HEN Declan Rice scored the sixth Arsenal goal in the stadium where he made his name, thousands more West Ham United fans joined those who had departed at 4-0.
Despite a six-match winless run, they'd clung to their victory at the Emirates at the end of December as evidence that they could overturn conventional footballing wisdom. Wisdom won that February day.
But what did the Irons acolytes expect? Without the Christmas period to knacker them, Arsenal could be sharper, fitter and better at keeping the ball and scoring from set-pieces.
It is often said that the team with the highest wage bill win the league they compete in, unless they have a mercurial manager who can galvanise a team like Ted Lasso or, in real life, Sean Dyche.
Which brings me to Watford, who sacked Dyche in 2012 when the Pozzo family bought the club and saved it from a decade of ups, downs and Boothroyds.
For the next decade, there was a welcome stability in the boardroom which led to success on the pitch. Even with managers being discarded like bad poker hands, Watford spent six seasons in the Premier League. I have fond memories of a 4-1 victory over Chelsea and, naturally, the FA Cup semi-final win over Wolves, but I also loved the 2014-15 season which ended in a promotion party in Cassiobury Park.
The team which went up as champions that season were AFC Bournemouth, who trump Watford twice over because their stadium only sits 12,000 people and they nearly went out of business before new ownership and a steady hand took them up the leagues.
Oddly, both sides went down and up together in between 2020 and 2021, but Bournemouth thrived when Watford failed to survive the drop in 2021-22.
After an unsteady start to their 202324 season, the benefit of giving the manager Andoni Iraola time bore fruit and the club had a great autumn.
This story is from the May - June 2024 edition of Late Tackle Football Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May - June 2024 edition of Late Tackle Football Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PASSING THE BATON
NOTTS COUNTY FAN IAN KIRKE REFLECTS ON AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY AT MEADOW LANE...
CHEEKY CHARLIE
TOM GREEN LOOKS AT THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CHARLIE MITTEN, WHO WENT FROM BURMA TO BOGOTA VIA OLD TRAFFORD
HAPPY WITH OUR LOT
WATFORD FAN JONNY BRICK IS QUITE CONTENT WITH HIS TEAM NEVER GOING UP AND NEVER GOING DOWN...
LIFE AFTER THE CUP HEROICS
BEN SMITH LOOKS AT THE REALITY FOR MAIDSTONE UNITED FOLLOWING THEIR STINT IN THE SPOTLIGHT...
JAMES RODRIGUEZ TEN YEARS ON
DANIEL MOFFAT LOOKS AT THE CAREER OF THE COLOMBIA STAR
AND SMITH DOES SCORE
BARNABY ROSTANT LOOKS AT THE CAREER OF EVERGREEN CENTRE-FORWARD MATT SMITH..
JUST HOW DO YOU REPLACE JURGEN KLOPP?
ROBERT J WILSON ON THE CHALLENGE AHEAD FOR LIVERPOOL AS THEIR INSPIRATIONAL GERMAN BOSS PREPARES TO WALK AWAY...
FIGHT TO THE FINISH
JOHN LYONS LOOKS AT HOW THE PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE RACE IS SHAPING UP AS WE APPROACH SQUEAKY-BUM TIME..
GIANT-KILLING CANARIES
SAM TODD RECALLS WHEN NORWICH CITY ENJOYED A SENSATIONAL FA CUP RUN 65 YEARS AGO...
HOWARD'S WAY
LIFELONG BIRMINGHAM CITY SUPPORTER KEITH DIXON RECALLS WHEN HOWARD KENDALL HELPED SAVE THE BLUES FROM RELEGATION HALF A CENTURY AGO...