Richard Lee's BLog

Highs & Lows

info@impaktmedia.co.uk — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The week began with a fantastic away performance and result against Swansea. We gained revenge for the previous game with a display which was quite possibly the best of the season so far. We defended resolutely and always looked capable of scoring at the other end. It was certainly the quietest game I’ve had for some time.

After having a tough few games on a personal level it was pleasing to get a solid performance behind me and one that I built on against Barnsley - unfortunately though we came out of that game with a defeat which was certainly a disappointment after going one up with a relatively short time remaining.

We just seemed to have a crazy five minutes where we lost our shape and ultimately cost ourselves the game. It was a game where both I and the Barnsley keeper had plenty to do and a game from which a draw was probably the fairest outcome...but as we know football is very rarely fair.

The positive angle on all this is that we are playing some very impressive football and seem on the verge of putting a good run together; things would be different if we were getting rolled over every week but I’m positive that the tide will turn and we’ll get a string of good results very soon and find ourselves climbing this table.

It’s not all doom and gloom despite what the table says, we know the area we need to work on and we’ll be doing our up most to improve and turn this into a successful season.

We also found out that we’ll be facing Spurs at home in the cup. An exciting prospect and something to look forward to but we know that the league takes priority for now and we’ll worry about that when it comes.

This has been a week spent largely in hotels with three away games so it’s nice to have a quieter week in preparation for the run of games we have coming up, starting Saturday.

Until next time...

An Eventful Week

info@impaktmedia.co.uk — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A very eventful week followed by defeat at Swansea. The news of Aidy’s departure shocked everyone at the club, things haven’t been great in recent weeks - but I don’t think anyone had foreseen the defeat against Blackpool being his final game in charge.

From a personal point of view I have much to be thankful to Aidy for. He gave me opportunities in the Premiership and in the Championship last season that may well not have happened had he decided not to give me another chance after returning from Blackburn. I’m sure once the dust settles he’ll be remembered as one of the most successful Watford managers of all time.

As for the Swansea game, it was yet again a disappointment. I feel at the moment we’re finding it tough to get a break, both personally and as a team. As for their first goal, I was deceived by the flight of the ball, when it left his foot I thought it was going to my right only to come back to my left.

Despite the scoreline, a draw would probably have been a fair result but we know we can’t keep saying that. I’m sure things will change; we just have to stick together and keep believing.

We have a great chance to get revenge on Tuesday and we’ll approaching that game with the same attitude as we did today’s and hopefully the outcome will be different.

See you next week.

A Tough Week All Round

info@impaktmedia.co.uk — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Football can be a cruel game - on a personal level and as a team this has been a tough week.

Two defeats from games that could, on other days, have produced six points. We played well against Preston and deserved more than the 0-2 scoreline we ended up with - and the same can be said against Blackpool.

Despite the horrendous weather conditions we played some very good football that could’ve resulted in a comfortable victory. The problem is that we are saying the word ‘could’ far too much lately and we know we need to start turning these opportunities into positive results otherwise this could be a long season.

As I said it’s also been a tough week or so on a personal note. After the massive highs of Southampton and Cardiff I seem to have hit a little patch where things don’t seem to be going my way. I’m training as hard as ever and going into games feeling good but, for one reason or another, I’ve made mistakes lately and am experiencing the other side of being a keeper. There were positives to take from yesterday’s game but sometimes it can be hard to see them when you end up losing 3-4 after being ahead more than once.

As with all my past setbacks I’ll be sure to get my head down, train harder than ever and work my way through it. As players, we're more frustrated than anyone but we all know that football is full of highs and lows, so for me and the team it’s a case of putting the situation in perspective and continuing to work hard towards our goals of this season.

We were going to have a bad run of results at some point; let’s hope we’ve just had it and now we’ll move in the right direction.

As for the week ahead, there are no midweek games which means a tough week’s training and and opportunity for any of the lads carrying niggling injuries to fully recover and ready to face Swansea. We’re not where we want to be right now but there's no group of players in this division that'll work harder to put that right.

Outside Influences

info@impaktmedia.co.uk — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:00:00 GMT

A disappointing end to what has been quite an eventful week but, unfortunately, without too much to show for our efforts.

The week began with a thrilling game against Cardiff; after going two up we were pegged back and had to settle for the point. Yesterday we left empty-handed after facing Wolves in another action-packed game at The Vic.

The game on Tuesday was one of the best I’ve had in my years at Watford. It was certainly one of the toughest - I had much more to do than most games I’ve played but thankfully most of my contributions were positive, including three saves that I was particularly proud of.

It is an overused cliché that football is a funny old game but that’s all I can help thinking about as I write this. Some days things click and breaks go your way and ultimately you get the desired result. I don’t believe Wolves were better than us but in my opinion the main breaks went their way. Over the course of a season these will more often than not even themselves out and the teams that consistently play well should finish at the top end of the table.

The same can be said about players to some extent. The way I view it is that I prepare myself to the best of my ability every game. I train well, eat well, sleep well and focus my mind ready for the job ahead and then all you can do is have faith that things will go your way on a matchday.

This isn’t to say that every game is going to be a blinder because that isn’t how life works, we all have days we’d rather forget but, over the course of a season, if you continually do this to the best of your ability then you will get positive results and rewards for your actions.

It makes me think of a famous quote I often refer to that says "there isn’t much difference between winning and losing, except how the outside world treats you". I think of this because to me this is very true in many instances; you give everything every time you play yet some days it just isn’t meant to be and other days it is and you get all the plaudits.

It was a case of back down to earth with the defeat against Wolves. I never like to concede goals and although I didn’t feel there was much I could do about the first or third one I was slightly disappointed that the second goal that snuck in yesterday. I actually thought I had saved it at first, only to turn round and see it in the corner of the net.

As with every goal I concede, I will evaluate it and learn from it. What could I have done differently? Or would I have done the same again? In fairness to their lad, it was a very good free-kick, by moving the ball to the side they eliminated the wall which meant I couldn’t see the ball until the last minute. I covered the ground well but by getting a full hand to it I could only jam it into the post and ultimately the back of the net.

It really can be a fine line sometimes. Once again there’s no time for feeling sorry for ourselves though, we’ll pick ourselves up and move forward, keep learning and keep improving.

Away from football there hasn’t been much to report this week, when you find yourself playing two games a week, you seem to spend your free time resting in preparation for the next one.

Another busy week ahead with two more games, both tough but games we’ll be going into with high hopes. The league is still very tight and we know a couple of good results will mean us being in and around the Play-Off places. The Wolves result was a blow but it’s still early days.

Spot Of Relief

info@impaktmedia.co.uk — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Well that was a nice way to finish a week! A resounding victory against Southampton and saving two penalties has made for a good start to this run of games we have coming up.

I sit here writing this at 5am (I really struggle to sleep after games, adrenaline has its effects) and I can’t help but think how things could’ve been different and how football really is a game decided on the smallest of margins.

Ninety seconds into the game and they burst through, in an attempt to make a block I take down the striker. In doing this it left the referee with a few different scenarios. My belief was that it should’ve been a free-kick (as I’m sure it was outside the box) and a yellow card, two of our lads were recovering behind me so I think a red card would’ve been harsh. But I’m honest and realistic enough to realise that it could quite easily have been red and some referees may have seen it that way. How different the game could have been then...and it could also have meant Alec coming out of retirement once again!

Thankfully I was given the opportunity to do what I did and I have to give a big thanks to Alec, Mark Tyler and Hodgy (Chief scout) as they were the ones who do the homework behind the scenes in order to give me the information as to where the penalty takers have gone in recent games.

I’m sure they got a kick out of me saving them as I trusted their info and was able to make the saves. Bizarrely enough it was actually a picture in the match programme that Tyles saw of McGoldrick taking a penalty low to the keeper’s left which was the deciding factor in the first penalty.

I would also like to give Tamas a mention, who I think most would agree is really coming into his own. He and Will Hoskins are beginning to form and impressive partnership up front which is vital in my opinion to any team that wishes to challenge in this or any other division.

The week itself was a good week of training. I was able to do plenty of goalkeeping work with Alec and combined with plenty of small-sided games is the kind of week I feel great for. The games are always sharp with plenty for the keepers to do in terms of shot-stopping and distribution.

With so many games coming up the focus will be on recovery much of the time but I do believe it’s an important time for getting the balance right between working on techniques, tactics and rest. Approaching each game fresh and full of confidence will give us a great chance of climbing the table, which thankfully we are beginning to do now.

I’ve also had the pleasure of taking John Eustace on in a few more games of snooker this week! I’ve even gone to the extent of buying my own cue, which I believe made the difference after losing the first four matches to him I was able to win on Thursday and, as I keep reminding him, you are only as good as your last game! Hopefully we’ll get chance for a couple more matches this week.

Well it’s now 5.30am and I’m gonna try and get another hour’s sleep before training! See ya next week.

Tough Week, Long Weekend

info@impaktmedia.co.uk — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With the international break upon us it meant another tough week of training followed by a long weekend off. With so many games in a short period of time prior to this break there have been minimal opportunities for any days off so to have four days was very welcome.

I decided to use mine by booking a last-minute flight to join Alec in his villa in Valencia and partake in a couple of games of golf and enjoy what we thought would be a few nice days of weather. Unfortunately the weather here was better than in Spain but the golf was very enjoyable (although Alec got the better of me on that front!).

I mentioned last week that I felt a small pain in my groin but thankfully that cleared up early in the week and I was able to have a good week’s training. It's always a good time to do some good quality weight training knowing that there isn’t a game for a couple of weeks and muscle soreness isn’t an issue.

I also challenged John Eustace to a few games of snooker at a local snooker club. It turns out he is quite a fan of snooker and it's also a game I played a lot of in my younger years so that has opened uo another avenue for my free time!

Without there being a game this week there isn’t loads to speak about this week unfortunately - I’m sure there’ll be more next week after the Southampton game.

100 Not Out

info@impaktmedia.co.uk — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The perfect way to go into the international break, a good performance and 2-1 win certainly lifted the mood in the changing room and among our fans too I’m sure.

I heard an interesting fact recently that after a team goes 1-0 up they will only lose the game once every 10 times that happens - so to come back and win yesterday was very pleasing. We seemed to have found it tough against Preston in recent years but we were well worth the three points yesterday.

On a personal note I’m feeling myself coming back into some form; my knee is still swelling from time-to-time, which isn’t ideal, but I’m gradually being able to train more and more and feeling good for it.

It was pleasing to make a couple of saves yesterday and, apart from a scuffed half-volley and a few wayward kicks second half, I was pleased with my contribution. I actually picked up a bit of a groin strain late in the first half which was the reason I was getting Wardy to take more free-kicks than normal but I’m sure with a few days rest I’ll be 100 per cent by the time we face Southampton.

Speaking of Wardy, it’s great to see him back at The vic. I think most know the situation where unfortunately he wasn’t part of Vialli’s plans and made way for the infamous Ramon Vega...not one of Watford’s better deals. But we have him for a period of time now and I’m sure his presence will be a benefit to the team.

This week more than most has made me realise how small the difference is between success and failure. For those who watched us on Tuesday will vouch that there was very little between the two teams but we conceded two soft second-half goals which meant defeat. Yesterday was a similar situation but we held firm and the feeling around the place is lifted because of it.

Winning and losing are both habits. When on a losing streak it can be tough to break and things always seem to go against you and the same is true with winning. There is often very little between teams but certain sides seem to always win by that odd goal, Man United and Chelsea being prime examples. The decisions always seem to go their way, right? This is why it’s important to be picking up points at this stage of the season because if we are in the reckoning come January then you set yourself up for a good run-in.

The early part of the past week was spent up north, first in Sheffield and then Burnley - I’d be lying if I said it was the most enjoyable few days I’ve had but I understand the thinking behind it and I’m sure we’ll have a similar scenario when we play Swansea away in the league and cup in a few weeks time.

Away from football it is actually my birthday today! It’s fell at quite a good time as we don’t have a game for a couple of weeks which meant a few celebratory drinks after our game yesterday.

Being a footballer means very few nights out and drinking alcohol very occasionally. I’m always careful to pick my times when to do it and not having a game for a couple of weeks meant that last night was a great opportunity and one that wasn’t missed!

Another interesting fact about yesterday was that was my 100th appearance and, quite ironically, it was against Preston who I made my debut against five years ago. Hopefully it won’t take me another five years to make it 200 at Watford.

Now for a day of recuperation! See ya next week.

Back In The Firing Line

info@impaktmedia.co.uk — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What a funny game football can be. Only a few days ago I’m weighing up possible loan options and within a week two injuries mean that I’m back in the firing line after coming on against Sheffield United.

The result itself was disappointing, similar to the Plymouth game this felt like a game that was there for the taking. Conceding a goal within a minute wasn’t ideal but the game was made more frustrating as we actually managed to get ourselves back into the game only to lose it late on. I always feel for the fans that make the trips to support us - it is quite a commitment to come all that way and can’t be nice when we get nothing from a game.

I was pleased with my contribution; it’s my first game for a few weeks and was at a ground where I’ve had some fond memories. I was involved in a game a few years back against Sheffield united in the Carling Cup where we came out victors via a penalty shootout. I was unfortunate with their goal which I couldn’t quite react quickly enough and was only able to watch it squirm over the line. I made a few saves after that, one of which down to my left was particularly pleasing.

Of course, as is usually the way, a chance would either come at the expense of a red card or an injury. Unfortunately it was a stomach injury to Scott Loach which gave me my opportunity this time. It seemed very innocuous, Scott plunged to his right to make a save but his grimace was clear to see from the bench. He’ll be getting a scan within the next couple of days and hopefully it’s nothing too serious. It does of course leave us with a bit of a goakeeping problem with me being the only fit keeper at present.

There was of course the great win over West Ham earlier in the week; a game that showed us more than match a talented West Ham team and come out worthy winners.

I’m currently writing this in a hotel in Sheffield. We are staying up north for the game against Burnley on Tuesday so will train here the next few days before heading across to Burnley on Monday afternoon.

It did mean a visit to the greyhound track last night but with a curfew of 11pm with Tuesday’s game in mind. We are in no doubt that Tuesday will be a tough one, Burnley are on a fantastic run of eight games undefeated but it goes without saying that we will go there to win the game and we know we are fully capable of doing that.

Hopefully that'll have been the case and, when I return next week, I’ll also be reporting on six points gained between now and next Sunday Fingers crossed.

Non-goals and Personal Goals

info@impaktmedia.co.uk — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Well it was quite a thrilling end to the week after a quite bizarre yet enthralling encounter against Reading; a game that literally had everything but unfortunately there was only a point to show for our efforts.

I actually have to be honest in that I missed Reading’s opening goal. I was inside speaking to Poomy after his nasty fall in the opening minutes but, by all accounts, it sounds like one of the most ridiculous decisions ever given and one that I’m sure will appear on many ‘football gaffe’ DVDs in years to come. That of course is little consolation when it quite possibly costs you a game of football.

I was delighted for fellow keeper Scott Loach who came on and equipped himself admirably. For anyone who knows Scott, he is a lovely lad and deserves all the success he gets. Although he does now present my latest obstacle!

Football really can be strange at times, goalkeeping especially. After playing 41 times last season I fully expected to play a major role this season, which of course I still do, but a badly-timed injury I gained in pre-season and the whole scenario can change.

Up until Poomy’s injury on Saturday I had actually just began to look for a short-term loan in order to get some games but once again the situation has changed and it will now be a battle between myself and Scott for that shirt.

As for Poomy, we all wish him a speedy recovery. He’s been very consistent so far this season and it really was an unfortunate fall.

The week also included to defeat to Plymouth which was disappointing - it seemed to me the sort of game that if we were to get an early goal it could well have been a comfortable victory but that we’ll never know.

My week has been a very good one, after having a couple of broken weeks due to the international break and the trip to Spain I’ve had very little in terms of goalkeeping training.

I therefore asked if I could do goalkeeping training everyday this week, my wish was granted and I feel great for it. I’ve also spent every afternoon in the gym with Monty (fitness coach) so am working harder than ever. It’s amazing how one week of intense training can make such a difference, my confidence is sky high and I’ll once again be fighting for a chance. I’ve been in this position many times before so I know the script!

Another busy week ahead, an exciting challenge on Tuesday against West Ham followed by a tough trip to Sheffield United on Saturday. Hopefully I’ll be back with good news next Sunday and a few stories also! Take care.

Spanish Steps and Short-term Solutions

info@impaktmedia.co.uk — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A good week ended with a disappointing result and performance, by all accounts, as we lost 0-2 away to Sheffield Wednesday.

The week itself was an odd one for me, after all of the squad having some time off Friday through Monday I returned early on Tuesday to find myself in a squad to fly off to Valencia for one night and a game against the Spanish giants on the Wednesday morning. The trip went very smoothly, it was a young squad we took over there - in fact I was the oldest member and also captain for the game. I’m sure we won many friends for the way we conducted ourselves over there on and off the pitch.

The game itself was a really interesting one to be involved in. Valencia had plenty of pressure without really hurting us, it was very hot despite the 10am kick-off but our young pro’s showed incredible fitness levels and we soon found ourselves one up after a fantastic run by Cedric Avinel was finished off by Lionel Ainsworth.

Soon after half-time we scored a second through a young Chinese lad called Lee, who I’m sure has a very bright future ahead of him. I was then called into action on a couple of occasions before they pulled one back. It was a deflected effort that I got a hand to but couldn’t put round the post and, deep into added time, they forced an equaliser with a far-post header.

It was disappointing not to hold on but the result was quite insignificant in comparison to the experience gained. We were up against some of the finest talents Spain has to offer and we more than competed and gained many plaudits from Valencia, so much so that I’m led to believe there could be some form of link formed between the clubs. We flew back Wednesday afternoon, a brief but enjoyable excursion. And on the fitness front, once again my knee felt fine and I felt in good form.

I was disappointed to arrive on Thursday morning and see that the squad had already been announced for the weekend’s game against Sheffield Wednesday before we had even trained and, needless to say, I was excluded.

I am fully fit now and was surprised not to be included but I’ve been in this position before and I’ve come through it before so it won’t change anything for me. I’ll continue to train hard, work on my game and I fully expect to be back involved soon.

I’ve never hidden the fact that I want to play games though so it may mean a short-term loan if an opportunity doesn’t present itself soon - but either way I’m sure this doesn’t change anything in regards to my long-term future.

So unfortunately I wasn’t there to witness the game myself on Saturday but I’ve got no doubt we’ll be back with a vengeance on Tuesday and yesterday’s performance will soon be forgotten.

See ya next week.