WIN: Masters Football Tickets

The Anuual Selco London Masters Football event is taking place on Saturday 9th July at Wembley Arena. Kick Off is 7pm and leading out the Glory Hornet Old Boys will be Tommy Mooney. He'll be joined by Kevin Miller between the sticks, Robert Page, Nicky Wright Wright Wright, Allan Smart, Marcus Gayle, Micah Hyde and Cool As Craig Ramage


This is your chance to see some of our Watford heroes in action one more time. It's also a chance to compare beer bellies to see if they've finally caught up with yours.

If you want to be there then FTRE can get you in. We have 4 sets of Family Tickets to giveaway to 4 different winners. Each ticket will get 2 Adults and 2 children in to the event. If you don't have kids then it will only get in 2 adults. All you need to do it email: podcast@fromtherookeryend.com and answer this question:

Q. What is the total number of appearance made for Watford FC by the 2011 Watford Masters Team?


It's bound to be a great night and the boys will do us proud. To purchase tickets then please CLICK HERE. And for more information on the event go to the official Masters Football website.

Cheers FTRE Boys

Terms and Conditions

• Entries close: 10:00am Monday 4th July 2011.
• Four winners will be picked at random, from all the correct answers received. 
• One entry per email address.
• Our answer was sourced from a single source as published on 25th June 2011.
• Entries that are within +/- 50 of our answer will still be entered.
• Winners will be contacted via email on Monday 4th July 2011. 
• Winners will have their names passed onto the event organisers and pick up their tickets at the venue on the night.
• Winners will need to get themselves to the venue.

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Get involved with FTRE!

Just over a year ago Mike, Jason and I started making the From The Rookery End. We were just three Watford fans and the podcasts and blog were our way of sharing our lives as fans of the football club we love to support. We hope you've enjoyed the first 12 podcasts and liked reading our blog posts, we've certainly enjoyed creating it all.

Our first full season has been pretty much just the three of us, and we'd love to expand that next season. So we were wondering... Do you fancy getting involved with From The Rookery End?

If you do then here are a few ideas of what you could do:

Writing
Do you fancy writing a blog post about your life as a Watford fan? It could even be a match report, a review of a player you love or a story of a special moment - past or present.

Comedy
Have you ever fancied writing comedy and want to write or even perform a sketch for the podcast? You might just have a funny idea, but just not got around to write it. Whatever you have then please share.

Music
Do you have any musical talents? You might sing or playing an instrument. If you do then you could write or perform a Watford song for the podcast.

Chat
You, like us, just might want to share your thoughts on life as a fan of Watford. Then we can try and get you on for a chat on one of podcasts.

Whatever you want to do, then please get in touch. Email us podcast@fromtherookeryend.com - tell us you'd like to get involved with and we will do all we can to get you on. We want the podcasts and blog to be something that every Watford fan be part of.

Jon

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Sean Dyche - Watford Manager

I'll be honest, Sean "Stone Cold" Dyche wasn't at the top of my list for the vacant manager's position at Watford. For the record I liked the look of Paul Tisdale from Exeter City. Experience at getting a team on a tight budget promoted and then keeping them at that higher level comfortably. However, I'm not against the appointment and am pleased that he has been picked ahead of the likes of Laws, Westley, Boothroyd, ...... insert many of the names that appeared on the bookies' lists for the job since last Friday. So what makes the appointment of a man without any front line managerial experience a good thing? One word...


Continuity!

Well, it's obvious isn't it? We know what Watford are about. Academy, player trading model, young squad. Words and phrases we've become familiar with over the last couple of years. And Dyche is a big part of that. We talk a lot about the home grown squad we have. Let's not forget that our new boss was youth team coach when he rejoined the Hornets back in 2007. So he's got more experience then maybe he is being given credit for. Experience working with young players. Our young players. And don't just take my word for it. Both Graham Taylor and Laurence Bassini have quoted continuity and the Watford Way when talking about his promotion from within. Plus we know it works. Did Malky not take the same steps on making his first foray into management at Vicarage Road?

If you've read my ramblings before then you'll know what I'm like. I need facts, stats. I feel it necessary to back up my fluffy spouting with some solid reality. So what gems from the past can I dig up to prove this is the way to go? Well I'm going all the way back to when I was a nipper beginning my education in the beautiful game. It's the early 80's and Liverpool were in charge of English football and Bob Paisley was in charge of Liverpool. He was the first product of Bill Shankly's legendary Boot Room, winning League titles, domestic & European cup competitions and surpassing Shankly's legendary record. When he retired in 1983, he was replaced by another Boot Room member, Joe Fagan, followed by player manager Kenny Dalglish. They won 32 trophies between them.

Impressive, huh? But maybe it's a bit far-fetched to compare Watford to the all conquering Liverpool side of the late 70's, early 80's. Well, let's look at it from a historical Watford perspective then. When we've gone for so called big names in management, it hasn't always worked. Vialli and Bassett come to mind. Whilst those that we'd never heard of.... Boothroyd, promotion in his first full season. Rodgers, okay, he didn't hang round very long but was growing green shoots of recovery at the Vic. And whilst it didn't quite end up the proverbial silk purse left behind by Malky, Sean hasn't been left with a complete pig's ear of a team.

So, Dyche appears to be the right choice. He knows the club, he knows the players. In times of such uncertainty, to have the opportunity to make a decision that allows the club to have some stability at a management level is not to be passed by. Add to that a demeanor that screams leadership, with a likeable personality, was there ever any other option? Tisdale. What was I thinking?

Jason

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REVIEW: Season Review 2010/11 DVD

I don't own many Watford videos or DVDs, but I fancied picking up the Season Review 2010-2011 DVD from the Hornets Shop - so I did. Jason, Mike and I have talked about the season extensively in Podcast 12, and the DVD runs you through the whole season, game-by-game, goal-by-goal. I thought I remembered everything that happened, but there was plenty of moments I'd forgotten. The injury time penalty Coventry won against us, which 10 month later it still isn't a penalty. There is Malky being sent to the stands for controlling the ball before it had left the pitch when we lost away at Middlesbrough and there's a funny hand waving gesture that Troy Deeney made after scoring his first two goals.

It's a well produced DVD and includes every single goal. It's great seeing them all again, but as these aren't highlights I was left wanting to see more of games. Should that matter? Maybe not. As I watched our 3-0 home win against Sheffield United with two former hornets being sent off I was reminded of how I felt watching that day in the Rookery. And maybe that's all I need, but I didn't get to see some of the great team performances I remember. All 6 away goals at Millwall and the 3 goals from that Friday night away at QPR are fantastic to see again, but I did want to see some more of the football in-between all the goals. Lots of the enjoyment of watching football are the 5 near chances that build up the tension before the 6th attempt leads to a goal and there is much celebration.

The DVD includes two lengthy interviews with our now former striker Danny Graham and former manager Malky Mackay. Watching the DVD two days after MM's departure was a little weird, however they are two of the most important men in our 'successful' 2010-2011 season. We were tipped for relegation, so hearing how they felt looking back on the season was very interesting. Plus this DVD isn't just for now, it's a every more and it wouldn't be a complete season DVD without hearing from them.

I'm sure I will pick it up and watch it every so often to remember what I think was a great season. Not a classic season, not a season with a promotion or cup run, but a season that had great games, great goals, a decent kit and the introduction of young players that we'll see for years to come. More importantly it was a season to be proud of and I certainly felt proud while watching the Watford Football Club 2010-2011 DVD.

-- Jon

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Thanks Malky

So Malky has gone to Cardiff and a lot of Watford fans will be feeling frustration, even anger about his move. Personally, I'm feeling a little lost and wondering what will happen next, but that's often the life of a football fan. What I do know is how much Malky did for our club during some very tricky times. I don't think I'm talking out of turn when I say that Jason, Mike and I want to thank him for everything he has done as our manager over the last two seasons and everything he's done since he signed for Watford as a player. You can hear just how much we liked him as our manager in the special song we wrote for him in Podcast 12 (40 minutes in)

In their end of season review, our brother is Watford blogging over at BHaPPY said that Malky would be risking another season at Watford. He's had two great years of saving the club from the doom of League 1 and proved to the football world that he can manage a team to 'success'. But what if season 3 wasn't as good? What if his playing budget wasn't increase and Watford went down? He would surely see a promising managerial career disappear. If he is to become the next Sir Alex then he needs to have a different story to tell.

We were lucky enough to spend a good hour with Malky in December and you can hear most of it in Podcast 7. He was charismatic, intelligent and clearly passionate about this club. I'm sure some Watford fans will take his move to Cardiff as a sign that he wasn't passionate about the club - I won't. There have been some MAJOR changes at the club and maybe it was the 'best' time for him to move on.

He is going to a bigger club, with bigger pressures and he could easily have an even bigger fall than one down to League 1. As I said we wish him all the luck in the world. We are going to get a new manager with new energy and a season of the unknown. Now that is something to get excited about - far more exciting than an opening game of the season away to Burnley.

He'll be back on Boxing Day for our home game against Cardiff. I for one will be "drinking a beer and having a pie" in his honour.

- Jon

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Podcast 12: End of Season Awards 2010-2011

The football season may have come to an end, but there is still plenty for Hornets fans to enjoy, as the 12th ‘From the Rookery End’ podcast is now available for you to download.

The end of season special features the 2nd annual ‘From the Rookery End’ awards, honouring the players and performances that we've enjoyed the most, along with a song for popular manager Malky Mackay and an extensive interview with club captain John Eustace. Yes, Mike finally got to meet his current Watford hero.

We were also lucky enough to chat with the players we chose as winners and it was great to hear their thoughts on their performances and the season as a whole.

Talking to John Eustace was a real highlight, as club captain he has been one of the most influential men at Vicarage Road this season and to spend some time in his company was both exciting and enlightening. I’m sure you'll enjoy hearing from him.

IF you are a fan of our forays into singing you may or may not be pleased to hear that an Elton John classic has been reworked as a tribute to Malky Mackay. And on top of the awards and interviews Jason has a run of the potential summer ins and outs at Vicarage Road.

This edition of the podcast, which has now had over 20,000 downloads, is the biggest and best yet and can be downloaded from iTunes or heard on the website at www.fromtherookeryend.com

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