OLD.. FAT.. LEGEND
Deeney: I’m too long in the tooth even to be called veteran but don’t write me off
TROY DEENEY described himself as “old and fat” – but insisted there’s life left yet in the old dog.
The 32-year-old Watford captain blasted home an 85th-minute penalty on his 500th league appearance to get the better of his beloved Birmingham.
It was the 153rd league goal of his career, but only his third of the season, and Deeney reckons it was the perfect answer to his critics.
He said: “Can you tell the club that I can play another 500 games? I hope so. The thing is, when you go 30-plus, you are looking at the latter end of your career so people call you old.
“I’m not a veteran, ‘old’ is the word they use, so you keep pushing, and I’ve got young boys here who keep me on my toes.
“It’s not about whether Troy is st still about, it’s whether the club ca can keep progressing. Certain p people write pieces every other m month saying ‘I’m holding them b back’ so it’s fine.
“I keep doing what I’m doing an and, you know what, how many m managers have come in and tried a different way of football but I still en end up playing. So I must be doing so something right.
“I’ve been in this game a long time and I’m still here. I just crack on and keep it going.
“Old and fat. That’s what I call myself. I say that because then it gives a perception that I should not really be here. It’s funny.”
Despite winning this terrible contest, Watford slipped a place to fourth but they are just a point off second place even though they haven’t yet hit their best form.
Deeney said: “We just want to make sure we are in a position to do what we do, win games, especially when we are playing ugly. With the quality we have, it will have to turn at some point.”
Birmingham did not match their impressive performances against Bristol City and Reading in the previous seven days in a game which saw Kristian Pedersen redcarded after conceding the match-winning penalty for fouling Stipe Perica.
But utility player Mikel Sa San Jose said: “I think we ar are improving a lot as a te team. We showed with th those three games ag against top- six teams th that we are doing things re really well.
“I don’t know if it’s en enough to be able to be lo looking a little bit higher in the table or not but th this is the way we have to fight and we will try to do it.”