Watford will be looking to return to winning ways in the league when they make the trip to Loftus Road to face Queens Park Rangers on Sunday (January 14, 12noon KO) in their second match of 2024 in the Sky Bet Championship.
With preparations for the game well underway, we take a look at five Hornets who have also donned the blue and white hoops.
Heiðar Helguson
A universally popular figure at Vicarage Road, Helguson also spent a period in West London, initially on an emergency loan in November 2008, where he bagged five goals in his first 10 games.
As a result, the move was made permanent in January 2009. In September of the same year, the striker returned for a second spell at Vicarage Road on loan for the 2009/10 season, scoring 11 goals in 29 matches.
Upon the completion of the loan, he returned to Loftus Road, where he is also held in high-esteem for scoring the winner in the West London derby against Chelsea and ending as top scorer as the Hoops avoided relegation from the Premier League.
Steve Palmer
Another name on this list that will bring happy memories to Hornets fans, not least as Palmer became the first player to wear every numbered shirt from 1 to 14 during the 1997/98 season.
He was a key player in the late 90s team that earned back-to-back promotions to the Premier League, and was voted Player of the Season in 1998/99.
Comfortable in defence and midfield, he left the Hornets in 2001 to join the Hoops, making 127 appearances for the side during his three-year stint, and wore the captain’s armband.
Gabriele Angella
Another cult hero amongst Hornets fans especially for his goalscoring exploits as a defender, Angella featured 35 times as Watford earned promotion to the Premier League in the 2014/15 campaign - his second at the club having signed in 2013.
The following season, Angella was sent on loan to Loftus Road, making 17 appearances as the Hoops finished 12th in the Championship.
His only goal in blue and white came in early March 2016, when he added a late second in a 2-0 win over Derby County at Loftus Road.
Fitz Hall
The well-travelled defender appeared at both clubs towards the end of his career, with the Hornets and the Hoops his last two permanent destinations.
Hall joined QPR from Wigan Athletic in January 2008, featuring 85 times and scoring three goals, grabbing two of these in the first game of the 2008/09 season within two minutes of each other, then missing a penalty for his hat-trick.
His time with Watford was plagued with injuries, making 26 appearances for the Hornets, with the majority of these coming in the 2012/13 season.
Glenn Roeder
A popular figure at Loftus Road, Hornets fans may remember Roeder more for his time as manager of the club, rather than his two-year stint as a player.
He joined the Hoops for a fee of £250,000 in 1978, making 181 appearances and notably captaining the side to the 1982 FA Cup final, which was lost in a replay to Tottenham Hotspur.
Roeder joined the Hornets after a spell with Newcastle United, and after his retirement, managed the team for three years, almost leading Watford to the First Division play-offs in his second season in charge.
