This summary would be ok if it was a one off. However, Watford have become a caricature of themselves. They are far too lightweight against the top 6. Bar the relegation cannon fodder, we are the easiest opponent for a top six side. We are predictable. We play well, miss good chances, then concede 2 goals in 4 minutes which kills the game. Carbon copy of what happened at City and Arsenal. We were the better team against United and Spurs....but it's the same old story. There clearly is a weakness in our side which is ruthlessly taken advantage of against the better sides. Not sure why we're so **** against these teams when others regularly take points off them. This is not a hard luck story. Chelsea are struggling against everyone at the moment. They had a European match on Thursday. It WAS a good time to play them, yet we still allowed ourselves to get steamrolled. To have lost 11 out of 12 against the top 6 is pathetic. It's probably the ability of a decent Championship team. Frustration turns to anger. Of course we've had a decent season. We're going to end up 10th or 11th with 50 points, maybe 3 more. But is there any realistic hope we will pull off an upset against City? You just cannot trust Watford. They make you think we've got a chance, by playing well, even dominating a game. Then they just self-destruct. It's a repeating theme time and time again, season after season. Had this been August 5th and not May 5th, we'd have won that. It's a mental thing with Watford. They lose focus far too easily. Defensively they are poor, although not dreadful. Up front we lack a clinical edge or assertiveness. Seeing Success head a simple chance on to Gray instead of cleanly into an empty net, is just typical of the lack of quality. Players like Gray and Success, rarely hit ball cleanly. It's normally a mishit shot or slice, as they are not technically good enough. Deulofeu and Pereyra do not lack technical ability, but they do hold on to the ball a fraction too long at times, trying to find the perfect moment. Cathcart, Kabs, Mapps are ok, but are not strong enough against good sides. They are good Championship/EPL squad players. They shouldn't really be the players we rely on for an entire season. We're close, and we can all see from the performances, where we can if we had a real Premier League striker and a couple of real Premier League defenders. We'd be coasting in 7th and would have a great chance of causing an upset at Wembley. We always freefall at the end of the season. This one is no different. I don't buy into the fact the FA Cup final is on their minds, they've not had a cup final in previous years, yet the collapse still occurs. We ARE a good enough side, the league table shows that, but we have to get over this mental block we have or else it's not even worth turning up for the Man City parade at Wembley.
Gino's model is to buy players. Look at last summer's supposedly quiet window. Pontus, Wilmot, Dom and del boy for less than 20 mil, could realistically get over 100 for them if we sell at peak value. Also bought Foster for buttons. I'm expecting a net spend of around 30 mil this summer.
3 players who've hardly played for us? Surprised you didn't lump Cucho, Luke Backio and that Pedro guy in and make it £200m. We have no idea if those players will be a long term fit or not in the team. They actually have to be good for us to be sold for £25m each.
It's not the players' fault. It's the recruitment. For under £20 million pound purchase per player we have done extremely well.
I guess you could say its a top 2 which you'd expect to get nothing against but the rest have been quite average and certainly our performances have merited more but we've been made to pay for poor displays in both boxes.
Both our Achilles heels on display today (if it’s not a contradiction in terms to have two). Failure to take chances when on top, and then our propensity to concede two goals or more in a rapid spell. Dunno why people get so stressed about our bad record against the top 6 this season. They are the top 6 cos they’re the 6 best clubs and therefore the hardest to beat. Logically you’re going to fare worse against them than against the other 13 clubs. We’ve had a good season considering our shortcomings in defence and our lack of a 15 goal striker. We are at where we are at. We’ve won one match out of five (4 points from 15) since winning at Wembley. If you think that’s mere coincidence, then so be it. All is dark and full of gloom. It however you believe the two facts may be at least part related, then hold your nerve. Shrug off today and just pray that in 13 days time one of those chances goes in and our defence stop handing our gifts like Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Let’s hope too that we finish big next Sunday. This fine season deserves that. And it would be great to sign off and prepare for Wembley with a win to give all of us a boost going into the big match.
I don’t think we were awful at any point during today’s game. A great save from Deeney’s header in the first half and plenty of positive play and some great football. I really thought we had at least one goal in us but it wasn’t to be. I’d like to see the goal that was chalked off for off side again, was it obvious? Difficult to see from directly behind the goal.
It was the right decision but Success was onside, Gray off. The commentators made out the linesman had calculated it all in a split second to work out Success was onside but as soon as the ball struck Gray he was active so offside. He blatantly just guessed and I bet the flag would have gone up if it hit Gray or not.
Del boy is worth at least £30m. Personally I've already seen enough of Dom and Wilmot to know they r gonna be big players. From what people say about Pontus he will be too. To be top 10 with the players we have waiting in the wings is incredible really.
Just back. Decided to drive over to South Harrow and park up then get the piccadilly line in. I'll never let anyone call Watford a sh*thole again. Sat bang next to the Chelsea fans in the upper tier behind the goal and I do wonder about the mental state of some of our fans getting so wound up so easily. I was certain someone was going to have an actual fit at one point. Nice to see the whole ground clap off Chalobah. Despite seeing him make his come back at Old Trafford last season he hasn't really improved much, so sorry for the lad.
In fairness I don’t think many people are expecting us to go away to Chelsea and win. It’s because we’ve matched them for the majority of the game that allows you to think what then would make the difference. We are awful at defending crosses, low or high, and a commanding CB would make a huge difference to that, two of them even more so. And we have premier league money to help us go and find those players, not the absolute best in the world, but certainly better than we have.
Well we didn't rest any players, I can't honestly remember seeing us play so well and yet lose 3-0, Chelsea did have to work hard although helped by us missing a host of chances, it could have been so difference if their keeper didn't make a wonder save in the first 10 minutes!
Obvious but we desperately need to get back to winning ways next week. Moral boosting victory before cup final.. top ten finish.. see off the league season on a high. If we lose we finish 11th. The exact same league position we finished before the cup final in 84.
On the same day, relegated Huddersfield draw 1-1 with United and Brighton went to the Emirates and draw 1-1 with Arsenal. These results are just beyond our abilities. It has to be down to a mental weakness in our side that we cannot get the odd decent result against a top 6 side. 11 defeats in 12...….I cannot believe how bad we are when pitted against a big team. Even the very worst sides can occasionally catch one of these sides out. We are competitive but just don't believe we can do it.
Not a great match, played okay and i say that with hesitation as we still shipped three so okay is the best you can say Right herbet element in our away support sometimes, handful think they are in football factory, handful doing the the alonso killed a kid chant, handful standing in the stairwells and rather than go to seats would rather argue with stewards and give every reason why they cannot go to their seat Never see any of this at home games but almost every time i go to an away match, embarrassing
Another striker and another centre half in, bin off Success and Prodl for starters. It's needs to be right though. £6m man Obbi Oulare is nearly 3 years into his 5 year contract...
The issue is at both ends of the pitch. We have generally played pretty well against the top teams, have either created chances or had good opportunities and the final ball has cost us. We can also defend really well as a unit but it's only a matter of time before one of our defenders switches off. It's very rare that top teams have hatfuls of chances against us before the first goal. Yet again, much like against Manchester United and Arsenal, our midfield looked better than theirs. There must be something psychological about knowing you could/should be ahead against a team that is better than you. And then when they score it just confirms it and the whole team's shoulders slump.
Well, Gino will have a reminder in his diary to sack the manager after the final game. Might as well be pre printed.
Hope so. We can get Big Sam in for the final and try and tighten up the defence and get to a brave penalty shoot out defeat.
Didn't expect to win. So, don't feel anywhere near as fed up as after Wolves and Southampton. Chelsea were poor in the first half, very sluggish. Thought they would come out very different in the second - closed Deeney down, pressed much tighter, passed quicker and lobbed it into the box. The difference in class and cash was obvious in the second half. We are a very good mid table premier league team and we play some great entertaining football with the right spirit and commitment. As everyone and their uncle has said, we need to sort out our defence... There was some great football from both teams out there today...