SO has the penny dropped? Have Watford, now that Luca Vialli has changed his approach, become a more viable force in the First Division?

We had hoped to obtain a further clue to the answer at The New Den on Tuesday night (October 16) when Watford, without a point to show for their travels, were due to play Millwall.

Unfortunately, an accident in a neighbouring industrial unit caused a fire, a number of gas cylinders to explode and the local fire brigade to insist on a 24-hour cooling-down period before they could guarantee safety.

They also stressed the need for a 150-yard exclusion zone, which would have reached the halfway line.

The police decided to instruct Millwall to call off the game, so Watford could not put their new theories to the test.

However, the Hornets have played well in their last two home games. They overcame a strangely disinterested Bradford City in the League Cup tie last week, running out 4-0 winners and looking the part.

They then chalked up a 3-1 victory over struggling Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, to end a run of five league games without a win.

However, were Bradford's approach and the fact Wednesday had not won any of their previous 10 league games, contributory factors in Watford's recent renaissance?

We will gain further indications over the next week with an away trip to Grimsby and a home game against Nottingham Forest but the Hornets look better prepared for these hurdles than was the case a month ago.

The reason is that Vialli, by his own admittance, has shelved his own philosophy, and adapted the team play to the player's strengths.

These are his words, not mine, which begs the question that, as he signed eight players this summer, did he buy the players with his philosophy in mind or did he hope to change their philosophies?

Either way, the outcome has been a more positive, progressive and penetrative Watford, instead of the boring, endless and often purposeless midfield possession game, which has been particularly depressing on away trips this season.

October 19, 2001 12:57