Enjoy the game – Watford Football Club

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.