# 1999–2000 Watford F.C. season

During the 1999–2000 English football season, Watford F.C. competed in the FA Premier League, after being promoted twice first from the Second Division two seasons ago and the First Division last season.

## Season summary

Watford managed some encouraging early results, including victories over Liverpool and Chelsea, suggesting that experienced manager Graham Taylor might be able to keep the club in the Premier League against all expectations. However, after the victory against Chelsea on 18 September, Watford only managed three more wins all season, and it soon became obvious that this campaign was a bridge too far after two successive promotions. The club were eventually relegated with the then-lowest points total in Premier League history, although observers widely predicted that Taylor would at least stabilise the club in Division One again, and maybe even get the club to make an immediate return to the Premiership.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 16 | Derby County | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 38 | |
| 17 | Bradford City | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 38 | 68 | −30 | 36 | Qualification for the Intertoto Cup second round |
| 18 | Wimbledon (R) | 38 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 46 | 74 | −28 | 33 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 19 | Sheffield Wednesday (R) | 38 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 38 | 70 | −32 | 31 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 20 | Watford (R) | 38 | 6 | 6 | 26 | 35 | 77 | −42 | 24 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: Statto

### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Result | L | L | W | W | L | L | L | W | L | L | L | L | L | D | D | L | L | L | L | W | L | L | L | L | D | L | L | L | W | D | L | D | L | L | L | L | D | W |
| Position | 13 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |

## Results

Watford's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 7 August 1999 | Wimbledon | H | 2–3 | 15,511 | Kennedy (pen), Ngonge |
| 10 August 1999 | Sunderland | A | 0–2 | 40,630 | |
| 14 August 1999 | Liverpool | A | 1–0 | 44,174 | Mooney |
| 21 August 1999 | Bradford City | H | 1–0 | 15,564 | Mooney |
| 24 August 1999 | Aston Villa | H | 0–1 | 19,161 | |
| 30 August 1999 | Leicester City | A | 0–1 | 17,920 | |
| 11 September 1999 | West Ham United | A | 0–1 | 25,310 | |
| 18 September 1999 | Chelsea | H | 1–0 | 21,144 | Smart |
| 25 September 1999 | Arsenal | A | 0–1 | 38,127 | |
| 3 October 1999 | Leeds United | H | 1–2 | 19,677 | Williams |
| 16 October 1999 | Manchester United | A | 1–4 | 55,188 | Johnson |
| 24 October 1999 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–3 | 16,081 | Smith |
| 31 October 1999 | Coventry City | A | 0–4 | 21,700 | |
| 6 November 1999 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 2–2 | 21,658 | Ngonge, Page |
| 20 November 1999 | Newcastle United | H | 1–1 | 19,539 | Ngonge |
| 27 November 1999 | Sunderland | H | 2–3 | 21,590 | Ngonge, Johnson (pen) |
| 4 December 1999 | Wimbledon | A | 0–5 | 14,021 | |
| 18 December 1999 | Everton | H | 1–3 | 17,346 | Ngonge |
| 26 December 1999 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–4 | 36,089 | |
| 28 December 1999 | Southampton | H | 3–2 | 18,459 | Perpetuini, Gravelaine (2) |
| 3 January 2000 | Derby County | A | 0–2 | 28,072 | |
| 15 January 2000 | Liverpool | H | 2–3 | 21,367 | Johnson, Helguson |
| 22 January 2000 | Bradford City | A | 2–3 | 16,864 | Hyde, Helguson |
| 5 February 2000 | Aston Villa | A | 0–4 | 27,647 | |
| 12 February 2000 | Leicester City | H | 1–1 | 16,814 | Wooter |
| 26 February 2000 | Chelsea | A | 1–2 | 34,928 | Smart |
| 4 March 2000 | West Ham United | H | 1–2 | 18,619 | Helguson |
| 11 March 2000 | Newcastle United | A | 0–1 | 36,433 | |
| 18 March 2000 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–0 | 15,840 | Smart |
| 25 March 2000 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–1 | 20,050 | Smart |
| 1 April 2000 | Everton | A | 2–4 | 31,960 | Smart, Hyde |
| 8 April 2000 | Derby County | H | 0–0 | 16,579 | |
| 15 April 2000 | Southampton | A | 0–2 | 15,252 | |
| 23 April 2000 | Arsenal | H | 2–3 | 19,670 | Helguson, Hyde |
| 29 April 2000 | Manchester United | H | 2–3 | 20,250 | Helguson, Smith |
| 3 May 2000 | Leeds United | A | 1–3 | 36,324 | Foley |
| 6 May 2000 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–1 | 32,930 | Ward |
| 14 May 2000 | Coventry City | H | 1–0 | 18,977 | Helguson |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 11 December 1999 | Birmingham City | H | 0–1 | 8,144 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 1st Leg | 14 September 1999 | Wigan Athletic | H | 2–0 | 6,628 | Easton, Hyde |
| R2 2nd Leg | 21 September 1999 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1–3 (won on away goals) | 5,006 | Kennedy |
| R3 | 13 October 1999 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–1 | 8,843 | |

## Players
### First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Alec Chamberlain |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Des Lyttle |
| 3 | DF | NIR | Peter Kennedy |
| 4 | DF | WAL | Rob Page (captain) |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Steve Palmer |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Paul Robinson |
| 7 | FW | COD | Michel Ngonge |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Micah Hyde |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Tommy Mooney |
| 10 | MF | AUS | Richard Johnson |
| 11 | FW | ENG | Nick Wright |
| 12 | FW | SCO | Allan Smart |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Chris Day |
| 14 | MF | NED | Nordin Wooter |
| 15 | FW | ENG | Gifton Noel-Williams |
| 16 | DF | ENG | Nigel Gibbs |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 17 | FW | ENG | Tommy Smith |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Clint Easton |
| 20 | MF | ISL | Jóhann Guðmundsson |
| 23 | DF | ENG | Darren Ward |
| 24 | MF | FRA | Alexandre Bonnot |
| 25 | MF | BEL | Adrian Bakalli |
| 26 | DF | ENG | David Perpetuini |
| 27 | DF | ENG | James Panayi |
| 31 | FW | ENG | Steve Brooker |
| 32 | DF | NIR | Mark Williams |
| 33 | FW | IRL | Dominic Foley |
| 34 | GK | AUT | Herwig Walker |
| 35 | MF | SCO | Charlie Miller |
| 36 | DF | ENG | Neil Cox |
| 37 | FW | ISL | Heiðar Helguson |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | DF | NGA | Benedict Iroha (retired) |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Keith Millen (to Bristol City) |
| 21 | MF | FRA | Xavier Gravelaine (to Le Havre) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 28 | DF | ENG | Colin Miles (to Greenock Morton) |
| 42 | MF | ENG | Stuart Slater (to Carlton SC) |

### Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 22 | DF | ENG | Dean Yates |
| 29 | MF | ENG | Lee Johnson |
| 30 | MF | ENG | Lee Cook |
| 38 | DF | ENG | Jerel Ifil |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 39 | MF | ENG | Matthew Langston |
| 40 | MF | ENG | Gary Fisken |
| 41 | MF | ENG | Danny Grieves |
| 43 | FW | ENG | David Warner |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Fee |
| 7 July 1999 | DF | Mark Williams | Chesterfield | Free |
| 8 July 1999 | DF | Des Lyttle | Nottingham Forest | Free |
| 9 July 1999 | FW | Dominic Foley | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Free |
| 1 August 1999 | MF | Alexandre Bonnot | Angers | Free |
| 6 August 1999 | GK | Herwig Walker | Vorwärts Steyr | Free |
| 13 September 1999 | MF | Nordin Wooter | Real Zaragoza | £950,000 |
| 29 September 1999 | MF | Charlie Miller | Rangers | £450,000 |
| 1 November 1999 | MF | Lee Cook | Aylesbury | Free |
| 4 November 1999 | DF | Neil Cox | Bolton Wanderers | £500,000 |
| 9 November 1999 | MF | Xavier Gravelaine | Paris Saint-Germain | Free |
| 2 January 2000 | FW | David Warner | Brook House | Free |
| 11 January 2000 | FW | Heiðar Helguson | Lillestrøm | £1,500,000 |

### Out

| Date | Pos. | Name | To | Fee |
| 22 June 1999 | MF | Tony Daley | Walsall | Free transfer |
| 6 July 1999 | DF | Darren Bazeley | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Free |
| 6 August 1999 | DF | Alon Hazan | F.C. Ashdod | Free |
| 18 August 1999 | MF | Stuart Slater | Carlton SC | Free |
| 11 November 1999 | DF | Keith Millen | Bristol City | £35,000 |
| 29 January 2000 | MF | Xavier Gravelaine | Le Havre | £300,000 |
| 5 February 2000 | DF | Colin Miles | Greenock Morton | Free |
    Transfers in: £3,400,000
    Transfers out: £335,000
    Total spending: £3,065,000

## Statistics
### Appearances

    As of 14 May 2000
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Alec Chamberlain | 31 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Des Lyttle | 12 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | NIR | Peter Kennedy | 21 | 2 | 17+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 4 | DF | WAL | Rob Page | 40 | 1 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Steve Palmer | 42 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Paul Robinson | 36 | 0 | 29+3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | COD | Michel Ngonge | 27 | 5 | 16+7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Micah Hyde | 38 | 4 | 33+1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Tommy Mooney | 13 | 2 | 8+4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | AUS | Richard Johnson | 25 | 3 | 20+3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | ENG | Nick Wright | 6 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | SCO | Allan Smart | 16 | 5 | 13+1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Chris Day | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | NED | Nordin Wooter | 22 | 4 | 16+4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | ENG | Gifton Noel-Williams | 3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | ENG | Nigel Gibbs | 20 | 0 | 11+6 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | ENG | Tommy Smith | 23 | 2 | 13+9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Clint Easton | 19 | 1 | 13+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 |
| 20 | MF | ISL | Johann Gudmundsson | 11 | 2 | 1+8 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | FRA | Xavier Gravelaine | 7 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | ENG | Darren Ward | 9 | 1 | 7+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | FRA | Alex Bonnot | 12 | 0 | 7+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | BEL | Adrian Bakalli | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | ENG | David Perpetuini | 13 | 1 | 12+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | ENG | James Panayi | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | FW | ENG | Steve Brooker | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | MF | NIR | Mark Williams | 24 | 1 | 20+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 33 | FW | IRL | Dominic Foley | 13 | 1 | 5+7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | SCO | Charlie Miller | 16 | 0 | 9+5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | DF | ENG | Neil Cox | 22 | 0 | 20+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | FW | ISL | Heidar Helguson | 16 | 6 | 14+2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* Source:

### Starting 11

    Considering starts in all competitions
    Considering a 5-3-2 formation
* GK: #1, Alec Chamberlain, 31
* RWB: #36, Neil Cox, 21
* CB: #5, Steve Palmer, 42
* CB: #4, Rob Page, 40
* CB: #32, Mark Williams, 22
* LWB: #6, Paul Robinson, 33
* CM: #8, Micah Hyde, 37
* CM: #10, Richard Johnson, 22
* CM: #3, Peter Kennedy, 20
* CF: #7, Michel Ngonge, 19
* CF: #14, Nordin Wooter, 18