HaroldHornet

So, why the name? Why 'For love, not glory'?

I would think that statement applies to the reasons for supporting just about any club outside the Premier League. In fact, you could probably say that, these days, it applies to fans of just about everyone bar the big five (or big four, or big six, or however many teams you personally think have a chance of winning the title).

For me, it's Watford.

I was born next to the ground, I've lived in and around the town all my life, I didn't really have much choice. Not that I begrudge it, mind.

When I was a lad (the days when you just had one substitute and the only live football each year was the FA Cup Final), supporting Watford put you in a minority. In my class at school, it was a minority of one. My friends supported Liverpool (glory), Man Utd (glory), Tottenham (their Dad's team), Chelsea (their brother took them to games) and Coventry (two lads picked a name out of a hat, such was the lack of appeal of supporting their local team).

Yet I got on the Watford bus just as it was heading somewhere interesting. My second season on the terraces saw us promoted to the old Division One. Suddenly we were on Match of the Day.

My third season saw us finish second. I took it all in my stride back then, as things like a newly-promoted team finishing second wasn't overly rare. Imagine it now though. Blackpool finishing second.

After that there was glorious defeat in the FA Cup Final, three rounds of European action in the UEFA Cup and several seasons of thinking Watford were here to stay in the top division.

Yet even with that relative success, there was still little or no glory. Watford were dubbed 'long-ball merchants'. Apparently our long passes were hopeful hoofs - but when the likes of Hoddle hit a 40-yard ball from back to front it was sublime skill.

I've lived with it for years. Every time Watford in the 80s under Graham Taylor gets a mention, invariably someone throws in 'oh yeah, that's when you used to whack it so high it came down with snow on it'.

And our recent success has always come at a price. We've been in the Premier League twice - and finished botttom both times.

We've had financial problems, we've got a stadium with only three sides and we're seemingly signed up to a life of aspiring to be a top 30 club, a yo-yo club: a club that might go up, but will definitely come down.

And yet, for Watford fans - and fans of other clubs like us - we do it for the love. Secretly, we might even hope we don't actually go up, as there is more to enjoy in being a top eight Championship club than there is being cannon fodder for the big boys.

Yes, it's love over glory every time.

And I'll be telling you exactly how much love I have for the Hornets, going forward, in this blog.