Bournemouth will survive at our expense. Not because they are a better side, they have been awful. Sours, Leicester and Man City, for some reason, were dreadful against them. They maybe ****, but they have a collective spirit as a team, even with that cheat Callum Wilson. Plus, Bournemouth are broke, potless. Survival means everything to them and their players know it. We are not far behind them on the financial scale. We have borrowed against staying in the Premier league. The **** could hit the financial fan now. We gave it away, handed them another season in the Premier league. The stories about lack of a bonus and unrest are true. The players failed to get fit. Pre season and during the lockdown. They just did their own thing, no club discipline at all. Questions were asked by some about what was going on at the club, but they were never answered by the management or the board. It was plain to see on the pitch that things were going wrong. We have been an embarrassment since the restart. Losing to Burnley Reserves was bad enough, but not understanding that you have battle to stay up. Come away with a point would give us a chance. Our players were too unfit to compete with other teams.. Southampton sought to increase the fitness level after a poor run. Arsenal have been doing the same thing. Arteta has had them in doing extra drills while next door our players have been relaxing or at home. Deeney more interested in BLM. There is something very wrong with our club when you cannot get the players fit on two occasions. Many on this forum said that Watford were sleep walking towards relegation after the dreadful run in last season. Not one thing has been done to change that. I hope Man City stuff 10 past us to teach our unfit, lazy players and management a lesson. I have never so embarrassed to be a fan. We have some very bad times in the past, mainly due to the owners, but this is down to the players. We are just not seeing any effort, any enthusiasm or any drive. They just look pissed off and bored to be out there. Look at the Leeds fans tonight, look what it means to them to be in the Premier league. We don't deserve to stay up. Our Club and players just gave it away.
Where have the all the fans forums been this season? Duxbury was more than happy to lap it up when it was all rosy last year but now his neck is on the line he’s hiding. The behaviour of the board sets the precedent and filters down onto the pitch.
So frustrating. Watford have started badly in EVERY game since the restart. Why? They showed after half time they can play but as so often it was too late. I can’t agree with your analysis of the second goal. When the cross came in there were 3 West Ham players challenging against just 3 Watford defenders. You never see that in football except on a breakaway. Defenders should always outnumber attackers. No one else had made the effort to get back and it just showed the attitude of our players was all wrong, especially after the shock of going behind so early.
I absolutely loved Neville’s incredulity at Feminia being a defender. Didn’t he actually say something like, he’s a football player but he’s not a fullback? It really sums us up. He’s not bad going forward, but as far as doing his actual job he’s a complete and utter disaster.
That was one of the funnier moments of last night. "He's not a defender, theres a footballer there. He's definately a footballer. A footballer yes, a defender no."
Why do people keep thinking our midfield is so good compared to the other parts of the team. You need to look at the build up to a lot of the goals we conceded and you will see it is the midfield players that do not do their defensive jobs properly. Yes the defence make mistakes, but if the midfield do nothing to stop the attack building up or track runners the defence are under pressure. Look at the 2nd goal yesterday, yes Kiko let his player have an almost free header, but look at the build up to the cross, what did the midfield do to stop the situation happening?
We have not pressured the man with the ball all season and our defenders and midfield seem genuinely surprised when vaguely competent PL footballers use that time and space to hurt us. there was also a point in the second half where Sarr ran about 30 yards to get on the end of a pass in their box and if you freeze the tv there were 7 West Ham defenders in shot and not a single other watford player...
It was incredible, I was actually laughing. It’s just brilliant how a pundit who knows sod all about us can watch us for a few minutes and immediately work out one of the major reasons we’re so terrible.
I hate seeing people waste their talent and opportunity...it's a personal thing. Millions of kids dream of being famous footballers (including me). Only a very small proportion actually achieve it (not including me) but they will all have worked hard over many years to get there. They come all over the world, and Birmingham, Leamington Spa and Rochdale, and a very select few are deemed good enough for a Club in what is generally considered to be the premier league at the pinnacle of world football. Every one of them have shown at various times that they have the talent and ability to play at the highest level. Those players are paid more in a week than what the average person earns in a year. They get the best food, they get ferried about in private planes, they live in the best houses, use the best training facilities and can draw on the best medical expertise. All backed by a coaching team whose one job is to ensure that they display and use their talents on the football field. It is what they have worked hard for 10, 15, 20 years. They have made it. All these players have to do is train in between matches with as much effort as millions of normal folk do for fun every day in parks and gyms all over the world. Then they just have to put in maximum effort for about 3 hours a week on a football field. But then they can't even do that, not even when their clubs existence depend on it. And they have a coaching team that stand on the touchline with precious little enterprise or imagination. Who seemingly totally lack passion passion, and provide less heartfelt communication with their players than thousands of Watford fans will be having with their inanimate TV screens at home. Such a waste.
Deeney scored from open play despite only having one knee. Doucs was less bad than before. Hughes was ok. Sarr is rather good. Our goal difference could have been worse still if we'd not woken up a bit eventually. That's all I've got.
I don’t think the issue is passion, commitment or effort. It’s fear. Pearson was right when he talked about passengers...not enough are stepping up to take responsibility. They’re looking for someone else to do it. An issue for us is that we’ve been the rabbit and Villa / Muff have been the foxes. Mentally it’s easier to be chasing than the one being chased. As we get to the last couple of games - the nerves for those two sides will increase, and we saw a bit of that with Villa against Everton the other night. On the positive side, in some ways nothing has changed. Unless one of Villa/Muff win 2 games (unlikely) we just need to hold Citeh to 1 or 2 goals and draw against Arse. I’m confident there was enough there in the second half that we’ll be alright.
The odd thing is that we have, against Bournemouth away and Liverpool. We’ve stopped doing it though.
OK we were **** and we got beat, but come on guys we are still actually in the driving seat! We have a THREE point advantage and a slightly better GD than our rivals with only two games to play, all be it against City & Arsenal. Whereas our two rivals HAVE to win at least one of their two remaining matches and improve their GD by at least three goals, therefore we could actually lose or even get thrashed in our remaining matches and still stay up! So lets try and stay positive we COULD still get out of this, and we might even manage to get something from at least one of our remaining games or POSSIBLY even both of them as unlikely as that might seem. SO COME ON U 'ORNS WE CAN DO IT Yes I did see a flock of pigs flying past my window just now
You’re right, but like the bookies odds opinions change with each passing game. After that mess last night I can’t even begin to fathom how we’d achieve a draw at Arsenal and a narrow loss to city, it just doesn’t happen. We’d need a completely different team.
A point against Arsenal appears on the face of it to be a possible but improbable last chance. That though would probably condemn us fans to another season of financial and emotional investment in watching a squad containing a significant number of players who arrogantly consider that they are premier league standard when it is clearly not the case. The club is unlikely to overhaul the squad if we survive and without a drop through the trapdoor we will face the majority of the same squad plying their limited skill set against significantly superior players and teams. Questionable “entertainment”. The drop though would also mean likely collateral damage in the loss of the limited real talent prospects we do have. There is a frustration at the current limited sight of the potential of some of these players. Missed opportunities in every sense. Down with the Naaaarwich, we’re going down with the Naaaarwich......
I’m trying to find something semi positive. Will Hughes has been immense during this period . His interview after the West Ham game demonstrates how much he cares . He looks absolutely gutted . He doesn’t deserve to go down . If we do I really hope he stays , as I think he would be great for us in The championship . He’s got the heart and the technical ability. We would have one of the best midfielders in the efl.
Hughes will be playing PL football next year. Sadly not with us. It won’t have gone unnoticed - by other teams - that he has been good for most of the season.
Just read Adam L in The Athletic. “Self reflection is sure to be needed in the Boardroom too” How true. Might be wrong but there seems to be a line of arrogance from near the top down in the club.
I turned 60 last week and the family clubbed together and bought me a private plate, ***WFC. Almost feel too embarrassed to drive to Tesco in Peterborough this morning!
Muff winning on Sunday will put us out of our misery, and then we can start planning for next year with Deeney and Gray in the Championship. Happy days
They may but Southampton are in peak form. I don't think they will do what Spurs of Leicester did which was play appallingly along with Abu Dhabi. You saw how they went toe to toe with Manchester United who are probably the most in form team at the moment and pulled that last minute equalizer.
They only drew with Brighton, and Muff are showing a lot of spirit. psychology Saints must be thinking about the end of the season. Muff only have to win one of their remaining games, as we we will not get another point. My only hope for this season is Scum goes down, but if they beat Dull today that could be out of the window.
I see you quote things like bonuses not being paid are true and Pearson has fallen out with owners and various other things that have apparently gone on but every time somebody asks for a source or how you know you don’t answer. So what’s your source
You've run businesses, I believe. Would you run a 4m turnover business, leaving as much to chance and with such a devil may care attitude to outcomes as our club seem to? From scouting, coaching, selection, fitness, preparation, tactics, medical recovery - it all seems that we just hope that it all somehow comes together. There doesn't seen to be a top down effort to fix such things in a business with a 9 figure turnover.
Oh the old **** is piping up now. He's spent the last 3 years sucking at the Pozzo teat and abusing the others who have seen it coming. 'We'll be fine'.
I'm sorry but this is just wrong. Win yesterday and the final games were pretty much free swings. Draw and we probably would still be OK. Losing as we did, we have chipped our own GD advantage and now, almost certainly need something from the final two games, as it's unlikely that Villa and Bournemouth will both fail to win at least 1 game. We've shat our bed and now either need an historic result against a team we are terrified of, or something against take Jekyll and Hyde Arsenal. I would rather be Villa or Muff with their fixtures.
If those stars spell out F UC K you can auction that off. Nath, Jumbo, GD and I will bid big bucks for such a plate.
They had enough chances to win that comfortably. I am sure they will do it. The pressure is on both teams below us as well knowing they have to win. Ings with a brace fingers crossed. He will still be trying to catch Vardy. Clutches straws again. God I feel depressed.
The thing is, we have had SO many chances. So, so, so many chances to just not be terrible and get a shi thouse win and be safe. The bottom 5 have been useless all season. Fair enough, we did produce a somewhat purple patch over christmas which stopped us being relegated by March, but winnable games have come and gone. Opponents with nothing to play for, decimated by injuries have played through us without resistance and we go again. Next week we will win. It's Burnley/Southampton/Everton/West Ham/Villa - that will be the game we turn up for and get the points. But no. We never do. We deserve to go down. We thoroughly, thoroughly deserve it. We've failed to make it count throughout the season and we are where we are, deservedly. If there hadn't been 3 or 4 other teams who had also seemingly been trying to win a race to the bottom, we would already be down. I'm not statto, but some seasons, I'm sure 34 points with 2 to play would have left us needing a miracle already. We should go down. We probably will. If we somehow survive, I wonder how much euphoria there will be from fans, because I'm not sure it will be a good thing or in any way deserved.
I think it’s completely unrealistic and fairly improbable that one of either Villa or Bournemouth don’t win one game out of four between them. That means as a minimum we need a draw and to lose the other game by no more than one goal to even have a chance of staying up. I just don’t see it. I honestly couldn’t see us winning last night, I never really entertained that as a possibility. But to not lose was imperative and I find it utterly incomprehensible that we conceded not one, not two, but three goals in a game that we simply had to remain tight in.
