That is a description I found of silk which, apparently, is the symbol and/or traditional gift for a 12th anniversary – and that is what Gino Pozzo celebrated at the weekend, a dozen years since buying Watford. Nearly 4,400 days after arriving at Vicarage Road, are the Hornets highly prized? Would you associate them with luxury and elegance? To be balanced, the club needs to be assessed across the entire piece – and that’s because currently, they are mid-table Championship and seemingly not highly prized, luxurious or elegant enough for any one individual or group to either want to buy them, or purchase a significant stake. But they were, in recent memory, quite possibly footballing silk.
Looking back to two years ago, when I returned to the Watford Observer and took up the mantle of writing about my club, I remember going to London Colney and being stunned by the improvements to the training ground and facilities. Like other fans, I had witnessed six seasons of Premier League football, I had salivated over performances from Capoue, Deulofeu, Deeney and others, and I’d sat in a stadium that finally felt finished, pristine and impressive. I’d also been to Wembley for an FA Cup Final, something I doubted would ever be repeated after that first time in 1984.
That, though, was 2019, and with every passing season it feels more distant, more remote, further detached from the reality of 2024 and something – like being a team that can hold its own in the Premier League �.
