Scouting Report: Tommy Smith On Watfordby Paul McNamara Tommy Smith graduated from Watford’s academy to make more than 300 appearances and score 64 goals across two spells with the club.
The versatile forward was 17 when handed his debut by manager Graham Taylor in 1997. He moved away six years later and had spells with Sunderland and Derby County before returning to Vicarage Road in 2006.
Smith won the club’s player-of-the-year award in successive campaigns prior to leaving for Portsmouth in 2009. He subsequently represented Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff City and Brentford and now appears as a pundit on Sky Sports' Football League coverage following his playing retirement in 2015.
Smith attends his old club’s home matches as a supporter and, here, tells evertonfc.com what the Blues can expect from Watford when the Hornets come to Goodison Park on Monday night.
Tommy, Watford have had a rough run of late but would it be fair to suggest there is a prevailing mood of optimism around the club – they are comfortable in the Premier League and playing some very good football?
Yes, it looks that way. The work ethic of the team has never been in question.
Consistency has been the issue since they were promoted back to the Premier League [in 2015].
But their style of football is good, the way they look to pass the ball is impressive and they are achieving that level of consistency – in their performances, at least – which had been proving elusive.
Watford have already produced some tremendous displays this season, notably beating Tottenham Hotspur at home and winning away at Wolves when the newly-promoted side had lost only one of their opening eight games. Who are the men capable of making Watford tick?Roberto Pereyra is a skilful and direct winger and very important for the team.
He is the guy who has stood out most this season.
The return of Gerard Deulofeu, with the quality he brings and the fear he generates in other teams, is vital, too.
Those two stand out in terms of out-and-out quality.
Etienne Capoue in midfield has been very good this season. He is suspended for the game at Goodison and will be a big miss.
And Ben Foster has been a great acquisition, he is full of experience and still as agile as ever.
I played with Ben when he was on loan at Watford from Manchester United 12 years ago. The only issue with him when he was younger was the odd mistake which crept into his game. He has got rid of that with experience and is one of the top performing goalkeepers in the league.
Evertonians are familiar with Deulofeu. The start to his season was delayed by injury but he's featured in Watford's past eight games. He's clearly impressing you?
He is getting towards his best. He has been unfortunate with injuries but is having a better run now and benefiting from it.
He brings pace and creativity the team lack without him. It would be great to see him get a full run until the end of the season. If he can reach full fitness we will see much more from him.
We don’t hear much about Craig Cathcart but the Northern Irishman is in his fifth season with the club and a cornerstone of Watford’s back four?I am a traditionalist and like to see a few British and Irish players in the team.
Their character and knowledge of the division can be important.
Craig is Mr Reliable at the back, he’s often the one making blocks and putting his body in the way of balls coming into the box.
You never see him attracting headlines but he is playing regularly in the Premier League and has been excellent this season.
He is extremely valuable to the club and has been over a period of time.
Craig and Troy Deeney are the leaders in the team.
Jose Holebas plays at left-back but the Greek is the source of a lot of Watford’s attacks, isn’t he? Jose has a lot of quality and creates plenty of opportunities from that left side.
He is a very committed player with a great left foot and seems to be relishing playing under the manager Javi Gracia.
He is full-blooded, tough and gets stuck in. He can step close to the line every now and again which concerns the fans but he is a great character to have on the pitch.
We mentioned Watford have achieved some excellent results this season and they look to play positive football. Would you expect them to come to Goodison with the intention of causing Everton problems, rather than assembling a bank of bodies behind the ball?Yes, absolutely.
They have a gameplan and stick to it home and away.
They don’t fear anybody.
When Wolves were flying they went to Molineux and beat them 2-0 – they were the only team at the time to make Wolves look average.
They don’t go away from home thinking, ‘We will settle for a point’.
They take their creativity into away games and have been good to watch on the road – which is why they have picked up some great points.
They are competitive, too. They don’t leave themselves wide open. It is a nice blend and I think they will make it hard for Everton.
Watford are never a pushover.
Yes, the results have dropped off slightly but it has been a hard run over recent weeks for them - and it won’t get any easier against Everton.
But they had such a fantastic start, winning the first four games, and were sitting in the top four for a period of time.
We all knew they weren’t going to stay there but it demonstrated the quality in the side.
Finally, Tommy, you played at Goodison on a couple of occasions. You lost here with Watford but scored in a win for QPR back in 2011. Was it a stadium you enjoyed coming to?I always loved playing at Goodison. It is one of the old great grounds.
A brilliant old ground where the stands are close to the pitch and the atmosphere is incredible.
The fans have always been brilliant, they just appreciate good football – whether it’s played by the home team or away team.
You get a real appreciation for football, it is a way of life.
Everyone is very welcoming, too.
I was lucky enough to play and score in a game there so have some happy memories of Goodison.
But regardless of that, it is always a lovely ground to visit.
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