As Troy Deeney soared above an inept Aston Villa defence and in front of a venomous Holte End in the dying minutes of Saturday’s match, Watford FC took an unassailable lead and moved up the Premier League table to eleventh, four points off sixth. It meant a lot to Quique Flores, the mastermind and conductor of this Watford choir and orchestra, but it meant more to Deeney, a Birmingham fan and former Villa ‘trialist’ (he didn’t turn up), as he sang loudest living out a childhood dream.
Watford FC Singing A Merry Song
For the club, winning at Villa Park meant more than three points and a win against an Aston Villa side trying, willing, praying for a change in fortunes; it meant a coming of age, a signal to the Premier League: Watford FC can win in any environment. Whether that be at St James Park when labelled Pygmies, in the cauldron of Stoke City, or when under pressure against underdogs at Villa, the Hornets have come up trumps and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Watford picked up a point or two from their matches against Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City over the Christmas and New Year period.
Watford fans are duly bouncing and enjoying their taste of the Premier League, but as Matt Le Tissier said on Sky Sports, “I’d be incredibly surprised if Watford got relegated”, so perhaps the fans should settle in. The Vicarage Stadium has come to life this season, not least because of the efforts from a relatively new fan movement titled ‘The 1881’. Yet the biggest noise has come from the players on the pitch. You won’t see Odion Ighalo break into song any time soon, but his 24 goals this calendar year have been music to many people’s ears connected to the club.
Troy Deeney, Etienne Capoue, and Craig Cathcart have also formed a formidable boy band down the spine of the starting eleven, playing beautiful yet disciplined melodies along the way. Deeney has contributed four valuable goals thus far this season, along with 3 assists. Capoue has marshalled this Watford midfield and added an assist in his fourteen performances. Cathcart has similarly played in all 5 of the clean sheets the Hornets have achieved so far with strong and decisive displays in the centre of defence. The Watford team are clearly singing from the same hymn sheet, however this is no fluke.
Quique Sanchez Flores has established himself as an able songwriter and conductor to the Watford choir and orchestra. The Spaniard methodically scouts the opposition, enforces a structure and style to match, and is capable of adapting to the flow. His moulding of a side possessing fifteen ‘new’ signings (many were loan deals made permanent), has been his greatest achievement, one worthy of winning a few accolades come the end of the season. But what has impressed and surprised fans and onlookers has been his passion. Flores has fallen in love with little old Watford FC, a small club in Hertfordshire, and, although residing in Hampstead, Flores has embraced his surroundings.
The lifestyle of a manager is often dictated by the needs of the first-team, understandably. But Flores is no ordinary manager. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Flores revealed his love for running and maintains his enthusiasm for playing football having set up a seven-a-side team playing in the local Watford league and consisting of fellow Watford FC coaches, physios, interpreter, a member of the analysis team, his nephew, and son – it is no surprise they are top of the league. Actions such as these may appear superficial and irrelevant on the surface but it is all part of the masterplan. ‘I love to create atmosphere’ Flores told David Hytner, and ‘as a coach, the most important thing is quality, not quantity, and this is true of everything in life’. Flores does add however that in his seven-a-side team he never substitutes himself, even when playing badly, and that he won’t be happy until he receives a man of the match award, still allusive for the former Real Madrid and Spain right-back (www.theguardian.com/football/2015/nov/20/quique-sanchez-flores-watford-fighter-artist-interview). It can therefore be surmised that nothing less that survival, and in convincing style, will suffice for this ambitious and meticulous man.
Watford FC are a well-constructed product of the Pozzo family, but have become more than a machine. Flores has given the Hertfordshire club a heart and having orchestrated nothing short of a superb start to the season, the likes of Ighalo, Deeney and co. will hopefully be singing along with the fans for the months to come.
