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FootballWatford FCOne of the things I love about Watford is that their weirdest things seem to happen to them. In the latest bit of farce, a certain Mr. Atwell, referee, awarded as an own goal a ball that actually (and clearly) crossed the end line several yards from goal. He has been awarded credit, if that is the correct word, for the goal himself, following a review by the FA. Of all the lousy, two-bit, ill-starred woeful teams to have fallen for, this one tops the list. Watford have seen any number of talented players pass through the side, only to move on to bigger and better things, including quite a number of talented goalkeepers (coincidence? I think not). They have had the good fortune to have had Elton John's interest and occassionally money, and benefitted from the tutelage of an excellent manager in Graham Taylor. Still, Sir Elton has quit the board, Taylor has gone off to other pastures, and Watford had just that one brief shining moment of glory, coming in second in the old First Division and losing in the Cup. For the rest of their unstarred existence they have been, as one commentator had it "a bye-word for suburban mediocrity". Doesn't matter. I still love 'em, even if I now live too far away to see them play. Question: "Why do you follow Watford?" San Jose EarthquakesSo, this is the part where I'm supposed to be ecstatic, right? The Earthquakes are back in (the vicinity of) San Jose for the 2008 season, and Wolff is working hard to get a stadium deal together. But I can't shake the feeling that by plonking down my deposit on season tickets I'm getting played for a chump. My team isn't coming back. My team is in Houston, playing fanstastic football and getting ready to have another good go at getting the championship. Ten years of squandering Saturday evenings watching mainly appalling rubbish, through thick and thin (and mostly thin), and Houston fans get the thick, and I get a lousy expansion team. OK, so I'm a chump, and I'll go and maybe I'll let myself fall in love with the team all over again, but then... am I just going to have to go through all of this pain all over again in a couple years when the stadium deal falls through, or Wolff gets bored with losing money on soccer? Archives |