Watford set a club record when they avoided defeat in their first 11 outings of the campaign in 2000/01, but they were given a wake-up call in the second leg of the Worthington Cup when they were clumped 2-0 at home by Notts County in the 12th game. This brought the aggregate scores to 3-3 with the Hornets going through on the strength of three away goals in the first leg.

Graham Taylor took a leaf out of “Allo Allo” when he told the players after the game; “I am only going to say this once”. He pointed out the team had been booed off the Vicarage Road pitch and the players could not complain. “I am very rarely speechless during a game but I was on that occasion. The performance was very, very poor and the booing was in order and not unfair because the players had mistreated the fans for more than 90 minutes. So I told the players what I thought and that when I left the dressing room, I would not mention it again.”

When asked if he could see any positives in the display, he asked the pressman to point out any positives. “If you do see a positive, I will take it.”

Taylor had been equally critical a few days previously when Tommy Mooney struck an opponent as the Hornets led 2-0 at Stockport. Mooney was sent off for a “moment’s indiscipline” and Watford weathered the storm, to survive 3-2.

“Managers say they did not see an incident. Well I saw it and I can only comment on what I saw. I thought Tommy gave the referee no alternative but to send him off.”

There was to be some debate during the course of the 2000/01 campaign over the elevation of Tommy Mooney to something approaching cult-hero status. Some players were particularly irritated that, when the team was announced over the public address before the game, the names were listed in a matter-of-fact style but when it came to Mooney, the delivery reached near hysteria. For the club to sanction this delivery week-after-week was out of order and not an aid to dressing-room harmony. There always have and always will be crowd favourites, but it is left to the crowd to react when they name is read out.

With his contract up at the end of the campaign, Mooney was looking to make his mark and some were to moan about his somewhat single-minded approach in attack as he became leading goalscorer and the statistics enabled him to obtain a good move the following summer.

Taylor pointed out that Tommy was not the same lad who he had released from Aston Villa some 11 years previously. “He is 29, married, mature, has three children and is far more mature. I made him captain against Blackburn and I should image he was very proud.”

Later that season, I interviewed Mooney for the book I was writing; “The Golden Boys” – the study of Watford cult heroes. When it came to his recollections of the Play-off Final against Bolton, Tommy became quite emotional and at one stage, had to stop talking while he composed himself. I was impressed by that and when I saw him after the book was published, I mentioned the fact. “I got just the same feeling when I read your chapter on me. I was choked up all over again. Thank you for that.”

If there was a degree of dressing-room resentment over Mooney’s elevation, I somehow doubt that it was nurtured by those, who like Mooney, gave 100 per cent every time they turned out. Mooney performed for Watford as most of us watching would like to think we would perform if we were out there. We would not be good enough but we would give everything we had.

- There was a nice postscript to the match involving Blackburn Rovers and Watford. Graeme Souness was to blast the referee after the match, as I revealed the other week. Yet, when reflecting on the game and the after-match comments, Graham revealed that he had had a pleasant chat with Souness before the game, talking about their ailments. It might be remembered that Souness was hospitalised and had well-publicised heart problems and Graham was rushed to hospital and then transferred by ambulance when he experienced breathing difficulties. They each had something of a close call.

So they commiserated with each other, talked about their health and agreed they had reached the stage in life where they should not get so uptight.

Graham said: “We both agreed we would be a bit silly to get the heart overworked. Seeing him on the touchline and after the match, I cannot believe we had that conversation.”

- Graham Taylor’s Spitting Image puppet fetched £1,472 at an auction in 2000, which was more than the puppets depicting Elton John and, less surprisingly the one for Noel Gallagher. Graham assured me back then, he was not the purchaser.

- Just before my retirement in 2005, I attempted to get in touch with Elton John. Graham Simpson, then chairman of Watford, declined to help in that respect, because he saw the rock star as one who could financially help the club, and did not want to clutter their relationship with trivialities.

I contacted Elton’s office, left messages and was ignored. I emailed when requested but was still ignored. The other week, when I phoned Elton back, I mentioned the fact in passing. “Had I seen them, I would have got in touch. You must know that,” he said. “Why did you want to get in touch?”

It was good. Some nine years after the event, I was able to say what I wanted to say and I should imagine every Watford fan or follower who experienced those days would like to say.

I knew he did not do it for me, but he did make a difference to my life, by instigating and inspiring such a change to the course and cause of Watford FC.