We talk to Derek “Freddie!” Payne who played for the Hornets in mid 90’s in a team that was very easy to like due to the characters in it.

We here about how Derek’s love of the game started and how his Dad took him to Vicarage Road before taking him to QPR. From his journey through Southampton’s academy and dropping into non-league, blaming Les Ferdinand for getting signed by QPR, to gaining promotion to the league as captain with Barnet and stories of fights with motivational Barry Fry and tales of tables of cash with the    notorious chairman Stan Flashman, getting to the Championship with a very strong Southend United side including Tommy Mooney and Jason Lee  – Derek shares the up’s and down’s of trying to make it as a pro footballer in the game including the difference between a Barry Fry side and a Peter Taylor side.

We find out how players were tapped up before mobile phones and the internet and how, somehow, it involved a caravan holiday! We cover the advent of the midfield diamond which had some very revered players in it but resulting in a lack of wingers which, Derek observes, may have contributed to a certain forward failing to fire! We remember a first season which saw us play Jurgen Klinnsman’s Tottenham team three times including a massive preseason game and a ding dong two legged League Cup tie (Ian Walker tainting his Dad’s good name at Watford!) that we watch with Derek and the memories come flooding back.

Coming soon Part 2

We watch some of a game that we would normally block out the memory of… and talk about the politics of the dressing room and at football clubs, dealing with periods on the sidelines with injuries, a certain nickname, coaching and radio work.

COYH!

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