[Lord Snooty]

Watford v Huddersfield Town
The Sky Bet Championship
Saturday February 24th - 15:00 ko
at Vicarage Road

Huddersfield Town travel to Watford to the Reginald Dwight Arena on Saturday afternoon and once more we get to utter the phrase.........

We are on the brink of a new era, if only.......

André Breiternreiter becomes the Town's third German Head Coach after David Wagner (technically an American but let's not let that get in the way) and Jan Siewert (technically a children's hospice manager from Wakefield). And of course Mark Fotheringham honed his craft in Germany.

So who is this Brighton Writer chap then? Well he's 50 years old, played his entire career in Germany in the top two divisions. He was an attacker who earned the unfortunate nickname of "the lightning bomber" (don't mention the war) and played at youth levels for his country, but never made it to a full international. He played in the Bundesliga for the likes of Hannover, Hamburg and Wolfsburg and played until he was 37.

On retirement he got his first managing job when he went to TSV Havelse, in the equivalent league to our League Two. But he soon started making headlines when his side beat top tier team FC Nürnberg.

He was recruited by 2nd division SC Paderborn 07 and got them promoted to the top league in Germany, the Bundesliga. His masterstroke then was to sign a young lad called Elias Kachunga, who scored for Paderborn on his Bundesliga debut against Mainz. They were top of the league after Elias scored again in a 3-0 win away at Hamburg, but by the end of the season, they'd run out of steam and got relegated again.

Despite this, Herr Breitenreiter kept his own place in the Bundesliga when FC Schalke 04 recruited him to take their job. He got them to a fifth place finish, which meant qualification for the Europa League. But he never took the team there, replaced at the end of the season when the club got a new Sporting Director.

His next move was to Hannover, getting another promotion to the Bundesliga before taking time out to look after his father (or farter as any schoolboy who took German will tell you ).

He got back into the game in 2021 when he got his first role outside of his native land, in the Swiss League with FC Zurich. He did alright there, winning the league title, their first title since 2009.

He was then persuaded to return to Germany and the Bundesliga, for an unsuccessful time at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, where he was sacked before the end of the season. That was in Febraury last year and now twelve months later, he has landed in this part of West Yorkshire.

Here's hoping this is more of a Zurich than a Hoffenheim.

He takes over a Huddersfield Town team in 20th position in the Championship, having risen one place since Jon Worthington took over as caretaker following the much too late dismissal of Darren Moore. Worthy's boys were deperately unlucky to come away with nil points on Saturday against Hull and it will be a good test of André as to how he can raise the spirits of the lads, who like most of us, would've been absolutely gutted when that late equaliser from Jack Rudoni all came to nothing a minute later.

Watford won away at Rotherham on Saturday, it was a 1-0 victory which brought an end to their run of three consecutive league defeats and four in all competitions when you put their FA Cup defeat at Southampton in there. Before that, their last Championship win was on January the 14th away at QPR. So they definitely are not in good form and are definitely there for the taking, on a ground where we have recent success.

Come on Town.



Tickets:
Adults - £25
65s and over - £15
19-21-year-olds - £15
18s and under - £5



Head to Head



Town lead the head to head with 16 wins to Watford's 13, with 6 draws.

Not a right lot of games here, but there have been some memorable ones. Obviously not the most recent game, played earlier this season, which was the first 0-0 draw between the two clubs. It was only notable for the fact that our team was so decimated by injuries that Kyle Hudlin was handed his first Championship start, whereas Watford could afford the comfort of having ace striker Rhys Healey as an unused substitute. A dull game it was, summing up the Town manager Darren Moore and his footballing philosophy. His post match comment; "It was important for us to continue filling those gaps and nullifying the space that they wanted to work in," just about summed up our attacking intent. Or lack of it.

The first season we were in the same division was 1969/70, the season that we won the Division Two championship title. The final game of the season was Watford's first trip up to Leeds Road and it was the night that we were presented with the trophy. A glorious night in my third season watching the Terriers, which hasn't really been bettered since. And I include Play Off victories in that. You can't beat winning a Divisional champions trophy. Anyway, we won 3-1 on the night with Dick Krzywicki (back row, 3rd from right) scoring twice and Jimmy Lawson (front row 2nd from left) once.

Watford are one of the clubs that we have played in all four divisions. The next meeting came in Division Three in 1973/74, but by 1975/76 we were both in Division 4 after us finishing 24th and them 23rd in the season before. These were desperately dark days down Leeds Road and the third season into Division Four life was the one that Watford left us, winning the title under the management of Graham Taylor. Their visit up north in March was the highlight of our season, as a second highest attendance of the season, a massive 6,603 turned up to see us beat the league leaders 1-0 with a goal from Terry Gray.

Tom Johnston was Town manager then. We had a surge in form under his successor, Mick Buxton, but not as much as Watford did under Taylor. By the time we met in 1983/84 in the League Cup, they had just finished the previous season as Football League runners up. We were back up in the 2nd Division, but very much the underdog in this two legged tie. Back then, all teams took this competition seriously and played a fully first choice XI. Watford did and came up to us for the first leg, which we won 2-1 with David Cowling scoring one and an own goal from Ian Bolton, before future England and Liverpool star John Barnes scored a worldie at the Cowshed End. A slightly better crowd of 10,631 came out on an October evening to see this.

Both of our centre backs, David Sutton and Paul Jones scored in the 2nd leg 2-2 draw, which saw us win on aggregate. That set us up for a dreary defeat against Stoke in the next round.

We had three seasons of no particular note together at the turn of the century, but met again in the Championship in 2012/13 after we won promotion from League One. It was in September 2012 when we first came across old Cheaty McCheatface himself, Fernando Forestieri. He and another one who would become a thorn in our side, Troy Deeney beat us that day with their antics. We were one up at half time through Ollie Norwood, but Fernando equalised soon into the second half. One size Fitz Hall gave them the lead in the 83rd minute, but Alan Lee put us level just a minute later. The game was heading for a draw, but then we got our first glimpse of the outrageous cheating that that man Forestieri would become infamous for. It wasn't even the slightest bit convincing a dive as we waited for the ref to pull out his yellow card. But unbelievably, he actually pointed to the spot. The crowd went wild. Most of the 14,564 present that day knew it was a dive, but up stepped Deeney and slotted the ball home and we had lost 3-2.

Danny Ward scored a hat trick at Vicarage Road in the next season, a meaningless end of season game. They went up the season after and we went up a couple of years later and so completed the set of playing each other in all four divisions when we met at the Vicarage in December 2017 in the Premier League. A most memorable game indeed. If you don't recall the way Collin Quaner took the Hornets to pieces, have a watch of this.....

Tom Ince scored a famous goal later that season at the JSS. The next game of note came last season with Neil Warnock back in charge. It was a 3-2 win down there with goals coming from Jack Rudoni, Matty Pearson and yond pillock Kian Harratt. Dozy goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann got sent off right at the end for two late yellow cards, although I think the second yellow could've been a red for a kung fu kick on Pearson.



So what's going on down the Yellow Brick Road? Managed nowadays by Valérien Ismaël, who managed Barnsley and the Baggies before.

He was born in Strasbourg, France but having played for his home town club, he moved to Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga. As far as I can see, our André had dropped to the Bundesliga 2 by the time Ismaël arrived in Germany, so I don't think they played against each other. And looking at both of their managerial records, I think their managing in the Bundesliga just avoided each other. So this game, although they've played and managed in the same league, I think this will be the first time the two of them have come up against each other. But of course, I could be wrong with that.

Saturdays line up at Rotherham:

26 Hamer
24 Dele-Bashiru
15 Pollock
4 Hoedt
6 Lewis
3 Sierralta
18 Asprilla
39 Kayembe
11 Koné
12 Sema
9 Rajovic

Subs:
1 Bachmann
7 Ince
8 Livermore
16 Chakvetadze
25 Dennis
37 Martins
42 Morris
45 Andrews
59 Grieves



Club connections:

A couple of connections in that line up from our Prima Donna League days. Tom Ince, who scored an iconic goal for us at the JSS against the Hornets, now sits on their bench. And our bit part goalkeeper, Ben Hamer, appears to be the number one choice now.

They don't have Joseph Hungbo though. The brilliant young winger who we had on loan last season, was released by the Hornets and ended up in Germany playing alongside Town legend Christopher Schindler at FC Nürnberg. Just who? I say WHO have Watford got that's better than this lad? Tom Ince?

Watford in popular culture: No members of The Who play for Watford theo, so here's their Elton singing a Who song from the rock opera, Tommy.



Recent form - last 6 matches:

Town 1-2 Hull
Town 1-0 Sunderland
Southampton 5-3 Town
Town 4-0 Sheff Wed
QPR 1-1 Town
Blackburn 1-1 Town

Rotherham 0-1 Watford
Norwich 4-2 Watford
Watford 1-2 Leicester
Southampton 3-0 Watford (FA Cup)
Watford 0-1 Cardiff
Sheff Wed 0-0 Watford

Town are 20th in the Championship table with 34 points. Watford are 11th with 44.


Leading scorers:

Terriers:

Michal Helik (8)
Delano Burgzorg (6)
Jack Rudoni (5)

Hornets:

Mileta Rajovic (10)
Yáser Asprilla (6)
Vakoun Bayo (6)
Matheus Martins (6)

[Lord Snooty]

Thanks to talkSAFT for pointing out I'd got my ex Baggies mixed up, which I have now changed. Krzywicki is third from the right, not left. Third from the left is of course another ex Baggie, Denis Clark.

[talkSAFT]

Thanks to talkSAFT for pointing out I'd got my ex Baggies mixed up, which I have now changed. Krzywicki is third from the right, not left. Third from the left is of course another ex Baggie, Denis Clark.

Disgraceful, Snoots! It's only 50+ years ago as well (so my Great-Grandad tells me)

[Lord Snooty]

It was a typo. I knew which was which. I could probably name every player on that photo.

[theo_luddite]

That lot were in my Town Subbuteo box when I was a lad. All named and numbered. Games played on the living room carpet behind the sofa (we shoved the sofa as far forward as we could without setting fire to it on the gas fire in Winter) and Town hammered Leeds every week. Leeds being my 5 year old brother at the time. No wonder he supports Halifax.

That was when England weren't similarly beating West Germany again in the Wembley of the North. Only slight problem was when we broke for lunch at half-time the dog would decide to chew up a few of the players, and the ball if she got round to it. There weren't 8 subs in the Subbuteo boxes back then and those little plastic balls couldn't be patched up with a bike tyre repair kit either. That old toy shop at the bottom of Georges Square got some fairly regular business. Happy days.

[Lord Snooty]

Pay on the day is available if you fancy turning up ticketless. It's cash only though. Which is a bit abnormal these days.

[theo_luddite]

For some reason their Away Fans ticket office can't handle plastic. You can't pay at the turnstiles so you end up queueing twice.

[Lord Snooty]

Town’s team vs Watford
1. Lee Nicholls
4. Matty Pearson
6. Jonathan Hogg ©
7. Delano Burgzorg
8. Jack Rudoni
10. Josh Koroma
17. Brodie Spencer
18. David Kasumu
21. Alex Matos
32. Tom Lees
33. Yuta Nakayama

Substitutes
Chris Maxwell, Giosue Bellagambi; Bojan Radulovic, Brahima Diarra, Tom Edwards, Ben Wiles, Danny Ward, Pat Jones, Ben Jackson

---

Huddersfield Town Head Coach André Breitenreiter has made three changes to the team for his first game in charge against Watford; 3pm kick-off at Vicarage Road.

The first sees Delano Burgzorg complete his return from the ankle injury inflicted upon him on Boxing Day to make his first start of 2024. The Mainz loanee replaces Ben Wiles, who is among the substitutes.

Japan international Yuta Nakayama makes his first start in three matches at the expense of Radinio Balker, who misses out today with a quad issue.

Our third and final change sees David Kasumu replace Sorba Thomas, who has returned to West Yorkshire on Saturday morning for personal reasons.

The additional places in the match day 20 are taken by defender Tom Edwards and goalkeeper Giosue Bellagambi, who are among the nine substitutes for the game.

Captain Jonathan Hogg plays against his former club today. He joined Town from Watford in 2013, having made 84 appearances for the side over two years.

Breitenreiter is without Jacob Chapman (ankle), Josh Ruffels (groin), Michał Helik (knee), Sorba Thomas (personal reasons), Jaheim Headley (ankle), Ollie Turton (knee), Kian Harratt (suspended), Radinio Balker (quad), and Rhys Healey (groin).

---

26 Hamer
24 Dele-Bashiru
15 Pollock
4 Hoedt
6 Lewis
8 Livermore
18 Asprilla
39 Kayembe
11 Koné
12 Sema
25 Dennis

Substitutes
1 Bachmann
2 Ngakia
3 Sierralta
7 Ince
9 Rajovic
16 Chakvetadze
37 Martins
45 Andrews
59 Grieves

[WakeyTerrier]

I know we have injuries but what is the point in naming 2 sub goalkeepers?

[Lord Snooty]

Why not? Thomas's has gone home and there's a space on the bench. You just never know what's gonna happen.

---

Two subs for Watford after half an hour. Ince is on.

---

New era. Same old story. Concede just after half time.