Watford may have nothing left to play for in the final week of the Championship season, but Tom Cleverley insists there’s unfinished business after their weekend defeat to Blackburn Rovers — particularly involving Blackburn captain Lewis Travis.
The Hornets, who flirted with the play-off places earlier in the season, now find themselves stranded in midtable after falling to a 2-0 loss at Ewood Park. The defeat provided a huge boost to Rovers’ own late play-off push, but post-match focus shifted firmly away from the football when Cleverley confirmed the club would be reporting Travis for an alleged verbal comment directed at Eyo Kayembe.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Diff | Points |
| 8 | Blackburn | 45 | 19 | 8 | 18 | 52 | 47 | 5 | 65 |
| 9 | Middlesbrough | 45 | 18 | 10 | 17 | 64 | 54 | 10 | 64 |
| 10 | West Brom | 45 | 14 | 19 | 12 | 52 | 44 | 8 | 61 |
| 11 | Swansea | 45 | 17 | 9 | 19 | 48 | 53 | -5 | 60 |
| 12 | Sheffield Wednesday | 45 | 15 | 12 | 18 | 59 | 68 | -9 | 57 |
| 13 | Watford | 45 | 16 | 8 | 21 | 52 | 60 | -8 | 56 |
| 14 | Norwich | 45 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 67 | 66 | 1 | 54 |
| 15 | QPR | 45 | 13 | 14 | 18 | 52 | 63 | -11 | 53 |
| 16 | Portsmouth | 45 | 14 | 11 | 20 | 57 | 70 | -13 | 53 |
| 17 | Oxford United | 45 | 13 | 13 | 19 | 46 | 62 | -16 | 52 |
Speaking after the match, Cleverley said:
“I have never competed against Lewis Travis when he was not in the middle of the drama. I have spoken with the referee. There has been a verbal comment to one of our players. We will write a report on that.”
He added that he had personally heard the comment from the sideline, and revealed a hint of hypocrisy:
“Lewis Travis reported one of our players earlier in the season and he got a three-game ban. It’s pretty poor behaviour.”
According to journalist Alan Nixon, the remark made by Travis is not believed to be of a racial nature, but nonetheless could breach FA rules, triggering a potential investigation. Kayembe reportedly raised the issue immediately with both the referee and the fourth official.
The Championship has seen no shortage of drama this season, and this latest flashpoint only adds to a long list. Earlier in the campaign, Milutin Osmajic was accused of making a racial comment toward Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri, and there have been tunnel altercations involving Chris Wilder at Plymouth, as well as major security incidents at Burnley.
Meanwhile, the league itself continues to serve up relentless tension: a dramatic relegation battle still unfolding, a title race only just decided, and two play-off spots still up for grabs in the final days.
For better or worse, the Championship remains the most chaotic, captivating league around — and situations like the Cleverley-Travis fallout are just another reason why.
In other news, Cleverley Explains Why Watford Can’t Just Go All-Out Attack in Final Games
