Remember in the famous 'don't scratch your eyes' Lester game, Pearson left both Kane and Vardy on the bench. You would not have predicted they would in a relatively short period of time become England's regular strikers!
I would luv Zarate back as he would provide more especially if Okaka goes. He was just getting started until hacked down by Wet Spam last season. Should mix well with combinations of Rich, Hughes, Gray, Pereyra and Carrillo.
I reckon we might see zarate back, success out. Though it looks like zarate is the main man at that team, and the weather is lovely. It would be galling to have to come back here just to sit on the bench...
No much news with our senior Loanees this weekend - Pantilimon not in the squad for Deportivo vs Barcelona, Penaranda's Malaga and Amrabat's Leganes not playing until Monday and Tuesday respectively. Oulare and Foulquier still injured. Zarate hasn't scored for a couple of games since his hot streak of three wonder strikes in three games. In the Segunda Division, Cucho Hernandez adds further fuel to the fire that he will never play for us by actually coming back from injury two weeks earlier than expected, about the most un-Watford thing a footballer could possibly do. He played 85 minutes as Huesca won 3-0 against Lugo to stay top of the league, winning a penalty for the first goal and then picking up a booking for diving in the box late in the game. Before the game he received the division's Player of the Month award for November. Pervis Estupinan came on as sub for Almeria as they won 1-0 for his first appearance for quite a few weeks. Sulayman Marreh didn't play for Real Valladolid, as per usual. Valladolid B got thumped 4-1 by Real Madrid B, only Luis Suarez starting out of our loanees but Alvarado and Becerra coming on as sub. That result ended a mini resurgence for Valladolid B, after they'd won their previous two games. They remain bottom of the league but at least Suarez and Becerra scored for them last week and Suarez also scored the previous week. For those wanting to see the standard of football these loan players are playing, the first seven or so minutes of this video are the highlights of their win last weekend. It features a red card for an old school punch in the nuts, another for seemingly nothing whatsoever and a third for a horrendous Dele Alli style stamp. Oh, and it shows the two goals of our loan strikers. Elsewhere, Matheus Aias played a couple of weeks ago as Fuenlabrada got a creditable 2-2 draw vs Real Madrid in the Bernabeu in the Copa del Rey but hasn't been seen since so presume he's injured. Matheus Santana still hasn't played since returning to training for Murcia, and Kingsley Fobi is out for the season with a cruciate injury. An unfortunate end for him - he started the season unable to play as Formentera had forgotten to register him (as well as their manager and his assistant who weren't allowed in to the stadium for the first game of the season) but then forced his way into the team and was an ever present in their defence at 19 years old, getting some good reviews. Dennon Lewis was an unused sub for Crawley as they lost 3-0 to Crewe and Sam Howes played in goal as Hampton & Richmond drew 1-1 with Heybridge Swifts in the FA Trophy.
Suarez looks pretty quick in that and takes his goal well (scoring Valladolid B's first by rounding the keeper); promising.
Not much news on the loan front as there's various winter breaks going on. Obbi Oulare has now recovered from his injury but has been fat-shamed by his coach as he now weighs over 100kg (nearly 16 stone) and he won't be considered for selection until he slims down. Unconfirmed rumours that Oulare was only fattening himself up as he thought it was a prerequisite for playing upfront for Watford... http://m.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20171226_03267920//?utm_source=t
other than those sentences also including " has never", "should have" and "can't remember the last time"
Few changes among the u21 Loanees: Dennon Lewis is back from his loan at Crawley. Brandon Mason has gone to Dundee United. Harvey Bradbury (who he?) has gone on loan to St Albans. Sulayman Marreh will finish his unsuccessful loan at Real Valladolid and be loaned somewhere else in Spain.
Harvey Bradbury is a good prospect in FM18. But then again, Liam Henderson won the Ballon d'Or in an earlier version.
For anyone wanting to see what the fuss is about Cucho Hernandez - Huesca's game with Real Oviedo is being shown live at 5pm on Freesports (strange channel available on Freeview, is always showing redneck motorsports or hockey whenever I've flicked past it before). Sadly Diego Fabbrini is injured for Oviedo, otherwise could've compared the Pozzos network's past with its future.
The part of the North East where Liam Henderson comes from thinks that Ballon d’Or is a perfume that you can buy counterfeit copies of, from the market .
Whilst all eyes have understandably been on Cucho Hernandez this season, it's one of our other loanees that has been linked to a move to a big club this window. Mathias Aias Barrozo, a 21 year old Brazilian forward currently on loan to Fuenlabrada in Segunda B has caught the attention of Valencia. There was a flurry of reports a couple of weeks ago that they wanted to sign him but they petered out as he was too expensive as we owned him. His record this season looks unremarkable with only three goals so far but last season he scored 16 in 29 for Granada B and some of them were very, very good:
Weekend update - too many loanees to go into too much detail anymore: Top division loans Penaranda came on as sub as Malaga lost 1-0 to Getafe. Malaga are now bottom of the league and their fans seem a bit fed up with Penaranda (11 starts, 2 sub, 0 goals, 0 assists). The theme seems to be that he'll make a few good runs each game but his final ball/finishing is so bad that it's not enough. Dimitri Foulquier made his first appearance since October, coming on as sub for Strasbourg as they lost 2-0 at home to Guincamp. He's only played 42 minutes so far this season in the league. Didn't play this weekend: Oulare (Winter Break), Amrabat (playing tomorrow), Pantilimon (unused sub), Zarate (pre-season) Lower division players in Europe As above, Cucho Hernandez scored and assisted for Huesca as they stayed top of the table in the Segunda Division, highlights on his thread in the Team Bus. Real Valladolid are off the bottom of their table with a little help from our multiple loanees there, after winning 2-1 against Rayo Majadahonda (yes, really). Luis Suarez scored the winner, Alvarado and Velasquez also started. Didn't play: Brice Dja Djedje, Pervis Estupinan, Matheus Aias, Sulayman Marreh, Kingsley Fobi, Matheus Santana, Juan Becerra, Eduardo Montenegro, Jorge Segura British loans Didn't play: Alex Jakubiak, Brandon Mason, Charlie Rowan, Sam Howes (loan ended, back at Watford) Harvery Bradbury played but didn't score for St Albans as they drew 1-1 with Harrogate Town in the FA Trophy. Michael Folivi played but didn't score as Borehamwood drew 3-3 with Gateshead in the same competition. Connor Stephens made his first start for Oxford City as they lost 1-0 to Whitehawk. Amongst his team mates, he's got a couple of less famous siblings - Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain and Zac McEachran.
Peñaranda pulled his hamstring in a friendly today so not a great start under the new boss at Malaga. Unconfirmed rumours that he'll be flown over for specialist treatment at the Watford medical centre to speed up his recovery...
Oh dear, will it affect his ability to get a Spanish passport if he spends 3 years here recovering? Think that signals then of any hopes of seeing him in a Watford shirt, Brexit will be all over by the time he resumes light training.
You might be waiting a while... I wrote most of it but for some reason it didn't save as a draft and I can't be arsed to do it again. Highlights were Bradbury got sent off, Folivi got booked for diving, Djedje made his debut and Oulare made his comeback from injury if I recall correctly...
Sulayman Marreh has had his loan cancelled at Valladolid and joined Almeria, where he'll meet up with another loanee, Pervis Estupiñan, and ex Hornets legend Marco Motta.
Obbi Oulare made his second start in a row for Antwerp after his return from interview... and scored his second goal of an injury-hit season. He played the whole game against second placed Charleroi and was praised by the Antwerp fans for some excellent keeping-the-ball-in-the-corner-to-waste-time, as they were down to nine men for the last ten minutes. Could probably have done with that underrated skill for the games against Palace and Swansea... Pantilimon was dropped from the Deportivo squad, and Penaranda was injured. Good to see most of our domestic loans are performing as well as the first team: Jakubiak made a 24 min sub appearance for Falkirk but got an assist with a cross for the third goal as they won 3-1 against Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Debut for Gartside at Chelmsford City (National League South), massive howler for the opposition's winner, abused by a fan. Connor Stephens started as Oxford City drew 1-1 with Bath City, also in the National League South. 6 min sub appearance for Boreham Wood: Folivi Unused subs: Rowan, Williams, Mason Suspended: Bradbury The other loanees' teams are all playing tomorrow.
High praise for Jakubiak from the Falkirk fans.. One of the best debut ever, showed great pace and movement etc..