Well that was a game to savour! Attrocious start, I was really pd off etc. Then we pull 2 goals back and looked a completely different team. The winner was the icing on the cake what composure!! One thing I will say tho... For 5 years now we always come out with a "keep it safe, take it easy, get thru the first 20 mins, save energy, don't over commit" mentality and we often look half asleep. Once we got 2 nil down we then decided to start playing. That's not good enough and we need to change that rabbit in the headlights approach to the start of every game.... Great win tho...!!
If you could figure out what we did differently after that pathetic first half an hour and implement it each game we'd be up the top of the table. From terrible to terrific, from feeble to fantastic. Kone was good, Livermore was class and what a bit of composure from Yaser. If you're finding fault (outside the first 30 where we couldn't kick the ball properly) it would be that we wasted so many chances to get into better positions and should have been long clear by the time we got to the end.
Dominant win that should've been more out of sight, with the 2 early goals our own doing really. Not sure why Sierralta isn't starting over Porteous - VI rated his distribution enough to be playing him in midfield, he's a better defender than Porteous and better in the air. Livermore was quality. Kone was (mostly) superb. Asprilla started the game slow but well justified his starting spot in the end. Lewis absolutely frustrates the hell outta me. Gives us a bit of a buffer as the next 3 games are likely to be very very tough
Norwich looked easily one of the worst teams we have played this season. I was genuinely shocked at how bad they were tonight.
What the heck happened?!? Are we in danger of actually getting some team spirit? VI might be a miracle worker after all.
It really is marvellous isn't it? No matter how excellent/good/average/poor/terrible we are, we can always rely on Norwich to be just that little bit worse...
Absolutely toilet for 20 minutes or so then really good. Is that our season in 90 minutes. Let's hope so!
A game of two halves (which were rather a 2/10th and an 8/10th). We started the game as if we'd been out on the lash after Leicester, but then ended up playing some champagne football. Norwich started the match as if they'd been pumped full of Ribena, but then played most of the rest as it had rather been cough syrup. Some of our obvious frailties were on display for their two goals. Firstly defending set-pieces, with us having the joint worst goals conceded from set-pieces in the league. It is a huge concern which needs to be addressed, especially our tendency to leave players unmarked at the back post. Next, Porteous' tendency to play suicide balls in-field to the opposition. Then Hamer, who I don't think was hugely at fault mind, could still have got back in to position quicker (and I reckon Bachmann has more of a reach to get to such a shot). After that though Norwich somehow turned in to the worst team we've seen at the Vic this season since QPR. They couldn't string two passes together! Extraordinary. We were helped a bit by their Korean guy going off and Barnes coming on, which meant they had less pace up top and we could push them higher up the pitch (as Leicester did to us), but still. It's not often that you go 2-o down in a match then end up thinking it would have been a scandal if you hadn't have won it. For us, Livermore was probably man of the match. He won pretty much everything in the middle of the park, made all the more remarkable by the fact he was on a booking for most of the game. Kone was a close second with an excellent goal and generally good energy across the pitch, but he also got a bit selfish at times after his first wonder strike and tired towards the end. At 2-2 I was ready to berate Val again for not making subs sooner. The obvious one was Lewis for Martins again. Lewis and Sema too often get in each other's way, and it often means that Sema moves in-field and Lewis is the player who rather finds himself in the positions to cross; problem being that, unlike Sema, Lewis seems allergic to crossing. So really Lewis ends up stifling Sema's best attributes a bit. In general Lewis was probably our worst player on the day, which is a shame as you'd hope that he'd be wanting to impress against his old club. Thankfully our dominance paid off though anyway with a nifty goal from Asprilla. Good to see Rajovic getting back to being our fox in the box as well. Now bore off Norwich.
We won, we came back from 0-2 down to win for the first time in 7 seasons at home. Kone' scored a brilliant goal, Bog Owl got another one and Asprilla scrambled the winner in. However, the first twenty-five minutes was unacceptable, by any side let alone Watford. First goal, Kone' had a mare' in conceding the corner then we left Batth totally unmarked and had the whole six yard box to pick his spot. Second goal, Hamer possibly could of done better but it was a dipping shot when he should of stayed on his line, but to be fair Porteous was playing with his football boots on the wrong feet and had another very poor game to begin with. Have to give the guys and VI a lot of credit afterwards though, as we remembered if we pass the ball, we can advance forward and every attack we did after such a sloppy start looked dangerous and to be fair Norwich hardly got another look in. I don't know how VI is going to solve why we start some games so badly. Whatever the instructions were pre-game went out the window after three minutes, and after fifteen it looked like game set and match for the away side. Norwich though, as helpful as ever, handed us the win especially with the second goal, Raj didn't have to do much more after their keeper did a Bachmann. Ashley Barnes is a nasty piece of work, and seeing Livermore (who, after a slow start) took him out which was very pleasing, Hamer did alright and Norwich never got through again but I am sure he will work on his positioning after this. Sieraltra should of started instead of Porteous - I understand he may have taken a sight knock but we going to need him for Saturday when we travel to Hull. I was a good game to have as we generally always beat Norwich, but my god we made this game so much harder for ourselves. Nice to hear the old "2 nil and you ***** it up!" chant after the third goal went in. Hive Live behaved for once which was nice.
The tenure of the Pozzos in one game…last 70 was their first 5 years. First 20 their time since take a bow Mr Livermore
Inexplicable start. Narch looked all over us. Loads of misplaced passes. Every incoming set piece was chaos and they won every header in our box. Apparently that was what led to our first concession - I tuned in late and missed it. Second was an awful giveaway by Porteous. Hard to understand who he thought he was passing it too. Their player had time to have a touch, have a look up and see Hamer, knees knocking and feet planted firmly in no man's land, so blasts it over him. Hamer gets nowhere near it. Good hit, but very poor positioning in my opinion. 2-0 down and the half full stadium turns bitterly on the players, giving them that special Watford support. Jeers and whinging and whining. The players in turn look frustrated and losing it - diving in and charging around ineffectively. Suddenly Kone has a long range pop from way out, which goes through a crowded penalty area and in to the bottom corner. Their keeper gets fingers on it and should really have done better - that was turn-around-the-post-able. Still, this has a magical effect on us and Narch implode. Confidence seemingly collapses. A cross from (I forget) takes a sweet sweet deflection off one of their defenders, which Raj nods in at the far post. Can't miss. 2-2. From then on we dominate as Narch continue to play absolutely dire and gift us possession over and over again. Kone rattles the frame with a proper canon blast, but as Narch seem to have decided to settle for a point and are dropping back, we lose a bit of momentum. Finally however, at last, we're able to take advantage through Asprilla of one of the many 6 yard bouncing around rebounds that come back off their 4 out of 10 keeper. Clive's Star Man: Hernandez (Norwich).
Yes, Sierralta had him in his back pocket that day, and Livermore had him in his today. Lovely to watch.
That was very enjoyable. Feared the worst at 0-2. I was expecting us to completely cave in and it was going to be one of those awful nights. However, what followed was absolutely superb. They did sit back after going two up but my word we absolutely battered them. 21+ Shots after the 25th minute, and we were desperately unlucky not to score more than three. Some real good performances, however I thought Livermore, Kone & Hoedt were the standouts. Also buzzing for Asprilla, that was a real tidy finish. I shouted at the tele thinking it had been ruled out at first though haha. Rajovic with 7 goals now too, he doesn't offer a lot but fair play to him for being in the right place at the right time. Not a bad return so far considering he's only been in England 3 months. Tough game on Saturday away at Hull, but if we perform like we did tonight then we are more than capable of getting a result.
watching barnes fly into Livermore and Livermore sort of turn and make sure he hit barnes full on with his shoulder was great
Something else I meant to say that I forgot...what on earth was Wagner thinking bringing on those 2 kids with 20 mins to go?!
Scrambled doesn't quite do justice to Asprillas sublime skill taking it past the keeper, but I get what you mean. I think over 99% of players would have blasted that and the keeper would have blocked.
Norwich faded badly at 1-2 but we've got to give credit to our boys, we had 1) players running forwards with the ball looking comfortable, 2) passes being put in front of the receiving player to run onto, 3) players overlapping at pace. Norwich didn't know what hit them for most of an hour... Good to see Kone looking confident!
Norwich stopped their pressing when their CF had to go off. It let us into the game. Up till then they had us on toast. Fair play to come back and win from that start
Tonight was the first time I saw Kone and thought he could be a special player. Fingers crossed he continues the improvement!
What you talking about? We were gash. I walked about after 15 minutes safe in the knowledge I’m right yet again.
From the depths of despair, to a joyous outcome. We were appalling for the first 20/25 minutes. I was bracing myself for a drab night of Watford support, but a thunderous strike from Kone gave us a lift that we built the comeback on. let’s hope that this is the catalyst for a decent run. Players are starting to play with a bit more confidence and belief. A couple of issues of concern. - We are woeful at defending set pieces - He scores goals, but our no 9 has the worst first touch of any professional footballer I have ever witnessed - our back up keeper is much weaker than our first choice (who has his own issues) - Porteous needs to get his head focussed when playing for WFC as much as he does for Scotland. There was a stage when we were 2 down this evening and Kayembe passed the ball over the sideline and my heart sank. But the spark was lit and we dominated the last three quarters of the game. Asprilla, Livermore, Kayembe (after first 20 minutes) Hoedt, Kone, all excellent. Lewis and Andrews stuck to their tasks. Sema good. Ports needs to step up his game. Raj is what he is. Not sure you can coach a good first touch into him. But 7 goals is a great return. Positive evening after a slow start.
All the sweeter given the did the same to us in 2013, turning round a 2-0 deficit to win 2-3 in the league cup I think
I hate to bring up a negative on a positive evening, but we have GOT to sort out our defending from set pieces. Every time the opposition have a corner I can't look!
