In the absence of a rota for this season and with the first game only three days away, here's my contribution to this season's match previews... Arrivederci Walter, jog on to your next lot of gardening leave... Bem vindo Marco, jogo bonito por favor! The grey clouds of cigarette smoke and misery that hung over Vicarage Road during the final days of Mazzarri's tenure have dissipated over the summer as the dashing, English-speaking (more or less) Marco Silva arrived, fresh from his outlandish success of almost avoiding a relegation. After some promising early signings (Femenia and Hughes) and some legendary detective work from the nerds on this forum that confirmed Chalobah literally minutes before the official announcement, a bit of a panic set in as the days and the rumours ticked by with no other significant incomings... until this week that is, when we've signed a Brazilian no-one had heard of and an ex-L***n player. And now our pedestrian pre-season attack has been supplemented by some pace, some trickery, a bit of an unknown quantity and everyone's cheered up a bit. Well, everyone apart from that bloke who started a thread asking if we were planning for the Championship. Mash up photo of summer signings Will Hughes and Andre Gray: Opposition profile A Watford-Liverpool game on Sky Sports can only mean one thing... an hour of braindead musings from Jamie Redknapp and friends about the summer goings on up in Scouseland followed by a couple of throwaway lines about us sacking managers and losing our identity as a band of foreign mercenaries by signing too many English players this summer. Liverpool arrive in WD18 under a bit of a cloud as Barcelona are making noises about signing Phillipe Coutinho, a sort of poor man's Richarlison. The Kopsters are rightly aggrieved about this as it seems like a classic case of a bigger club trying to bully a smaller one into selling one of their best players, something made even worse by the fact they did it before with Luis Suarez a few seasons back. Coutinho is rated as doubtful for this game with a back injury he suffered when he bent over too quickly to pop his new Catalan dictionary into his suitcase. A Liverpool fan on hearing of Barcelona's interest in Coutinho: In completely unrelated news, Liverpool have so far failed in their totally honourable attempts to sign Virgil Van Dyke from Southampton, and two of their previous Southampton signings Adam Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne have both been ruled out through injury. Better news for them is that ex-Southampton star Sadio Mane seems to have recovered from his knee injury that kept him out at the end of last season. Liverpool have succeeded in signing Chelsea reject Mohammed Salah for big bucks this summer and also Andrew Robertson, who we rejected as he wasn't good enough for us, similar to his main competition in the squad Alberto Moreno. We'd rather go into the first game of the season with Brandon Mason as our reserve left back than sign dross like that. As is standard for "massive" clubs that are incapable of winning a league title at this time of year, Liverpool have a Champions League qualifier in mid-week following the game against us. Angry spectacle smasher Jurgen Klopp has said that they won't be resting anyone for our game though. Results last season: Don't remember, played them twice, sure we probably got something out of both games. Played for both club legends in order of legendariness: 1. Jerome Sinclair 2. John Barnes 3. David James Playing at lunchtime on the first Saturday of the season, with only one match being completed the night before gives us a great chance to top the Premier League table for the first time in our history. Let's go Hornets!
Also played for both clubs: Bert Slater, goalie in the late 60s. He won the League Championship (the real one) at Anfield under Shankly - so ought to register above David James (who did not win the PL with them) and definitely above Sinclair in legendariness. For those interested in physiotherapy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Catalan-En...1502314440&sr=1-1&keywords=catalan+dictionary
On balance have always thought it's preferable to take on a top 4 in the first game of the season, especially at home. Both teams fitness the same + gets it out the way. 2-2. Okaka getting at least one of ours. I think Okaka is under rated, if fit I think we will get 7/8 from him this season.
I think Holebas will collect more bookings than Okaka gets goals. Although that might still be the case if Okaka nets 20-25 for us
3-2 to the 'orns. Two dramatic late goals from debutant strikers off the bench rescue victory from the jaws of another defeat to Self Pity City. The Sun snap Troy Deeney looking glum in the stands, and speculate that a big money move to Derby County is imminent.
Watford 3-0 Liverpool Chants of we're top of the league with intermittent whimpers from the Liverpool fans.
home win a fit and firing Liverpool attack is top notch but the rest of their side is all a bit meh for a top 6 side...
2-1 late late winner from Richarlison. He jumps into the crowd and gets a yellow for his troubles. He doesn't care though coz he's mental.
Should be a fairly routine win for us, barring any injuries to key players. It's quite a nice start to the season - a chance to stamp our authority on a few midtable rivals with four very winnable games before Man City come along and spoil the party. Slightly concerned that Silva is considering resting a few and playing some kids - I'd be tempted to start with our strongest available line-up, then give Deeney/kids a good run out once the points are safe. I realize it's a long season, but I hope he's not going to be one of these managers that disrespect the opposition.
Can't see much past a defeat here. Mane and Salah on each wing is pretty devastating and I'm not sure we have the full backs to deal with it. I'd be happy with a decent performance, firm commitment and a clear game plan which was so frequently missing last year. Any kind of points on the board is a bonus.
I would expect us to lose but I could see us managing a cheeky comeback draw if Silva has drilled the players well. The story after the match will be on how distracting Coutinho's impending sale is for Liverpool and how Klopp just needs to keep the squad focused so they can take advantage of the three points Christ himself would want them to have. 1-1, goals from Roberto Firmino and a late equalizer from substitute Andre Gray.
And so once more unto the breach, dear Hornets, once more..... Here we go again for our third consecutive (count 'em) dose of rip-kickin', hyper-ventilatin', tv ignoramus pontificatin', fake badge kissin', revenue stream consolidatin',. Big 6 condescendin', flash bang glitter, super sunday Premiershhit lollapalooza extravaganza. Oh and why not have a fun flutter while you're here! Go on! Bet! There's an offer on. Special odds just for you the Premiership fan. It's free. Go on. Bet! Now! BET!!! The first opposition scheduled to face the Hornets fire and fury at The Vic, and marking the first notch on Marco Silva's goalpost as he begins his longest ever unbeaten home run, hold on to your hubcaps, it's LIVERPOOL FC. Hornets will be familiar with these from the 3-0 tonking we handed them in Dec 16. That was the time Deeney scornfully ridiculed the rank cowardice of their flimsy, overpaid, fancy-dan defence in his post match interview. On Saturday they'll be travelling without several of their supposed big name stars for reasons ranging from comical self-inflicted injuries through to barefaced and unashamed lack of interest. That latter is Phillip 'Flashy Phil' Countinho, who's unsurprisingly followed in the footsteps of Suarez and Maschereno before him and snapped at the first offer to leave derelict rainswept Murkeyside for warmer and less crime-ridden climes. According to some papers he's not going to play on Saturday because he's “injured”. Others acknowledge it's more of a can't be bothered sort of thing. “They even stole my training weights” - Coutinho Another to have thrown his arms up in abject surrender before the battle has even started is lazy straggle-bearded ex-Southampton lightweight, Adam Lallallallanaland (sp?). He's a Lalla-long term absentee they say. Very unlalla-lucky he's been. “Hold me up boss!” - Llallallana llallallacking the llallegs to llallalast 90 minutes. Also, obviously, absent for Saturday will be St John's ambulance stretcher favourite, Simon 'Sicknote' Sturridge who's retired back to his hospital bed after a strenuous 36 minutes run out in a pre-season friendly. Clumsy error prone defender Jordan 'hooch' Henderson is also unfortunately (for us) extending his holidays for a couple more weeks whilst recovering from his summer excesses. But of course nobody whinges on and on and on like a Scouser, so they've been forced into futile splashing out of mega millions on supposed 'marquee' signings. But there's honestly nobody that any Horn should be even remotely concerned about. They include an over-priced Egyptian winger called Mohammed Salah, for whom they paid an astonishing £35 million and who's already amply demonstrated his lack of Premiership capability after flopping disastrously at Chelsea. Nobody, apart from a few deluded fools from Birkenhead, expects him to fare any better this time around. But if you thought the standard of Egyptian football was poor, you'd have to continue looking some way down the FIFA ranking before arriving at perpetual underachievers Scotland. But that's from where they've chosen to make their other 'big' signing - dour no-nonsense Caledonian full back Andrew Robertson, formerly of erm, Dundee United. If they play him, expect Richarlison, Pererya and even Amrabat to have him turned inside out so he doesn't know his firth from his forth and leave him cussin' intae his wee sporran. As for the Watford team, I shouldn't think it makes much difference who plays and who doesn't. Against this weakened team of flops, misfits and sicknotes, I confidently expect us to run out easy winners in front of the TV cameras, probably by at least a three or four goal margin. Gray (2), Pererya and Femenia all on the scoresheet. Get your bets on now!
We will go behind to a dodgy penalty, get 2 ridiculous red cards that we successfully appeal and have a late equaliser ruled out for handball when replays show it was actually Jordan Henderson's hand touching the ball, not Okaka. The injustice fires us on until Christmas when we top the table and Silva says the Liverpool game was pivotal. However after selling Deeney to Barcalona for 300m it falls apart and we end up 17th.
Routine 5-0 win for us, Cant see such a small side as Liverpool causing us trouble at home, Pereyra with a hat trick and two goals from separate Prodl headers. We should have 70% domination due to our superior pressing and passing, Comfortable day at the fortress I reckon.
Can't wait for this now Charlie & Gray have signed. Changed my whole outlook on the season! Paaaaaaceeeeee
Even dyed-in-the-wool mickeymouser Lawrenson is only humbly predicting a 1-1 draw. Didn't his predictions last season have them winning the league by 37 clear points or something? Him predicting them to only draw means he's really expecting them to take a proper hiding.
I believe they did; they also had us getting relegated in 19th place above Hull City. Football expert my ar*e.
Their defence is just as rubbish as ours, and their attacks is only slightly worse than ours. So it should be a high scoring game. So I'm going for 0-0