Luther had three playing spells at the club was Watford’s first million pound player, was first team coach and the first inductee into the club’s Hall of Fame.
Locally born midfielder Ross was at Watford from the age of nine, breaking into the first team while still a scholar. He became a regular in the side under Brendan Rodgers but after the Pozzo takeover he found opportunities harder to come by.
Defender Neil played less than twenty games for Watford yet they included some of the biggest games in the club’s history. He later returned to set up the Former Players Association.
Former youth trainee Jordan had a long association with the club from the age of eight, representing England at youth level and making his first-team debut while still a trainee. He made a single league appearance before joining Barnet in 2010.
Goalkeeper Alec signed in the summer of 1996 for just £40,000 from Sunderland. He went on to enjoy more than 20 years at the club as a player and then coach.
Former AC Milan central defender Filippo signed for Watford in the summer of 2001 as the club prepared for life under Gianluca Vialli. He was appointed club captain.
After speaking to John McClelland I headed to Grimsby to meet Steve Sherwood for interview number seven. Just as I’d anticipated, Steve was the definition of a gentle giant.
The story of how Gary Plumley, the son of Watford’s chief executive ended up playing in the 1987 FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham was one the most intriguing of the entire Graham Taylor era. It’s certain that playing an unknown goalkeeper did Watford no favours that day, but I headed down to his estate agency office in Newport to meet him.
The second stop on my trip to the North East was to Hartlepool, where I met Kevin Richardson. He played just under a season for the Hornets but had played for Everton in the 1984 FA Cup final. He was also sold with indecent haste by Dave Bassett after Taylor left in 1987.
Les Taylor was the first person interviewed for Enjoy the Game, in January 2009 at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford, before Lionel was even certain the book would go ahead.
I met Gerry Armstrong at a hotel near Heathrow Airport. He had travelled over from Spain to commentate for Sky on their Spanish football. Armstrong was a great storyteller and I could see why Graham Taylor had spoken so highly of him, saying that he was the ideal squad player because even when he was not in the starting eleven he remained positive and enthusiastic.
