I don’t really get the comments about this being a typical QSF performance and what we should expect etc. Up to today we’ve tried to play attacking football, but it’s led to us conceding sloppy early goals on the break. We’ve then had the task of trying to break down our opponents down when they themselves don’t need to attack, making attacking for us twice as hard. It’s more or less followed that pattern in every single game. I think what we did today, as dull as it was to watch was exactly what we had to do. Keep it tight and concentrate on not conceding. The reality is as bad as we may have played we should have won that game. The tactics were spot on but the strikers just failed to do precisely what they are paid to do. If Welbeck had scored QSF would’ve executed the perfect game plan. We’re in deep ****, we can’t expect open expansive football, it’s about keeping clean sheets and grinding out results, that’s the reality we currently live in.
Great. A superb draw, letting a NEWLY PROMOTED TEAM have the majority of the ball and largely play us off the park. Really love this team. WFC4EVA
Don't you dare talk about the warriors on that pitch today like that. That was a fantastic performance and a brilliant result. We can't expect to actually win a game ffs, you must always take a point.
So so depressing. Poor passing to give the ball away so often gave a fit, strong, motivated Blades wave after wave of attacks. Our fitness levels by comparison are a pale shadow. I can see why Sheffield United haven't conceded a goal in the last 15 minutes all season. WFC players by comparison were affected by strains and cramp, and Holebas, despite the hammering he's getting, soldiered on as he had to after getting crocked on the hour. That is all Javi's legacy. I thought Sarr and Deulofeu both hid in plain sight after they came on - Cleverley and Janmaat for instance were desperate for them to come short and link play and show for the ball but they simply hid. They both wanted to be provided with the ball on their terms and weren't helping out in a tiring team at all. Which meant that it was the Blades who took control and looked most likely to score after Welbeck went off. Hughes on in the centre would've been a better option as he's tricky and has the heart that GD and Sarr simply don't have. Too many of this squad won't stay when we go down and it bloody well showed. Sarr is like a rabbit in the headlights, like a flashy 15 year old who's been put in a Watford Sunday League Premier League team and cannot believe how tough the players are so he hides out of the way until the ball comes to him. Woeful. He was as abject and bullied out of it at Wolves. Nice one, Giraldi.
I was pleased to see Pereyra put in a shift, did really well. Kabs was excellent too. Cleverly never stops running though a bit wayward with his passing. Gray has his moments and I really like what he does without the ball, but Christ he's awful with it. Sarr could be Obbi Oulare's natural successor from what I've seen so far. Delbert looked like he was too good for this game when he came on, at least in his own head. Dawson was both excellent and dreadful in the time he had on the pitch.
They didn’t play as off the pitch, we happily let them have the ball and they did nothing with it other than pass it from one side of the pitch to the other. The game plan was to not concede and go from there, it very nearly worked. It doesn’t really matter who the opponent is, it’s all about results now based on the fact we are routed to the bottom of the league, and how we get there matters not one jot.
Today’s game reminded me of QSF’s first game against WBA last time around. He builds from the back and today was the first time I think we’ve seen his defensive structure in action. For those moaning, I think QSF got it right. We should have scored 3 goals. We should have won 3-0. Who cares if they came from mistakes from Sheffield? That’s how football works! It’s not pretty but you can’t moan about our **** defence and then moan when QSF starts to sort it out. I think it will get better. We’ve clearly focused on the defence, and we got our first clean sheet since February, and Sheffield didn’t remotely look like scoring. Can we not give them some respect? They are a team that have beaten Everton, Palace and taken a point from Chelsea. I’ve been pretty downbeat this season but at least today we were hard to play against. We haven’t been able to say that in a while. I honestly think once we get the elusive win and the confidence improves we’ll be ok.
I can't do polls, but... You're a former England International centre forward, clean through goal, one on one with the keeper. But you have Andre Gray, who's a bit merde, free on your left who has a clear shot on goal, better than yours. Do you roll the ball into Andre's path hopefully for him to score? Do you take the shot on yourself with the keeper coming out fast making himself big?
Pereyra waited much too long to make the cross. It often happens that strikers make runs for which if they'd received the ball in good time they'd be onside, but because the player with the ball delays it kills the chance. It was the same here.
I've been watching Watford for a very long time ... in fact, watching football, other teams too ... sometimes (like today) I find myself asking myself 'why?'. I've seen a lot of dull games and bore draws over the last 40+ years ... a lot ... why do I do this? I also don't know why, but today I found my mind wandering back to the Autumn of 2013-14 season when things were starting to get very fragmented and frustrating ... Bolton at home, came flooding back ... later in the year though, I think ... ah, the memories of Vicarage Rd ... Doucoure is not a bad footballer ... we know this ... there must be some reason why he is playing like this ... I still believe there is 40million player inside him ... who knows why? Not some of the people on this forum who would have difficulty getting a key in a lock let alone kicking a pigs bladder from one side of the park to the other ... very easy to be abusive and cynical ... Don't know what the answer ... don't think it is QSF, but who knows ... for all his faults, we miss Deeney on that pitch ...
If there was any other professional footballer on the planet to his left aside from Andre Gray then he squares it. Probably saved us the anguish of Andre scuffing it wide and forever wishing Welbeck had just taken it on himself ...
Refs these days put the flag up after the passage of play has ended. If it had gone in he would've likely then flagged.
It's all going to be fine. We'll be comfortably mid-table by Christmas. Deeney will come back a new player after his operation, and strike up an absolutely devastating partnership with Welbeck. Chalobah will force his way back into the team with immense performances that will see him back in the England side. Del will finally live up to his potential and we'll be debating which giant club is going to splash out 80 million for him. We'll be saying that we could have finished in the top six if it hadn't been for those first eight games. Everything's going to be fine.
But he didn't flag at all. As soon as Gray touched the ball, the flag would have gone up. Just because Gray missed it doesn't mean the lino will not flag. The passage of play is ended once the ball has gone out of play. Offside is offside, whether a goal is scored or not. A freekick is awarded from where the offside player was standing. In this case a goal kick was awarded. The offside, if it was offside, was clearly not seen by the linesman as he did not signal this at any time.
I'm not gonna argue. I expect on MOTD tonight they will say he was offside. We will never know if the linesman would've put his flag up if it had gone in because it didn't go in.
I don't blame Welbeck for shooting but once he did he has to score otherwise it was the wrong decision. That's football.
A mate of mine just said, at least we’re not as much of a laughing stock as Spurs. If only they knew.
Context is everything. We’ve been shipping at least two goals a game every game and in most cases very early on in games. Irrespective of the opponent something had to change.
Today we played with the handbrake on. And it was awful. If you can’t back yourselves to outgun that Sheff Utd team at home with the players we have and in your 5th year at this level, you really should give up. I think QSF made an error in judgement today in the approach he set up for and it blew a lot of capital with the fans. I thought the boos were harsh but there was certainly nothing to clap. I know we couldn’t afford another defeat but I’d have genuinely taken an entertaining 4-3 loss over that pile o’crap. I think most of the things I’d say have already been mentioned. I’d just add it seemed the players aren’t particularly unified behind QSF’s plan. There was a point around the half hour where we conceded a corner and basically every outfield player was shouting or gesticulating at a teammate. All angry, all pointing in different directions. It really wasn’t a good look.
Agree. Pre-season was terrible. It has left the squad lacking fitness and with a complacent mentality. We were also poorly equipped from a tactical viewpoint. I fail to see any excuses for, what seems like, gross negligence. That's before you look at transfers.
There is a team called Sheffield F.C. Lost at home to Ilkestone this afternoon. Probably more our level.
