Name: Watford
Founded: 1881 (as Watford Rovers, became Watford Football Club in 1898)
Watford have had mixed fortunes in English football. Their most successful period came after Elton John became club chairman in 1976 and under Graham Taylor's tenure as manager between 1977 and 1987. The Hornets rose from the fourth to the first division, finishing second in the English top-flight in 1983, before competing in the UEFA Cup and reaching the FA Cup final the following year. The club also made the FA Cup final for a second time in 2019. Past players include John Barnes, David James and Ashley Young.
Latest about Watford
‘Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, Ice Cube – I’m from that late-70s, early-80s era, so I like those kinds of raps’ John Barnes reveals the one rap song he wished he’d been asked to perform on
Former England winger Barnes rhymed himself into music folklore with his iconic rap on New Order’s ‘World in Motion’, but reveals he was never asked to perform on other records
FourFourTwo's half-term report: Which teams have surprised us so far this season?
FourFourTwo looked back at our 2025/26 season predictions to see which teams are exceeding expectations so far... and who's falling short
'If I hadn’t gone to jail, I’d be dead now. It was the hard reset I needed' Troy Deeney on prison, management and THAT Watford goal
EXCLUSIVE After drunkenly stumbling into professional football, Troy Deeney spent 13 weeks in prison, but emerged to become a Watford legend. He still has ambitions for a successful managerial career, too – just don’t ask him about Dale Vince…
‘Thankfully I was found, I’d taken an overdose, and they pumped my stomach. I survived.’ Clarke Carlisle on the career-threatening injury that drove him to attempt suicide
Former professional footballer Clarke Carlisle has been very vocal about the battles with his mental health he waged during his career
Former Manchester United and England midfielder speaks out after experiencing mental health difficulties as a Premier League footballer
The United academy product has taken what he learned as a player into a burgeoning coaching career
RANKED! All 23 Watford managers since 2008 as owners make ANOTHER change in the dugout
Watford have gone through a staggering number of head coaches under the Pozzo family
‘I bluffed being Watford captain for two years. For the first game of the season, the armband was on my seat, no-one had said, “You’re going to be captain”’ Troy Deeney on his personal turnaround with the Hornets
EXCLUSIVE The striker captained Watford to promotion in the 2014/15 campaign
Football’s colossal unpaid taxes revealed as England legend is declared bankrupt
The tax authorities are ‘clamping down on directors and individuals who seek to avoid paying tax’ according to an insolvency expert
‘If I didn’t go to jail, I would have been dead. It was like a hard reset for me – I had to sit for 13 weeks in jail and figure out who I was’ Troy Deeney on turning his life around following his prison spell
EXCLUSIVE The former Watford striker was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment in 2012
NEW ISSUE: The inside story of Alexander Isak’s rise, top Premier League summer signings, Crystal Palace in Norway, Troy Deeney, Ronaldinho introduces Messi and Pedro answers your questions
Get your hands on the latest issue of FourFourTwo magazine – available in print or on your device – from Thursday September 25
