Watford FA Cup Quarter Final 2003

[JimMcDonald]

With it being FA Cup weekend iv been thinking about our previous exploits in this historic cup and this is the one that sticks in my mind.

I was only young and remember being so excited. We was backed by a huge away following (Unsure of the number if anyone knows) and playing a Watford side below us in the league. We had a real chance of getting to an FA Cup semi final but it was all so dissapointing.

Ternent left our 2 best players Blake & Little on the bench and we was awful on the day and ended up getting beat 2-0. I was gutted.

Why didnt he start Blake & Little in such a big game ?

[karatekid]

I remember a BBC pundit saying that's why we shouldn't show quarter finals live on TV.

[jedi_master]

Remember being gutted when I saw the lineup after being so excited on the drive down.

Massive anti climax, didn’t turn up at all.

[Pimlico_Claret]

My sister decided to have her kids christened on this particular day and very kindly asked my equally claretsmad brother and myself to be god parents.
So we dutifully obliged, and went to great lengths to avoid hearing the result at the subsequent celebration in the pub(this was not easy).
Finally, unaware of the result, we settled down to watch the game, I assume on video for the oldies amongst you. The disappointment was as overwhelming as the effort we had put in to avoid the result. One of the biggest let downs I can remember.

[paulus the woodgnome]

I remember the day well, but fortunately not the match. Mrs Woodgnome was in St Mary's Hospital (Fratton) as she needed rehydrating whilst pregnant with our gnomette. I didn't find out about the result and "performance" until we left the hospital later that day. What a bl00dy let down.

[dsr]

...
Ternent left our 2 best players Blake & Little on the bench and we was awful on the day and ended up getting beat 2-0. I was gutted.

Why didnt he start Blake & Little in such a big game ?

At least he only left 2 of the best players on the bench!

[JimMcDonald]

At least he only left 2 of the best players on the bench!

Unsure we had any other good players to be honest we was pretty **** poor back then.

[Cheshireclaret]

I remember it well. I genuinely don’t think I have been more underwhelmed leaving a football ground than I was that day at Vicarage Road.

[Jimmymaccer]

I was skiing in Flaine..........the only thing worse than hearing the result was the cow I was skiing with.

[piston broke]

It was a bigger kick in the gonads than the 5-0 at Hillsbrough in a replay.

[duncandisorderly]

I was skiing in Flaine..........the only thing worse than hearing the result was the cow I was skiing with.

Pics or it didn't happen.

[claret59]

A number of factors. Firstly both Chairmen made a deal to share the gate receipts no matter what the end result. This to my mind indicated a lack of belief from the start. However Burnley had had quite a few good results prior to the game playing just one striker up front (Taylor I think was the sole man,) but he was forced into spending most of the match defending corners and free kicks etc. It was inevitable that Watford would score eventually because the tactic of one striker gave Watford the plan on how to combat it and it worked to a treat for them. By the time Stan 'switched on' to what was happening it was far too late. Had he played Blake and Little from the start it would have confused Watford as we would have ben playing a different system to what they were expecting. If I remember correctly we had played a mid week game just a couple of days prior to the QF and played the system of lone striker then. This defeat and chance of glory lost was Stan's fault.

[duncandisorderly]

A number of factors. Firstly both Chairmen made a deal to share the gate receipts no matter what the end result. This to my mind indicated a lack of belief from the start. However Burnley had had quite a few good results prior to the game playing just one striker up front (Taylor I think was the sole man,) but he was forced into spending most of the match defending corners and free kicks etc. It was inevitable that Watford would score eventually because the tactic of one striker gave Watford the plan on how to combat it and it worked to a treat for them. By the time Stan 'switched on' to what was happening it was far too late. Had he played Blake and Little from the start it would have confused Watford as we would have ben playing a different system to what they were expecting. If I remember correctly we had played a mid week game just a couple of days prior to the QF and played the system of lone striker then. This defeat and chance of glory lost was Stan's fault.

My dad at the time suggested Stan was under instruction to play for a draw. I think we were fairly skint (ITV digital time?) and that a replay and associated TV monies would help.

I doubt he believes it now mind. A draw is the hardest result to fabricate unless PNE are involved.

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

Massive let down. Big away following, winnable game and don’t think we managed a shot on goal!

[Fretters]

Stan always gets slated for the line up, but we'd beaten Premier League Fulham 3-0 in the last round with exactly the same line up. I think we were on a pretty good run without Blake or Little in the team.

[Bin Ont Turf]

Weren't they both coming back from injuries?

[tim_noone]

Massive let down. Big away following, winnable game and don’t think we managed a shot on goal!

I'm sure we beat em in the league a week or so before..attended both so the cup game was a formality in most fans minds.

[tiger76]

We probably wouldn't have won the trophy but a S/F against Southampton would have waited,certainly not an unwinnable game back then,we've have been battered by Arsenal in the final however,two Championship/Division 1 sides reached the last 4 that season,not impossible the same could happen this year.

[South West Claret.]

I was so looking forward to seeing Burnley on a live tv slot only to be bitterly disappointed at the absolutely awful performance and of course loosing.

[paulatky]

Remember on the drive home Stan phoning Talksport live from the team bus complaining that Talksport’s critisium of his tactics was out of order

[TsarBomba]

I’d just about managed to erase this game from memory. Still to this day, I have no idea what we were playing at.

Awful tactics, Little and Blake on the bench, zero attacking intent. The only explanation is that we wanted a replay, as already alluded to.

I can take getting beat, but jeez, at least go down fighting. But 6k in the away end, QF of the cup, live on tv, and we throw in one of the most gutless performances I’ve ever seen.

Unforgivable.