Ince just looks hacked off every time he comes onto pitch. I think he scored months ago and didn't celebrate so that says something (he thinks he's better than he is)..
I'm going for a 3-0 win for this game. We now seem to know what we're doing as a collective and there's a unity on the pitch that's not been there for a long time. Players looking more confident, tick. Clevs had 4 weeks now to get his messages thru, tick. Defence look a bit more comfortable, tick. Our attack play is improving, tick. Not so much negative/jumpy passing a cross the defence, big tick.
Tom spoke highly of Massiah-Edwards and Gireves in particular earlier in his press conference, as well as Eames. I think they’ll definitely get some minutes in the last few games.
Anyone remember the end of the 1979/80 season? Kenny Jackett and Steve Terry made their debuts in the penultimate game (5-0 thrashing at Roker Park) and Nigel Callaghan debuted the following week in a 4-0 victory over Burnley at the Vic. If this trio could follow in their footsteps.........
Missing this one as in Paris with the wife and it's looking a corker. Preston still without a few players and we have Clevs ball in full swing, think we will finally see a home win in what feels like years.
Haha I just came on here to say Shoutbox up. By the time I remembered how to do it, it had been enabled
Captain Sir Tom 'Valball' Cleverley to the rescue!! Even mimicked his mentor's 60th minute subs, bless his cottons. Same old crap performance. No wins at home in forever. Could swap Preston out for any number of opponents this season as it felt like I'd seen that match many, many times since August.
Absolutely one of the worst games I've sat though. Let's be fair, Lewis could of won the game for us, but PNE had two really good chances in the first half to kill us off. I think the result just about summed up the game. Very stop/start with the ref not really knowing what he was doing most of the time. Andrews was lucky not to be booked. Really do not think the second half could of been worse. It was. Terrible game of football, but at least we didn't lose and Tom remains unbeaten. I think though, he must of found VI's notes about how to setup for a game at home. That was the sort of drudge we were hoping was behind us. It was played at the pace of a pre-season game and to be fair I expected PNE to really come at us. With Coventry winning, they had to beat us to keep any lingering playoff hope's alive. At least we ended that dream for them today. Shame the team did the same for any sort of excitement. WE STILL CANNOT WIN AT HOME
Fair play if you got through that, we are what we are at this point. Nobody could change it, only transfers can make this better.
Typical end of season game really apart from the fact one of the teams still had something to fight for and it wasnt the one that was looking to win the game. Clevs still unbeaten, built a solid system and has kept the players hungry enough even though they have nothing to play for. TDB looking solid in that midfield role, orchestrated things nicely I thought. Lewis being a defender yet pulling out of every challenge is disgusting.
A drab game in windy conditions against a boring physical side playing what seemed at times an unadventurous long-ball 7-3 formation. Both teams playing with 5 defenders (or more) helped in cancelling each other out. Preston's set-up was particularly odd as the game went on as surely a draw doesn't do much for any lingering play-off hopes they may have, but they seemed more than content to sit back for a draw. When we did manage to create openings our final ball was often poor. Andrews and Lewis were the two main guilty parties for this, Andrews killed a number of promising attacks in the first half. Dennis also had an off day and seemed to bottle quite a few challenges. Porteous continued his good form in defence under Cleverley. Sierralta was a bit too loose at times. Bachmann was in more of a panicky mood again today but thankfully it didn't lead to much. TDB had another good game in central midfield and much of what we managed to fashion in a congested game came from his dribbling ability in tight spaces. As creative as Chakvetadze can be, he does seem allergic to scoring at times. Why oh why did he dummy that ball at the edge of the box towards the end of the second half?! It looked as if it was rolling on to him beautifully to just slot it in to the near post, but instead at the last minute he decided to just let it go under his legs, deceiving everyone including his team-mates. Still, not the worst point again. Our first clean sheet at home in 13 league games since Rotherham. Cleverley remains unbeaten.
They had the better chances, which came more because of our errors than their good play, but they didn't really deserve to win. We're beyond caring, but if I were a Preston fan with their play-off hopes hanging by a thread I'd be pretty deflated at that
Our financial bottom line might have something to say about that. At best we can probably try and get a few gems in the Window for loans. What ever tiny amount we do spend must go on players we need to fit whatever system we have now. That of course, only comes to pass if TC is kept on.
I forgot a few words on the very weird ref: He let Preston twice get away without bookings for cynically stopping our counter attacks with what were basically rugby tackles, then gave us two in a row as soon as we did similar (and I hardly thought Chak even touched his man). There was also a weird moment when the ball was in the air in the middle of the pitch in a 50-50 situation, with I think us having perhaps the better chance of winning it, but TDB or Bayo get a knock to the head and fall to the ground. The ref then blows to stop play because it's a head injury, but instead of giving a free-kick to us, or the ball back to us, or even at least a 50-50 drop ball, he tells us to go away and gives Preston an uncontested drop ball from which they pushed lots of their players forward to hoof it from and caused us problems in our box! Thanks ref.
Lots of effort and desire from both but no quality . Defences very much on top. We were made to look pretty lightweight and they marked Dennis out of the game well
There's no such thing as contested drop balls anymore. Ref can only give it back to the team in possession or who last touched it, I believe. Bayo playing dead was pretty pointless too - forced the ref to make a decision but then even after the long delay he got up as soon as he did.
Highlights from today's game..... "Philadelphia Freedom" was the Elton track played at the end of the game. Errrrr.......that's it. A truly humongous festering pile of horse manure masquerading as an excuse of a football match.
Andrew French would be proud of that. Just about sums up any report you're likely to see in the Watford Observer this week.
