Harry at Watford - a really interesting read

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Booker4

Booker4

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Woke up today and as I do from time to time I reminisced back to Harry Bassett's days! I got thinking about his time with Watford in particular and although I've read Harry's book I found this article really interesting. Loads of players names you'll recognise and it talks about Harry's move to United also. Definitely the best thing Reg Brearley did by some distance! The article talks about when Harry came to United and how he realised he had to do it his way or else it could go the way of Watford. I never forget from reading Harry's book how he offered to resign after we were relegated after six months and Derek Dooley replied with "I suggest you get on with the jo we hire you to do"!

I love the following lines in the article in particular:

It worked out for me in the end. I had a great eight years at Sheffield United. They’re a much bigger club than Wimbledon or Watford. I’m loved in Sheffield.
When Sheffield United beat you in the cup, I fucking loved that. We got promoted, you didn’t. I loved that too.

Top man - legend!

 

Booker4 said:
Woke up today and as I do from time to time I reminisced back to Harry Bassett's days! I got thinking about his time with Watford in particular and although I've read Harry's book I found this article really interesting. Loads of players names you'll recognise and it talks about Harry's move to United also. Definitely the best thing Reg Brearley did by some distance! The article talks about when Harry came to United and how he realised he had to do it his way or else it could go the way of Watford. I never forget from reading Harry's book how he offered to resign after we were relegated after six months and Derek Dooley replied with "I suggest you get on with the jo we hire you to do"!

I love the following lines in the article in particular:

It worked out for me in the end. I had a great eight years at Sheffield United. They’re a much bigger club than Wimbledon or Watford. I’m loved in Sheffield.
When Sheffield United beat you in the cup, I fucking loved that. We got promoted, you didn’t. I loved that too.

Top man - legend!

Click to expand...
Just finished watching this.
 
Booker4 said:
Woke up today and as I do from time to time I reminisced back to Harry Bassett's days! I got thinking about his time with Watford in particular and although I've read Harry's book I found this article really interesting. Loads of players names you'll recognise and it talks about Harry's move to United also. Definitely the best thing Reg Brearley did by some distance! The article talks about when Harry came to United and how he realised he had to do it his way or else it could go the way of Watford. I never forget from reading Harry's book how he offered to resign after we were relegated after six months and Derek Dooley replied with "I suggest you get on with the jo we hire you to do"!

I love the following lines in the article in particular:

It worked out for me in the end. I had a great eight years at Sheffield United. They’re a much bigger club than Wimbledon or Watford. I’m loved in Sheffield.
When Sheffield United beat you in the cup, I fucking loved that. We got promoted, you didn’t. I loved that too.

Top man - legend!

Click to expand...
Great article. Bassett’s recall of every team, every game is incredible, I’ve listened to him on a few podcasts and I’m always blown away by this.
Sometimes find it incredible that we were managed by someone who is rightly thought of as a legend of the game, and not just by us.
 
Booker4 said:
Woke up today and as I do from time to time I reminisced back to Harry Bassett's days! I got thinking about his time with Watford in particular and although I've read Harry's book I found this article really interesting. Loads of players names you'll recognise and it talks about Harry's move to United also. Definitely the best thing Reg Brearley did by some distance! The article talks about when Harry came to United and how he realised he had to do it his way or else it could go the way of Watford. I never forget from reading Harry's book how he offered to resign after we were relegated after six months and Derek Dooley replied with "I suggest you get on with the jo we hire you to do"!

I love the following lines in the article in particular:

It worked out for me in the end. I had a great eight years at Sheffield United. They’re a much bigger club than Wimbledon or Watford. I’m loved in Sheffield.
When Sheffield United beat you in the cup, I fucking loved that. We got promoted, you didn’t. I loved that too.

Top man - legend!

Click to expand...
Nice read that. I enjoyed that very much. Cheers for the link🙂
 
coaxingstar71 said:
I know it's an old man thing and I do it but I was transfixed by the amount of spitting Harry did as he was talking!

Great guy, I had a chat with him briefly once at an after dinner speaking event and he was such a nice person.
Click to expand...
I’m glad I listened and didn’t watch. I think he has always had teeth too large for his mouth, even as a young man managing us. Speaks like he is breaking in some teeth for someone else.

Great to listen to, though. At the top level, the game has moved on so much though, not sure that approach would work, without some tweaking at least!

In a similar vein, have a listen to Mick McCarthy on latest “Quickly Kevin” podcast, his time under Jack Charlton for Eire sounds almost identical to this.
 
dublin 10 blade said:
Sir Dave
Sir Chris
Uncle Colin
In that order the best managers in my lifetime so far following Dem Blades
There have been other good managers but those 3 by a country mile
Dave was never going to save us from relegation in his first season
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Good job he didn't, the rebuild in league 3 was a blessing.
 

Loved the interview with Harry, definitely worth a watch for anyone that's not seen it, comedy gold from Harry on a regular basis! Tells it as it is! I shudder to think what would have happened to the club had Harry not been appointed when he did, could have ended up like Wednesday are now, 20 plus years out of the top flight, we were 14 when we got back with Harry after consecutive promotions.
 
dublin 10 blade said:
Sir Dave
Sir Chris
Uncle Colin
In that order the best managers in my lifetime so far following Dem Blades
There have been other good managers but those 3 by a country mile
Dave was never going to save us from relegation in his first season
Click to expand...
I agree with that but I can no longer respect Warnock after so many comments he has made about other clubs as the best he's ever managed, best fans, best players and then of course wanting the Wednesday job as a so called Blade. He did a cracking job though in fairness.
 
Booker4 said:
I agree with that but I can no longer respect Warnock after so many comments he has made about other clubs as the best he's ever managed, best fans, best players and then of course wanting the Wednesday job as a so called Blade. He did a cracking job though in fairness.
Click to expand...
Booker4 said:
I agree with that but I can no longer respect Warnock after so many comments he has made about other clubs as the best he's ever managed, best fans, best players and then of course wanting the Wednesday job as a so called Blade. He did a cracking job though in fairness.
Click to expand...
Uncle Col was good for his time , although he did take almost 7 years ? to get it right for us
His after match rants were ok at the start but just embarrassing later in his reign
He is a very good championship manager but not premier league unfortunately for us qpr or Cardiff , he is a very good backs against the wall let’s get stuck in relegation battle manager
And his best blah blah blah mantra is just embarrassing
May have followed us early doors but his overtures from - to pigs burned his boat in my book
 
Booker4 said:
Woke up today and as I do from time to time I reminisced back to Harry Bassett's days! I got thinking about his time with Watford in particular and although I've read Harry's book I found this article really interesting. Loads of players names you'll recognise and it talks about Harry's move to United also. Definitely the best thing Reg Brearley did by some distance! The article talks about when Harry came to United and how he realised he had to do it his way or else it could go the way of Watford. I never forget from reading Harry's book how he offered to resign after we were relegated after six months and Derek Dooley replied with "I suggest you get on with the jo we hire you to do"!

I love the following lines in the article in particular:

It worked out for me in the end. I had a great eight years at Sheffield United. They’re a much bigger club than Wimbledon or Watford. I’m loved in Sheffield.
When Sheffield United beat you in the cup, I fucking loved that. We got promoted, you didn’t. I loved that too.

Top man - legend!

Click to expand...
Really enjoyed that, thanks for sharing.
 
dublin 10 blade said:
Uncle Col was good for his time , although he did take almost 7 years ? to get it right for us
His after match rants were ok at the start but just embarrassing later in his reign
He is a very good championship manager but not premier league unfortunately for us qpr or Cardiff , he is a very good backs against the wall let’s get stuck in relegation battle manager
And his best blah blah blah mantra is just embarrassing
May have followed us early doors but his overtures from - to pigs burned his boat in my book
Click to expand...
To be fair though, the first time we loosened the purse strings for Neil, he got the job done. . . . although we could debate on how some of that was spent but Webber, Shipperley and Ifil off the top of my head to compliment what we already had made a big difference rather than constantly trying to catch a falling star.
 
Danny Hall was interviewing Brian Deane at Senior Blades lunch today and it was obvious Deano loved the man and, in particular,
Derek Dooley. He also said that before he went to Leeds, Wedxxxday were after signing him. He found it a bizarre experience and
fully expected Jeremy Beadle to jump out in front of him!
 
I went to watch us play a pre-season friendly at Chester’s old ground when they were a league club and I got there early as our coach drew up outside the ground and Dave was last off the coach.
I proffered my programme for him to sign and he signed over a black area of a photo on the cover so I said:
”I can’t read that, can you sign it where I can read it?” Slightly irritated, he asked me where I wanted him to sign so I showed him - and he did! Fantastic guy.
 
coaxingstar71 said:
I know it's an old man thing and I do it but I was transfixed by the amount of spitting Harry did as he was talking!

Great guy, I had a chat with him briefly once at an after dinner speaking event and he was such a nice person.
Click to expand...
The position they sat him in, meant that the sun exacerbated his gleeking. Bit unfortunate really. I doubt he gives a shit though !
 
Booker4 said:
Woke up today and as I do from time to time I reminisced back to Harry Bassett's days! I got thinking about his time with Watford in particular and although I've read Harry's book I found this article really interesting. Loads of players names you'll recognise and it talks about Harry's move to United also. Definitely the best thing Reg Brearley did by some distance! The article talks about when Harry came to United and how he realised he had to do it his way or else it could go the way of Watford. I never forget from reading Harry's book how he offered to resign after we were relegated after six months and Derek Dooley replied with "I suggest you get on with the jo we hire you to do"!

I love the following lines in the article in particular:

It worked out for me in the end. I had a great eight years at Sheffield United. They’re a much bigger club than Wimbledon or Watford. I’m loved in Sheffield.
When Sheffield United beat you in the cup, I fucking loved that. We got promoted, you didn’t. I loved that too.

Top man - legend!

Click to expand...
Thank you so much. Football was a different game in those days and so much better in most respects although playing consecutive days over Christmas? Really? Thank goodness it went wrong so we could have the best manager in my United days. I doubt he'll be bettered in my lifetime. He took to Sheffield and we took to him.

My second ever game was the 6-0 defeat at Boro he refers to. Fuck that was bad!!
 
diplomat said:
To be fair though, the first time we loosened the purse strings for Neil, he got the job done. . . . although we could debate on how some of that was spent but Webber, Shipperley and Ifil off the top of my head to compliment what we already had made a big difference rather than constantly trying to catch a falling star.
Click to expand...
The promotion team was a really strong one, and you're right Webber, Ships, Ifill, Unsworth, Keith, Short, etc. made a decent team so much better. At the time I really enjoyed watching them, as we were positive and a real handful. I wish we'd been more front foot the following season. Whatever happened to Ifill?
 
N20 Blade said:
Thank you so much. Football was a different game in those days and so much better in most respects although playing consecutive days over Christmas? Really? Thank goodness it went wrong so we could have the best manager in my United days. I doubt he'll be bettered in my lifetime. He took to Sheffield and we took to him.

My second ever game was the 6-0 defeat at Boro he refers to. Fuck that was bad!!
Click to expand...

N20 Blade, I was at that Boro game, in the second half we were that bad, I went out of the ground and sat on the coach for 15 minutes.

I then went back in to watch the remainder of the game.
 

AnglesWithDirtyFaces said:
N20 Blade, I was at that Boro game, in the second half we were that bad, I went out of the ground and sat on the coach for 15 minutes.

I then went back in to watch the remainder of the game.
Click to expand...
Lucky you. I lived in Northallerton as a kid (30 mins from Boro), we had friends down from Scotland who all wanted to go in the Boro end, and dad agreed!!

His last words before kick off ''Son don't celebrate if we score'' - FFS chance would have been a fine thing!!
 
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