Ranked fifth in Watford’s all-time appearance table having played over 400 games for the Golden Boys, club legend Lloyd Doyley starred in the January 14 edition of Inside The Hive to answer fans’ questions about his time in yellow.
You can watch the episode in full, with Doyley joining host Michael Kurn and fellow Hornets hero Tommy Mooney, above.
Doyley On...
Graham Taylor:
“He gave me my first professional contract, so I have a lot of love for him. At the time when he gave me the contract, he helped me along the way.”
His Debut:
“I can always remember making my debut against Tommy [Mooney]. We ended up drawing 3-3 against Birmingham City. Tommy had just left at the time, going to a good team in Birmingham. I came on when we were 1-0 down and we ended up drawing 3-3, so two of the goals were my fault!”
His First Goal:
“I can always remember fans shouting any time I got past the halfway line, telling me to shoot! I finally got past halfway, in the box and ended up scoring. I didn’t know what to do with myself, but it was a great moment. The atmosphere was electric and thankfully we went on to beat QPR 3-1. It was a great moment for me personally. It was a diving header, and it went silent just for a second as the fans couldn’t believe I’d scored. I thought I must’ve been offside – I didn’t know what was going on.”
Being Assistant Manager At Boreham Wood:
“I’m 39 now so I had to hang up my boots. It has been my first six months dealing with the first team and I’m enjoying it. We’re in amongst it towards the top of the league now and in the FA Cup we are in the fourth round, the first time Boreham Wood have ever been to a fourth round. We’re still in the FA Trophy as well! It’s a great achievement but we are only halfway through the season, so there is a lot more to look forward to by sticking together.”
Coaching:
“Once I turned 34 or 35 I was always doing that [coaching the younger players] anyway, giving advice from my experience. A lot of the players who I coach now, they have never played in the Championship or the Premier League. All I can do is try and improve them which helps the team.”
The Best Manager He Played Under:
“There are a few. Under Aidy Boothroyd, especially during the first year, we were successful. All the players and the families were together, and the squad was as one. [Gianfranco] Zola is another because the football we were playing was awesome that year. I know we lost in the play-off final, but I felt we deserved to go up. His coaching and management style was good. Brendan Rodgers was here for six months and I thought his coaching methods were top drawer.”
The Player In the Current Side He Would’ve Liked To Play With:
“Ismaïla Sarr because I would’ve just given the ball to him, allow him to do all the work and I would just have defended.”
The Hardest Player He Has Faced:
“There have been a few who have ripped me up. Damien Duff for Chelsea when he got that big move from Blackburn. He was always on the move and kept on catching me off guard. He was awesome. I also played against [Karim] Benzema when I played for Jamaica. Him and [Olivier] Giroud gave us a nightmare. [Wayne] Rooney and [Henrik] Larsson gave us nightmares as well. All we were seeing were red arrows everywhere.”
Emmanuel Dennis:
“He is a very good player. He has scored eight goals and has many assists – he looks a danger anytime he gets on the ball. He can go right or left. I’m not sure I would've liked to play against him.”
His Plans For The Future:
“I wouldn’t quite say I want to be a Manager. I’m enjoying being an assistant and a coach. I’m just trying to progress in that at the moment because I love being in football. It’s been a part of my whole life. I just enjoy giving information and my experiences to others.”
His Selection For Greatest Centre-Back:
“I played with quite a few centre-backs because I played right-back and left-back. One that stands out for me is Adrian Mariappa. He actually knocked me out of the team at one stage. We have always had a good relationship and he has the attributes that are needed for his position. He has a good leap, he is aggressive and he can cover ground. Mariappa was top drawer.”
