EPISODE 1 GUESTS: Troy Deeney, Luther Blissett & Graham Stack

28/03/20

1 The View from the Vic Episode 1 As an accompaniment to the podcast, we’re happy to provide an accessible commentary. We have included the introduction to the episode below, where the guests are introduced.

Jon Marks: Hello and welcome to the View from the Vic, our new official Watford Football Club podcast.

I’m Jon Marks and we’ll be with you every week to bring you news and views from The Hornets’ camp and we’ll be joined by special guests throughout and we’ll hear from you, the supporters too. Shortly, we’ll be joined by Hornets’ captain, Troy Deeney, Goalkeeping Coach, Graham Stack and Kevin Affleck, who works at the club as a media consultant and a little bit later we’ll be joined by the clubs’ record goal scorer, Luther Blissett. Not a bad first line up.

Now obviously, we’re not all in the same place, so this is all being recorded remotely, as we’re all following the latest advice from government to stay at home and stay safe. You can find out the latest updates on our website at watfordfc.com of course. [“Troy Deeney, Watford’s Number 9” chant plays in background] Well, now I’m delighted to be joined on The View from the Vic by a trio of guests. So, hello and welcome to Troy Deeney…

Troy Deeney: Hello Jon: Graham Stack… Graham Stack: Hello Jon: And Kevin Affleck. Kevin Affleck: Hi Jon…

Jon Marks went on to speak with all of the guests about how their lives were going, given the recent implementation of lockdown measures in the UK. Troy Deeney spoke of how he had enjoyed spending more time with the family, but had been missing being around his teammates. Graham Stack agreed with Troy, speaking of the importance of structure in his household and the balance between his kids getting their school work done, but not trying to be “too much of a school teacher”. Kevin Affleck mentioned that he had noticed a few virus symptoms in himself, so things had become that bit more real.

Jon asked Troy how he feels about moving away from being “Troy the footballer” and back towards solely being a family man. Troy said: “People have got uncertainties with work and obviously that affects family and friends and stuff like that, so you kind of realise how privileged we are again as footballers, not having to have that discussion yet about wages being slashed or people having to get laid off work, so we’re fortunate in that position, but you’ve seen the real life effects of what it has to others around you and it brings you back down to earth.

2 The View from the Vic Episode 1 It’s humbling as well in a sense that me and Stacky, I think we joke about it every day, but we genuinely buzz off the environment of being footballers and being in and around lads. We’re appreciative of the job we have, but I think moments like this set you up and go… nah, do you know what, this is the best job in The World.

I’m back to being Troy and Dad and everything that comes with that, but honestly I can’t say I’m made out for this kind of role. I think that football is all I’m really, truly passionate about in that sense. It’s just trying to understand now, as Stacky said, the school work needs to be done. You don’t want to turn into a school teacher, you still want them to have fun, because as much as, as adults, we’re panicking about what’s going on, this is definitely an uncertain time for the kids as well. So, it’s strange for them as much as it is for us.”

Stack added that he didn’t think the club will want to take any chances in terms of returning to training too soon, given the potential associated dangers. He also joked that he’d already run out of things to do around the house, saying there could be some long-term implications of the lockdown.

? *Trivia Teaser – Who am I? First Clues*

At this point in the episode, Jon introduced the ‘trivia teaser’ for the episode – a game of ‘Who am I?’. The first set of clues are: I was born in The Balearic Islands in 1982. I played in La Liga, Ligue Une, The Premier League, The Greek Super League and the Turkish Super League. I won the Copa Del Rey as well as the Super League in both Greece and Turkey, before arriving for a very short spell at Watford. Those are the first three clues.

Troy was quick to ask if Jon could make it any easier, before Kevin added that he’s “earnt a few quid by the sounds of it!”

? *More clues will be revealed later on, as well as eventually the answer*

Troy divulged some information about his lockdown fitness regime, saying he’d got up that morning and run a 5k on the treadmill and done a quick weights session. There was a ‘proper’ session planned for later, somewhere in between helping the kids with school work, having lunch and walking the dog. Troy’s main focus was weight maintenance, making sure not to pile on the pounds ahead of a possible return to

3 The View from the Vic Episode 1 training.

The Hornets skipper went on to give Graham some banter about having taught him how to use the gym, the Goalkeeping Coach was quizzed by Jon on whether he’d been out on a 5k run that morning. He replied: “We’ve done Joe Wicks again, 2nd day running today, so the kids are loving that at the minute which is good. We’ve got a couple of hours of school work, then they’ll stop and have a break for a half hour. I want them to be out in the sun as well – be outside in the garden. I don’t want them really sitting in the house all day, because they can do a bit of school work this evening. I wanna try and strike that balance up. It’s not always right, but it is what I think, so they’ll do a couple of hours, have some lunch, then they’ll be out in the garden for a few hours, then I can have a little siesta, hopefully on the sofa whilst they’re all outside playing and catch up on some sleep.”

Troy went on to speak of how he’s approached the situation as captain, in terms of reaching out to members of the squad. He chose to give the majority of the squad the first week to adjust to things on their own, citing that it has been a major culture shock for many people and that mental health is certainly a priority. He spoke of his intention to follow up with everyone over the next week or so.

Kevin Affleck went on to jokingly ask if anyone had spared a thought for Diana Holebas, faced with the prospect of having to isolate with José. Andre Gray has also supposedly been doing all he can to make sure his partner, Leigh-Anne, didn’t make him feature in her TikTok videos. Troy said that Andre should embrace it and that he himself had been getting involved in TikTok challenges and trying to have as much fun as possible.

Graham started talking about his personal dancing preferences, before prefacing his comments by saying he’d had a “few too many sherbets” and that he didn’t feel too comfortable with dancing in the front room, as he was more accustomed to ‘a sticky dance floor and a bit of a crowd’, prompting laughter.

The talk turned back towards the pandemic, with Kevin mentioning how Watford Police had reported that they’d been having to disperse groups playing cricket in the park and queues of people buying ice

4 The View from the Vic Episode 1 creams. Troy said: “It’s frightening … The worst thing that ever came out was them saying that it doesn’t affect the young, because they’re saying if it doesn’t affect me, I don’t care”, before cautiously suggesting that it’s going to need these people to be personally affected and perhaps realise that they are the ones infecting their loved ones to curb this kind of behaviour and practice correct social distancing.

Jon asked Troy the one thing that he misses most about football, to which he said “the match day”, saying that the Saturday buzz can’t be replicated and it has made him appreciate the fans even more, especially thinking about the prospect of playing games behind closed doors and the impact this has on players’ mind set, e.g. when waiting in the tunnel just minutes prior to kick-off.

? *Trivia Teaser – Who am I? Second Clues*

Manager’s played for include: Stuart Pearce, Rafael Benitez, Ernesto Valverde (twice), Roberto Mancini. Teammates include: Didier Drogba, Wesley Sneijder, Troy Deeney, Lloyd Doyley, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Pablo Zabaleta, Nordin Ambrabat and José Holebas.

After these two clues, both Troy and Graham believe they know the answer. At this point, we said goodbye to Troy, as we moved onto the next feature: ‘The One That Got Away’ – where we hear from supporters who missed a famous game and have regretted it ever since. Watford supporter of more than 40 years, Gary French, told his story of missing the 7-1, second leg victory over Southampton in the League Cup, in 1980. His father hadn’t taken him because it was a school night and Watford were 4-0 down after the first leg. Aged 9, he woke up in the morning to a note from his Dad informing him of the 7-1 score line, saying he was sorry for not taking him. Kevin Affleck mentioned that he’d missed the 1999 Play-off Final against Bolton because he couldn’t get out of working his shift at Next. He also missed ‘that goal’ against Leicester. Graham (as a QPR fan) said he missed the 2014 Play-off Final against Derby County, when Bobby Zamora scored a last gasp winner because he was at a wedding.

The focus soon moved onto Troy Deeney and what kind of effect he has on the club. As someone who has known Troy for a number of years and obviously works closely with him now, Graham was able to offer an interesting insight into what Troy is like in and around the training ground, mentioning how impressed he was by the interaction he has with the younger players and the time that he puts into this. As well as speaking

5 The View from the Vic Episode 1 of his motivational qualities as a captain, Graham touched on how he’s an important figure for the fans as well as mentioning that he believes Troy still has a number of years ahead of him.

Jon asked Graham a little bit about his own role at the club and how this has changed over time. He mentioned how much he’s loved working with the younger goalkeepers and helping with the mental side of things, as much as anything actually on the pitch. With how technologically advanced player analysis has become, Graham admits that he struggles with that side somewhat, but is hugely rewarded by seeing the young goalkeepers joining up with the first team.

He then went on to speak of his pride in being asked to step up to working with the first team. Having worked under a number of different goalkeeping coaches throughout his career, this allowed Graham to develop his own unique way of working, taking aspects from each coach that he worked with. Working with numerous different goalkeepers, with a range of needs, Graham spoke of the importance of finding a balance between getting a particular goalkeeper ready mentally by engaging in a game of head tennis, for example, whilst not wanting to overlook the technical needs of the other goalkeepers. After this point, Graham also exited the podcast.

Jon then went on to speak about the clubs’ ‘Hornets at Home’ initiative, that helps to connect elderly or house-bound supporters with other fans who may be able to provide them with assistance, as the coronavirus outbreak threatens to make life difficult for vulnerable members of society. At the time of recording, hundreds of fans had been in touch offering their assistance. Fans who know of someone in need of assistance or those who need assistance themselves are advised to contact the Ticket Office via ticket.office@ watfordfc.com or call on 01923 223023.

We then moved onto our second fan feature of the episode – ‘The Extra Mile’, where fans are asked how far they have gone to support the hornets. Hornets supporter since 1990, Adam Merson, had to leave his two-week family holiday in Turkey with his son Alfie, in order to watch the FA Cup Final against Manchester City. To add to the fact Adam was having to spend the time and money to get to Wembley and back whilst on holiday, the game also fell on his wedding anniversary meaning he had to incur the wrath of his wife.

? *Trivia Teaser – Who am I? Third and Final Clues*

I won 16 International caps for Spain, my only goal in my short spell with Watford came

6 The View from the Vic Episode 1 at Vicarage Road against Ipswich and I was a Left Winger.

We then welcomed our final guest, Watford FC’s record goal scorer, Luther Blissett, onto the podcast. Luther echoed the words of Graham Taylor, re-iterating that his priorities were ‘Family first, Football second’. He also made the point of thanking all of the NHS and essential workers for all that they are doing through this difficult time. When asked of what he’s been doing to keep himself occupied during lockdown, Luther mentioned of how important he was seeing people’s faces, saying he favours a video call to an email or a text message, as there is the risk of feeling isolated if you are not able to see friends and acquaintances. The talk then turned back round to the importance of adhering to the government guidelines and looking out for others during a difficult time.

Being the clubs’ record goal scorer, Luther was asked whether he believed Troy would be able to surpass him in terms of league goals, with him needing a further 27 to do so. Luther said it would be amazing if he could, as he believed that would mean Watford staying in the Premier League and being successful, but insisted that respectfully, he is not bothered whether the record is beaten or not, as he separates it off as something that he achieved in his own playing days. With his recent performance against Liverpool, Ismaïla Sarr, was compared to Luther and there was discussion over whether he could establish consistency in his game and become a key man for Watford.

? *Trivia Teaser – Who am I? Answer*

Now at the end of the episode, the time came to reveal the answer to the Trivia Teaser. Graham Stack and Troy Deeney both got the answer correct after the second set of clues, but Kevin Affleck admits that he struggled. The answer is Albert Riera, who made eight appearances for the Hornets in 2014, managing a goal and a red card during the short spell. Thank you very much for joining us. We look forward to welcoming you back next week!

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