Pitiful in Preston

 A 400 mile round trip, 8 hours or so driving and £100+ quid out of pocket for a visit to Preston to watch the Hornets put in an abject display as they fell to a 3-0 defeat to a side who'd scored just once at home all season before last night.  The beauty of the Championship where you can beat the league leaders on the Saturday and then be swept aside by a team in the relegation zone just 72 hours later! 

Following the home triumph over Sunderland, where we played some quite outstanding football, I headed to Lancashire in high spirits despite the long drive up the M1/M6 that was to come. Plenty of coffee on board for what was going to be a long night, but it was a relatively smooth journey up North, leaving me looking forward to the game as I met up with some fellow Hornets for a pre-match pint. 

Deepdale is one of my favourite grounds in the Championship and Preston can only be described as a 'proper football club', to utilise the cliche. PNE is a very old-school club with lots of tradition, history and a very pleasant fan base, a rarity for me to say this but they are very likable as Championship opponents go. 

A hardy band of Hornets occupied the stand behind the goal, I tip my hat to anyone that sacrifices the time, money and effort to get to a midweek away day, particularly one so far away from home! After a relatively even opening few minutes, the 'Orns should have been ahead as Baah raced through one-on-one but he could only direct his shot straight at Freddie Woodman in the North End goal, a poor miss as opposed to a good save having seen it back. Meanwhile up the other end, Jonathan Bond made a point-blank stop to prevent the hosts from taking the lead. 

Both sides failed to really get into any rhythm but the Hornets in particular couldn't string more than a couple of passes together before losing possession. PNE had lots of the ball but didn't particularly do too much with it in the opening 45 with chances at a premium for the hosts despite looking threatening. For Watford, Baah stung Woodman's palms again before Festy Ebosele should have had a second goal in as many games but couldn't keep his shot down after the ball sat up nicely for the Ireland international when it fell to him with time on his hands at the back-post. It was goalless at the break in a half that won't live long in the memory. 

I wanted to dedicate a section to Angelo Ogbonna who was outstanding last night, the only player in yellow that can take much credit for last night's display. His positioning, know-how and general reading of the game highlights why he's had a career at the highest level, a shrewd addition and Watford looked worse off when he left the pitch early in the second half. 

If this first half was generally bad, the second half was an absolute disasterclass from the Hornets as they put in a shocking display across the pitch. PNE started the half with a succession of corners but their opener came on the break from a Watford corner kick, as Osmajic slotted home from a fast breakaway that had Cleverley's side all over the place. Suspicions of offside but no less than the hosts deserved on the balance of play. 

Substitute Ryan Andrews stung the palms of Woodman and Moussa Sissoko had a header cleared off the line as the Hornets looked to respond to falling behind in Lancashire. But despite the chances, the performance was still disjointed, despite a tactical tweak in the system with the introduction of Bayo (more on him later). 

North End doubled their lead with 25 minutes left on the watch, Osmajic again was in the right place at the right time to strike past Bond following more wayward Watford defending. The Hornets had the perfect opportunity to get right back into the match just five minutes later as Bayo beat the offside trap to run clear on goal, only to inexplicably drag his effort off target when it genuinely looked harder to miss than to hit the back of the net. A truly woeful finish from a player who is absolutely nowhere near good enough for the level, truly astonishing how he managed to not even test the 'keeper. 

I was soon heading back to the M6 as moments later the hosts scored a well-taken third goal to turn the lights out on any hope Watford had of turning the game around. I was back in the car long before the final whistle, I was more in shock and disbelief than anger at what I'd just seen from the Golden Boys. It was night and day from the outstanding display from Sunderland, a theme of our performances on the road so far and a trend that needs bucking quickly, particularly with the small matter of a trip to Kenilworth Road on the horizon... 

I was back in Hertfordshire just before 02:00 am, a truly wasted away day and by far the worst performance of the season. That being said we had chances at 0-0 to make it a very different evening and whilst we weren't play-off certainties for beating Sunderland, we're not doomed for losing at Preston. With a small squad, young players and an inexperienced head coach I expect it's going to be a very up-and-down season. 

The 'Orns host high-flying Middlesborough on Saturday, I'm off to Krakow to drink enough beer to forget this trip ever happened... 

Up the Watford! 

*I have been to every game in September as well but do not have the mental capacity to recap them. To summarise, we got battered at Norwich, robbed at Man City and were superb against Sunderland, we drew at home to Coventry as well (no one needs insight on that). 

Preston North End 3-0 Watford

Moment of the match: Leaving the ground and beating the M6 road closures

Pint Price: £4.80 

Time in transit: 8.5 hours (rancid) 

Awesome August sees Hornets soar

Two blogs in a season... Watford must be playing well! They certainly have left me buzzing after they continued where they left off with some more outstanding results left them in third in The Championship and into the Third Round of the cup. 

My last blog highlighted that Tom Cleverley's side had started the season with three wins from three, despite my optimism there were two more home games to round off the month, I headed to WD18 optimistic as newly promoted Derby Country headed to town. 

So much for August being the month you can soak up the sunshine, biblical rain meant coats and jumpers were the order of the day, typical British summer! Despite the rain, there was nothing that could dampen my enthusiasm to get into the Rookery for the visit of the Rams, well..... until they scored inside two minutes to take an early lead. Fair play to the Rams fans they went absolutely potty, but despite the early set back there was no panic in the stands or on the pitch from a Hornets persuasion. In fact, the fans rose as one to get right behind the team the second Derby's opener struck the net. 

The steely attitude in the crowd was translated in Watford's response, because the next 88 minutes were as dominant a display I'd seen at Vicarage Road in a long time. We were patient, controlled the ball and were constantly a threat throughout the half. In classic football style, after pretty much the entire crowd slated Vakoun Bayo, he then shut us all up by scoring an outrageous scissor kick to bring us level, a superb finish - if it had been scored in the Premier League we'd be watching it for many a year to come! 

The 'Orns continued to dominate but couldn't quite find a go-ahead goal before the break, but it was a fifth positive half of home football in succession, I couldn't believe my eyes, particularly after the dross we've seen in years gone by. It felt inevitable that the second half would see us secure the three points and break the deadlock. The goal came with 14 minutes left on the watch, as man of the match Moussa Sissoko adjusted his body brilliantly to fire into the Rookery End net. The goal came after Cleverley opted to make changes, including the introduction of Baah who immediately got behind the Derby backline to cause the havoc in the box allowing the 'orns captain to score. It was an inspired move from the youngest coach in the league, there is so much to love about having Cleverley in the Vicarage Road dugout. 

Shortly after 'I just can't get enough' rung around The Vic confirming a fourth win on the spin in all competitions and ensuring the Hornets had maximum points on the board heading into September. 

Just 72 hours later and it was time to head to Vicarage Road for the fourth game in a row, to take on Plymouth Argyle in the League Cup. Sorry my mistake, I meant 'Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle' as they have persistently been renamed by the media, see  'Frank Lampard's Derby County' for previous iterations of these remarkable name changes. 

Those of you who read my last post would've seen my ramblings about Watford's hilariously poor record in the League Cup. The visit of an out-of-form Argyle seemed the perfect opportunity to progress into Round Three. Watford didn't waste their opportunity in the slightest, despite making several changes, Cleverley's side sealed safe passage through to the next round thanks to Mileta Rajovic's double either side of half-time. It could've been another cup rout, if not for the Argyle 'keeper who put in a superb performance despite being at fault for the opening goal. 

Into Round Three, as I sat down to watch the draw the following evening I hoped for another home tie against someone from the lower reaches of the pyramid, just so we could break that curse and reach Round Four. Ah.... cheers lads... Manchester City... away! Much could be said about the patheticness surrounding the draw with European sides seeded to avoid facing each other... all I'll say is it's an absolute farce, felt more so because we've drawn the very best of the seeded sides. Just for context, here's what awaits us in Manchester…

Pep Guardiola's record vs Watford - 

• P 13
• W 13
• Goals For: 47 
• Goals against: 5
• Tears shed by this blogger: 1,000,000

Anyway, my ticket is in the post and I'll be heading to Manchester in a couple of week's time, not in hope, not in expectation, but in blind faith that this might be the day we turn them over...! 

Enough about our impending humiliation to City, there was one more game to before the international break. As August turned to September, the 'orns headed to Bramall Lane to take on recently relegated Sheffield United and former Watford boss Chris Wilder. I guess that 'former Watford boss' line could be used against a lot of clubs, so I'll avoid it in the future. 

Thanks to Sky Sports it meant it was a Sunday spent travelling to and from Yorkshire for the televised game. We arrived in our seats in good spirits... only for an own goal inside 90 seconds from Daniel Bachmann to bump us back down to earth. This time there was a limited response from the Hornets, Bayo had a golden chance to bring us level but didn't convert, before Bachmann atoned for his error to save a spot kick to keep it at 1-0 at half-time. 

The Blades had the better of it in the second half too, Watford had lots of the ball but didn't do nearly enough to stake a claim for three or even one point. That being said, whilst we deserved to lose, we had been beaten by a flukey own goal against a side who still boast all the riches of a Premier League club. A bump in the road but nothing to worry about in my opinion. We also had plenty of time to reflect, given it took seven hours to get back to Hertfordshire, so the loss was firmly out of my system by the time my bleary eyes awoke for work on Monday morning. 

All in all, nine points from twelve, third in the league, progress in the cup, it's more than anyone expected when the first whistle went in South London on that sunny afternoon on opening day. The performances have been impressive, the results have matched them and there's some real cause for optimism heading into the next run of fixtures. Some tough games including league leaders Sunderland at The Vic and a trip to Norwich to come before we break for the internationals in October. 

If we can produce a couple more decent results in this next run of games, perhaps this season might not be quite as painful as we all feared just six weeks ago. I can't wait to get back to Vicarage Road on Saturday.  

Come on you 'Orns! 

Watford 2-1 Derby 

Moment of the match: Bayo's outstanding scissor kick to bring us level - unbelievable goal!

Away fan rating: 8/10 - Unreal when they scored and loud all afternoon, a welcome addition back to the league. Look forward to visiting Pride Park in January. 

Watford 2-0 Plymouth 

Moment of the match: Rocco Vata's cameo filled me with optimism, he's going to special for us. 

Away fan rating: 7/10 - Almost 1000 traveled for a cup game just days after playing QPR, super effort. 

Sheffield United 1-0 Watford

Moment of the match: Bachmann's penalty save, the highlight on an otherwise uneventful afternoon. 

Pint Price: £4.80 - A pleasant upgrade on the offering at Millwall

Time in transit: 4 hours going, 7 coming back... not one for the memory bank!!

Cleverley has Hornets buzzing after flying opening week

One week is a long time in football and so it proved, as pre-season fears turned to green shoots of optimism, after the Hornets kicked off the new season in perfect fashion with three wins from three.

I have to say had someone told me at 8am last Saturday, as I headed to the station for the opening day trip to Millwall, that we'd be joint top of the league, had progressed in the cup and scored 11 goals in the process, I'd have told them to get their head examined!! 

Starting with the season opener, Tom Cleverley's side continued the 'Orns incredible opening-day winning streak in dramatic fashion as a late Rajovic winner secured a 3-2 victory over Millwall. The Hornets looked like they heading for an easy lunchtime opener after leading 2-0 with twenty minutes left on the clock, but were pegged back to 2-2 before the great Dane's 91st-minute header sent the away end into raptures.

Two incredible set-piece goals (a rarity for Watford at the best of times) from Edo Kayembe and Giorgi Chakvetadze got the boys rolling at The Den, before the Lions roared back through a Duncan Watmore double. But the character on show to go and get that late winner was the perfect tonic for the 3000 in the away end in South London, it was the start of an incredible opening seven days. 

The performance wasn't the best and reflecting on it we were pretty lucky to take all three points, but we've had a wretched record at The Den in recent years so I'll certainly take it! I headed back to London Bridge for a few (too many!) pints, nothing beats the feeling of a win on opening day. 

Speaking of wretched records, the Hornets record in the opening round of the league cup is nothing short of hideous, with the club being eliminated before the third round 10 times in the past 14 seasons. This has featured some miserable losses to lower-league opposition along the way, honorable mentions to Bristol Rovers, Doncaster, Gillingham and Bradford! So when the draw pulled out MK Dons at home, a side who had knocked us out at the same stage just two seasons prior, it felt written in stone that this would be another night to add to the embarrassing league cup collection...

However, despite six changes from the Millwall win, the Hornets broke the League Cup curse and struck five goals in an absolutely dominant win against the League Two side. A Tom Ince hat-trick wasn't on my Watford bingo card this season but his treble plus goals from Baah and Pollock capped a comfortable night at The Vic. It's Wayne Rooney's Plymouth to come in round two in a week or so. Given Argyle's slow start, it's a cracking chance to make it to round three (I have probably just jinxed it). 

So with two wins and eight goals, there was a confident stride in the steps of the Watford faithful as we headed down Vicarage Road for our first home league match of the campaign. Stoke City were the visitors, they themselves headed to Hertfordshire with a league and cup win to kickstart their season. An equal first half saw the sides head in level on a warm summer afternoon in WD18, little did I know as I went for my half-time pint that I'd return to my seat having missed two goals!!

Slow service meant my pint was in my hand as Kayembe poked home the opening goal on 47 minutes, then I was taking one last speedy gulp as Ryan Andrews slammed home a quickfire second. Bloody typical! To the joy of those who sit around me, I returned to my seat delighted to be winning albeit with a sinking feeling I'd missed the goals and celebrations... perhaps a lesson learned to hold my eagerness for overpriced pints. 

Thankfully, that wasn't the end of the scoring as Kayembe added gloss to a dominant second-half display and belted home a third goal into the Rookery End net. It was a great performance and result, it leaves the Hornets joint top of the Championship with maximum points, just one of three clubs to boast a 100% record at this stage. 

Now it's early days, but you have to take the wins, particularly when you support Watford because they can bring you back to earth very quickly. It's an outstanding start to the season and the performance yesterday gives me plenty of enthusiasm that we all might just be proven wrong this season. There's pace and power in midfield, the defence has looked largely solid and Tom Cleverley has instilled a clear style of play, long may it continue! There's absolutely no doubt another centre-back and a new striker must be signed before the transfer window closes, but this opening week surely has to be a sign to the board that if they back Cleverley he might just bring a positive season to Vicarage Road. A club legend, learning his trade and who gets the ethos of what it means to represent Watford Football Club, if ever Pozzo had an opportunity to back someone it has to be him! Let's hope those two recruits come as a minimum, if they do the cause for optimism may extend past this opening seven days. 

Newly promoted Derby County up next at Vicarage Road, a cracking chance to continue the strong start to the season and build some momentum heading into the international break. I for one cannot wait for the game next week, not a phrase many Hornets fans could use for large parts of the previous two seasons. Nothing has been achieved by any stretch but this season has started better than I certainly could have imagined. 

Come on you 'Orns! 

Millwall 2-3 Watford 

Moment of the match: Chakvetadze's stunning free-kick 

Pint Price: £6.90 - 'We're in London aren't we'

Time in transit: One hour

Watford 5-0 MK 

Moment of the match: The introduction of Baah and Doumbia - it was great to see two young players take their opportunity. 

Away fan rating: 3/10 - Decent numbers and noise until the 'Orns rattled in the goals 

Warford 3-0 Stoke 

Moment of the match: The look on my face as I missed two goals... 

Away fan rating: 6/10 - Understandably quiet in the second half, but Stoke always travels well and make decent noise. 

2024/25 Game One: Gillingham 2-0 Watford (Pre-Season) -

After what has felt like an age, Saturday saw me head to Gillingham for my first game of the 2024/25 season which marks the start of my 20th campaign following my beloved Watford FC. 

With the league curtain raiser against Millwall at The Den still a few weeks away, what better way to fill the void than a trip to Kent to see the Hornets take on League Two Gillingham in a pre-season friendly. A sarcasm warning is required following that sentence. 

After spending over two and a half hours in my sweatbox Suzuki I only just made kick-off at Priestfield, which had thankfully been delayed by 10 minutes. It was a solo trip for this one, so I took my place in the away end and settled in to see how Tom Cleverley's side were shaping up ahead of the new season. It was my second trip to the home of the Gills having watched Peterborough United defeat them 1-0 back in 2017 in what can only be described as one of the coldest and most drab matches I've ever watched. 

The Hornets fielded a relatively strong side (I use that term loosely given the current talent at our disposal) which included a start for Moussa Sissoko who returned to the club for a second spell, as well as the return of Ryan Porteous after his short time with Scotland at Euro 2024. Elsewhere it provided me with a first glimpse of Roco Vata who led the line having joined from Celtic earlier in the summer. Wesley Hoedt, Yaser Asprilla and Georgi Chakvatadze were missing for this one. 

To the game itself, Watford got the ball into some great positions,  particularly with wing-back Ryan Andrews who was found on countless occasions on the right-hand side. However, despite those openings, we never really forced the Gills 'keeper into a meaningful save (the story of the afternoon, hopefully not the season). On a positive note, Roco Vata looked lively and caused lots of problems, you can tell he's raw and will get people off their seats, I look forward to seeing how he develops once things properly get underway on August 10th in South London. Additionally, you can see Cleverley implementing a style of play that should lend itself well to when some of our better players on paper are in the starting line-up, the openings created fill me with some hope that we will make plenty of good chances when the real stuff begins in three weekends time. 

Despite the domination of possession and final-third openings, Gillingham took the lead after a neatly worked free-kick caught the 'Orns cold and a trialist made no mistake as he slotted past Daniel Bachmann. The fourth-tier outfit had threatened moments before that having slowly grown into the game after defending well in the early stages in the sweltering Kent sunshine. 

There weren't too many other chances of note, minus Watford having two efforts off the line following a melee after a well-taken corner. The second-half really is one that won't live long in the memory, again  Watford dominated the ball but created little and midway through the half Gillingham caught them on the break to make it two, following some suspect defending by new signing Antonio Tikvic. Football was well and truly back! 

Watford continued to get forwards without much joy, as both sides made numerous substitutions, which gave the game a classic pre-season feel where neither side could build much momentum. The scoreline remained the same as the referee brought the friendly to a close.  I am not one to worry too much about results in pre-season as they genuinely do mean little, but it was a concern how little we tested the Gillingham 'keeper, it's clear a new number nine is clearly needed ahead of the new season, as well as a first team left wing-back following the departure of the underwhelming Jamal Lewis during the off-season. 

All in all, it was nice to get out for a game of football in the sunshine and to restore some normality in being disappointed with a Watford performance, the perfect warm-up for what's to come I suspect! 

The Orns face Hibs, Wycombe and Brentford before the new season begins with a tough test away to Millwall on the opening day of the Championship season. Despite everything I can't wait to get across the country once more to cheer on the Hornets. Come on you 'Orns!

Gillingham 2-0 Watford - Pre Season 

Stadium Rating: 7/10 

Ticket Price: £14

Time in transit: 4 hours 

Random Highlight: Tikvic squaring up to a Gills man for literally no reason 

119 days, no home win and Val is out

 After another disappointing day at Vicarage Road, as the Hornets slipped to another home defeat this time at the hands of the play-off chasing Coventry City, the infamous corner flag made an appearance to confirm Valerian Ismael had followed the fate of those before him and was shown the WD exit door. 

As for the game itself, the first 45 minutes were probably Watford's best of 2024, as they failed to capitalise on several chances following Ryan Porteous' opener. But despite the signs of improvement, yet again Watford couldn't head into the break ahead, only virtually relegated Rotherham has led fewer times at the break this campaign. The controversial recall of Daniel Bachmann has seen him concede a calamitous own goal on Wednesday night (a 1-1 draw with Swansea City) and the leveling penalty against the Sky Blues yesterday afternoon, a roll of the dice that wasn't necessary from Isamel after dropping Ben Hamer for what appears to be without good reason.  

Haji Wright's second-half winner for Coventry seemed all too inevitable and that put the writing on the wall for Isamel, condemning his side to just two league wins in 2024 (away victories at struggling Rotherham and QPR) and no home victory in 119 days, a 5-0 thumping of Rotherma in November. 

Watford have announced a lot of sackings over the years, however, they still found a way to keep this one fresh, as ITV's EFL highlights show broke the news 20 minutes before the club could even muster the infamous club statement. An absolute PR shambles to say the least, although it appears this is the fault of ITV as opposed to the club. 

Aside from yesterday, this sacking doesn't come as a surprise certainly comparably to previous Head Coache's who have been dismissed rather hastily or harshly by Gino Pozzo and Scott Duxbury. Watford have secured just six points from the previous ten league matches, as well as dismally departing the FA Cup during the same period of time at the hands of Southampton. 

With The Hornets sleepwalking towards a relegation battle, with a tough-looking run-in, the board has seen fit to relieve Ismael of his ten-month tenure, with former Hornets captain and U18 coach Tom Cleverley placed in interim charge. It's not clear whether that is just for next week's trip to Birmingham City or whether on a slightly longer-term basis, that will depend on who Pozzo and co-opt to appoint to steer a ship less steady than the titanic into another new era. 

Reflecting on Isamel's time in Hertfordshire as a whole, after a glorious opening day victory at home to QPR, the Hornets made a stuttering start to the campaign culminating in being just one point off the relegation zone following defeat away to Sunderland in October. However, during this time the board appeared to lay their cards on the table, handing Ismael a contract extension and publicly showing their backing, a decision that looks like another shambles in reality, as we begin the process of paying off yet another Head Coach. 

Following the loss in Wearside, there were some shoots of improvement for Watford, with an impressive run between October and Christmas putting Watford in touching distance of the play-off positions. This included a series of impressive away victories at Hull City, a demolition job of Preston and a late late Christmas special at Blackburn. In fact, as the Christmas bells rung, Isamel had led Watford to just two defeats in 11 and they came at the hands of champions elect Leicester City and promotion chasing Ipswich Town. 

But a Boxing Day stuffing at the hands of Bristol City, seemed to be the start of the downward slide that has led to the current state of play. The quality of football seemed to disappear leading to a series of disappointing results, aside from the aforementioned wins against Rotherham and QPR. These included a capitulation after an initial fightback at Norwich, a dismal defeat at home to Cardiff and a turgid display at The Den against Millwall, 2024 certainly hasn't been prosperous in WD18! 

January saw an unfit Emmanuel Dennis return to Hertfordshire, whilst three others headed for the exit door, leaving an already thin squad down to the bare bones. It appears the blame for that recruitment lies at Isamel after turning down a number of players, but you have to look at why he turned those players down and why the board couldn't bring in Ismael's top targets with his side at the time flirting with a potential play-off berth. Regardless of who is at fault, Ismael, the board and the club have reaped what was sewn during a below-par January window. 

The sacking comes as no surprise, but it is a minor detail in a wider issue that Watford Football Club is an absolute mess on and off the pitch. Since the FA Cup Final in 2019, a series of awful Head Coach appointments, appalling on-field recruitment and general disdain in the treatment of supporters have led Watford into a rotten rut. Not forgetting after backing Rob Edwards as their man they sacked him and he went up the M1 to take that lot to the top flight (unforgivable). 

The atmosphere at Vicarage Road is flat, unsurprising given our miserable home form since fans returned from the pandemic, attendances are in a worrying state - there were easily no more than 11,000 home fans on Wednesday evening and gaps all around The Vic yesterday afternoon as well - despite the well-inflated figures announced post-match. It's all a very worrying trajectory and if that alone doesn't worry the board, then I don't know what will. We've had bad spells but the fans have always largely turned out in their numbers, but this is a fanbase that has now had enough and are voting with their feet. 

A constant cycle of managers, lack of identity and the club losing Watford's DNA on the pitch has led to the club just not being enjoyable to support. There are of course clubs in far worse states than us and I won't take that for granted, but with Watford it always felt special to call them 'my club', being happy to be connected for what it stood for, but now it just feels flat, there's no connection anymore. The blame lies in one place only and that's in the boardroom. It's time for Gino Pozzo and Scott Duxbury to take some accountability and either right the wrongs of the previous five years or look to move the club on to the right set of hands who can breed some life into a place that has sadly become lifeless. 

I don't see how we get back to the glory days we have previously enjoyed under Gino Pozzo's ownership and I think that feeling is felt widely amongst the fan base, this rut has to come to an end because otherwise, it's only going to get worse before it gets better.

Fans of other clubs might look at this as a spoiled fanbase throwing its proverbial toys out of the pram because we're midtable in the Championship. It certainly isn't the case, 99% of the fans understand that Watford are a second-tier club, and it has no right to be dining at the top table. But this club is fragmented, from the owners, players, and supporters, something has to change because ultimately the current situation off the pitch, which has guided to the on-pitch mess, isn't healthy for the future of the club. 

But for now as Andrew French expertly put it in the Watford Observer, there's a greater mission of making sure that despite another miserable time at Vicarage Road, we make sure that when the sun shines in August it's not with Watford playing in the third tier of the pyramid. 

On to Birmingham, no doubt about it, it's a relegation six-pointer in the Second City.