Watford FC 1-4 Huddersfield Town - 16/12/2017

Like when he outpaced the left back, got to the byline with 3 people waiting for a cross, took an extra touch and had his cross blocked? He did nothing else of note

 

Yes.....this season, at home, is by far the worst since we've been promoted, IMO. By contrast, away from home we've been generally very good.

 

That's ok then. I'm happy the he had a good Manchester derby.

I agree, we are making far too many mistakes as a side, but we should demand fairness from officials. There is so much evidence this is just not happening. The integrity of the game is compromised when this keeps on happening. Without fairness and just decisions, a match becomes impossible.

 

Yes.....I think he's a quality player. I haven't seen anything to suggest he's not.

 

I am because those decisions weren't even remotely ambiguous and yet he got them all spectacularly wrong. God knows what the lino was doing for the first goal, even the player who headed the ball across goal came from an offside position. Some of the decisions in todays games were really bad such as Albrightons tackle on Benteke are indefensible. They really do need to start taking a leaf out of other sports such as rugby or cricket becuase the games being ruined.

 

Like todays match then.

We still might not have won with the way we were defending but Oliver made sure of it.

 

But you shouldn't have been surprised. He is nearly always like this in our games. Remember the Knockeart penalty in the play off semi-final. How about disallowing Deeney's goal against Leeds in the FA Cup, or the blatant foul by Ashley Williams on Ighalo at Swansea for a penalty not given, or the TWO penalties he gave to West Brom....and today. The guy is bad news, but no one ever thinks it can be true. It's no coincidence that he always does this sort of thing to us. I'm not sure why he does it, but he's been consistently poor against Watford in virtually every match he's officiated.

 

Proven wrong about what? I haven’t made any wild statements one way or the other about this side, other than to observe that halfway in we still have a squad that cannot sustain the amount of injuries and suspensions we get, and we’re still ninth! The quality of the football has been infinitely better this season, and I 100% want to see the manager here for the long term, as it’s the reactive sackings that are I think holding us back moving to the next level.

You bring no insight or knowledge to the table, just the same diatribe as last season.

 

This forum is boring when HB1 isn’t being a pompous tvwat, so let’s just enjoy it

 

Are you for real?? Of course he bloody was!!!

 

Michael Oliver can hardly be blamed for the first goal - that was the linesman's fault. Hogg's wasn't a second booking and Janmaat definitely should've got a second yellow when he body checked one of their players to stop a dangerous break.

The officials were just rubbish today, not biased.

 

Sadly, we're playing like his other other team Toronto would in the PL.

How many teams can anyone support anyway? I hardly have enough time to support Watford and Arsenal, let alone a third.

 

Barca of England......and why not?

Even with all the predictable crap decisions coming from Michael Oliver today there was enough about the overall Watford display that had all the hallmarks of a team destined for the drop. We do not have character or guts/determination in defence. It's far too easy for ordinary players like today, to waltz around our wing backs. Janmaat and Holebas are weak defensive players. In the middle we are shockingly bad but it's been a problem for a long time now. The answer is a complete overhaul of defensive players, although that is unlikely to happen, we do need something radical to happen.

Ok the first goal was offside, but we just did not battle physically with Huddersfield. They crowded our box and we just couldn't clear. The second goal was something you see on a Sunday from the under 10's. Pathetic defending. As for Holebas and the third, there's already been a lot said about this. But, wow, the guy is such a tart.

I like Femenia, and he's a good solution. Janmaat is not strong enough defensively though and it's time to move on. Zeegelaar has got something about him, but Holebas has to go also. We need to bring in a first choice left wing back. Central defence, we've been crying out for a leader here, and it's becoming desperate now.

Get this sorted and it will go along way to solving our defensive problems. We have by far the worst defensive record over the past 3 seasons than any other club in the EPL.

 

Only just about have enough enthusiasm to post regarding that shitshow.

Oliver was poor, but I can't help but feel we'd have still contrived to have lost the game somehow. Huddersfield were up for it more, and didn't make the stupid errors we did.

I've firmly stated I'm a fan of Silva and his way of playing football so I can't backtrack now. However, we certainly look a shadow of the team we were back in the summer/autumn. Is it purely down to the Everton approach and injuries/suspensions? Whilst the latter certainly isn't helping, Wally wasn't given much slack over the same thing so we can't completely let Silva off the hook in terms of an excuse. I'm now just hoping that he proves to be the decent coach we thought he was, and finds a solution to the current drop in performances.

Holebas - I've also admitted to being a fan of his - but he's currently playing like he knows he's straight out of the team once Zeegelaar is back. He was appalling today and you could argue that the third was the killer goal that finished the game off.

Deeney - again, there's a fair shout that it shouldn't have been a red and I'm sure they'll appeal (although it could be argued that for the good of the team, we need the ban to stand!) But he does appear to be a pale imitation of what he once was (cue fat jokes). As has been pointed out - all his success has been when playing with a partner. Our current set-up just doesn't suit him.

Prodl has been miles off his best since his return. Britos' reputation has suddenly gone up, despite him being the scapegoat for poor defending in the past. We really do need some new defenders in January.

Tuesday night I said this game was a must win, because otherwise it'll be 7 defeats in 10. Not only have we lost, we've been thrashed and played with ten for the third consecutive game. Our confidence must be shot to bits. Without Doucoure against Brighton, I'm genuinely just praying for a miracle but expecting another defeat.

And the more poor defeats we collect, the harder it'll be to get better players through the door come January.

We have better players than last season; the football's been better than last season; but when all is said and done - regardless of hoof ball or tiki taka - if you're not winning, it stops being fun to watch and perhaps the only difference is you tolerate the losses a bit longer under an "entertaining" style.

What a great Xmas period this is turning out to be already......

 

If anybody doesn’t want to see us get thrashed by Brighton next week give me a private message.

I’m willing to pay more than full price if anyone can get me two/ four tickets.

 

Fixed. A quick google search shows that supporters from most clubs think he's biased against them, or at the very least utterly incompetent.

 

Haha. How does that work then? Doesn’t bias normally work both ways?

 

It's not often we get to see a game live, but we drove over to see this one and wow.

They look a lot better on the streams don't they? Live they're awful.

As anyone here will witness, I have never ever liked Holebas, nor ever been convinced that the very occasional nice dribble or the one in three crosses which land anywhere near a yellow shirt, are worth his crappy half-hearted defending and awful attitude.

I couldn't believe the third goal where he just did a dying swan on the edge of our area for reasons that are beyond me and just presented them with the match winner. Absolutely dreadful. A complete "who cares?" capitulation.

Surprised to hear criticism of Mapps. The lad only played 25 mins and didn't do worse than anyone else. As usual won a few headers at the back. I thought he was OK as was Pererya and Carillo wasn't too bad. Richarlison might have got us back into it in the first half but blazed our best chance over the bar. Finishing isn't his strong point and I can't remember the last time I saw him run at and beat a defender. Like the Iggy Chop before him, he seems to have been analysed and sussed by Premier defenders.

Since we'd come all that way and made all that effort, we stayed right up until the final whistle.

If you were the chap with the jiggly leg who was sitting next to me, I'm glad you left at half time you Saint Vitus Dance facka.

£3.00 for a bag of pound shop fruit pastilles for 4Cyclones! Bloody hell!

 

Can't disagree with too much here, the only point I would beg to differ is the football is better this season. Away from home, yes, much better, but at home we've been pretty poor to average. I've seen every match and I wouldn't say we're any better than Mazzarri's team at home. We were much better under QSF, until the demise at the end.

Knowing the owner, I would say Silva has three games to save his job. Brighton (a), Leicester (h), Swansea (h). We have to win at least one of those games. Lose the lot, with Man City away to follow, he'll have to go. That would be 11 defeats from 14. No one can survive that.

It's been an extraordinary change of fortune. Many things have contributed, refereeing decisions, injuries, but the overriding thing for me is the poor way Silva dealt with the Everton speculation. He never nailed his colours to the Watford mast. This was a big mistake, and it looks as though he could have lost respect in the dressing room for this. I could be wrong about that, but it wouldn't surprise me.

 

What exactly have you seen to suggest he is? Time and time again, including yesterday he gets to a promising position and can’t even deliver a ball remotely close to another player.

Did you see Troy’s absolute dismay and disgust yesterday when Carrillo actually did a neat little bit of skill and chipped the ball over a Huddersfield player, cut in, only then to loop the ball over every Watford player and out of play? It was pathetic.

The guy is just another Jurado/Amrabat and his stats don’t lie.

 

We have had some poor results under Silva, but this was the first poor truly poor performance. The complete lack of thought throughout the team in the first half was shocking. The two goals were terribly defended. Deeney frustration led him to do another rush to the head tackle. Taking off Mariappa to change the formation showed Silva was trying to change the game. Compared to the Palace match we were very very poor today (it can't be just the loss of Cleverly). Something is up and no doubt will need addressing very soon. Or it will be another season of frustration, At the moment it always feels like two steps forward one step back

 

Yesterday was indeed a god awful performance and there is no excuse for it, but I've had a bit of time to reflect on it now. Our fully fit midfield is amongst the best in the league with our defence and attack being lower mid table at best. With all our first choice Midfield we are a match for anyone despite our weaknesses elsewhere. Once you start taking players out of that midfield you start to magnify the weaknesses elsewhere and put more pressure on them.

Capoue is an absolute waste of space, I can barely remember seeing him yesterday, compare him to Cleverley and what we lose with him out of the side compared to what Capoue contributes, the swing in effort and workrate is truly depressing.

I’ve always hated Holebas, he is wasteful going forward and can’t defend, but yesterday’s performance was like he was planted by Huddersfield, I honestly believe we would have been better without him playing, and just have 9 men instead. The guy is complete scum, he’s not good enough to be in the team so when called upon due to injury, rather than try and put pressure in the manager to play him due to playing well, he basically does his best to throw the game in arrogant protest.

This in turn puts more pressure on players like Mapps who are out of their league, with a fully fit midfield when we’re enjoying 60% possession there is far far less pressure. When you’ve got terrorists like Capoue and Holebas in the team we’re basically ****ed.

I think we’ve just got to ride this period out, I think it will actually get worse before it gets better as AD is out for the next game. Only when we get our midfields back to nearly full strength will thinks improve again, and only when we get our defence and attack even close to matching our fully fit midfield will we be genuine top 6/7 material.

 

That’s a bit on the optimistic side, isn’t it?

 

Just seen Deeney's tackle. He got the ball and it certainly wasn't a red. We'll be appealing that.

 

I actually thought when we had clawed it back to 3-1 that we would score again and have a barnstorming finish, 10 v 10 was more equal than 11 v 11! Why when we one a succession of corners was Holibas lofting over high balls all the time when we had no target man, Okaka should have come on to be on the end of those and Gray should have come on later!

As has been mentioned before , yesterday's game will be remembered in the same (bracket) as against Yeovil a few seasons ago, why is it against teams which are on a poor run and we believe we have beaten before the game kicks off we put in such Incipid poor displays. Whereas against the likes of Spurs and Man United we actually played very well!

Against Yeovil apart from Deeney we had a different 11, so you could say we had a completely different team as he wasn't on the pitch and apart from winning a few headers which didn't find their target didn't contribute yesterday!

 

These are crazy times with all the injuries and suspensions! Expectations are high based on previous performances when everything was more settled.
If we can sort out all of the sillyness with the sending offs, sort out our medical team and ride our luck with the sh&te officials and add a few hard workers in the Cleverley mold then I think we will be alright.

 

The only single thing that could have wound me up more yesterday would have been people celebrating a 3-3 comeback. I think I'd have been kicking people down the SEJ stairs.

 

I agree about the use of Okaka before Gray IF we could actually get someone to get a cross over that beats the first man. I wasn't at Palace or Burnley but my recollection from the commentary was the crossing was poor and Holebas was the man mentioned the most when putting them in-like yesterday when 3-1 down and his two successive corners in front of us in GT stand didn't make it into the 6 yard box-indeed by falling short we actually set them up for a breakaway when we have most of our men in the box.

Of course its not all down to one player and he could be acting on instructions to play near post waist height but i doubt it-last season v Everton there was a lovely near post corner head height that Okaka headed in IIRC and Holebas crossed that one-what a difference a year makes

 

I'm not saying we would have deserved it but we actually had them on the rack at one time, obviously they were two goals ahead but Palace scored twice in quick succession! With the right pass and a bit of luck why couldn't we do It!

 

Why wouldn’t we celebrate coming back from 0-3 down to equalise?

 

Chris Kamara having a right old chuckle on Goals on Sunday at the pathetic Holebas going down before their 3rd goal. A friggin laughing stock.

David Wagner comes across as a decent guy though.