FA Carling Premiership, 31/9/99
Coventry City
versus
Watford
 
"The Graham Taylor Project"
By Farzana Chaudry

In October 1999, one Watford fan disappeared in the mass concrete jungle surrounding Highfield Road, Coventry, West Midlands whilst interviewing and researching a report, following her team's terrifying performance.

Several months later on May 14th 2000, her notebook was found....

'we were really so very poor'

'but we had key significant players missing, it was almost a Watford reserve team'

'I saw a partial reserve team take on Stevenage, and we never played like that!'

'we just didn't play as a team, our possession and passing was terrible'

'come on, the lads did their best'

'what match were you watching?'

'passion, we lacked passion and commitment'

'our singing just doesn't seem to make a difference any more'

'I'm tired, hungry and angry, I just want to go home'

'we could have been three-nil up in the first twenty minutes'

'yes, but we weren't... I'm fed up with this what could been, it didn't happen... face up to it, we were hammered four-nil and you know what we deserved it'

'you're s*** and you know it....the Coventry chants are still ringing in my ears'

'he's left it too late to spend any money'

'he wants money for youth development'

'we're lost in the Premiership maze, we don't know where we're going'

'yes, we do and it's down!'

'we've come up to the Premiership years too early, we weren't ready'

'aren't you being a harsh, you're upset'

'seven defeats in a row'

'what does winning feel like - I can't remember any more'

'after the Chelsea win, the Daily Mirror's team of the week had three Watford players in it; that was as high as a 'high' could get'

'we left after the fourth goal'

'just too tired and angry really, to sing and watch any more'

'stop filming, just bloody stop filming... we always lose when we're on TV'

'what a pathetic excuse'

'the players should be made to watch that spectacle on a rolling tape'

'Easton!! sort it out'

'it was all one way traffic'

'Coventry were in a different class'

'we weren't even Nationwide'

'the players have themselves to blame'

'we turn up week in, week out; freezing cold, sunny skies, pouring rain, overdraft, no overdraft, Jesus we're doing our bit!'

'I could have done with a Sunday to sort out my washing and ironing'

'Keane destroyed us, but we let him, we gave him the space and time, hell we gave all of them space and time!'

'had the players been bribed'

'bloody disgraceful'

'shambolic performance'

'one of the poorest performances I've seen in years'

'no pride, it's not about spending money, it's about playing with pride and commitment, for your team and your supporters, who travel miles and spend loads to see you'

'it's about using your brain'

'it's about learning from the past'

'are you still interviewing, stop interviewing, stop bloody interviewing right now! it's just not funny anymore, we're lost, we're deep in the downward spiral, we peaked too early, I'd rather we lost against the Chelseas and Liverpools but at least win against category B and C teams!'

'Mum, Dad...if we get relegated, it's all my fault, as soon as we were within a sniffing distance of the play-offs I began giving it large. I egged them on, they didn't want to do it, I wished them on, I prayed them on. I lied when I knew we were lost. I made them do it, they didn't want to. It's all my fault.'

the next 25 pages of the note book had been torn out

last page;
14th May; last day of the Premiership - home to Coventry!
Ohhhh ahhhhh yessss nooo ohhhhhh yes yes clear it nooo uuuhhh ahhhhh gasp WE'VE ?

Whether we've made it or we've been relegated lies in the torn out twenty-five pages and twenty-five remaining matches we face in the Premiership.