Mark:What differences are there between the Watford side that faced Bolton in the FA Cup in January and the Watford side of today?

Matt:Well I hope that we'll turn up for starters. Much as you were worthy winners in January, the complete and uncharacteristic lack of fight in the team was very odd that day. In terms of line-up it'll be a largely revamped back four... Doyley still in at RB but Chris Powell in at LB who you'll know all about, ridiculously energetic for a 36 year old. Dan Shittu has come in at CB from QPR - seriously large unit, do not mess. He'll be partnered by Jay Demerit who was on the bench in January but a starter now and better with every game he plays. Largely different midfield also... would guess that Mahon will be the only "familiar" face, he'll probably partner summer recruit Damien Francis who looks the part and has a couple of goals already. Ashley Young, who was suspended in January, will probably start on the left - he'll be in the Prem for a while with or without us. New signing Tommy Smith on the right with King and Big Doris up front as previously. Bottom line though is that you should see a much rougher, tougher, more competitive unit than in January.

Mark: Aidy Boothroyd described the Hornets home defeat to Manchester United as unacceptable recently. Are you pleased to see your manager adopt a fearless and proactive approach when coming up against teams like that?

Matt: Yes, absolutely. It's all about setting standards... last season most would have been happy avoiding relegation, Betty argued that that's never going to excite people as a target, and even saying "we're aiming for mid-table" means you've set a ceiling on what you can achieve. Utterly inspiring stuff

Mark: On the opening day of the season Watford's new signing Chris Powell was penalised for handling in the area against Everton when the ball clearly struck his head. Is it now time for the Football Association to introduce video replays when incidents like these arise so that they can clear up any doubts?

Matt: The Powell decision was clearly ludicrous... but no, I'm not one for video replays. Much as they've been used successfully in other sports, football is far less stop-start than say tennis or even rugby. It would slow down the game, could be used as a deliberate policy so to do. More useful than video replays would be a bit of honesty and integrity from managers who hide behind bad decisions to distract from their team's failings. We lost at Everton because we didn't take our (many) chances, not because of one (two) bad decisions.

Mark: Tommy Smith is now back at Watford after spells with Sunderland and Derby County. Where is the manager most likely to accomodate him when you consider that the two front men Marlon King and Darius Henderson have struck up a good partnership.

Matt: Will almost certainly be employed on the right wing, where he's featured pretty much exclusively since leaving Watford. Occasionally we switch to one up front with two wide midfielders breaking... much like Bolton have employed over the last couple of years... in which case Smith would be perfect for the wide right position. But no, he's no threat to either King (the best striker we've had for twenty years, Phillips included) or Henderson (in the Duncan Ferguson mould, not the same kind of player at all). Smith can't shoot for toffee, which was always a bit of a bugger for a striker...

Mark: Finally what do you think the outcome will be at the Reebok Stadium this weekend?

Matt: Ha. I don't like doing predictions about Watford. Let's just say that much as your home record is excellent, you'll know you've been in a game.

Walking Down The Manny Road would like to thank Matt for his contribution to this week's interview. Blind, Stupid and Desperate (www.bsad.org) is a very popular, well maintained site with excellent content and well worth a read if you are a big fan of the Hornets

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