Bristol City (2-2) 8-8-8 32 pts.

An expectant trip to Ashton Gate ended in Watford’s second draw in three days thanks to an injury-time equalizer from John Eustace.

There was little excitement until minute 36 when a Watford goal was disallowed as Heidar Helguson was called offside. City took the initiative against the run of play and beat a lax Hornet defense with a David Clarkson cross to Danny Haynes a minute later to take the lead.

Tom Cleverley lobbed in the equalizer six minutes later, but a Paul Hartley free kick found the underside of the bar from 30 yards out to put the Robins ahead 2-1 at the half.

Watford put pressure on the home side for most of the second half, finally cracking City’s side when Lewin Nytanga was booted after his second yellow card, leaving Bristol City down a man.

Jon Harley came on for Henri Lansbury, injured by the Nytanga foul, and Malkay Mackay opted for an attacking formation at the end of the game, bringing Liam Henderson on for Lee Hodson. The move paid off as pressure on Bristol City finally yielded the Eustace goal (assist Helguson) three minutes into added time.

A nil-nil draw from Swansea City leaves the Hornets five points off the playoff zone.

The next match is Sunday, January 3, 2010 as the Hornets travel to Stamford Bridge to tackle Premier League leader Chelsea in Round Three of the FA Cup. Kickoff is 9:00 am St. Louis time. There are no plans to televise the match in the US.

Nottingham Forest (nil-nil) 8-7-8 31 pts.

We were plowing through the snow from Iowa to Missouri and missed the Boxing Day match. A controversial non-call on a hand ball may have denied Watford two additional points, but a very even match against 3rd place Forest seems to have satisfied the gaffer.

After the Power Plays . . .

After facing the prospect of administration and a 10 point deduction due to £5 million loan due on demand, the club has permanently solved that problem by taking on a £5 million loan due on demand FROM SOMEONE ELSE. Boy, lesson learned.

Oh yeah, and we're going to secure that one with a mortgage on the grounds as well.

So I guess we fixed the operation shortfall. Well no, that's still £5 million in the hole even with the pre-sales from the Elton John concert. The solution? If the club can talk investors into this money pit, they hope to raise £7.5 in convertible debt. Good luck. At least it will be permanent capital.

Until the cash runs out again.

For an interesting look at Watford's finances, see Football Finances.

Ellington Live at the Greek Theatre!

Ok. Not that Ellington or that Greece.

Rather Nathan Ellington, long-time fifth wheel striker for the Hornets, is on his way to Skoda Xanthi FC - on loan for 2010 with an option to be picked up at the end.

Signed to a 4-year deal at the start of the 2007 - 2008 season for a club-record transfer fee of £3.25 million, the 28-year old striker never lived up to the expectations, scoring only 5 goals in 51 appearances for the Hornets. Loaned out to Derby County, he fared no better, netting only three goals in 27 league appearances for Paul Jewell & Nigel Clough.

He fared a bit better in Cup play with a hat trick for the Rams in League Cup action and a game-winning penalty shot in the quarterfinals, but nowhere along the line did he show himself worth £3.25 million and Derby declined to pick up their option.

Let's hope a cash-strapped Watford can salvage something out of this unfortunate signing.

Peterborough United (1-2) 8-6-8 30 pts.

A freezing pitch, a missed penalty call, poor defending and a lackluster match by Heidar Helguson resulted in a loss for the Hornets at London Road.

Posh midfielder Lee Frecklington managed a cross from George Boyd in minute nine to put Peterborough United ahead 1-0.

Posh keeper Joe Louis lived up to his namesake, mauling Danny Graham in the penalty box but the referee ended up giving Graham a yellow card after his protest.

John Eustace gained the equalizer four minutes into the second half, but another Boyd cross found its mark in Exodus Geohaghan who put Peterborough ahead for good with twelve minutes left.

The next match is Boxing Day, December 26 at Vicarage Road. Thanks to the tradition of holiday matches starting at noon, kickoff will be at 6:00 am St. Louis time.

Saved from Administration!

The Watford Observer is reporting that former chairman Jimmy Russo has accepted Lord Ashcroft's offer to repay a loan of £4.88 million which will keep the club out of administration.

Hopefully the club can focus on football now. That would be a Darren Ferguson-less Peterborough United tomorrow morning. Kickoff is 9:00 am St. Louis time.

Lloyd Doyley & Aidy Boothroyd on Coca-Cola Football League Podcast

This week's podcast features Hornet defenseman Lloyd Doyley on his first career goal and former skipper Aidy Bothroyd on Colchester United.

Russos Reject Fordwat Offer - Administration Immenent

Citing dilution of ownership stake, minority owners Jimmy & Frank Russo have rejected Lord Ashcroft's rights offering proposal and are prepared to place the club in administration.

Turmoil at Watford - The Rest of the Story

As noted yesterday, resignations were the order of the day at the Annual General Meeting this week but the back story has plunged Watford into possible administration and a 10 point deduction.

Early in 2009 the Russo Brothers, Jimmy & Vince, owners of Valley Grown Salad acquired a 30% interest in Watford Leisure Plc, the publicly traded owners of the Watford FC. Lord Michael Ashcroft & Graham Simpson control ~54% (Ashcroft & Simpson - didn't they write "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"?).

In the course of the year, Valley Grown Salad loaned the club £4.88 million, including a £1 operating loan in November, secured by the stadium, Vicarage Road. The club claims a need of £5.5 million additional by Tuesday to meet obligations. The Russos have offered to purchase the club outright and finance the entire £5.5 million.

Meanwhile, the Board has refused to address the offer and, under rumor of a vote by Ashcroft & Simpson to oust the Russos, they, along with business associate Robin Williams, resigned Tuesday and demanded immediate repayment of the £4.88 million loan. They have continued the offer to buy the club however.

The London Stock Exchange offshoot Alternative Investment Market (AIM) suspended trading of Watford Leisure Plc yesterday. The Russos extended the repayment deadline to today, but this morning the Ashcroft & Simpson-lead Board voted to support a £7.5 debt offering with conversion/warrant provisions by Fordwat, an Ashcroft-controlled entity, to pay off the loans and raise operating capital, but the offer still turns on the Russos' extension of the debt deadline as the offering would not be completed in time to raise the needed cash to repay the loans.

If the deadline is not extended or the Board does not accept the Russos' offer to buy the club, both unlikely scenarios, the club will enter administration (similar to Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the states) today and be assessed a ten point deduction in the standings, a move that will see them just outside the relegation zone.

Russos Resign - Taylor Acting Chair

The Russo brothers resigned at yesterday's Annual Meeting leaving Graham Taylor as Acting Chairman.

Derby County (0-1) 8-6-7 30 pts.

Well the halls got decked Saturday morning but the match got missed. See the BBC's take above.

Join the US Bid for World Cups 2018/2022

The 1994 World Cup, the only held in the United States, ignited a soccer boom here in America.

The push is on to bring the World Cup back to our shore in 2018 or 2022. Click on the link above and add your name to the Go USA Bid for the World's Greatest Sporting Event.

Anelka Signs With St. Louis

OK. So it's brother Claude, not Chelsea striker Nicolas, and it's as coach. Anelka's previous try as gaffer was with the Raith Rovers after he offered THEM £300,000 and stuffed the side with tier two players from France. His stint lasted eight games whereupon he became Director of Football and was out before the year was over. If memory serves, the sad story was in an issue of FourFourTwo a few months ago.

Also the squad has come up with a name: AC St. Louis. Not the most original but with a slight nod to our Italian heritage. And certainly better than the runner up: Real Fenton.

Lansbury Seeking Permission to Extend Loan

Henri Lansbury, on loan from Arsenal, is reportedly in talks with Gunners manager Arsene Wenger to extend his loan past December 31.

The 19-year old midfielder has two goals in 16 appearances despite missing yesterday's match against QPR.

QPR (3-1) 8-6-6 30 pts.

The Hornets edged back into playoff territory (though with a game to their favor) as they came from a goal behind to beat QPR.

The Hoops scored first with a goal from Patrick Agyemang in minute 33, but a header from Lloyd Doyley (asst. Don Cowie) ten minutes later drew Watford even.

It stood 1-1 at the half and Jay DeMerit made his long awaited return, subbing from Craig Cathcart, when play resumed.

Cowie netted a goal of his own just before the hour mark with an assist from Tom Cleverley; Cleverley scoring the final goal himself four minutes into injury time (asst. Danny Graham).

Like Saturday, Watford drove the play but this time with cheerier results. The next match is Saturday, December 12 as Derby visits Vicarage Road. Kickoff is 9:00 am St. Louis time.

DeMerit Back On the Squad

Jay DeMerit, recovered from eye surgery, was on the bench for Saturday's Newcastle game. Obviously fit to play, the hope is he'll be in the line-up today.

Newcastle United (0-2) 7-6-6 27 pts.

The Hornets outplayed Newcastle United but an out-of-position Craig Cathcart triggered a Newcastle goal in the 20th minute and Watford spent the rest of the match playing catch-up.

Though they lead on shots, corners and possession, Watford failed to catch up and a late Newcastle goal sealed their fate.

The Golden Boys dropped to 12th in the table, but are still only two points off the playoff zone.

The next match is Monday, December 7 as they play host to QPR at Vicarge Road. Kickoff is 1:45 St. Louis time.

World Cup Groups

It's England, Slovenia, & Algeria for the US men (June 12th, 18th & 23rd respectively) in Group C of the first round of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

England is currently ranked #9 in the world to the U.S.'s #14. Slovenia & Algeria are not in the top 25, giving the US a good shot of advancing to the knock-out stage.

For the other groups, click on the link above.

Cup Tie to be Held January 3

Watford's third-round cup tie against Chelsea will be held Sunday, January 3. Kickoff will be 9:00 am St. Louis time. No info yet on televising.

Have Your Say with the Football League

The Football League (that's the 72 teams that make up the Championship, League 1, & League 2 - Chelsea fans need not apply) are conducting a supports' poll in an effort to improve the league. You have to identify your favorite team (Watford - natch) and, as of this writing, Watford is second behind Forest in responses (including mine this morning).

The poll is not exactly USA-friendly (how much would I pay in pounds to see the games on the net ???), but it will take your 5-digit zip code so they'll know you're not skipping home games just out of spite.

League CupDate (TM) Round 5

It's two Manchester's, Aston Villa & Blackburn in the semi-finals as the Rovers drew even with Chelsea two minutes into injury time at the end of extra time and managed two saves to beat the Premier League leaders 4-3 on penalties.

FA Youth Cup Match on Player Wednesday

The Watford Youth side will be hosting Wycombe in the third round proper of the FA Youth Cup tomorrow. The match will be available online for Player subscribers. Kickoff is 2:00 pm St. Louis time.