I thought 2nd half it was coming and we were giving the ball away far too easy and not closing down. Fernarndo's two misses just summed up the night and he looks rusty in front of goal ... which of course he is due to lack of match time. Must pick up next week ... the others at the top will drop points so i think it will go to the wire.
I thought until the last 10 minutes we did fine. They didn't have a single spell of pressure. Then a typical channel ball, standard drop down and we somehow let Sako go.
Zola just said that "we thought we had won it",there lies a major problem because so did the rest of the team. I was always told that you keep concentrated and play right up until the final whistle!!!! Cassetti's marking for the goal was woeful. Fessi's finishing was atrocious. Anya didn't look like beating his man at all. Vydra was non-existent and looked knackered again. On the plus side,Bond was superb and Deeney worked his nuts off with little reward. Overall,on that big pitch we should have ripped that defence to shreds but didn't get through them once. In the end I think we can count ourselves lucky to get a point cos Nosworthy definately fouled Ebanks-Blake in the box. Right i'm off to bed to simmer.
Look we are going to slip some points but better 2 than 3. We are still commanding 2nd place, not as much from Palace as we might of hoped for but at least its still in our hands. Pressure on Hull tomorrow to WIN, as a draw still means we maintain our advantage. C'mon we knew were going to have nights like this, got to expect it!
I suggested previously FF is not a natural striker and tonight proved it. He had two gilt edged chances and made a complete hash of both of them - even though Vydra looked jaded from those positions he would have scored. Bond was excellent though as was the defence and Abdi, Barrochio + Cassetti but we just did not look clinical in the 2nd half. They also missed a couple of good chances and could have had a penalty late on but, sickening though it was, at least their stand out player got the goal. Hoping Hull slip up tomorrow but if not they are away to Palace Tuesday so plenty ups and downs to come.....
Just because Vydra didn't score a brace doesn't mean he was knackered. I don't know how you can deduce that, simply a quieter game. 6 points from the next 2 and we'll be we'll back on track. Pleasingly, we seem like we'll never concede 2, and we always score.
A much, much quieter game. His first touch wasn't nearly as good as normal. Mind you, didn't that Hunt look utter shyte for them? Really awful.
Deeney and Vydra look like they've never played together before. Foz isn't a striker and Anya had a mare Annoying but we move on
Please dont compare Vydra to the chances FF had, to be fair Vydra wouldnt even had them tonight, was totally man marked out of it. FF should be disappointed but still think he will come good by the end of the season and surprise us all.
I'd rather be 2nd from top and disappointed with a draw than 3rd bottom and over the moon with a last gasp fighting spirit point. It shows how far we have come in a short space of time.
We did well to get a point because we was slopy a waseful in possesion seemed to rush it at times Wolves are poor though, A point is a point and it keeps us one point ahead of Hull so the pressure is on them to get a win tomorrow and lets not forget they were beat 4-1 last week.
That second half performance was just pathetic. No tempo, no intent, just spent 45 minutes trying to see the game out and we got what we deserved in the end. Can someone also please tell me what's happened to Forestieri? Absolutely woeful.
He got rotated! I think on the second chance he slipped slightly, but he was certainly lacking in composure for both. The goal was gaping and if either of those, or Anya's chance had gone in then it would have been game over.
A drive home gave me a bit of time to reflect before typing. Obviously incredibly frustrating. Unlike Bristol City or Palace, I don't think this one was down to the opposition doing a number on us, we just didn't kill them off when we had the chances. Whenever we drop points it's always best to take a breath and think about how high the expectation levels have become. My concern is that Palace, Hull and Leicester will keep scraping wins. Personally, I think we have enough in the tank to take second, but I can see it going to the last couple of games. I feel sorry for Forestieri, as he is not getting enough game time and looks eager to please when he comes on (that said two dreadful blasts over the bar). Anya just has no left foot, the same problem befell him at home to Derby when Vydra squared it for him. Positives for me tonight were the excellent debut of Bond in goal, and Abdi back to something like full fire after a quieter game last Saturday. It's a big shame as it would have kept the pressure on Hull and Leicester tomorrow - but we have 6 points to go for in the next week - so time to bounce back.
Disappointing letting teams back into games we should have clear. Especially when we've had some recent games in which we've not played at our best and been able to do it. Some of the comments on facebook and twitter about tonight are disgraceful, probably the same ****ing 'fans' who booed when we top of the Championship last time, Forestieri getting some right nasty abuse Frustrated yes, but we're still on a cracking run of form and there's a while to go yet, cheer up people!
So why take it on his left then? The cross wasn't out of the blue and he made the run to the back post so wanted the ball - why not line it up for the right footed shot it was crying out for?
There is little doubt that our ability is there. we have two problems. Firstly, Too often, there is something that stops us from trying to be ruthless and finishing off games. Complacency? Big-headed? Negativity? I'm not sure, but defensive minded substitutions, dawdling and time wasting doesn't give a positive mind set - and even worse, the defensive substitutions don't even seem to improve our defence. Second, anytime our opponents back line play deep, not allowing us to get behind them, negating our speed, we struggle to come up with answers. OK, we still made chances, but two fell to an average finisher who has played about 2 minutes since he signed his contract. Deeney should be rested or subbed a bit more often. We need to get Hey Ho and FF, playing more. They offer something different. We cant rely on Vydra having a good game every week. FF was electric in the autumn when he played regularly. Maybe not finishing well, but he was causing all the problems. Since Vydra has been regular, FF has been treated like he has suddenly become a bad player. I don't know why Zola leaves his substitutions so late, and then he makes two at once. With such a large squad, why doesn't he make one at half time, like for like (ish) - give someone more game time, and enough time to give a good contribution. If we could just play to 80% of our squads ability, we'd walk this league. Having said all that, we must still be favourites for 2nd place. COYH.
Ok. Well if you see him can you let him know I'm Marco Cassetti and want to know why the fook he couldn't put my simple cross in? Thanks.
Always disappointing to concede a late goal but still a point away from home. Turning point from me was Chalobah coming off... very similiar to Palace, got a knock which restricted his movement and shifted the balance of power in midfield.
Cannot believe some comments on here. We created 3-4 golden chances in the second half and genuinely didn't think they'd score. I was wrong but this was a world apart from Derby. When your two "****" games still leave you wondering how you didn't score 4 goals you're not ****ing up too much.
FF should not get abused, that is just pathetic. He did miss two chances and that happens but sorry, I don't buy this match fitness excuse when both of them are from a standing position a few yards from goal. Didn't he play a big chunk of the game last week? Also a friendly game where he scored two goals 3 days ago? Anyway, we didn't lose and if we had been more clinical it could have been over long before their goal. We are still 2nd, top scorers and unbeaten in 5 so roll on Tuesday.....
They were out to clog us from the get go. I thought we played a decent game but Anya's miss was crucial, he should have buried it and the game would have been over. Fair play to Wolves they kept knocking at the door - it was a poor goal to concede but we've let in a lot worse. FF should have still closed the game out but it's not fair that he shoulders all the blame. If it wasn't for Bond we could have been behind, just relax and enjoy the ride. There will be plenty more twists and turns before the season is out.
I enjoyed the match tonight. We were clearly better man for man and it was a missed opportunity in the end, but the that's always been Watford's achillies, letting in late goals. We are, however, in second place and I'd take that for sure. There were some good performances out there. Bond kept us in it with two incredible saves and I thought Cassetti was sheer class at times. The defence were really strong also....and for once we actually had a ref that seemed to be on our side. Thought Deeney and Vydra were subdued though, but Wolves are still a decent side even though their league position does not indicate that. Overall, it's the little things or small margins that make a difference. For example Cardiff won at Wolves, but Ebanks-Blake missed an absolute sitter in injury time. Tonight Wolves took their late chance. Palace won at Derby tonight, but Derby missed a late penalty. Small margins, but that makes a big swing in points. We still have 11 matches to go and have to play Hull, Leicester and Cardiff. We're not going to be given 2nd place, we have to earn it and all the teams around will also drop points somewhere along the line. On to Tuesday now and if we win that one, we'd have taken 13 points from a possible 15. That's promotion form in anyone's book.
Cant lay the blame on anyone, however, a sub that can hold on to the ball is better than a battler in midfield that cant pass for toffee.
I don't think it's a fitness issue. I just feel that he isn't getting the ball much, over the past few months. Then, when he gets the chance, he snatches at them, being too eager to please. It's a confidence thing.
It didn't help they realised they weren't up to the technical quality so they played the scumbag tactic of kick them off the pitch. The passing didn't work because they got their shins kicked backwards.
