It's funny how many don't realise the likes of him, Araujo etc are very good and our club is the problem. Even Sarr will look a different player elsewhere.
I fully expect him to be back here with us next season. By then he should be used to the rain at least.
Kinda strange, he got off to a decent enough start with a big hand in the Adeyemo goal and an assist at Reading, but he's not got a sniff since
Glad we’ve all decided he’s terrible after 6 appearances…. As opposed to our other, clearly fantastic options.
Looks like Wilder and Bilic have also come to the same conclusion. He’s fit, but not playing because he’s not been very good in his 6 appearances.
Maybe so or he doesn’t fit the system they want to play but might be a bit harsh to totally decide someone isn’t up to it in 6 games when the team hasn’t been at their best ? Particularly a young player in a new league .
Quite. Our squad have all been rubbish, so if you stand out for being poor in a generally poor squad, then you must be particularly bad.
One of those weird Brazilian players who seems pretty poor technically but tends to make things happen when they're on the pitch. His first touch, passing and general awareness seems pretty garbage but then he's played quite a big part in a few goals. Go figure. I have a theory as to why he got banished (no minutes since Burnley). He was initially marking the keeper who'd come up at the corner in the final minute. Then he looked up the pitch, realised if we broke he might get a goal and so decided to gamble on that and took a few steps out of the box. You could see Porteous desperately shouting at him to get back on the keeper but he never bothered. Porteous got distracted, tracked the keeper's run rather than his own man, who was then free in acres at the back post and they scored from the rebound. Basically, if Martins had just stayed with the keeper, that goal doesn't happen, belief flows through the squad and Bilic is still in a job as we're closing in on Sheffield United in 2nd!
Richarlison comes to mind. Always came across as quite awkward, before popping up with a goal, or pulling off an outrageous bit of skill. Interesting about the Burnley game, hadn't spotted that. Would Wilder care though?
Almost certainly not! But I guess by that point, he was out of the team and doesn't fit anywhere in Wilder's system anyway. Might've had more of a chance of a spot on the bench if he'd still been getting minutes under Bilic immediately before he was sacked and had had the chance to show a bit more.
Where were you able to see this? Watching the goal back on the club's official highlights it does seem as if Martins is standing around the edge of the box doing nothing, but on none of the clips I can see is it clear that the GK was his man to being with. Is there a clip online which shows more of the build-up to the corner? Porteous also seems a big guilty of not paying attention and being stood still even once the ball has gone in the box. He doesn't have a go at Martins afterwards either.
You could see it on the Sky coverage at the time. Martins ran back and got goalside of the keeper and was clearly marking him. You then see Porteous shouting at someone and pointing at the keeper, but by this point Martins is no longer next to him as he's decided to go and stand on the very edge of the box picking up no-one. Given that the keeper went hurtling in towards the near post and Porteous went across to try and challenge him, leaving Lyle Foster (who was his man) at the back post completely unmarked, think it's fair to say he was distracted.
It's only because I noticed it at the time. Thought 'good lad Martins, getting back in to cover the keeper, all hands to the pump' then 'why has he just walked off and left him all alone?' and remember Porteous pointing in the direction of the keeper and trying to get someone to pick him up.
Ok, slightly misremembered! Martins never got goalside as he was just looking around gormlessly but was aware of the keeper coming up. But Porteous is clearly pointing at the keeper asking someone to pick him up (maybe it was Kabasele) so I'll take that at my age...
I did wonder! It looks as if Porteous is actually pointing at someone in front of him to pick up the keeper, not Martins. Looking at the full clip, Porteous does not cover himself in glory when the ball comes in - he chooses to chase the ball which he's never going to reach, when there are two other Watford players already there, and unnecessarily abandon the man he was supposed to mark. He ultimately looks more like he was ball watching than really trying to stop the GK (who he didn't get anywhere near either). Kabasele also does poorly in missing the initial cross, which he looks like he could have been able to get something on. Gaspar also doesn't track the runners in to the box and stays stood still. Martins is also very much standing around like a lemon, but I don't think you can really pin things massively on him. If you're going to banish Martins for that then you'll have to banish half the team on the pitch at the time!
It's horrendous defending all round. Porteous isn't tight to Foster at all to begin with. Then as you said either gets drawn to the ball or decides to follow the keeper instead into an area where we already had 2 players covering.. Rule one of defending a corner - don't lose your man! I can't work out who Porteous was signalling to either. I don't think it's Martins. Could be Ferreira maybe, to ditch the front post and to come and man-mark instead?
Yep agreed, first time I've seen it back since the night. Still think Martins could've taken a bit more responsibility and just picked up the keeper but overstated his role in the goal. I think it's Kabasele that Porteous is talking to as he runs out then goes back in (and of course, misses the header). Fair amount of blame has to go to Porteous too, got sucked into trying to get near the ball and left his man. Exactly what he did against Sheffield United too, when McBurnie was left in acres at the back post. I do like him but his concentration looks a bit suspect, two massive goals in big games where his man has popped up unmarked at the back post... Edit: good idea for a thread this, breaking down who's at fault for the goals we concede. Think the wrong players often get the blame (much like me sticking it too much on poor Matheus here!).
Porteous is talking to Kabasele at 5 seconds, but then it seems Kabasele is marking someone else; so I'm not convinced he was assigned the role to mark the GK. Then at 11 seconds at the top left of the screen Porteous points to someone else in front of him who is further away than Kabasele was - and calls out their name, which looks quite a lot like he's mouthing "Isma" (lesser chance could be "Hamza") - then motioning them towards the goalkeeper. But whoever he's mouthing to at 11 seconds doesn't actually move.
