Has the penny dropped?

You could be forgiven for thinking it’s all been a bit bonkers at Watford FC.

Managers have been and gone, players have arrived from every corner of the globe, we’ve seen Troy Deeney score one of the most memorable goals in history, we’ve lost in a Play Off Final and won promotion in one of the tightest Championship seasons on record. All that in the past three years. It’s been pretty breathless by anyone’s standards, so when most tipped us for relegation at the beginning of the Premier League campaign, part of me could understand why.

Eleven games in and despite the widespread doom-laden predictions it’s a case of so far so good. The Hornets are coming off the back of a two memorable wins and are nearer the European places than they are the relegation zone. Whilst no self respecting Watford fan would suggest that this represents nothing more than a good start - you’d also be hard pushed to find a Hornet too unhappy with the way things have unfolded. That hasn’t always been the case though…

Ahead of the weekend triumph against West Ham, Vicarage Road had only witnessed a solitary Watford goal and despite an excellent league position, at one stage the Hornets were the lowest scoring team across all four divisions. The obtuse football fan in me quite enjoyed this stat – there’s something quite satisfying about making a decent fist of survival without actually scoring any goals. For a few fellow fans however, the lack of attacking threat was becoming an issue.

I understood that view too, of course. The prospect of surviving in the Premier League whilst only scoring 25 goals all season didn’t hold massive appeal. You’d have struggled to find a Watford supporter who wasn’t pleased with our start to the season, but the hunt for a fan worried about our paucity of goals would be over far quicker.

The signs were there at Stoke. After a tough opening period, Watford clawed themselves into the contest and after hitting the bar twice in 15 seconds finally went ahead. With half an hour to go they went 2-0 up and that’s when we got a glimpse of it. A focussed, powerful, relentless team, focussed on pressing home their advantage. It was as if something had awoken within the team, who all of a sudden looked threatening every time they had the ball. Watford had their boot on Stoke’s throat and were in no mood to remove it. It was exhilarating.

Then came West Ham. The best away team in the league. The team of the moment. Well, unfortunately for the increasingly unhappy Hammers, Watford are nothing if not disrespectful of reputation and they simply carried on where they left off at Stoke.

Except this time there was no need to battle their way into the game. The Hornets dominated from start to finish and whilst it was ultimately two defensive errors that opened the door for both goals, make no mistake, those goals were coming. Heurelho Gomes was called upon to punch away a few crosses, but for the most part he was a spectator – watching on as Watford ground down, chewed and eventually spat out their unsuspecting visitors.

It was a complete performance and all of a sudden the air was thick with the sound of pennies dropping. Not just amongst the media and opposition supporters, but for Watford supporters too. All of a sudden we’d got a glimpse of what Quique Sanchez Flores has been working towards and quite frankly, it was magnificent.

A stable defensive unit had been in evidence from the start, as was an incredible work rate from everyone in a yellow shirt. Organisation and discipline were clearly high on Flores’ initial to do list and he instilled both qualities quickly. What took slightly longer was the belief, the confidence, the trust in each other to take the performances to the next level.

We should be under no illusions as to the enormity of the task that still faces Watford this season, but in the games against Stoke and West Ham United we’ve been treated to a tantalising glimpse as to what the future *could* look like for this football club. I’m excited to say it’s golden.

Come on you Horns.