Wednesday 18 August 2010

When Mike met Jacqui...


Whilst the opening Friday night of the season was memorable for a number of reasons - John Eustace scoring the first goal of the entire season, Danny Graham's splendid brace and of course a Watford away win, it was also a big occcasion for the From the Rookery End podcast.

We got our very first national plug!

It came on BBC Radio Five Live when Jacqui Oatley, providing commentary for the game, explained that she had listened to a "rather good podcast" before the game called, yep, you've guessed it, From the Rookery End! Delighted by this national exposure, Mike managed to track down Jacqui - mainly to congratulate her on her great taste in podcasts, but also to ask about her views on Watford, the World Cup and life as a Commentator.

Mike spoke to Jacqui as she was preparing for her trip to cover Wolves V Stoke for the BBC last weekend...

Mike: Hi Jacqui and thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me today. You commentated on Watford’s away win at Norwich on the opening day. Were you surprised by the result?

Jacqui: I was. Paul Lambert has brought in some good new players after winning the league last season and with a big Carrow Road crowd guaranteed, it looked a tough start for Watford. Malky has lost a number of experienced players, the financial situation is well documented and it looks like a young squad.

What impressed me was how confident and organised Watford looked from the first whistle. I had picked up a sense of optimism amongst Watford fans and had heard that Danny Graham and Marvin Sordell had been linking up well in training and pre-season, but I didn’t think they would perform together so well so quickly.

What do your colleagues in the media think of Watford?

I don’t think there is necessarily a common view about Watford these days. We all think of the iconic figures from years gone by like Luther Blissett, John Barnes, Elton John and Graham Taylor. But financial problems have been high on the agenda since Luca Vialli came in and spent a lot of money, so they’ve had a tough time of it since then.

Whilst at the World Cup, you worked a lot with Graham Taylor. Graham is rightly idolised by all Watford fans – is he as nice a guy as we all hope and think he is?

Graham is a genuinely lovely bloke and one of my favourite people to work with. We spent more time together in South Africa than expected after long journeys between grounds, but he really is a lovely chap.

We had some good fun – a four hour round trip to Rustenburg turned into an eight hour one as we got stuck in traffic and suffered from dodgy directions.

What really came through is his passion for Watford. He really cares about the club and is hugely loyal. It was clear how responsible he feels for the club now he is Chairman.

Watford are really lucky to have a man that cares so much, as it would have been easy for him to say no. He has his media responsibilities and also a family he wants to spend time with. He remains loyal to Watford though and really wants to do his bit. He also has a lot of time for Malky Mackay.

That’s great to hear. Talking about the World Cup – what was the highlight for you?

My personal highlight was the fact that South Africa hosted the tournament so well. Whilst the football wasn’t always amazing, the tournament itself went really well and a lot of the pre-World Cup fears about safety weren’t realised.

My Mum is from South Africa and I know she was pleased to see it go to plan. I remember her telling me that she never thought she’d see the day that South Africa plays host to such a massive event, so it was great to see it go so well.

It was also nice to catch up with colleagues. During the season you spend a lot of time travelling to and working at different games on your own, so it was good to catch up with some of them during the tournament. I spent time talking football with the likes of Graham Taylor, Danny Mills, Pat Nevin, David Pleat and Martin Keown – all good people with some cracking stories!

Apart from the obvious, were there any players that stood out for you at the tournament?

Diego Perez of Uruguay (and Monaco). He’s a tough, ball winning midfielder and I think he’d be brilliant in the Premier League.

We can’t talk about the World Cup without mentioning England’s woeful tournament. Can you sum up what went wrong in a sentence?

In a sentence? Are you joking?! I think the manager has to take his fair share of responsibility. He has proved himself to be a great club manager, but tournament football is different to anything he’d experienced before. Having spoken to someone who knows some of the players, it seems Capello’s non-communicative, stand-offish manner over a period of weeks had an adverse effect on the squad. Plus the fact that they didn’t know the line-up until a couple of hours before kick-off – that really frustrated the players as they couldn’t practice team shape or psych themselves up. He’s been a very successful manager, but I think this was a steep learning curve for him.

In terms of sticking with him, from a financial point of view the FA didn’t have much choice, given the removal of that clause which would have allowed them to terminate the contract without compensation. They couldn’t afford to pay him off as well as pay for a new manager. And Roy Hodgson was on his way to Liverpool, which meant they’d just missed out on the only ideal replacement (in my view). Hopefully Capello learnt a great deal from the South Africa experience.

When it comes to the team itself, I don’t think you can just ditch all the experienced players on the back of a poor tournament. The new breed of youngsters do need to come in, but there needs to be a mix of youth and experience. Players like John Terry and Rio Ferdinand continue to suffer with injuries and may not be as mobile as they were, so looking for their successors is sensible, but we saw again this week what Steven Gerrard is capable of – he was on fire.

Back home, this morning there are reports that Man City are prepared to pay Zlatan Ibrahomovic £500,000 a week. Are those that work in the game as shocked at these sort of figures as the fans?

Yes. I think the one that we all raised eyebrows at was Yaya Toure. His wages are huge for someone who wasn’t a key figure in the Barcelona team.

There is a lot of money in the game, but the worry is the average fan being priced out of the game. I know that Watford fans were charged £31 for a ticket to the Norwich game. This is a game that is on the TV and on a Friday night. Personally I think clubs would be better off charging less for tickets and getting full stadiums.

Being at a game is completely different to watching on TV. It’s an experience that you simply can’t get from sitting at home. On top of that, the clubs would generate extra income from fans buying food and merchandise.

The danger is we will breed a generation of TV supporters and that isn’t healthy for the future of the game.

Are you able to switch off from football when you aren’t working?

I’ve always been bad at switching off because football’s my passion as well as my job. But I’ve got better at it in the last year or so. My boyfriend and I have plenty of other things to talk about and I love seeing my girlie friends too - we don’t debate how many holding midfielders Manchester City have or how far Connor Wickham can go in his career. It’s great to switch off with them. I must confess I like a bit of “Loose Women” on ITV to break up a prep day and am currently really enjoying watching “Undercover Boss” on Channel 4, although I always seem to end up blubbing at the end!

Thanks so much for taking the time to listen to the podcast and subsequently securing your place in the ‘From the Rookery End’ hall of fame by mentioning it in your commentary last weekend.

Are podcasts and blogs something you and your fellow broadcasters and journalists are using more of as part of your work?

Different people prepare for games in different ways so I can only speak for myself. But, if you are doing live commentary your prep would be more in-depth and take longer than if you are providing updates.

I listen to a lot of podcasts, often in the car. They provide a really well informed view of what is going on at a particular club. The people responsible for them generally go to a lot of games, so are able to provide a real insight as to what the feeling is and what expectations are. They can be really helpful.

Are you able to enjoy the games you commentate on?

It’s very different to watching a game as a fan. When you’re reporting, you have to concentrate all the time in case the next moment is one of the most significant in the game. Who put the cross in, how far the shot was from goal, all that sort of stuff. I enjoy commentating more than reporting as you can really get involved in the game, but it is great to go to games as a supporter too – that’s really important to me.

Ahead of our chat I saw Roy Keane on TV and I’ll be honest, the thought of interviewing him strikes fear into my heart. What’s the hardest interview you’ve ever done?

Ha, I actually like Roy Keane. He’s good to interview. The toughest experience I had was as a pitchside reporter at the 2006 FA Cup Final. I was covering West Ham and was seconds away from getting to interview the players as FA Cup winners. As we all know, Steven Gerrard scored that late equaliser and Liverpool went on to win. Instead of interviewing jubilant players I had to go onto the pitch as soon as the final whistle blew and try to talk to players who had gone agonisingly close to being Cup winners.

It was a surreal experience, almost like walking into a computer game. Players everywhere were crying and clearly in no fit state to give an interview. Alan Pardew was distraught and made it clear he couldn’t talk and in the end it was just Teddy Sheringham who was willing and able to answer a few questions. I was grateful to him for that as he managed to give me a good interview in difficult circumstances.

Finally, have you ever made a memorable on air gaffe?

I’m touching wood now, but I can’t think of a major one. Or maybe there are just too many to stand out in my mind! Here’s a Watford-related story for you though...

If you’re a commentator who’s only reporting on a game for 5 Live, you still commentate off-air when it looks like there’s a chance of a goal (they’re recording the whole time back in the studio). That way the clip can be played later on 606 or another show to illustrate the game or goal.
I was covering Spurs v Watford in the Premier League when Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson lined up to take a free kick by his own penalty area. Seeing as you’re a Watford fan, I don’t need to remind you what happened next. I didn’t feel any need to commentate. What could possibly happen from a free kick so far back?!
Anyway, the ball bounced once in front of Ben Foster then sailed over his head and into the net. I was gutted that I had missed it. I wasn’t to know of course, but it would have been a memorable goal to commentate on.

Thanks so much for reminding us! Anyway, Jacqui that’s it, thanks for being such a star and enjoy the season.
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Monday 16 August 2010

PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS

During the 2nd half of Watford's 2-2 draw with Coventry we saw a fantastic sight. The Ref, Mr Trevor Kettle from Berkshire, hobbling off injured. Due to his injuries being quite bad he need to go off for treatment. However if he did there would be no one to act as 4th Official and run the touchline. If you were at the game you would have heard an very special announcement go out. It went something like this:

"If you are a qualified referee can you please make yourself known to a steward"

They basically needed someone who not only knew the rules of the game, but also had decent physical movement. Hop-a-long Kettle wasn't keeping Malky and Aidy in their technical areas because at one point they must of been a good 5 yards on to the pitch barking instructions. Later in the evening, whilst watching the highlights of Blackburn's 1-0 win over Everton on Match of The Day, I heard a clip of another announcement over a football stadium PA system. The Ewood Park announcer was asking a fan to call his wife as she had gone into labour. I love those little moments you get at football matches. They can really add a little bit of spice to the matchday experience and in the case of the Blackburn vs Everton game the labour announcement gave fans something to talk about on the way home - the game wasn't exactly inspiring.

So after your fantastic response to our Hornets Headlines for our second podcast I was wondering.

What announcement would you love to hear across the PA system at Vicarage Road?

It could literally be anything. Maybe it's something you've always wanted to say to the loud/annoying man who sits near you, maybe it's something about what's going on the pitch, maybe it's something personal to you. It can be anything you've ever wanted broadcast to 15,000 people! The best ones will be voiced by The From The Rookery End PA Announcer on our next podcast.

- Jon

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Wednesday 11 August 2010

It’s tough on TV…

Not this time!
So, two games, two away wins, six goals and an international call up for our young goalkeeper. Not a bad start for relegation certainties is it?

Of course, there is a long way to go. I’m sure I’m not the only one to have celebrated the Norwich victory with some class of maniacal jig, offered thanks to the heavens (and Malky) for the retaining of John Eustace then sat down, puffed out my cheeks and said: “Just 47 more points to go…”

Amongst fellow fans I had picked up on a calm, understated, yet strong belief in our squad. Yes it is small, yes it is young, yes it is inexperienced. It’s also a tight knit, talented group, playing for a man they like and trust. At Watford we don’t need any convincing as to what can be achieved with self belief, courage and a will to win.

Watford’s performance at Norwch was a fine example of exactly what England failed to achieve so spectacularly in South Africa over the summer. Our heroes entered the fray, powered not only by the power of our smart new AC Milan-esque away kit, but also by a sense of pride, confidence and perhaps most importantly - a lack of fear. The low expectation levels could have helped. There wasn’t a single pundit who picked Watford to take the points. I’d even be surprised if any Watford fans had any money on us to win. (For the record I had us down for a 2-2 draw) Whatever the reasons behind it though, Watford began with purpose and poise and it quickly became apparent that we weren’t going to be the pushovers many had anticipated. It was game on.

As we all know by now, things are never that straightforward and despite never really having to deal with a sustained period of Norwich pressure, the last minutes were endured with no small amount of swearing at the TV, wringing of hands and pacing round the living room as Watford battled to cling on to the 3-2 lead they so deserved.

At the final whistle, I cut a delighted yet exhausted figure. Slumped on the sofa with a giddy grin on my face, my gorgeous and very understanding girlfriend looked at me and said; “Happy now?”. I was of course, but her comment had more to it than just the obvious question.

You see, most of the time I’m quite reasonable company. I’m not rude, I don’t smell and I know a few jokes. Watching Watford though? Well, I’m hard work. At the games I’m bad enough – ask my brother about my never ending pessimistic commentary and rants at the referee. He won’t be able to talk to you about it without a sharp intake of breath and wincing. Anyway, it turns out I’m even worse whilst watching on TV. As Watford went about dismantling Norwich, cushions were thumped and thrown. Sky remotes were bashed into palms and onto legs. Helpful ‘advice’ was provided to the commentators who predicted that “Watford had done enough to win it” with plenty of time left on the clock.

I think I felt out of control. At least when you are there you can vent your frustration and a fellow fan, if not those who actually can make a difference out on the pitch, will hear and understand your frustration and fears. At home, only the neighbours can hear you scream.

It gets worse. If we’re winning, I won’t let anyone move anything. If a light was off when we scored – it stays off. If the remote is on the right arm of the sofa and we haven’t conceded – it stays there. If a door is open and we are ahead – it stays open. Even if it’s the fridge door. I know, I know, it’s scary.

So. This is where you come in. I know I wasn’t alone in watching the Norwich game on the TV, I could almost hear the sound of Watford shirts being pulled over heads, curries being ordered and beers poured as Hornets across the globe settled down for kick off. However, my big fear is that I am alone in being so completely and utterly unreasonable and unhinged when watching Watford on the box.

I can’t be the only one. Can I?...

Come on You Horns!

Rookery Mike

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Monday 9 August 2010

A Song for Troy


Watford made the third signing of the summer on Friday - Troy Deeney from Walsall. He's signed a two year contract (3rd is optional) and the deal could be worth up to £650,000. The great news is he's a striker. If you've listened to Podcast 2 you would have heard Mike, Jason and I all say that we were a little light up front. He made an appearance during the Norwich game, looked lively, but we will have to wait to see a few more appearances before we have a chat about him on Podcast 3 due out the first week of September.

With every new signing I always think about the song we'll sing for them. So Troy "Deeney" needs a song. A few have suggested "We've got Troy-Dee-ney-o" but that would be stealing Lloyds song and that would be little disrespectful. The first song that sprang to mind was "Denis" by Blondie. So on Friday I set our Facebook Page a little challenge...

Come up with a verse and chorus for Troy to the classic Blondie song.

And we got some GREAT responses. Firstly Philip Fisher...


Then Will Rowson came in with not only a verse, but the intro as well and made reference to his job before Walsall picked him up.


We're not the guys in the Rookery End that get songs going - if you are then give us a shout - but we will put as many of your songs into a song for Podcast 3... oh and don't worry about me singing them. I'll get a girl to do their best Debbie Harry impression.

If another tune catches your ear that suits Troy then send those in as well. And on that note, much props must be given to Steven Wybar entry. It isn't to the tune of Denis or any other pop song. His song is very punchy and could easily catch on...


- Jon

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WIN: Lloyd Doyley's Certificate


In Podcast 1 we awarded the inaugural "From The Rookery End - End of Season Awards". If you've not heard them yet then you can by via iTUNES or on the PAST PODCAST section of this site.

When we interviewed Lloyd Doyley the other day we presented him with his certificate for The Champagne Moment of The Season for 'that goal' against QPR last December. He thanked us, signed it and lovingly gave it back as a competition prize for you to win.

So to win Lloyds certificate answer this question?

WHO WAS LLOYD DOYLEY'S FIRST FOOTBALLING HERO?

If the answer doesn't automatically come to mind (have you not read his autobiography "Doyley: Life Behind The Sting"?*) then you can hear it by listening to our interview with the Watford Defensive Rock in Podcast 2 - Listen via iTUNES and at the top of this page.

When you have your answer EMAIL it to us - podcast@fromtherookeryend.com.  And make sure you read the Terms and conditions below.

- Jon

* = This book does not exists... yet!

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Terms and Conditions
  1. Competition closes on FRIDAY 27TH AUGUST at 12 NOON.
  2. The winner will be picked randomly from all correct answers
  3. Only entries received via email sent to podcast@fromtherookeryend.com will be included
  4. Please put Subject Title "LLOYD COMPETITION"
  5. You can enter the competition as many times as you like
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Thursday 5 August 2010

Fantasy Football - Take on Jason

Some of you might know that we’ve set up a little Fantasy Football League. You can get involved by going to fantasy.football-league.co.uk, sign up, pick your team, then click on "Private Leagues" and use the LEAGUE PIN: 6194 to join our league.

I was a University student when I first discovered Fantasy Football in the pages of the Daily Telegraph. So in a house of 7 soccer savvy students within earshot of Man City's famous Kippax, we sent our teams off via Royal Mail. I don't think I won, but I certainly didn't come last! It was simple then. Points for clean sheets, assists and goals. Minus points for cards and conceding. These days it's picking your captain, rotating your subs, playing your wild card, a transfer a week... I'd got fed up with having a 5-4 classic on Match of the Day ruined by seeing my star striker come off the bench with the goals already spoken for. So that was it. No more Fantasy Football for me. Until Jon decided I was best placed to pick the From The Rookery End's Championship team. I'd never done a 2nd tier one before, despite my team spending most of those intervening years there. So here it is, my Championship FF team for 2010/11...



So you're probably wondering why I’ve picked the players I have. And more importantly, why there are no Vicarage Road based players. Plus I thought I should be honest with you. I did get some advice from Scott Loach and Lloyd Doyley when we interviewed them the other day!

GOALKEEPER:
Lee Camp - Forest - Loach's pick

DEFENCE:
David Wheater - Middlesbrough - Quality young centre back. Will be back in the Premier Leauge soon, probably with his current team!

Danny Fox - Burnley - defender with a knack of scoring spectacular goals

Andy Griffin - Reading - experienced defender in a much improved team from last year. Apart from when he was made to look like an old man against us at the end of the season!

Clint Hill - QPR - He'll be a Warnock favourite in a season where we'll see QPR finally start to put their money where their mouth is.

MIDFIELD:
Wes Hoolahan - Norwich - on Doyley's recommendation.

Peter Whittingham (Captain) - Cardiff - Best player in the Championship from last season that isn't playing in the Premier League in 10/11.

Kris Commons - Derby - A player who's always had potential to make more of himself. Injured towards the business end of last season & I think this is why he's a little bit cheaper than I'd expect.

Radoslav Majewski - Forest - he's always looked a good player when I've seen snippets on the tv & grabbed a few goals last year.

STRIKERS:
Billy Sharp - Doncaster - Will score goals no matter who he plays for, especially in this good footballing team.

Jon Parkin - Preston - Uncanny knack of finding the back of the net despite being a fat boy!


So why no Watford players? Well I'm too scared to pick any 'Orns in case I jinx 'em!!

We’d love you to take part just go to fantasy.football-league.co.uk and our private LEAGUE PIN: 6194. It’s free to sign up!

- Jason

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Wednesday 4 August 2010

PODCAST 2: A New Season Ahead and Lloyd Doyley

Mike, Lloyd and Jon having a chat!

The new season is here (very exciting) and so is the new From The Rookery End Podcast (kind of exciting).

Mike, Jason and Jon return with their second podcast and what a packed podcast it is. They’ll be looking forward to life as a Watford fan this coming season and chatting about the comings and goings at Vicarage Road. They'll also be catching up with Watford blooger and author Matt Rowson, dropping in with the Watford WAGS and seeing how they explain ‘goal poachers’ in their special way PLUS after his song for Lloyd Doyley in Podcast 1, Jon has been putting pen to paper again and has a new song for another Hornet – Liam Henderson.

On top of all that the boys have been lucky enough to have a chat with Watford defensive rock Lloyd Doyley. Hear about his life in football and who his first footballing hero was.

To download and subscribe to the podcast via iTUNES  - simply click on the the tab at the top of the page or search "From The Rookery End" in iTunes. Or you can listen right here, right now by clicking on the play button at the top of this page.

You can also down load the podcast direct to your computer by clicking you right mouse button HERE. And if you use a different podcast catcher then you can use THIS CODE.


- Jon

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