Watford

Quique Sanchez Flores has endeared himself to the fans in his short time as manager at Vicarage Road, and it looks as though he's found a friend in honorary club president Sir Elton John as well.

The 50-year-old Watford manager has said he will perform a duet with the singer if his side avoids the drop this year, and he revealed that he met John after the Premier League win over Newcastle last month.

In an interview with Marca (via Pete Jenson of the Daily Mail), the former Atletico Madrid and Valencia boss said his catch-up with John was "brilliant."

"I am his No. 1 fan.  I have always been passionate about him and to suddenly have him tell me that he likes the work I am doing and that he is very grateful was extraordinary."

Watford are 11th after 12 games in the Premier League, and they face Manchester United on Saturday.

[Daily Mail]

Here comes the most useless information you'll see today, but it's still pretty fascinating reading.

Figures compiled by Soccerstats.com show what the Premier League table would look like if all games this season had ended at half-time.

For most clubs, it's a fair reflection of where they stand in the current table, but for others it gives them a glimpse of the high life (Chelsea even rise three places to the lofty heights of 12th!).

1 - If Premier League games ended at half-time this season, @WatfordFC would be top of the league with 19 points. Foundations.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 3, 2015

But the league leaders in the half-time table might surprise you—Watford FC sit top on 19 points, followed by Arsenal, Southampton and Manchester United.

It's not pretty reading for Manchester City fans, who would fall to seventh if all the refs signed off early.

https://twitter.com/Sean_Fay/status/661608118959247360

[Soccerstats.com]

The recent headlines from the Championship promotion race have all focused on the fairytale story of Bournemouth, so much so that Watford’s promotion from the second automatic spot has largely slipped under the radar. But what can the Premier League expect from the Hornets?

Unlike their fellow promotees, Watford won’t be sailing into uncharted waters when they commence the Premier League season in August. The club enjoyed six seasons in the top flight in the 1980s and since the inception of the Premier League have been promoted into it twice more.

Neither of their solitary seasons in the division have proved particularly happy ones—they achieved 24 points in 1999/2000 and 28 in 2006/07, finishing both seasons dead last.

Next season they’re unlikely to be such pushovers. While Bournemouth’s story of overcoming adversity has been brewing for several years, Watford’s has been encapsulated within one season. The team were on their fourth permanent manager by October, with Giuseppe Sannino, Oscar Garcia and Billy McKinlay all leaving the Vicarage Road dugout before Slavisa Jokanovic took over.

It speaks volumes about the quality of the team’s squad—something that has been conspicuously lacking in their previous two visits to the Premier League—that they even kept within touching distance of the leading pack during a period of such instability.

Under Jokanovic, they not only kept up, but also remained consistent while others—including Bournemouth—wobbled and—in cases such as Derby County—lost their way.

The Hornets’ defence ranked as the fourth best in the division, but it was their attack—which netted 90 times, second only to the Cherries—that was the major reason for their success. The goalscoring of Troy Deeney, Odion Igalo and Matej Vydra—who scored 21, 20 and 16 goals respectively—were their most vital sources, with one of the latter two players typically partnering Deeney in a front two with the other fitting in behind the strikers as part of a five-man midfield.

Watford's goalscoring abilities were displayed nowhere better than in what proved to be one of the pivotal points of their season: 2-0 down at half-time to lowly Blackpool, the Hornets ran rampant in the second period, scoring an unanswered eight and quashing any suggestion they didn't have the bottle to see the job through.

Jokanovic’s use of a back three in a 3-5-2 formation is a forward-thinking approach, which will stand them in good stead in the top flight. Further encouragement can be taken from the fact they haven’t relied on their three strikers—both Heurelho Gomes in goal and Gabriele Angella at the heart of defence have provided solidity that will be crucial next term.

Finally, in Adlene Guedioura, they have a genuinely match-changing presence in the centre of the field and will be desperate to secure his services permanently from Crystal Palace.

Perhaps the biggest worry for Watford is the lack of Premier League experience in their squad. Vydra served one undistinguished season in the league with West Bromwich Albion, and his inability to step up to the level will be a worry for Jokanovic, as will the fact that of the 10 players with the most minutes this season, only Gomes, Vydra and Craig Cathcart have any Premier League experience whatsoever.

Crucially, the club have broken from their recent cycle of relying on players loaned from another of the Pozzo family’s clubs, with only Vydra loaned from Udinese this season. With Giampaolo Pozzo bankrolling the team, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see several new faces arrive, however, and Jokanovic will have to ensure that any new recruits bed in quickly.

Watford’s Premier League fate will likely hinge on how their promising but relatively untested squad can adapt to the rigours of the top flight.

Miguel Layun is set to play in Europe for the second time in five years. In 2009 he arrived in Serie A club Atalanta; now he will appear in England’s second division.

The Mexican caught the media attention during the 2014 World Cup after becoming one of the most valuable assets in Miguel Herrera's starting XI.

Layun joined Atalanta five years ago when the club recruiters saw him play with Veracruz, then a second-division team, as per Goal.

Despite making his debut with the Nerazzurri in September, Layun only appeared two times with the team for a total of 33 minutes on the pitch and one shot on target.

When he returned to Mexico he was mocked—hard!

America signed him without hesitation, and the fans showed their dislike by using the hashtag #TodoesCulpadeLayun (it's all Layun's fault).

But the Mexican proved everyone wrong. In November 2013 he told FIFA.com:

I had to try very hard and push myself to the limit to change the situation I was in. A lot of people had opinions without knowing the reality and it was difficult explaining things and trying to convince everyone. The only way to change anything was to do my talking out on the pitch instead of on social networks.

Layun helped America secure the 2013 Clausura tournament title. He netted the last penalty kick in the second leg of the final showdown against Cruz Azul.

The left-back also earned a spot with Mexico's B team for that year’s Gold Cup, but it was only until Herrera, then Las Aguilas' coach, capped him for the World Cup playoff against New Zealand.

Layun was instrumental in both legs. Overall, he made three assists thanks to his speed and vision when joining the attack through the left flank.

Along came the World Cup warm-ups, where he scored a brace against Israel. Both goals came after he made powerful long-distance shots.

In Brazil 2014, he played four games for a total of 360 minutes. Layun also recovered 15 balls, per FIFA.com.

He continued to create goal opportunities, with 60 percent of them through the left sideline, while his pass completion equaled 76 percent.

Despite his superb performance, he stayed with America for the 2014 Apertura tournament, in which he appeared 17 times. He scored six goals, just two goals shy from Oribe Peralta, and becoming his team's second-best scorer.

It was only a matter of time for a European club to notice the left-back, whose flexibility has allowed him to play as a midfielder.

Spanish club Granada signed Layun on a five-year deal. The footballer and America tweeted the news on December 30.

However, that same day it was announced Layun was loaned to Watford until the end of the season. 

OFFICIAL: The first port of call for @Miguel_layun will be @watfordfcsays, where he'll spend the remainder of the 2014-15 season on loan.

— Granada CF 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇮🇪 (@GranadaCF_en) December 30, 2014

This kind of move is not new. This year Granada bought Ghanaian footballer Mohammed Fatau only to transfer him to Rayo Vallecano, as reported by the club's website (in Spanish).

It happened again in 2013, when the Nazaries sent Daniel Pudil to Italian side Cesena. Six months later the left-back arrived in Watford on a loan, according to BBC.

Layun will have to fight with Pudil for a spot on the team. The Czech has been Slavisa Jokanovic's first choice since he took over the team last October.

The coach usually goes for a 3-5-2 formation in which the full-backs have a lot of activity. They join the attack on a regular basis, which results in goal opportunities through the flanks. But they also help the defense when in distress.

This is a system that Layun knows by heart. Both Herrera and Antonio Mohamed used it while managing America; El Piojo also took it to El Tri.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6JbKf6NPuU

Layun needs to adjust quickly if he wants to make a real impact on the pitch. This adjustment includes the club and the Championship game's pace, as well as the weather and the city.

Perhaps his body build (5'6", 141 lbs) is the Mexican's clearest disadvantage. But he has proved to be a hard worker, so expect him to hit the gym on a regular basis.

This move might not seem like the best fit for the defender, but he needs to get used to European football. Being on a team that is eight points away from Bournemouth, the league leader, and with a clear chance to make the Premier League are the perfect motivators for Layun to perform toward perfection.

All advanced stats appear courtesy of Squawka and ESPN FC unless otherwise noted.

Follow @ karlitsv

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqTuwnDmEgk

Watford may be stuck in the second level of English football, but they are already in the Premier League when it comes to celebrity fans, after Jennifer Aniston adopted the Hornets as her new football club.

The Friends actress, 44, was being interviewed by BBC Radio 1's Chris Stark about her new film, We're The Millers.

Stark gave her a shirt with her name and squad number on the back, and Aniston vowed to wear it.

Earlier this year, Stark's awkward interview with Mila Kunis went viral when Kunis broke off talking about her film to discuss going to the pub with his mates, and watching Watford at their home ground, Vicarage Road.

Kunis became a celebrity fan of the club—and Stark resolved not to miss out on the chance to continue recruiting when he caught up with Aniston.

Stark: When I interviewed Mila Kunis I didn't have a Watford shirt to hand and I will always regret that.

Aniston: Do you want me to give it to her?

Stark: No, I've got your name on the back... [...] They're only a small club, they're in the Championship, but they'll love that I've given you that.

Aniston: I think that's really special and you know what? Small—you can only go up from there, right? And get bigger and bigger, and better and better.

All of which will doubtless be great news for Watford and their manager, Gianfranco Zola.

The Hornets were third in the Championship last season, missing out on promotion by a whisker on the final day—and then again in the playoff final when Crystal Palace triumphed.

They are among the favourites to go up this season, however, and have begun with two consecutive wins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foznsHb39oY

I may be a fan of hyperbole—probably the biggest fan of all time—but the finish of the Watford-Leicester City npower Championship playoff second leg is unquestionably one of the greatest I've ever seen.

In second-half injury time, with Watford leading 2-1 on the day but tied 2-2 on aggregate, Gianfranco Zola's boys were set to be eliminated on away goals. Leicester would go through to the Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium to play for the chance to move up to the Premier League next season.

Watford's situation was made far worse with a questionable penalty call in the 97th minute on the Hornets' Marco Cassetti. Leicester City was already set to advance, but this would cement it. 

But Spanish goalkeeper Manuel Almunia made a sprawling kick save on Anthony Knockaert's penalty, then followed it up with another reflex save on the rebound.

The ball was cleared out toward midfield, but Watford still needed a goal.

A speedy run up the right flank got the ball to Fernando Forestieri in the right corner. Forestieri placed an in-swinging cross into the goal mouth that found the head of Jonathan Hogg. Facing solid pressure, Hogg's header popped back into the middle and directly into the path of an onrushing Troy Deeney. 

Deeney blasted past Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, and the Watford fans—not to mention the brilliant announcing team—went absolutely berserk.

The entire Watford team sprinted into the stands to celebrate with their fans, and Zola slipped and fell onto the turf. 

The entire sequence took 22 seconds, and it completely turned around the entire tie. Watford had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and were through to fight another day for the right to play in the Premier League.

Follow @ahirshfield

***

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Watford's Premier League dream remains alive after the most dramatic of turnarounds in the nPower Championship playoffs.

Trailing 1-0 after the first leg of their playoff semifinal against Leicester City, Watford rallied for a late, late 3-1 victory Sunday at Vicarage Road. With the win, the Hornets advanced to the playoff final at Wembley where they will play either Brighton and Hove Albion or Crystal Palace on May 27.

Had a bounce or two gone another direction, however, Watford would be done for the season. If you missed it, here's what happened.

Watford led Leicester 2-1 heading into second-half stoppage time. The two-legged semifinal was tied 2-2 after Leicester's 1-0 win in the first leg, and extra time was beckoning.

Then the match took a turn toward the dramatic. Leicester won a penalty deep in stoppage time as Antony Knockaert went to ground in the box. Contact from Watford's Marco Cassetti appeared slight, and Knockaert made the most of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZBiHzCxOek

Knockaert took the penalty, hitting the ball down the middle with his left foot.

Watford goalkeeper Manuel Almunia dived to his left but saved the shot with his trailing leg.

Almunia then recovered quickly enough to stop Knockaert's rebound. Watford cleared and immediately began a counterattack.

Watford broke quickly down the right flank. Ikechi Anya passed to Fernando Forestieri, who crossed deep to the far post for Jonathan Hogg.

Hogg headed back to Troy Deeney, who smashed the clinching goal into the net.

It all happened in the seventh minute of stoppage time, and it was one of the most dramatic finishes you'll ever see. Add in the high stakes and it might just be one of the most memorable moments of the season.

To view the whole sequence in real time, click here for a video. For another perspective, be sure to watch a gloriously flabbergasted commentary from a Sky Sports pundit below.

Way back in the first half, Matej Vydra opened the scoring for Watford in the 15th minute before Leicester's David Nugent equalized four minutes later. Vydra's second, in the 65th minute, put Watford back ahead and appeared destined to send the game to extra time.

But then two moments of magic won it for Watford, who will now ride a wave of emotion into the Championship playoff final.

(GIFs via @FeintZebra)

Follow @MikeCummings37

Atletico Madrid are looking at signing Barcelona’s Mexico captain Rafael Marquez, so the defensive player can join compatriot Javier Aguire and fellow defensive recruitments Johny Heitinga and Thomas Ujfalusi. (Sky Sports News)

The Spanish club have also abandoned plans to sign a host of players, such as Porto’s Lucho Gonzalez, Hamburg’s Rafael Van Der Vaart, Werder Bremen’s Diego and Juventus’ Thiago. This is because the players’ signings would disrupt the wage structure at the Vicente Calderon. (Sky Sports News)

Bristol City have had a bid for Nottingham Forrest striker Nathan Tyson turned down. The offer was believed to be around three quarters of a million. The former Reading player has one year remaining on his current deal, but he has been offered a two-year extension. Forest have also completed the signing of Wales striker Robert Earnshaw from Derby County for two and a half million. (Sky Sports News)

Tottenham are set to sign Crystal Palace’s 16-year-old first team player John Bostock subject to a tribunal agreeing a fee for the England youth International. (The Times)

Finland striker Mikael Forssell has left Birmingham and signed for German Bundesliga side Hannover 96 on a free transfer. (The Times)

Wolves and old firm duo Rangers and Celtic are battling it out for the four million pound signing of Burnley’s Northern Ireland International Kyle Lafferty after the player announced his intention to leave Turf Moor this summer.  

Derby County have completed a double raid on championship rivals Watford, by signing striker Nathan Ellington for one million and full back Jordan Stewart on a free transfer. (Sky Sports News)

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres will get a four million pound pay raise to his current contract to stop interest in the Spain International from Chelsea. (The Sun)

Everton will bid eight million for Manchester City’s England International Michael Johnson this summer. (The Sun)

Wolsburg and Monaco are keen to take Manchester City’s Italian striker Rolando Bianchi away from Eastlands this summer. (The Sun)

Another striker on the brink of leaving Eastlands is Belgium International Emile Mpenza, who is being chased by Bolton, Leicester, Reading and Ipswich. (The Sun)

West Ham could be on the verge of signing Reading’s England left back Nicky Shorey, after five million was quoted by the royals. (The Times)

Sunderland hope to pip rivals Portsmouth and Aston Villa to the signing of Reading’s Ireland winger Stephen Hunt for five million pounds.  This is despite fact that the former Brentford is currently on his honeymoon, and negotiations not expected to be completed until mid-June. (The Times)

West Ham are willing to listen to offers of around five million for centre half Anton Ferdinand. Tottenham are rumoured to be readying a bid. (Daily Mirror)

Crystal Palace will make a third bid for Sheffield United striker Danny Webber, after having two bids for the former Manchester United and Watford striker turned down in January. (Daily Mirror)

Former Scotland cap Kevin Kyle could be set to sign for Southend United to try to resurrect his fledging career. (Daily Mirror)

The old firm are both interested in Middlesbrough’s captain and Dutch International George Boateng. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa and Tottenham will go head to head with eight million pound bids for Manchester City’s England keeper Joe Hart. (Daily Star)

Juventus have signed Brazilian striker Amauri from Palermo for around 18 million, with Italian midfielder Antonio Nocerino going the other way. (The Guardian)

Wigan will sign Zamalek attacking midfielder Amr Zaki on loan if the Egyptian club can find a replacement. (The Guardian)

Southampton will try and resign Chris Baird from Fulham. The Northern Ireland right back would be available for a knock down price. (The Guardian)

Barcelona may seek out Inter Milan with a trade; The Catalans want to exchange their player Samuel Eto’o for Inter striker Zlatan Ibramovich in a straight swap. (Various)

Although apparently Barcelona are lining up a move for Thierry Henry’s International strike partner David Trezequet from Juventus. (L’Equipe)

Rangers want to sign Juventus’ Italian winger Raffaele Palladino for five million. (Daily Star)

Manchester United will allow reserve keeper Tom Heaton to join Cardiff City on loan in the hope of stealing a march on their rivals in the race to sign teenage prospect Aaron Ramsey. (Daily Mail)

Espanyol have turned down a 9.5 million pound bid from Liverpool for their former Manchester City and Spain winger Albert Riera. (Various)

Werder Bremen, Villarreal, Valencia and Bayern Munich are all interested in signing out-of-favour Peru striker Claudio Pizarro from Chelsea. (Bild)

Tottenham could sign both Giovanni Dos Santos and Richard Dunne in a 17 million pound deal, five million for Dunne and 12 million pounds for Dos Santos. (Various)

First and foremost, congratulations to West Brom and Stoke City for securing automatic promotion to the Premiership.

One of the tightest Championship races for a long time saw Watford streak ahead before Christmas only to be pegged back. Into the New Year no team could pull away from the rest of the pack, leaving the title race open into the last few games of the season.

With Tony Mowbray at the helm West Brom have attacking, free flowing football down too a tee and many would be mistaken in believing the man in charge was a tough centre back for 18 years with Middlesbrough, Celtic and Ipswich.

The defense will need improving for the step up as for the 88 goals scored, 60 were let in at the other end, but unlike many teams making the step up West Brom have a solid spine of players who have all played in the Premier League before. Can West Brom beat the drop, or like their neighbours Birmingham City will they become a yo-yo team?

Stoke City's rise to the premiership has been built on some very shrewd loan signings by manager Tony Pulis. No less than 6 premiership based players have worn the Potters red and white stripes maintaining their consistency throughout the league.

Although not showcasing the highlight reel football of a West Brom, Stoke have managed to fit their loanees in around the quality of Liam Lawrence, Ricardo Fuller and Leon Cort all of which have the ability to make an impact in the premiership.

Without doubt Stoke will need to strengthen in all areas to stand a chance of surviving in their return to the top flight, perhaps starting with making some of the loan signings permanent. Can they make an impression and finish above the drop zone? Highly unlikely!

Now the playoffs...

At time of writing Bristol City confirmed their place at Wembley with a 4-2 aggregate win over Crystal Palace and Hull City take a 2-0 lead over Watford to the KC Stadium.

Bristol City have far surpassed any targets they set themselves at the beginning of the season. Throughout the whole campaign it was a case of when will they stumble? But give credit where credits due, they did not and continue to surpass expectation with a solid 2 game performance against a dangerous Palace side.

Gary Johnson, a man with international management under his belt, albeit with Latvia has taken a mid-table team at best and taken them to within 1 game of the premiership. Solid defense has been the key to their success as a +1 goal difference for a team finishing 4th is unheard of.

Like all teams making the leap major improvements will be needed but it'll be a pleasure seeing football league legends Lee Trundle and Dele Adebola finally get a stab at the Premiership. Nothing more than a bottom three finish though!

Since his arrival at Hull City, Phil Browns win percentage is at a very mediocre 42%, but yet here his team lies on the verge of a playoff final, so like Bristol City definitely a team surpassing all expectations.

With veterans Nicky Barmby and Dean Windass leading the way this could be their final swansong with one final crack at the premiership.

Likely to be a major struggle should they make it through the playoffs, the Tigers will be looking to strengthen everywhere and add a few young legs to do the running for the old boys.

Even the magic of Jay Jay (so good they named him twice) Okocha it's very much likely the tigers will be looking at a bottom three finish and likely to be the worst performers of the 3 promoted clubs.

I must mention Watford as they are still in with a shout. Aide Boothroyds men have been on a slow downward spiral since the new year and were very lucky to make the playoffs pipping Wolves by a goal difference of one.

Since the loss of Marlon King they have lost their ability to score goals. Had they kept him they'd have finished higher, probably beating Stoke to 2nd.

As it stands they would have a chance of survival in the premier league with the majority of their team who made no disgrace of themselves during their last premiership campaign. Also as the team coming straight back up after relegation, they have a strange ability to then beat the drop and begin to establish themselves in the league.

Should they make it, minus a target man it's likely to be a very tough time, so again a bottom 3 finish...

Overall an unexpected finish to another exciting Championship campaign.