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Every fairytale has to come to an end sometime. After the shortlived Dave Bassett era, Watford turned to the continuity candidate, Steve Harrison, who had been part of Graham Taylor's coaching staff throughout their most successful seasons.
But Harrison – by his own admission – was not cut out for management and although the team made a good stab at making an immediate return to the First Division, they fell short in the play-offs. The glory days had passed and it would be the best part of a decade before they would be back at Vicarage Road, and it would take the return of Graham Taylor to bring them about. But that is another story...
This has been Enjoy the Game, which was written and published by Lionel Birnie in 2010. The audio series was read by Colin Mace and was produced by Jon Moonie of From the Rookery End.
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'It was a monumental error but I didn’t see it and neither did Elton' – Dave Bassett
Summer 1987
Meet the new boss, very different to the old boss. Elton John wasted little time lining up a successor to Graham Taylor. He called round to see Dave Bassett, who had been part of a similar fairytale journey through the divisions at Wimbledon. Bassett also had a reputation as a long ball manager, although Wimbledon's style was a lot rougher and readier than Watford's, especially as Taylor's side had evolved into a more sophisticated version over the years.
On the face of it, Bassett was the logical choice, the perfect man to continue the story at Vicarage Road. But very early on it became apparent it was not a match made in heaven.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'No one got Elton and I together and asked if this was what we wanted' – Graham Taylor
Just after the season had ended, with the disappointment of the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Tottenham still fresh in everyone's minds, the unthinkable happens.
Graham Taylor announced he had the chance to go to Aston Villa. He half-expected Elton, or one of the directors, to implore him to stay. But no one stepped in.
Did Taylor feel he'd taken Watford as far as he could? Was Elton's interest in the club waning? Did the other directors feel the manager wielded too much power?
As with most of these things, there was no decisive answer but here is the story of how Watford's incredible decade of success came to an end, as told by the people who were involved at the time.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'Never in a million years did we think we’d need him'
Watford's build-up to the 1987 FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur was plagued by misfortune. First Tony Coton got injured. Then his goalkeeping understudy Steve Sherwood got hurt too. With the transfer deadline having passed and many of the nation's goalkeepers cup-tied, Watford had to turn in the most unlikely direction.
That's how Gary Plumley, a former player with Newport County and Cardiff City – and the son of Watford's chief executive Eddie Plumley – ended up playing in goal at Villa Park. Unfortunately, Graham Taylor's golden touch deserted him this time.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'I hated playing on the wing. I absolutely hated it' – David Bardsley
Graham Taylor's gradual evolution produced arguably the finest team of his ten year reign in 1986-87. Tony Coton was the best uncapped goalkeeper in the country. John McClelland led the defence with an understated sense of calm. Kevin Richardson added silk in midfield. John Barnes had developed into an international-class winger and Mark Falco and Luther Blissett formed a subtle version of the little-and-large strikeforces the manager liked so much.
The team had a solid league campaign and made their way through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, where they faced Arsenal at Highbury. It was a fiery game that ended in controversy and left the Hornets just ninety minutes from a return trip to Wembley.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'Right foot or left, Cally could drive it in, float it in or curl it. Brilliant'
A portrait of an icon, one of the most mercurial homegrown talents in the club’s history. Nigel Callaghan was often not appreciated as much as his teammate on the other wing, John Barnes. But Callaghan's ability to cross a ball made him one of the most effective wide players in the game. But Callaghan and Graham Taylor sometimes failed to see eye to eye and despite his brilliance, there was a sense that he could have achieved even more.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'You’re turning me into a Watford player now' – Brian Talbot
As Graham Taylor continues to refresh the team, not every player fits the mould. Watford move into the transfer market again to add Brian Talbot, an experienced midfielder who'd spent the best years of his career at Ipswich Town and Arsenal. Talbot was chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association and widely respected in the game, but he also had ideas of his own about how the game should be played...
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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English football was in the doldrums in the 1980s. Hooliganism was thought of as 'the English disease'. English fans caused trouble at home and abroad, culminating in the tragic violence that marred the 1985 European Cup final. England's grounds were run-down and blighted by fences designed to keep hooligans in.
But Watford were determined to buck the trend and set a very different example. As humble as the facilities were, there were no fences obscuring the view at Vicarage Road. The Hornets established themselves as The Family Club and created areas where children and families could watch the game safely. While other clubs – notably Luton Town – banned away supporters and introduced an identity card scheme, Watford wanted to make football a game for everyone.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'I just wish he’d signed McClelland before he bought Tony.'
Watford had survived two seasons in the First Division but Graham Taylor knew the club was not yet an established top-flight club. In the summer of 1984, he turned his attention to strengthening the team and signed two players who would become key parts of the team.
Having finished runners-up at the first attempt, followed by an appearance in the FA Cup final, Taylor also knew that it would be hard to maintain the momentum and the excitement...
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'I wish we’d been told it was just a normal game of football,' Neil Price
The FA Cup final on May 19, 1984 put Watford on the biggest stage in world football, in front of a global audience of hundreds of millions. Just six years earlier they'd been facing the likes of Southport and Darlington in the Fourth Division.
Finishing runners-up to Liverpool had been one thing but to reach Wembley marked the culmination of the journey, the realisation of a dream.
Elton's tears flowed as Abide with Me and the national anthem played and the magnitude of the achievement sank in.
For the players, the build-up to the final was tricky, Everton were a formidable opponent on the cusp of turning themselves into the best team in England, one of their goals should have been disallowed and, if truth be told, the occasion got to them as Watford’s day in the sun ended up giving them the blues.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'Once we’d beaten Luton, I felt it might be our year'
Before the draw for the FA Cup third round was made, Graham Taylor told Elton John to keep FA Cup final day free. Elton was about to set off on a huge European tour but he took Taylor's advice on board and asked his management company to keep Saturday, May 19 1984 free.
Then the third round draw gave Watford a very difficult trip to local rivals Luton Town. They'd not at Kenilworth Road for almost 20 years.
And when the Hornets were 2-0 down inside half an hour, Wembley was just about the furthest thing from their minds. But everything clicked into gear in early 1984 and Watford were one of the form teams in the country as they followed the yellow brick road to Wembley.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'When it kicks off, it’s always the big guy who gets it' – George Reilly
As Graham Taylor sought to revamp his team, he stuck to his tried and tested methods. One of his biggest challenges was replacing the Blissett-Jenkins strikeforce that had been so successful.
So he went back to what he knew and replicated the combination of a big target man and a quick striker. In came George Reilly from Cambridge United and Maurice Johnston from Partick Thistle. They struck up a lethal partnership on the pitch – and a mischievous one off it.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'I looked out there on the pitch. They were just kids.'
In autumn 1982, Watford embarked on the adventure of a lifetime. First stop was West Germany and a UEFA Cup first round date with Kaiserslautern.
The squad was entering a transitional period. Luther Blissett, Ross Jenkins and Gerry Armstrong had all moved on. Some of the players who'd helped the club to the First Division were coming to the end and, to make matters worse, the Hornets suffered a lengthy injury crisis.
And, with all the club's new signings ineligible for Europe, it meant that the team that represented Watford as they made their debut in European competition could almost pass as a reserve and youth side.
After defeat in West Germany, it looked as if Watford's adventure would be over early...
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'We’ve asked Milan for a million pounds, so that should be the end of that'
In the summer of 1983, Watford prepared to say farewell to their favourite son, as Luther Blissett headed to Milan. Blissett had been with the team since the Fourth Division days and had just topped the First Division goalscoring charts ahead of Liverpool's Ian Rush as the Hornets finished runners-up in the league.
An offer of a million pounds was too good to refuse. This is the story of how the deal came about...
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'I told the players we would not be changing our style. We were going to attack.'
Watford had reached Division One well ahead of the schedule initially laid out by Graham Taylor and Elton John in 1977. The question was, were they ready to take on the best clubs in the country?
The 1982-83 season came hot on the heels of the World Cup where the Hornets striker Gerry Armstrong had made headlines around the globe by scoring Northern Ireland's winning goal agains the hosts Spain. It intensified the spotlight on the Hornets as the new domestic campaign approached.
Taylor believed in his players but he was not going to leave anything to chance. He scheduled a gruelling pre-season boot camp in Scandinavia and put the players through their paces. His wanted his squad to be the fittest in the division because he felt that would help them take a few teams by surprise.
And that is exactly what happened. An opening day win over Everton was followed by a 4-1 thrashing of Southampton at The Dell. Watford then beat West Bromwich Albion at home to go top of the league for the first – and so far only – time.
This is how the Hornets took the First Division by storm.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'I learned he was not the dictator the players thought he was' – John Ward
We meet Graham Taylor’s backroom team, who embraced the gaffer’s inimitable style, and created The Watford Way. Both John Ward and Steve Harrison had been signed by Taylor as players. Tom Walley had hung up his boots when Taylor arrived in 1977 and had built a youth development system to rival the best clubs in the country. And physio Billy Hails completed a close-knit inner circle.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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‘I hope the people who weren’t there the night we made it felt a part of it’
The Hornets make history, reaching the top flight for the first time. The 1981-82 season had gone almost perfectly. They were in the promotion hunt throughout the campaign, despite the fact local rivals Luton Town were ahead of them. There was the customary wobble in spring time but victory over Wrexham at Vicarage Road got the job done with a couple of games to spare.
There was also a memorable FA Cup third round win over Manchester United – and the club's youth team followed in the footsteps of the seniors beating United in the FA Youth Cup final. The Hornets were on the up and Graham Taylor and his style of play was already attracting plenty of attention.
Note: At the time, it was thought the club had been founded in 1891. Ten years later, when Oliver Phillips and Terry Challis were researching the origins of the club for the official centenary book, they discovered that the club had in fact been founded in 1881. Therefore promotion to the First Division was achieved in the season marking the club's 100th anniversary.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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'His performance against Chelsea showed he was the last piece of the jigsaw.'
In late summer 1981, Watford found the final piece of the jigsaw – John Barnes. The discovery of a 17-year-old spotted playing parks football in London is an almost mythical story with several different versions of how he came to sign for the Hornets. What is not disputed is that Barnes had an immediate effect and quickly became one of the most eye-catching young players in the country.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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‘He wanted to play with two wingers and attack. I thought, I love this guy.’
Graham Taylor goes shopping again, spending a significant amount of Elton John's investment on a player from each of the North London giants and a much less heralded arrival from Oxford United.
Two men from Northern Ireland were key to Watford's plans to push for promotion. Pat Rice had been Bertie Mee's captain at Arsenal. Gerry Armstrong was an eye-catching striker at Tottenham Hotspur. They were joined by Les Taylor, a hard-working midfielder from Third Division Oxford, and once they had settled in, Watford began to look like a team that was going places.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
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The Southampton players just wanted to get out of there
The Hornets complete a stunning League Cup comeback in September 1980, hitting seven past Southampton at Vicarage Road having trailed 4-0 from the first leg of the tie.
It was the first result that really made people in English football sit up and take notice of what was going on at Watford. Graham Taylor would not have said publicly beforehand that he thought the comeback was on, he instilled a sense in his team that they could achieve the seemingly impossible.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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