In 1977 Graham Taylor and Elton John drew up a ten-year plan to steer Watford Football Club from the depths of the Fourth Division to the top flight.
They did it in five.
The Hornets took on and defeated the giants of English football in the Eighties. They were runners-up to Liverpool in the Football League, they played in Europe, and reached the FA Cup final at Wembley for the first time.
Enjoy the Game by Lionel Birnie, published in 2010, is a book that tells the story of that incredible decade based on dozens of interviews with the players and management who made it happen.
Now, for the first time, it's available as an audio series, read by Watford supporter, actor and voice artist Colin Mace.
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Every fairytale has to come to an end sometime. After the shortlived Dave Bassett era, Watford turned to the continuity candidate, Steve Harrison, who had been part of Graham Taylor's coaching staff throughout their most successful seasons.
But Harrison – by his own admission – was not cut out for management and although the team made a good stab at making an immediate return to the First Division, they fell short in the play-offs. The glory days had passed and it would be the best part of a decade before they would be back at Vicarage Road, and it would take the return of Graham Taylor to bring them about. But that is another story...
This has been Enjoy the Game, which was written and published by Lionel Birnie in 2010. The audio series was read by Colin Mace and was produced by Jon Moonie of From the Rookery End.
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12 Oct 2023
Chapter 25 – Call Me Harry
'It was a monumental error but I didn’t see it and neither did Elton' – Dave Bassett
Summer 1987
Meet the new boss, very different to the old boss. Elton John wasted little time lining up a successor to Graham Taylor. He called round to see Dave Bassett, who had been part of a similar fairytale journey through the divisions at Wimbledon. Bassett also had a reputation as a long ball manager, although Wimbledon's style was a lot rougher and readier than Watford's, especially as Taylor's side had evolved into a more sophisticated version over the years.
On the face of it, Bassett was the logical choice, the perfect man to continue the story at Vicarage Road. But very early on it became apparent it was not a match made in heaven.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
12 Oct 2023
Chapter 24 – The End of an Era
'No one got Elton and I together and asked if this was what we wanted' – Graham Taylor
Just after the season had ended, with the disappointment of the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Tottenham still fresh in everyone's minds, the unthinkable happens.
Graham Taylor announced he had the chance to go to Aston Villa. He half-expected Elton, or one of the directors, to implore him to stay. But no one stepped in.
Did Taylor feel he'd taken Watford as far as he could? Was Elton's interest in the club waning? Did the other directors feel the manager wielded too much power?
As with most of these things, there was no decisive answer but here is the story of how Watford's incredible decade of success came to an end, as told by the people who were involved at the time.
Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
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