Football is all about trying to find that winning formula. The right mix of players, a bit of luck and Bobs your uncle. It would seem that the only formula Rangers could come up with tonight was (turgid display + Vicarage Road) x shocking official = poxy night all round.

Holloway made a glut of changes to the side that had claimed an opening day point against Rotherham. Day remained in goal behind a back four of Bignot, Santos, Gnohere and Padula. Rowlands, Johnson, Rose and McLeod were the midfield four, with Gallen and Thorpe in attack. I know Saturday was hot but surely making so many changes to a side that had not performed badly was asking for trouble.

Rangers started slowly and it was no surprise when the livewire Danny Webber gave The Hornets the lead after only twelve minutes. A long ball over the top found the sluggish back four wanting and all they could do was watch Webber tear away from them. The ball wasn’t great though and gave Day ample time to get off his line, or it would off had he made his bloody mind up in time. He took two steps, stopped, started again, slipped and by the time he got there Webber strolled past him and stroked the ball home from a tight angle. It was a woeful bit of keeping but not surprising as I think his ability to go for one on ones has never been the same since his bad leg break.

Webber should have made it 2-0 ten minutes later when good interplay between he and Broooce Dyer (as the PA man seemed to call him) saw him through on goal again. This time he snatched at his shot and sent the ball high into the Rangers fans in the Vicarage Road end of the ground. Webber also managed to draw a fine save from Day when yet another ball turned the defence around and allowed him a clear shooting chance.

Just after the half hour mark Rangers equalised, or would have done had the whistle happy Bates not intervened. A long ball was played from right to left and Kevin McLeod challenged keeper Lee for the ball. Lee gathered it and then bumped into Macca as he landed, spilling the ball in the process. McLeod rolled the ball into the unguarded net only to see Bates chalk it off for pushing the keeper. Even sitting 120 yards away from the incident it was clear to see that there was no foul.

To make matters worse Watford doubled their lead on the stroke of half time courtesy of a combination of piss poor officiating and piss poor defending. Not for the first time this season (all two games of it) Rangers defended poorly at a set piece, failing to clear their lines effectively. The ball was knocked back into to Paul Devlin who looked a mile offside, he played the ball across the six yard box where Broooce Dyer was on hand to bundle the ball home. It was very similar to the Rotherham goal on Saturday where Gino could be seen waiving at the lino rather than trying to challenge for the ball.

Holloway apparently stormed onto the pitch to confront the myopic officials at the break, probably not the wisest move given his pitch side ban. No doubt he will have it extended and get walloped in the pocket for his latest transgression. Olly made changes at the break with Santos, who had moved from defence to midfield and looked equally out of place, making way for Bean and McLeod coming off for Furlong. Gallen moved to the left wing which seemed rather odd given that we had Lee Cook on the bench as well.

The second half started much brighter with Bean and Furlong giving the side much needed impetus. For all the decent play in the opening ten minutes they still couldn’t fashion an opening, during that period Rowlands found himself booked for heading a football. Shocking I think you will agree.

Dyer almost scored again with a lob over Day that sailed wide of the post before Webber did score his second and Watford’s third of the game. Once again a long ball between Arthur and Gino, not dissimilar to that for his first goal, caught the defence flat footed and Webber strode goalward. A combination of Day and Padula managed to repel his first effort but nobody bothered to try and stop the second and he slotted home.

I would like to say that Rangers came storming back after this but it would be a lie. We tried nothing and were all out of ideas. The Watford fans nights were made when Cookie made an appearance only to mis-control the ball almost every time it came to him. The Yellow Boys loved that I can tell you.

Hameur Bouazza should have scored the fourth as the game drew to a close but he managed to head over the top from six yards with the goal at his mercy. When the final whistle came it was a small mercy as I am not sure I could have sat through much more of this turgid fare.

The only players that can feel happy with their nights work are Bignot for a battling showing in the face of some serious ineptitude from his defensive colleagues and Cole and Ainsworth as they played no part in this farce. If this is going to be typical of our showings away from home then we are in for a long old season. I am slightly buoyed by the hope that we surely can’t play any worse than this on Saturday; we could play as badly again, but surely to God, no bloody worse!

Some of the defending would have embarrassed a schoolboy side. The way that Webber was allowed time and space on three separate occasions to run in behind was a joke. Santos only lasted fifteen minutes at centre half before Rosey had to be moved back in there, to be honest it made bugger all difference to proceedings. The midfield was non existent and we may as well have played with none up front such was the toothless nature of the attack.

We must improve and quickly if we are to make any kind of impression on this division outside the bottom three spots. The team’s morale will have been badly bruised by this defeat and it is the manner of their response that now becomes important. Blame can be shared throughout, by players and management alike but they must ensure that this does not become a habit that is hard to break.

simon@qprnet.com