just got back from an extremely depressing night.... an appalling performance completely lacking in any passion, guile, direction, ambition or positivity. Trust me, Ranegie is Geijo MK.2 only less mobile, he offers nothing new, he's just yet another average player from Nani's endless conveyor belt .....we were crying out for pace, so why was Park warming up for the whole of the second half and then ignored???? Why have we bothered to get him on loan??? Not a single goal attempt that I can remember in the second half, kicking towards us... Once again we were totally outfought in midfield and were beaten to the majority of the second balls in all areas of the field. I'd hazard a guess that we misplaced or gave away possession with over 50% of our passes. 3 central defenders on the bench says it all...... Yeovil were everything we were not....dynamic, quick, inventive and positive and playing with huge heart and passion, if they had been able to finish off their excellent approach play and accurate passing, they would have deservedly won 4-0. Gary Johnson should be immensely proud of his side, I feel utterly depressed by what I've witnessed tonight and don't give me all that 5 game run/clean sheets crap...there was absolutely no excuse for our total lack of ambition tonight
Don't disgree with this or most things that you post HB, but it doesn't excuse a complete lack of ambition by playing an unfit Ranegie for 90 minutes and whose legs had gone after 45 and leave a quick, quality striker warming up for those 45 and then bring on another headless chicken midfielder and a right back for a left back. If he's not going to play Park for even 15 minutes, then send him back. Sannino cites "fatigue", but he made 6 changes last night....
Very lacklustre performance last night, though we should have had a penalty near the end, however all those criticising Saninio and the current set up remember one thing we are now winning (albeit unconvincingly) at home and drawing away and much as you may not like the lack of style, over a season that is promotion form, so optimism for next season. It's not pretty to watch but neither were Cardiff or Hull when they went up. Great away support last night talking with some locals in the Arrow after the game and they were surprised at our level of support for a mid-week game.
Cardiff and Hull were light years ahead of us in terms of attacking ambition and actually signed and played strikers
Amusing that Cardiff and Dull are held up as some sort of example of how we want our team to be, when we spent most of last season mocking their style of football.
Sorry mate, but did you go last night? It is not the point of not beating Yeovil, it was the manner in which we played - it was truly shocking. People can make excuses about the pitch and Yeovil not having played last weekend, but these guys are being paid very good money to play one or two games of football in a week - there were six changes, so how can fatigue be a contribution. It was rubbish and as one of those that has been to that place twice now this season I am yet still to see Watford play! Having said all of that we should still have come away with three points, a definite penalty in the last 30 seconds - the linesman right in line with a clear view bottled it. The only decent thing about the whole journey was the company and the Arrow pub. To cap things off we were awarded a speeding fine as well on the way back....
Quite frankly, I fear we are going back to the dark ages. I could not believe last night just how many long balls were played (a natural by product I guess of playing two big strikers, rather than Deeney and Park, and missing Fessi). I watched misplaced pass after misplaced pass, and some very nervous defending (a more confident side than Yeovil would have beaten us but they had no confidence in front of goal). The second half we just seemed to fall away and were really hanging on for the point at the end. We just looked ordinary, and to be quite frank, joyless. I know many people believe Sannino to be a very good Head Coach, based on a few scrappy 1-0 home wins etc, but I've always refused to believe we can't find somebody better to take us forward, and I hope the Pozzos act in the summer.
I really don't get the outcry. I've said elsewhere, people have written off the playoffs, what were they expecting? Yeovil were all over us in the second half by the sounds of it and we stood up to it. Before we'd probably have flaked out and lost. This season is taking the place of what really should have happened last season. We lost players that were influential in last season's effort without replacing them and then came the loss of Abdi. Sannino has come in and changed the way we set up, we are more compact and defend as a team. One of the main issues. Changes weren't going to come over night. 3rd clean sheet in a row. 11 points out of the last 15. A lot better than what we were doing.
So we drew an away game on a woeful pitch. We kept a clean sheet for the 4th time in 5 games. And once again we have to endure the painful sense of entitlement displayed by many Watford fans on Twitter.
So we can start from scratch again? A few scrappy 1-0 wins give us the same amount of points as a 6-1 win. It's one game, on a heavy pitch, without a guy that has been tearing defences apart. The long ball was there because Ranegie is a threat due to his height. Watford fans just don't like change, even when it is what they have called for all along.
I guess those putting an optimistic spin on last night (didn't lose, clean sheet etc) must have got their impression from what must have been a yellow tinted Jon Marks. Believe me, it was terrible. Not the result, but the manner of the performance. The pitch wasn't that bad - but you wouldn't have known anyway because the ball was barely on the ground. Poor old JY Park was warming up for the whole of half time and the whole of the second half, to get stripped off in the 90th minute, then to be told to sit down. Wouldn't blame Arsenal if they recalled him and loaned him out to a team that had some intention of playing him.
This game was set up for long balls as the pitch was so poor in the middle, no football could be played. I lost count of the times someone, usually us lost the ball in he middle as the ball wouldn't travel. Must have been the poorest pitch they've played on this season. Even Bristol city's pitch was better than that one. I realise we didn't play well but when Yeovil constantly pumped the ball into the area we did defend very well ( some would say for our lives) and they didn't score. I couldn't see us scoring either. Troy was very quiet, probably as he never got any service. Park did get a run out, it's just it was on the wrong side of the pith as he appeared to be constantly warming up. My expectations are Mid table. What needs to be addressed is our loans. If we do get a settled midfield with Toszer, Merkel etc and then they go back to their clubs we then start pre season again , probably with another set of new players and back to square one we go. I do think that Toszer is probably out of our price range as is Merkel. Having said all this, I somehow enjoyed the whole evening, especially the terracing. Bad point was the fog on the A303,
Ok Chris, seeing as you ask, I tell you what I was expecting last night (I can obviously only speak for myself but I hope others might agree with me) Having paid £23 plus petrol costs to go and watch my team, I was expecting to see a more passionate and skillful performance than I did last night. I did not expect to see long ball after long ball, pumped aimlessly into their half. I did not expect to see our midfield give the ball away so much. I expected to see our wing backs get forward more, take on their man and fizz crosses into the danger zone. I did not expect to see our defenders pulled apart so much. I expected to see a Watford side much better organised and set up, with everybody knowing their roles and sticking to them (one of Sannino's supposed USPs). And I expected to see a team actually try and win the game, not subsitute one wing back for the other late on while a striker signed to score us some goals stayed sitting on the bench..again! I live in Somerset, and therefore I see and read quite a bit about Yeovil Town on the local media plus I know Gary Johnson and their Chairman and a couple of their board members, so I know a bit about them and I certainly wasn't turning up last night with a sense of entitlement, expecting to thrash them. However, all season they've been conceeding goals and losing games from 70 minutes on, so I was hoping we'd wear them down and kill them off late on. Instead we seemed content with a draw. It's not black and white here, I've never said Sannino's a bad Head Coach and that everything he's done so far is bad. He's ok and he's doing ok. I just believe we could and should be doing better than the tepid fare he is serving up. I've always been consistent in that. Keeping a Head Coach just so you don't have to 'start from scratch again' is a poor excuse for not acting in my opinion. And it ignores the successes that both Boothroyd and Zola (and to a lesser extent Dyche) had in their first seasons. It has nothing to do with a sense of entitlement, it's merely what supporting your team is all about..you go to matches hoping and expecting to win and play well and be entertained.. or at least to look like you want to win..otherwise what's the point of any of us going at all?
It sounded a dull and uninspiring performance but people are going on about like we had lost our 10th match in a row. Yeovil are fighting for everything. We've got a little chance of the playoffs but realistically, we'd need help from other teams where as they can only really help themselves. Jon Marks said the pitch was heavy and cutting up during warm ups, throughout the game whenever we were passing it came up short and was bobbling about. We tried something new with Ranegie in the team. Everyone was having a whinge we got "found out" with our passing game and teams set up to park the bus.We add a newer element to our game and it's written off immediately.
There is a difference in hoping and expecting to win. I hoped we won last night, we didn't. If you go in expecting to win your attitude towards something changes as in your head you've already got a result in mind. It was a poor performance and we probably could have gone for it, but we didn't. The 2nd half they were in control of much of the possession, Ranegie was an outlet to get the ball away and aim for him in hope of the ball sticking. Sometimes you have to play the basic game to get anything from it.
So having spent £23 on a match ticket, I'm being put in my place for daring to be a bit critical of what I watched, and of the Head Coach we've appointed, by somebody who didn't waste any money last night?
Did anybody who went think that was anything but unacceptable? I would therefore respectfully suggest to those putting a positive spin on it be a little less forthright. Let's hope for a better and more ambitious performance at Bolton.
I've had a chance to calm down now after last night but it's made no difference. It simply wasn't good enough. Strange how different the opinions are of those that went and those that were in dry and warm of their lounge listening to the radio, watching it on line etc. If you had made the 300 mile round trip to watch that lifeless rubbish I suspect your opinion might change. Six changes, which as somebody else mentioned was similar to Brizzle last season and bar the goals, the performances are very similar. It was good to finally see Ranegie and to be fair he did ok but after 60 minutes was blowing out of his ar5e. With the constant long balls over the top and the lack of support from the midfield second half, surely this game cried out for Park who instead ran up and down the touchline for 45 minutes. I want him here as apparently he is a decent striker but it seems utterly pointless at the moment. I am not so disappointed in the point gained, but the lack of trying to win the game in the second half and Angella looked almost embarrassed when clapping the fans at the end. Almunia was excellent and showed why he is easily number 1 The 3 centre backs did pretty well after an iffy start and dealt with Miller quite well in the end but I'm sure they're thankful they don't have to face that kind of player very often. Toszer again was head and shoulders above anybody in midfield. Please god let him come permanently in the summer. Merkel was ok first half and was unlucky not to score but struggled second half. A slight improvement on other performances and I'm sure he will be a decent player but I think he's kidding himself if he thinks he will be in Udinese's team next year. Battochio ran around a lot but at the moment doesn't contribute much else. Murray was poor at best when he came on and has been poor for a few games now Pudil was probably my MOM and worked tirelessly up and down the line. Anya. When he finally took his marker on in the last few minutes he beat him easily and got a decent cross in. Why he doesn't do this more often is just annoying. Slightly in his defence last night is when he was double marked nobody tried to make runs to take defenders away leaving him one on one. Ranegie. Did ok for his first game in god knows how long but stayed on for far too long Deeney. Same as Ranegie. Did ok but certainly second half had no service at all. Faraoni. Not on for long enough but should have won us a penalty but to be honest we didn't deserve to win. Sannino. Has done a very decent job since coming in but his tactics last night were poor. Yeovil are bottom for a very good reason, they are rubbish and we should be pushing to win games like that but settled for 0-0! That is taking the pi55 out of people who give up their time and money to go and watch. Rant over!
You could say I wasted the money and time on the New Year's game but that isn't the point. I'm not putting you in your place. There is a difference of opinion, I'm not saying you are wrong in any way at all. I've no problem with people being critical at all, I just think some of the reaction is a bit over the top. Each game is as important as the next but in the end they add up to the bigger picture. With being in the position we are, I think we can look at the bigger picture sooner than others around us. As for question the head coach, he is doing the job that is asked of him. We've lost the flair and excitement but we aren't the team that Zola left. We had to evolve quickly and starting at square one in the middle of the season is a tough ask for anyone, especially someone that was written off by fans because they didn't know who he was and as soon as they saw relegation in his previous work were fast to get on his back.
Malts, seeing as you've been highly critical of Sannino thus far, I don't know why you travelled to Yeovil expecting to see a Watford side equivalent to that of our 12/13 peak. It was always going to end badly.
No, we're not but it really was that bad, something which you don't seem to comprehend. It was an insult, and if you read the consensus (pretty much 100%) of those who did go, perhaps you might grasp how bad it was before making excuses for it.
I don't feel my reaction was over the top. We did get a point, after all, and for those who believe in the Beppe Way, we got a clean sheet too, which is all important. I tried to constructively describe how I felt after the match, which was a huge feeling of diappointment at the way we had played, both on the pitch and in the mind. I held off posting last night, as I believe one can be more constructive the morning after, when emotions aren't quite so high! After the game, I had an interesting and lengthy chat with one of our board members, who was also disappointed at our recent playing style. I also had the pleasure of meeting Keith Burkinshaw (he lives in Somerset apparently) and he admitted Yeovil were the better side. Everytime anybody gets a bit critical here, they are put down by people describing them as Twitter critics, or kneejerkers, or with no sense of proportion because they make judgements after 3 months, or they get bombarded by statistics about how great Sannino is. Now we're told 'he's done the job that is asked of him'. But what was that job? If it was to halt our slide under Zola and make us tougher to beat, then full marks to him, because he has done that. Well Done to him! But a by-product of that (so far) is we have become a joyless team to watch, resorting to long ball tactics, a pragmatic team seemingly happy to hold out for draws rather than seize the moment and go for broke. And in the end, however much we're told that's the winning formula for promotion next season, I believe ultimately we'll be stuck midtable, losing many of the casual supporters along the way.
I'm not saying that's how I want to see us playing merely stating that it is one way of achieving promotion, I'd much rather see a return to the expansive entertaining football of last season.
Because surely there is now nothing to lose in going for it. We are not going to be relegated, and 1 point at Yeovil if we have any ambition is barely better than 0. And ambition was non-existent last night.
I've said it was dull and uninspiring. There was nothing from it. The game is over, there is nothing that can change that now so you add it to the rest of the dross that this season has served up. I've not made a single excuse other than saying the pitch was heavy, which I doubt was very far from the truth. We tried something different, it didn't pay off. What can you do about it other than ***** about it on the internet? Nothing much.
No, and I don't believe I said that to you. I don't go to many away matches myself because of where I live, so I'm not throwing stones in glass houses. Of course you are entitled to an opinion, and personally I always find yours valid and worth reading. What I did object to was having paid money to go watch the team and then have my opinions criticised. Have your own opinion by all means, but why feel you have to 'put down' those of people who saw it with their own eyes.
Hi mate. Just to clarify, I've not been HIGHLY critical of Sannino so far. I've given him plenty of praise on the forum for the good things he's done. My position has always been constant. I believe he is a fair to middling coach who brings some good abilities to the table, but I firmly believe we could do better. I'm not and never have been (and hopefully never will) rabidly anti-Sannino. I just don't think he's as good as others do, and I dislike the playing style he's brought with him, while admittedly I'm still happy to be winning matches occasionally of course! I went last night because Watford's my club and I'm not a glory-hunter who only goes when the going's good. I actually enjoyed my evening but was disappointed at our style and attitude. Even without Fessi, I had hoped we'd have enough to scrape past a Yeovil side who have a terrible home record.
I've not put you down one bit. If you think being put down is someone having a differing opinion to you then I'm not sure what others think when I've actually put them in their place. I'll respect everyone's opinions, unless they are views that I don't stand for but that doesn't involve a football match. Yes, on the surface, last night wasn't the best result but my view is that we aren't looking for any glory this season now and are just going to plod along rectifying the issues we had earlier in the season. I like Sannino, but the more games we play the more we are learning about him. He doesn't like to take chances. He is very cautious and that is something we are going to have to learn to accept. Zola was different, he'd sometimes take the chance. It's all about change. Things aren't the way they were.
Anyone that went to the game last night is entitled to be unhappy with a performance that sounds DireSh1te (and he wasn't even playing!! :]]). If we roll forward 30 games and are still looking bland and uninspired, then I too will be a little disappointed, even if we are grinding out wins, because you have to not only win, but try to win by entertaining the fans. I think fans that are overly critical right now, need to find some patience and understanding as to where we are as a team right now. We are very hard to beat these days and are keeping plenty of clean sheets. That is more in line with a Dyche attitude then Zola, so it is a complete change around. Maybe the biggest problem we have, is that we were being so spoilt at this time last season. We were formidable if you think back to what we were just a mere 12 months ago. I can understand fans that are unhappy coming from that view point. The thing is, although we were fantastic back then, we did overly rely on just one player to make it all work. Once his form faded, so did Watford's. Things were not right for a long time under Zola, so a change was needed. Be it a new manager or a change of style, but something different needed to be done. This is where we are now, in the very early stages of a new manager. We should not expect instant success, and we have to show some degree of understanding, although I do understand frustrations after watching an uninspiring match. If we go to Bolton and win, then the run we're on will look very good indeed and will be in line with a playoff position if it's replicated throughout an entire season. This is how I think fans should really view the situation, rather than from match to match....IMO.
Well it felt like you did but apologies if I misread your tone. It feels like anybody criticising Sannino or our playing style gets put in the naughty corner here, shouted down immediately, called a short-term idiot, or bombarded with stats about how great our defence is. There seems an indignant reaction. Then having spent £23 to sit and watch a tepid performance last night, and come online to try and offer constructive comments about it, it just felt like more of the same indignant reaction in our direction.
Yeovil is a weird place, this tiny ground in the middle of flooded fields and suburban housing estates. 1200 on a Tuesday night is great, but atmosphere suffered a little bit on account of the cackness on the pitch. Defence and Almunia were good but there was nothing going forward. Ranegie put a shift in but it was more donkey-ish than anything else. Disappointing that Sannino didn't try and be more adventurous as the game went on. Yeovil were tidy at the back and Miller caused a few problems. and whoever said that the Arrow pub did decent food is lying! Good beer but over an hour wait for a cold burger...
