coach.Kerslake won 29 England youth caps, a record at the time... |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Alec Chamberlain Alec Chamberlain Alec Francis Roy Chamberlain is a former English goalkeeper currently employed by Watford as the club's goalkeeping coach. He made 788 league appearances during his 25-year playing career, the final 11 years and 247 appearances of which were with Watford.-Career:Chamberlain started his career at... |
| Head of Football Business and Development | John Stephenson |
| Head of Conditioning/coach | Martyn Pert |
| Head of Medical | Richard Collinge |
| Strength and Conditioning coach | Mathew Monte-Colombo |
| Chief Performance Analyst | Neil McIlhargey |
| Kit Manager | Bob Oteng (until 12 December 2009) |
| Will Jones (from 13 December 2009) |
Reserves and academy
Watford's reserves competed in the Football CombinationFootball Combination
The Football Combination , is a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England and Wales...
East Division, and played their home matches at Boreham Wood
Boreham Wood F.C.
Boreham Wood F.C. are a football club based in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, at Meadow Park football ground. They were established in 1948, and have reached the FA Cup 2nd Round proper twice in their history. For 2011-12 they will play in Conference South...
's stadium, Meadow Park
Meadow Park (Borehamwood)
Meadow Park is a football ground, located in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England. It is the home of Boreham Wood of the Conference South division, Arsenal Ladies of the FA Women's Premier League, and Watford Reserves of the Football Combination East division. The stadium has a capacity of 4,502...
. Other teams in the league included Watford's historic rivals
Luton Town F.C. and Watford F.C. rivalry
South-eastern English association football clubs Luton Town and Watford have been rivals since their respective formations in the late 19th century. Both clubs are based near to the M1 motorway, which has led to the match sometimes being referred to as the "M1 Derby" by the press. The clubs, which...
Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
and fellow Hertfordshire side Stevenage Borough. Watford finished the season as champions with 41 points, 8 ahead of nearest challengers Ipswich Town. In the Herts Senior Cup
Herts Senior Cup
The Herts Senior Cup, officially titled the Hertfordshire County Football Association Senior Challenge Cup, is the oldest County-based football Cup competition based exclusively in Hertfordshire, UK. It was first contested in the 1886-87 season and won by Hoddesdon Town. It has been contested every...
, the reserves were defeated 4–1 in the first round by nearby Hemel Hempstead Town's first team. Piero Mingoia scored Watford's only goal of the competition, which was eventually won by Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford F.C.
Bishop's Stortford F.C. is an English football club based in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. The club are currently members of the Conference North and play at Woodside Park.-History:The club was established in 1874...
. At the end of the season, Liam Henderson
Liam Henderson
Liam Marc Henderson is an English footballer who plays for Forest Green Rovers as a striker, on loan from York City.-Watford:...
was the team's top scorer with 11 goals, which included 4 in a 9–3 home win against Stevenage. A total of 14 players appeared for both the senior and reserve teams in 2009–10, including Henderson, Lee Hodson
Lee Hodson
Lee James Stephen Hodson is a professional footballer, currently playing in the Football League Championship for Watford. Hodson is a defender, and plays primarily as a right-back...
, Dale Bennett
Dale Bennett
Dale Owen Bennett is an English professional footballer, who currently plays for English Football League One side Brentford on loan from Championship side Watford as a defender.-Career:...
and Michael Bryan
Michael Bryan
Michael Bryan is a Dutch R&B/Soul singer who has had some success in the Netherlands. He had collaborations with K-Liber , The Partysquad and Lange Frans & Baas B...
.
Watford's youth system operates in partnership with the Harefield Academy in Hillingdon
Hillingdon
Hillingdon is a suburban area within the London Borough of Hillingdon, situated 14.2 miles west of Charing Cross.Much of Hillingdon is represented as the Hillingdon East ward within the local authority, Hillingdon Council...
. First and second year scholars (aged 16–18) are officially attached to Watford, but also undergo a programme of academic and vocational study at the academy. Players aged 16 and below compete for the school team in their respective age groups under the name Harefield Academy, but wear Watford shirts. On occasion, Harefield schoolboys competed for Watford's under-18 side.
The club's under-18 side competed in Group B of the Premier Academy League
2009–10 Premier Academy League
The 2009–10 Premier Academy League Under–18 season is the thirteenth edition since the establishment of The Premier Academy League, and the sixth under the current make-up....
, where they finished in 6th position out of ten teams. They played home matches at Watford's training ground, University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
Athletic Ground in Shenley
Shenley, Hertfordshire
Shenley is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, between Barnet and St Albans. The village is located 18.7 miles from Central London.-History:...
. Three players featured for both the under-18 and senior teams in 2009–10: defender Eddie Oshodi
Eddie Oshodi
Edward Abdullai M. O. "Eddie" Oshodi is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender. He is currently with Conference National outfit Forest Green Rovers...
, midfielder Kurtney Brooks, and striker Gavin Massey
Gavin Massey
Gavin Massey is an English footballer who plays for Yeovil Town on loan from Watford of the Championship.-Playing career:Massey began his career with his hometown club, Watford...
. Professional footballer Rob Kiernan
Rob Kiernan
Robert Samuel Kiernan is an Irish association footballer who plays as either a centre back or central midfielder for Wigan Athletic. He previously played for Watford, and spent time on loan at Kilmarnock, Yeovil Town, Bradford City and Wycombe Wanderers...
also played for the academy; he spent part of the season playing first team football on loan at Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
club Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
. Harefield Academy's under-15 and under-16 sides both won the Schools' Cup; the first time in the history of the competition that a school won the trophy in multiple age groups.
Supporters
Watford's stadium, Vicarage RoadVicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
, has a capacity of 17,504. The precise number of season ticket holders has not been stated, but Jimmy Russo revealed in the company's accounts that they numbered approximately 10,000. Visiting clubs received an allocation of 2,300 tickets for their supporters.
The club played 23 competitive home matches in 2009–10, all of them in the Championship, as well as a pre-season friendly match against Parma. Their highest home attendance was 17,120 against Newcastle on Saturday 27 February 2010. The lowest competitive attendance was 12,179 against Bristol City on Tuesday 9 February 2010, while the lowest home attendance overall was 3,598 in the Parma match on Saturday 1 August 2009. Watford's average attendance in competitive matches was 14,344.
Watford played 26 competitive away matches in 2009–10. The match against Newcastle at St James' Park
St James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
on Saturday 5 December 2009 attracted 43,050 spectators. This was the largest crowd at any Watford match that season, although this was aided in part by the fact that they did not play at another stadium with the capacity to beat it. Another notable away fixture was the match at Madejski Stadium
Madejski Stadium
The Madejski Stadium is a stadium in Reading, Berkshire, England. The stadium is the home of Reading Football Club and to the rugby union club London Irish as tenants. It also provides the finish for the Reading Half Marathon...
against Reading. Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers is a Northern Irish former footballer, who is currently the manager of Swansea City.After retiring as a footballer at the age of 20, Rodgers stayed at Reading and was appointed as youth team coach. He joined Chelsea, under the leadership of José Mourinho, as youth team manager in...
, Watford's manager for the second half of 2008–09, left Watford for Reading under controversial circumstances in June, having previously stated that his integrity was being questioned when linked with the managerial vacancy. Reading's matchday squad also featured three former Hornets, two of whom had played for Watford under Rodgers. The match attracted 3,389 Watford fans, and ended in a 1–1 draw, with ex-Watford player Grzegorz Rasiak
Grzegorz Rasiak
Grzegorz Rasiak born 12 January 1979 in Szczecin, is a Polish international footballer who last played for AEL Limassol in Cyprus. Since 2002, he has played for the Poland national team....
scoring Reading's goal, and Jobi McAnuff
Jobi McAnuff
Joel Joshua Frederick Dave "Jobi" McAnuff is a professional footballer who plays for and captains Reading F.C.. He is a midfielder and has played for Jamaica.-Early career:...
and Brynjar Gunnarsson
Brynjar Gunnarsson
Brynjar Björn Gunnarsson is an Icelandic footballer who is currently playing his club football as a defensive midfielder for Reading in the N-Power Championship...
also playing a part.
Ownership and finance
Watford Football Club is owned by the holding company Watford Leisure Plc (LSELondon Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
: WFC). Its 2008–09 financial year ran from 1 July 2008 until 30 June 2009. The company released its audited accounts and annual report on 6 November 2009. It included details of the club's major shareholders, showing that Fordwat Limited—the investment company of Michael Ashcroft
Michael Ashcroft
Michael Anthony Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft, KCMG, , is an international businessman, philanthropist and politician. He holds dual British and Belizean nationality, and is a Belonger of the Turks & Caicos Islands. Ennobled as a life peer in 2000, he sits in the House of Lords on the Conservative benches...
—owned 37.16% of Watford Leisure, Valley Grown Salads (VGS)—owned by Watford Leisure directors Jimmy and Vince Russo—held a 29.98% stake, and that previous Watford chairman Graham Simpson had a 16.79% share.
The accounts showed an operating loss of £1.465 million, and a net loss of £1.987 million. Throughout 2009, Watford Leisure found themselves in need of finance on several occasions, and were loaned the money by VGS. On 30 November, VGS lent the club a further £1m, taking the total loan to the club to £4.88 million, secured
Security interest
A security interest is a property interest created by agreement or by operation of law over assets to secure the performance of an obligation, usually the payment of a debt. It gives the beneficiary of the security interest certain preferential rights in the disposition of secured assets...
against the club's stadium Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
. Upon announcing the loan, Watford revealed that this finance would only be sufficient to cover the club's costs until 22 December, and that a further £5.5 million would be needed to keep the business afloat until 30 June 2010.
Watford Leisure's Annual General Meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
was held on 15 December 2009. That meeting began with chairman Jimmy Russo, and fellow directors Vince Russo and Robin Williams resigning from the board. Former Watford manager Graham Taylor was appointed interim chairman. VGS requested immediate repayment of the outstanding loan balance. The club received an offer from Fordwat to underwrite a rights issue
Rights issue
A rights issue is an issue of additional shares by a company to raise capital under a seasoned equity offering. The rights issue is a special form of shelf offering or shelf registration. With the issued rights, existing shareholders have the privilege to buy a specified number of new shares from...
worth £7.5m, but revealed that for this plan to work VGS would have to agree to suspend the loan repayment, indicating that they would be placed into administration unless agreement were reached. VGS refused to do so, and Jimmy Russo stated that unless something changed, VGS were left with no option but to begin the process of placing the club in administration. However, administration was avoided when Fordwat paid VGS the money on 21 December 2009, and the club announced two days later that it would borrow money from Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's "Playing for Players" concert to fund its running costs until it received the money from the rights issue.