Tag: Watford

Forest Green announced its coach was joining Watford in the saltiest way possible

“We’re disappointed that our support, loyalty and honesty towards Rob has been repaid in this way”

When most clubs lose their manager to a bigger club they may be upset with how the departure unfolded, but they keep those feelings hidden as they politely wish their coach well in public.

Forest Green Rovers is not one of those clubs.

Rob Edwards led Forest Green to a League Two championship this season, helping the team get promoted to League One. As an up-and-coming young coach who experienced major success in his first senior managerial job, Edwards naturally attracted interest from bigger clubs.

Rumors began picking up recently that Watford, which was just relegated from the Premier League, had identified Edwards as the man to help bring the club back up to the big time next season.

On Wednesday, Forest Green confirmed Edwards was leaving, but the club was unable to put on a happy face in public.

Forest Green lashed out at Edwards and Watford, claiming all negotiations went on behind the club’s back and that their behavior “gives football a bad name.”

Forest Green’s statement on Edwards

“FGR confirms the departure of Head Coach Rob Edwards. Rob was a key part of the team that gained promotion to League One this season. We’re disappointed that our support, loyalty and honesty towards Rob has been repaid in this way – with negotiations taking place behind our backs.

“We had no contact from Watford, from whom we might expect less, but in any event this kind of behaviour gives football a bad name.

“We thank Rob for all his work at FGR – forgive him the manner of his departure and wish him well.”

At least they forgave him!

Leicester – Watford was a snoozer for 89 minutes, then got absolutely bananas

Ben Chilwell and Craig Dawson turned a boring game into an instant classic with two goals in the dying minutes of the match.

Leicester City took on Watford in the early Premier League match on Saturday, and for much of the game, the two looked like sides that hadn’t played professional soccer in a while. Players looked a touch slow. The passes weren’t connecting right.

For a league that’s been shut down for a while for the coronavirus pandemic, it’s expected that you’re not going to get beautiful soccer for a little while.

But then, late in the match, we got absolutely beautiful, mad, wild soccer.

The madness started in the 90th minute. Ben Chilwell, the highly rated left back who’s been linked with a mega move to Chelsea, hadn’t done much of anything for the entire game.

Then he went and did this:

It’s the type of goal you dream about, an absolutely purely hit left-footed bomb off the post. That sound in the empty stadium, too. [Chef’s kiss.]

For fans who were watching the game and slogged through 89 minutes of bleh, it was a beautiful relief.

Then a few minutes later, in stoppage time, Watford scored an overhead kick equalizer from Craig Dawson of all people.

It happened! Both those things happened!

The match ended 1-1. I need a cigarette.

[lawrence-related id=927337,927204,909446]

[vertical-gallery id=923104]

Watford snapped Liverpool’s unbeaten run and soccer fans had jokes

Watford stunned Liverpool 3-0 on Saturday.

Liverpool entered Saturday’s Premier League matchup at Watford with a 22-point lead in the table and the title already well in hand, but with a chance to extend their incredible streak of 17 consecutive wins, and their 44-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, which stretches back to January 2019.

The Reds are on pace to obliterate Premier League records for points and wins in a single season – but only one other team in history, Arsenal’s 2003-04 “invincible” squad, has gone undefeated for an entire Premier League season.

Their opponents, meanwhile, are locked in a relegation battle at the bottom of the standings, with only five wins from their first 27 matches – which made the result at Vicarage Road all the more unbelievable.

Led by 22-year-old Ismaïla Sarr, who scored twice in the second half, Watford beat arguably the best team in the world by three goals. Watford struck first in the 54th minute, as Sarr took advantage of a long throw that was allowed to bounce into a dangerous area in Liverpool’s penalty area.

Just a few minutes later, Sarr outran two Liverpool defenders to a perfect through ball and fired a shot past Alisson.

In the 72nd minute, Watford sealed all three points as Sarr pounced on a poor backpass and set up Troy Deeney.

Liverpool will soon be champions once again, but they won’t be Invincible.

[jwplayer WX8Jio0J-q2aasYxh]