Well it felt OK for small potions of the game on Saturday. Defensively solid. Good formation. Created a chance. Then...... Well it all went a little Watfordy didn't it. Livermore went off. The balance went off with him. Bachmann had a brain fart and got booked for being a twit. Then sent off for a foul for a penalty. As much as he does the business with his saves the lack of maturity shown by our captain is pretty shocking. Surely Livermore gets the armband for the rest of the season now? The sight of Porteous in goal resplendent in pink/burgundy will haunt me for years...... So onto Tuesday and the visit of Norwich. They sit 16th in the form table over the last 6 games with a -4 goal difference. We sit 6th after our pre International break results. In the league they sit 13th to our 15th so a home win would see us leapfrog above them. Lofty heights for both former Premier league sparring partners indeed. They beat QPR with only 1 shot on target on Saturday and almost unbelievably had only 38% possession at home to a poor Rangers team. If ever a game needed an early goal it's this one. I think the longer it stays nil nil the bigger the chance of them sneaking a one nil. They have a pretty poor away record so it's bound to be a one nil loss! I'd hope to see Kone back in for Louza, who did little to impress on Saturday. I'd also go for Sema in at left back to bring Martins back into the first team. Hamer should start in place of Captain Calamity meaning another young prospect gets on the bench in Roberts. Norwich are likely to be without danger man Jonathan Rowe after he got injured on international duty. We are without Jeremy Ngakia for a while after his latest injury. Sierralta should be back though. Tache prediction: 2-1 Watford Come on U Oooooooorns!!!!!
Feels like a good barometer for this season - we seem to like playing Norwich so hoping we can nick this one. 2-0 'Orns
Generally speaking, Norwich must hate playing us of late. Bar that 0-3 win at the Vic in the PL we usually have their number each season. Lousy Louza should be nailed to the bench on Tuesday (or left at home). Kone to come in, Hamer Time in goal which I am fine with as long as he doesn't make any unforced errors. I think Sema might have an easier time getting down the wing so I would def. start Rajovic and hope he can repeat his brace against Rotherham. Leicester had Sema pinned all game although to be fair big Raj did have our best chance, but Bayo'd it. Norwich have won two in two but have but far from convincing in either victory. It seems both them and us are going through a transition period now, after yo-yo from the PL and back again. We did alright at Leicester despite hardly seeing the ball, but I can see Norwich being so dominant especially seeing how they setup away from home. I'll go my score prediction. One each for our birds of a feather, the Crow and the Bog Owl. Watford 2 Norwich 1
For me, I'm just ticking off the points until we get to 50. I think that's a tall order this season tbf. We've only got 21 points from 17 games, and bear in mind we've played all the bottom clubs at home already. IMO, we've got a harder second half of the season to come. 29 points from 29 games sounds like something we should easily achieve, but it's a tall order for this group. I expect by the time we've got to Christmas we'll be around a point a game average. I think we could seriously lose 5 of the next 6, (which will mean 6 in 7 after Leicester). So the match against Norwich is vital we get something from it. I think Hamer is a shaky keeper. I know people don't rate Bachmann, but he's a much better keeper. If Hamer is faced with a few shots to deal with, we will concede goals. The defence really have to limit Norwich, or else we'll be in trouble. Having said that I'm going for a draw as we usually do well against them.
My neighbour is a Norwich fan. He covers his car with a protective piece of plastic. Persephone likes jumping on it and using it as a ski slope. An omen of Homeric proportions?
I'm here...but it just seems a bit futile and pointless right now. Until a new ownership takes over and injects renewed ambition, we're just going through the motions. The club is in decline and just treading water is an achievement. To go from where we were just 4 years ago, to where we are now is a disgrace. That's all on the owner and his decisions. Until that changes, I don't really see the point in posting as I don't have the enthusiasm for it.
I see your point HB1 as according to Duxbury we should be happy to be a bang-average Championship squad now who will struggle to challenge for the top six. After all, why should he bother explaining in detail how we went from a pretty good PL side who once threatened to get into Europe, to a side getting stuffed 6-0 by Millwall last season with a team full of shirkers and uninterested players? Last four/five seasons have been a chore, but the upside is the fans' will always care about the club, even if our overlords don't.
I’ve backed Watford at 45/1 to be relegated. I think they will be in the mix at the start of January. These odds probably won’t be seen again this season. Hope I am proved wrong and they start picking up some ‘unexpected’ points.
I think we're better than the current bottom four, but not sure we're better than any of the other sides in the league. I'd place us 20th as a team this season, but that's not to say on any given day we couldn't beat a team placed higher. However, we've only won 5 all season, and 3 of those wins were against the current bottom three all at home. The other two wins were against teams around us, but we had an element of luck in getting those results. So 17 games is certainly enough to gauge where we are as a team. Beating Norwich could change my mind and make me think we're maybe better than 20th, but it has to be a controlled performance that sees us to a straight forward victory. I don't think that will happen. I thought we'd be in a relegation scrap before a ball was kicked this season, and sadly it looks like it's panning out that way. The bet you placed is a good punt for sure, although I don't think we'll actually go down. The bottom three look a bit cut adrift, but if any one of them puts a run together, we could really be in trouble. If any side were to get out of it, then I'd put money on QPR being that team. Huddersfield, Sheff Wed and Rotherham. I really can't see us finishing below those three, but it's going to be a close call.
We are the definition of a bang average, box standard Championship team this season. An also ran who've fallen from a high point. We might flirt a bit with relegation but wont go down as there are 4 worse teams. We wont challenge for play offs as we aren't good or consistent enough. Will end up winning drawing and losing about the same amount finishing in the 12-18 range with nothing to play for for the last 3-4 games. With a goal difference that's slap bang in the middle of the pack
I think we will win. Wagner is a poor manager imo, but I think we need to be on the front foot and play Martins.
Spot on. Back where we started before they took us over. With a more fragile squad and more debt. Mission complete as far as Gino is concerned.
No VAR obviously but let’s hope the assistants are watching all the time tomorrow! https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/s...-referee-watford-v-norwich-city-championship/
We're closer to 6th (7 points) than we are the relegation zone (9 points). I don't understand how we're in a relegation scrap? As @Cthulhu said, we're a midtable team in every way - results, squad quality, recent form etc. Of course we're likely to lose at least a couple of the next few games, maybe even more than that, but I'd be surprised if we're not in a similar situation and position in the league as we are now come the end of New Years day
I always see this type of thing as an argument. Nearer near the top than the bottom, so it’s all ok. We’re in a relegation scrap because we’re mostly sh1t. That’s my opinion. There is nothing about this team that strikes me as progressing. We’ve got players who are mainly cheap and can’t really get a better deal than the one they are currently on. That’s why they are here. We’ve got people at the top who gaslight for fun and fans who still buy into it, but I can see through it all. I’m not convinced we’ll get 50 points this season, unless there are big upgrades in the January pipeline. I’ve lost all hope the hierarchy have any ambition for this football club anymore. They are just just trying to keep the thing afloat in a state of constant panic with no plan. Just a hope it all works out. It’s just ghastly to witness.
I hope we win 4-3, with national hero Onel Hernandez (who we should have signed long ago) scoring a hat trick for them.
There's plenty at the club to be unhappy about and I agree in that aspect in that it's not all ok The same goes for 10 or so other clubs in the league, and most of them are below us. There's very few teams in the league who should be excited about their future (when comparing money available, manager, squad quality, age of squad, ownership etc) - Leicester, Ipswich, Leeds, Southampton, Sunderland, Middlesbrough with Coventry, Blackburn + Birmingham as possibles - depending on what moves their owners make in the next year. So we're pretty much on a par with most other teams in the league, we're a mid-table squad in pretty much every aspect. Is that a good thing? Of course not. Are we currently in a relegation scrap? Nope.
Again, that’s just your opinion that we’re not in a relegation scrap, as is mine that we are. As by your own admission, there are very few teams who should be excited about there future, so why should fans of these clubs be excited either? As a fan you have certain expectations. Rotherham supporters will relish staying up. That’s their battle and they are all on board with that. From where we’ve been in recent years, we should have better aspirations. From being a club comfortable in the EPL, to a club trying to stay in the EPL, to a club expecting to win the Championship, to a club expecting a playoff place, to a club who are mid-table in the Championship, to a club fighting against relegation. You can see the direction of travel. That’s all under the same owner in a very short period of time. If we’re on 22/23 points at Christmas, the penny might drop as to where we really are as a club right now.
I'm enjoying this season. Apart from 4 or 5 seasons under GT first time around and 3 or 4 on his return, a couple of seasons with Boothroyd and most of the Pozzo era, watching Watford has always been pleasantly dull. I'm looking forward to a scrappy 0-0 on Saturday
Surely to be in a relegation scrap you need to be in or around the bottom 3 and within a few points of the bottom 3. There are six teams between us and 22nd and also 9 points. We may end up closer to the bottom than the top but I just can't see how in our current position it can described as a relegation scrap. That's not really an opinion but more of a fact. As for expectations, I would say the vast majority would have us midtable
It has nothing to do with the current league table. This is what fools a lot of people. You have to look at the teams we’ve played, the remaining matches and where they’re to be played. Baring a couple of big wins, the majority of performances have been marginal, with a clear gulf in class when we’ve played the higher placed sides. We’ve won only 5 out of 17 games, and a couple of those were very in the balance. After tomorrow I can’t see us picking up another point until Boxing Day. Hope I’m wrong of course, but I think we’re on the verge of a bad run of results. Maybe by Christmas, some opinions will be different. We’ll see.
W *L D L L D W D L L L D W W D D W L *League Cup Looking at the season so far purely on results, yes it does seem we are below average. However, before the Leicester defeat we had our best spell of results so far, which was following a pathetic showing at Sunderland. There are games left to turn things around, and if we are still sniffing around the bottom half nearer to the drop come the next Window, I cannot see VI lasting the season. As Dom stated above, we win tomorrow night then we go six for six for six, average - bang midtable side. Even if we get slapped by Hull, Southampton and Ipswich which is very likely, I still cannot see us falling too far as it's as though Sheff Wed, Rotherham and QPR and going to go on a mad run of wins (although it can happen). This season, as we know is about survival. We decimated our squad in the Summer and got rid of a lot of high earners as failing to go up really hit us with the parachute payment already spent. As far as we know as fans, our operating costs are sustainable which means we can take on fixtures. There are a lot of black marks against the club and we all know who the buck stops at. But he's going nowhere at least for now, and if he takes us down to League One next season or the following one then we the fans' will still be here, even if he isn't. We are not a pull anymore, we are not midtable PL side anymore who could attract some good players. Our finances are messed up, we have spent beyond our means, and are still having toi take out £15M+ loans after being told "it's all ok" in that department. Gino and Co. Cannot gaslight us forever, and it won't be long till the banners and chants return in earnest. Players have the least to lose if the worst ever happened, the go elsewhere. As a fanbase, we lose our club and are stuck in limbo until we form AFC Watford, playing in whatever the bottom division is in England. Anyway, as per usual I am rattling on and getting off topic, but the point still remains that for now, we are not in any real danger of relegation, but I do agree that a club's fortunes can turn very quickly in football. Watford is a side who have had as much bad fortune over the last few seasons as most fair-weather fans' can stand. I don't care if we lose a game as long as we see fight in the side. When we lose that, the results will nose-dive regardless of the opposition. That is all we can hope for, that the side we have right now will commit to the cause and keep us above the water line. We will deal whatever happens, when it happens.
Hopefully you're as wrong as most of your other predictions so far this season! I'd be very surprised if Rotherham/QPR can pull a string of results together to ever really threaten us.
We've only lost 6 out of 17 games, and a couple of those were very in the balance (Stoke, Blackburn, Boro - along with some of the draws we dominated but couldn't grab the 3 points - like Millwall, Cardiff etc). We're not leaking goals for fun (only 5 teams have conceded less), we're not on the backfoot every game (only 4 teams have had more possession and our pressing stats are some of the best in the league). The only major flaw is the lack of goals - but even then 9 sides have scored less than us. We're not amazing and we're likely to lose to the better teams in the league just like we're likely to beat most of the sides below us in the league. We're showing none of the usual above signs of a club in trouble - that could of course change but I don't see it changing to the point we're in a relegation battle. As of Boxing Day we'll have played everyone in the league once and I reckon we'll still be around the 14th-17th spots, with a decent points difference away from the relegation zone.
Just look at our away form. That’s relegation fodder to me. The only thing that’s saving us is our home form, and that’s mainly because we’ve played the bottom three. We’re now running out of the crap teams to play at home. From here on in it’s only going to get harder. You can argue your point for as long as you want, but until I see evidence that we can beat mid-table teams regularly home and away, then I will consider ourselves as one of those who should be worrying about battling it out with the other bottom dwellers. If we’re on more than 25 points by Christmas, then I’d be pleasantly surprised.
