Well said - Holebas gets slagged on here but he was superb tonight. Ditto Britos until the ref intervened. Doucoure immense, Mariappa superb, cleverley brilliant. The rest were just fantastic. I ****ing hate West Brom fans and there ****ish team
What a fantastic match and one I've been looking for all season. This is the standard I expect from the team we've got, but we've never got anywhere near it for the most part of the season. To stay up I felt we had to win both of these matches. I felt confident we'd beat Sunderland but wasn't so sure about tonight, although I did place a fiver on a 3-0 Watford win!!. 6 points has changed everything and a win against Swansea should really be enough. It's been 22 years since we last beat West Brom at home, so it's been a long time coming. They are a beatable but very credible scalp. I would say that's the best performance of the season, given the quality of the opposition, the way we bossed them for 30 minutes playing some lovely stuff. We did sit back again though after taking the lead, but were in control until Britos' harsh red card. After that it was backs to the wall, but Watford held firm superbly. I was very impressed with our resolve. I think Gomes one had one direct shot to make and that was in the 93rd minute. The match had everything. A wonderful goal, some good quality interplay, resolve and determination. Apart from Janmaat who looked a bit iffy, everyone else played above average. Great to see my mate Mapps get a run out and he did very well. More injuries to centre backs, and that looks a bit of a crisis now. No Prodl, Kaboul, Britos or Kabasele for Spurs. But it's nice to go there knowing that it doesn't matter too much, but hopefully we wont get a real spanking. Delighted by what I saw tonight and big credit must go to Mazzarri to have finally got the team playing to the level required. A few more performances like this, even if we lose, is what we as fans should expect and demand.
West Brom are a cynical bunch of carnts but was really impressed we didn't get rattled - credit to the hotheads like Holebas Love it when there's a connection between the players and crowd and all 4 sides join in the chants Tuesday night games under the floodlights are great Christ knows why Walt and the players decided tonight's the night that everyone actually cared but more of that please Thought TC was my MOTM Guinness from a can tastes like sh#t
You can't ask for more than that. Decent football, hard work, determination, guts, passion and 3 points. It would be nice if we played that style every week
Really enjoyable night at the Vic. We played so well for 65 mins and the only way they were going to get anything was through a mistake. Britons gave away the ball in the first half which lead to his first yellow and them hitting the post. Then what was he doing for the his second yellow? Stupid pass and then chasing their bloke he is always going to go down knowing Britons is on a yellow. Anyway enough negatives... We played with heart, passion, desire and no little ability. Something we have wanted all season. We have a talented squad and tonight and Saturday picking players on their right positions brings results. We have been crying out for Doucoure for weeks. He gets round the pitch and allows Capoue to go forward which he did well again tonight. Niang has the potential to be a top player. Big shout the defence for the last 25 mins did really well. They didn't have to many clear cut openings and we saw the game out well in the end. WBA it has to be said are a horrible side. Funny how we have ended up with 2 reds against them this year. How McLean stayed on I dont know. If the ref saw the swing of the elbow it's a red. I also sense our players really don't like Nyom. They really went for him and you could see there was no love lost. At one point when Amrabat and Deeney chased him down they grinned to each other. Fair play they are 8th but I think that says more about the league than anything else. That sees us all but safe now. Well done to the whole team and management two big wins when needed.
It's interesting that he doesn't feel as compelled to rush to the match thread and share his thoughts on the game the second his stream ends when we get a good result. It's all been said for me already, but we were fantastic tonight. If we can keep this team together and add to the squad in a couple of positions over the summer we are in for a wonderful third season in this division. Also, I didn't notice it during the game, but apparently Ben Foster was applauding during the 72nd minute today. A real class act in every sense.
This forum love in is making me feel sick. Like some cheesy Disney TV spinoff from the 1970s. I'd feel more comfortable if we could get back to the pointless squabbling and relentless , spirit grinding pessimism.
Great performance coupled with a great atmosphere, goes to show Tuesday nights under floodlights is what we have been missing. It was an all round good performance from all but credit to Doucoure, who was everywhere tonight, he seems to keep on getting better and better, how on earth he was not involved earlier on in the season I do not know! A great strike from Niang for the first, similar to Pereyera's earlier on in the season (Everton?) and the ball for Deeney was absolute fantastic as well. Also credit to Cholevas, possibly the best game I have seen from him, though helped that McLean went off early as I have a feeling a booking would have been coming up after the petulant kick on him earlier on. The radio on the way home said Britos was unlucky to be sent off for the second booking as Rondon played for it but it was an awful pass in the first place to put himself in trouble. Maps done well when he came on and will have to start on Saturday by the looks of it now with Prodl injured as well. Also, what happened with Mazzari and the coach, was there 'argy bargy' or something?
Was knackered after an early start this morning and needed a couple of hours kip ... set the alarm and then woke up in injury time. Next time I charge my phone I'll try and make sure the usb cable is actually plugged in the other end.
What a difference from where we were four days ago. As much as I said we would be fine doubts were beginning to creep in but they've now completely disappeared. Excellent all round performance tonight. Really good to watch and when we had to dig in we did exactly that. How much better does Capoue look when we pass the ball on the floor. Britos I felt was unlucky but did think the first yellow was warranted. Nice to see McClean is still just a very unpleasant human being. As others have mentioned, Mariappa deserves a lot of credit for the way he played when he came on. Great atmosphere from all sides of the ground. I really miss Tuesday night games. Last point, fair play to HB1 for his comments on here about the game and giving credit where it's due.
Brilliant evening, best performance at home for months, if not the whole season. Played well, and it was genuinely entertaining. I felt before the weekend that we needed to get a minimum of four points off the two home games, so six is fantastic, and should be enough with a ten point cushion over the bottom three.
I felt a little sorry for Wally in post match interviews he was grilled about the sending off and his antics Yet when Pulis was interviewed and given a easy ride when he said James McClean being taken off at half Time was tactical he was taken at his word when it was obvious he escaped a clear Red and was taken off because he was going to get sent off
Really happy with this. Didn't know we had it in us. Wish I had been there tonight. Hoping we go on to the remaining fixtures and give them all a good go seeing as the pressure is almost gone. Top half would be a bonus but I'm not that optimistic just yet...
Solid performance, with Cleverley and Doucoure in the side we look so much better, the effort they put in is immense in midfield, and that's what I like to see. Niang's goal was superb, his assist even better, Amrabat and Janmaat link up very well and Britos very unlucky that Rondon went down like a mug, not to mention that the ref and his lino were sh**, like how did the lino miss Dawson's challenge on Holebas when he was stood about 3 feet away. Also, McClean and Nyom were c***s. Anyone know what happened on the sidelines and if we can get charged for that? Either way, you can't deny Mazzarri is passionate about us.
The secret to this season for WBA has been to consistently take points from teams outside the top 7 . Up until their last 2 games against Utd and Arsenal, they had lost most of their games against the top 7 but beat the rest with regular consistency. For the stattos out there..... Up until tonight WBA had played 19 games against teams outside of the top 7 . Their record W12 D6 L2 . Which is 42 points from 60. To compare , Liverpools stats against teams outside the top 7.... W10 D3 L5 . Which is 33 points from 54. Chelsea.... W16 D2 L1. Which is 50 points from 57.
Quite a lot of their lot were applauding on their end too which is commendable given that the immediacy of GT's death might now be lost on away fans.
Yeah nice touch from the Baggies , who by the way , are the by far the nicest bunch of supporters I've come across.
Great entertainment tonight, do you think they purposely waited until the start of the ST renewal period to pull out a performance like that?? One thing I noticed tonight, WBA have one of their staff CONSTANTLY on at the 4th official, and I mean for the whole 90 minutes, it's a f***ing disgrace. It was what led to the breakdown in the behaviour of the players, to the ref losing the plot and ultimately to the red card. Pulis and his gang should have been consigned to the stands well before the first half finished. Utter ****s the lot of them. Otherwise a great night, a wonderful opening goal, a superb atmosphere and a backs to the wall last 30 minutes which I really enjoyed. There was a beautiful moment late in the 2nd half when Pulis was throwing his toys out of the pram for the 50th time and berating the 4th official and Mazzari just looked up at the SEJ stand with a look that said "f**k you Pulis". For a fleeting moment I saw something that said to me we should keep the man, but then common sense quickly kicked in. Nyom is the donkey we sold. I love Mapps. However, Tottenham will tear us a new one.
Performance of the season for me! Gomes made two good saves, one very early on and one near the end of the 2nd half I believe. Cathcart was okay at right back but much better in his natural centre spot. Good performance from Britos bar a shaky 10 minutes from 30th minute to the end of the first half, same applies for the whole defence though. Didn't see the 2nd yellow so can't comment. Prodl was alright, didn't play long enough to judge properly, his injury rate is becoming quite alarming. Janmaat was great I think, obviously much better than Cathcart at right back and linked up really well with Amrabat. Capoue had one of his best games of the season, drove forward, constantly wanted the ball, ran around and generally looked like he gave a sh*t. Cleverley was excellent too, few great tackles and some tidy passing. Doccoure is different to Behrami but brings much much better balance to the team. We're much stronger offensively with Doccoure and we don't look like we miss Behrami's hounding and tackling which is a plus. Niang was bloody excellent for 60 minutes, regardless of the goal, he was a menace and excellent on the ball. Was absolutely shattered once we had to sit back. Amrabat done well without delivering much of an end product. Brings a great balance to our attack though, we actually keep the ball and create chances! Amrajanmaat might be my favourite new duo. Deeney wasn't that great to be fair as a striker but was very good as a captain and worked hard to get his toe to the ball to finish. Well played captain. Might sound obvious but much better feel around the club today. Players looked close, the football was so so so much better, we didn't hoof much at all, passed, created chances, looked dangerous, were a cohesive unit, was soooooo good to see. Was out of my usual seat in the Rookery and sat in the SEJ stand today and heard 1881 all game. PS - Anyone see what that Holebas kick towards the end of the 1st half was all about? Doccoure seemed to push our physio off the pitch, was SO weird! PPS - McLean, Dawson and someone else should've been sent off for West Brom, **** ref.
Superb from everyone tonight,fully deserved. Another great goal and pass from Kipperbang and Doucoure must have leather lungs,astonishing work rate. He is improving game by game. Maclean is a despicable article and epitomises his manager's ethos. Credit to all tonight,Nutty Walt included. I'm glad my 4 and 3/4 hour hair cut by a Luton fan was not a bad omen. Perhaps it was negated by the two black cats I saw on the way to the ground!
Indeed, fair play to the West Brom fans, particularly decent given that he managed their two closest rivals.
Much, much better all round. Don't you just love Watford F.C.? Niang's strike was superb. Shows the advantage of sometimes having a player on the 'wrong side'. Cut in from the left like that and hit it with your right then the ball naturally curves in. Pereyra did it against Leicester too. Robben and Hazard do it regularly from the 'wrong side' too. Hit it from there with your left and it's got to be an 'outside of the foot' job to get the same curvature. A much more difficult skill. Everything about the quality of our football up until the sending off and the tip-top quality of the 'backs to the wall' performance after that has already been said. As have all the compliments paid to individual players. The atmosphere during the last ten minutes as 3 1/2 sides of the ground joined in in helping to carry the boys over the line was superb. The only downside for me was that there was the golden opportunity for Wally to come over and get acquainted with us at the end but he chose not to take it. And finally, because I'm currently feeling f.cking ecstatic and slumming on the sofa enjoying my third class of claret, I'll also mention that I thoroughly enjoyed hb1's excellent and positive contribution this evening too!
Yeah I was right in the corner of the LGT stand. With Holebas down Cleverley was trying to convince him to get up and carry on without treatment. The physios had come around and the younger one started to come on the pitch, although Holebas was only a couple of yards onto it. Cleverley shouted at him to stop, presumably to avoid Holebas having to leave the pitch and come back on while we were defending the upcoming throw in. The physio looked pretty put out and walked back onto the pitch. It was Niang who full blown shoved him back off again. The physio looked very annoyed but never administered treatment. Then the referee decided as he'd come on the pitch Holebas would have to go off regardless. Cue angry words from the players towards the clueless physio. I've no idea who that physio is but he gave the distinct impression he knew little about the rules of football.
What a fantastic performance and atmosphere that was. Well worth the journey tonight. Niang with a couple of magical moments, Doucoure with the work rate akin to N'golo Kante, Cleverley with another solid performance, and a complete array of centre back pairings. Great to see Mapps slot back in nicely and play a hugely important role for the 20 minutes he was called upon. When I see performances like that, on top of another good performance against Sunderland, and you sit it alongside the results against Man Utd and Arsenal, Mazzarri clearly has something. What I find so incredibly frustrating is how turgid and awful performances have been for large periods of the season. He's clearly able to get them playing, but consistency is the problem. Added to which I think I will be eternally baffled as to how he wrote off Doucoure without giving him a real opportunity to showcase what he has. Would have been criminal to ship him out in January, and alongside Cleverley it looks like we have a solid base to build our midfield around next season. And two clean sheets on the spin is always nice too I suppose...
I see what you mean about avoiding the red card, and I really loathe Tony Pugilist, his disgusting manners and low life posturing which he's inflicted on football since managing Gillingham. However Pugilist did alter formation after about 30 minutes, changing from a flat back four and moving McLean into a forward position , whereas he'd being close to and protecting Allan Nyom before that. Watford looked pretty shakey in the last ten minutes of the first half and started to give the ball away, so bringing on a proper forward player in Matty Philips for McLean was an astute positive move as he's miles better as a ball player than McLean and scored that worldy winner in the reverse fixture to make it 3-1.
I reckon upto the red card that's what HB1 was thinking we are capable of playing like and I think he's right! I also think that's what Mazzari was wanting us to play like as well! Fantastic result at the right time! Are we as fans happy tonight! COYHS Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
