Watford-West Bromwich Albion 20.2.2023 "Welcome today to West Bromwich Albion and their first ever competitive visit to Vicarage Road. Under the new stewardship of Ron Wylie, Albion aim for an even more succesfull season than the last when they reached two Cup semi-finals."... ..."Wylie took over from Ronnie Allen, who was moved to an administrate role, and can be well satisfied with his opening at the Hawthorns considering injuries and suspensions limited his earlier team selection." "A feeling of openess (GT)" ..."Football is a wonderfull medium where You can express Your faalings, give vent to Your vocal chords and, hopefully, leave feeling all better for it! To have and maintain that freedom, I believe that You have to have discipline. It is the bedrock of all we do in the club. However, I certainly cannot impose discipline on supporters - we can only try to influence and hope that self-discipline will prevail." 11.9.1982 "A look at Billy Hails diary" ..."Billy who`s career started wit a local colliery welfare team in Durham, has just completed the most hectic period of his career." ... "I have never known anything like it for a spate of what can only be described as majorinjuries. Looking back at the diary, it never really started at any presice date because it never really finnished. Jimmy Gilligan and Francis Cassidy had cartilage operations... Then there was Neil Williams... Watford fans would cite the injury to Paul Atkinson as the start to a frightening crop of injuries. But Billy`s diary is full long before that." An that list continued like it has been this current season! 4.2.1984 "Continue to be positive (GT)" "I have always believed that football reflects many aspects of life.! ... "If You are not going to be positive and maintain a belief in Yourself then Your opponents will simply take the opportunity presented to them and probablyend up walking all over You." 7.5.1985 "Record number of new apprentices" "Watford have taken on a record number of new youngsters. The nine are: Gary Barden (defender), Neil Doherty (striker), twin brothers Dean (striker) and David Holdsworth (central defender), Kevin Hamer (central defender), Iwan Roberts (striker), Paul Rumble (left-back), Tim Sherwood (winger) and Steven Thorne." Some youngsters (4/9) we had then! 24.8.1985 "By Steve Harrison" "For whatever the reasons, the club has gone through an unsettled period, top quality players have left, and we have had to go right back to foundations of the club to start again. Every supporter should join me in being grateful that the foundations of Watford go very deep, and so it has been possible to build with confidence. In the process of building, there are always times of waiting. The cement needs mixing and the paint must dry. We are still in cement mixing phase, where I am assembling a squad of players that I feel happy with. The final touches come later. As we all know, if You build too quickly, without regard for the stages on the way, You run the risk of cracks appearing later and possibly the building collapsing." "Statistical spot" "Watford and Albion are relatively new combatants at league level. The first League encounter was as recently as 1982, and since then the Hornets can claim five victories to Albions four in these fixtures. ... In recent years Gerry Armstrong, George Reilly and Brian Talbot have all played for Albion after spelss at Watford and of course recent Hornet recruit Garry Thompson has moved in the opposite direction." "Match videos" "Videos of every home game Watford have played this saeson can be ordered from the Hornet shop, or brought over the counter if they are in the stock (£14.95)." 14.1.1989 "...I was gratified to read the positive knowledgeable comments of various Watford supporters in last week`s Watford Observer- as I have said before, it`s vital to have Your support and understanding if we are to go places. Best Wishes Glenn Roeder." "Sideways Glance" "Just a few years ago, Shoot!, Match and Football Monthly were the stable diet of regular football magazines. But they were and still are, aimed at the youth market. Then came When Saturday Comes, born along by the upsurge in fanzines throughout the country. Its audience was more adult, it pulled no punches and for the first time, it gave fans a national and coherent voice." 5.11.1994 "There are many issues to be dealt with- on and of the field. Because You don`t see them addressed immediately, please don`t think they are being ignored. ... Too often football clubs make knee jerk reactions, and I have never believed that is the way forward. We need some long term planning. (GT)" "Sound bites" If I could change any law in football, it would be the offside rule. ... As the rules stand at the moment, attacking moves are broken up simply because a player is standing in the wrong part of the pitch when he receives the ball. ... I think it is at least worth an experiment at non-league level... what does "intefering with play" mean anyway?" 23.3.1996 "We are all supporters at heart(GT)" "Now that is what being a supporter is all about. Biased, seeing no other colours but Your own team`s, knowing the referee is allways against You and even a believing a 4-1- defeat was a flukey win for the opposition.! "Start Your collection" "If You have ever considered collecting football programmes but were never quite sure how to get Your collections up and running, then Steve Earl Football Programmes may be able to help You..." "With 15-year-olds costing 32 million , has football gone mad?" "Luther`s view: I think football went mad a long time ago. All we are seeing now is the madness extending right through out the ranks. When You spend millions of pounds on a player it is allways a risk, ... to take that sort of chance on a 15-year-old, ...is incredible.!" "Reserve reports" "Daniel Grieves- close to breaking deadlock at Charlton... The Hornets best opportunity came after some neat play on halfway allowed Daniel Grieves to break clear with only the keeper to beat. However the ball ran away..." 23.1.1999 "Danny Webber My tribute to Jimmy" "Jimmy Davis had been a Watford player for five short weeks. During that time his infectious personality, endeavour and skill had allready made him a firm favourite on and of the pitch." 23.8.2003 "ABManager" "...I think that Watford`s unity is our greatest asset and it`s important that we again show that today. Your support on the road over the last few weeks has been exceptional, especially at Coventry, and I`ll hope some more of You can join us on Tuesday at Norwich. But in the meantime, I want You to really get stuck into today`s game, and build a great atmosphere." 3.11.2007 So as many of You may have guessed these lines are borrowed from old programmes against WBA. I tried to pick some lines with historical points, some to think from todays perspective and some for just to show what was included in programmes those days. By the way; I was ready to go through some older seasons to find matches between us, but the first one was as late as 1982. What is actually the last (traditional) team we have played against for the first time? Enjoy the game. 1-1.
Can you hear me Dr Wu? Are you really just a shadow of the man that I once knew? Are you crazy, are you high? Or just an ordinary guy? Have you done all you can do? Can you hear me Dr? Are you near me Dr?
Sticking my neck out - I think we will win this. Lose and Bilic will be sweating. We didn't play well last night over the 90mins but we showed a much better attitude overall. WBA are a sort of bogey team for us especially at home over the years. They are another side who are going to be banging on the playoff door, so anything we can take off them will help. Same side as last night, with the same character plus a bit more threat, we win this. Turn up any other way, WBA walk it. 1-0
Can Sarr turn up for this one? Can he score from 60 yards? Will he miss a penalty? Will he even play? He shouldn't. But he will.
Derby aside, biggest game of the season so far by an absolute country mile, off the back of a positive result, which surely means we don't win
Predictions. Sarr is rubbish. Hoedt makes a massive **** up and we wonder if he's actually any good. Bachman finds the second row of the GT stand more often than a yellow shirt. Louza injured. Pedro gets sent off.
Excellent and different preview Performances have improved of late. For 60 mins against Reading, Blackburn and the first half at Burnley. We need to keep this going and for longer. West Brom are in a similar position to us and despite the upturn in results since the change of manager the last two results have not been great. They were awful at Birmingham. Somehow we are still in the play off places but we need to start turning those draws in to wins. We've dropped 6 points in the last 3 games, 2 from winning positions and the other through missed chances (open goal springs to mind). It's looking likely that the play offs positions will be tight right through to the end of the season so could we really do with putting a run of wins together to try and cement a place rather than playing catch up Bachmann Gaspar Porteous Hoedt Kamara Louza The Hair Sema Sarr Pedro Davis 2-1 to Watford
The preview reads like a message on Day 5 of a game of Werewolf where someone posts all the messages together in a search of a clue.
Like the lineup but Davis as lone striker doesn't fill me with confidence. He's more of a hold up player I feel. If we go 4-2-3-1 then I would rather have JP up top in that formation, as he can actually score a goal. Araujo could also be an option as the lone man, with Pedro playing just behind as a #10. Dump Sarr's lazy @rse on the bench and move Sema on the wing with Asprilla taking up the spot maybe. I know we have "HG issue" as well so that may not be an option.
No, we already know that’s not going to work. We need to be playing with twin strikers now, especially against the ‘lesser’ teams at home where we need to impose ourselves on them from minute one.
I expect us to wear our away kit of black and white stripes and WBA to play an away kit of yellow black and red
If you play one up top they need to be able to hold the ball up hence Davis, not Araujo's game to be honest. I want Sarr to start but would like to see Bilic haul him off if he's not performing. How he stayed on for the whole game at Blackburn I have no idea. I will say I don't think it's because he doesn't care though, I'm not buying that
I agree about Sarr, he just seems to be lacking confidence. However, he was better when Morris was left back as Morris carried the ball less often than Kamara does and tended to release the ball earlier to Sarr. This resulted in Sarr being able to run onto the ball rather than receiving to feet and have to stand up his marker. If it stays 4231 it has to be KD for hold up as the lone striker. If Aroujo comes on the Slav needs to change to a442 or 433. Feeling a bit more pos after last 3 games, imo signs of improvement are there although it has been very frustrating to chuck 6 points away. Think if it clicks we can win this but there again this is Watford.
I don't say this with aggression at all, but I am honestly wondering, what would Sarr have to do to earn either a dropping to the bench or a questioning of his attitude, to your mind, at this point? The vague threat of being taken off at some point, perhaps, if Bilic can muster himself to do so, just seems to pale milquetoastly in comparison to what his performances and effort levels for quite a long time have deserved, to me, and not something that's going to send him any particularly needed messages. The opposite, if anything. If we did move to a 2 up front, it should absolutely be Sema and JP on the flanks and Sarr at left back - left back in the changing room that is (Won't happen, of course)
8 goals and 5 assists is what stops him from being dropped. No question he was awful at Burnley but was ok at Reading and against Blackburn. Ok should of course be the bare minimum but compare his record against anybody else (maybe Pedro aside) he is the most likely to contribute in an attacking sense. It's when it's back to the walls stuff like at Burnley that he becomes a waste of space
Fairplay, I actually find 8 goals and 5 assists in 27 games pretty shocking for a player of his mythos and transfer fee at this level as a (few days off a) 25-year-old, but appreciate that's as much of an indictment of our recruitment and other attacking options as him. Sema has more assists and doesn't blooter crosses to absolutely nowhere every time, just half the time, so I would frankly still support him starting over Ismaila now he's fit, especially in that 2-upfront scenario.
I’d be happy for him to be dropped, his current performances deserve that. I just don’t personally think it’s down to attitude. He seems like a young lad who is massively struggling with confidence. He looks so happy when he scores and assists, likes joining in with team celebrations etc. He was bought for £30m (rightly or wrongly) how the club aren’t tackling the issue of sorting his head out is a strange one to say the least. Maybe they are for all we know, but it’s not showing. He’s still one of the highest in the league in terms of combined goals and assists. Imagine what he’d be doing if he was playing well! Frustrating is the best word to use right now.
I didn’t see Reading but I don’t think he was ok against Blackburn. He was incredibly lazy and wasteful in possession in the first half and other than a couple of punchy runs at the start of the second he did fark all.
For me this is the key. If the club isn't doing anything about this, it is negligent. Surely that can't be the case?
We will win this easily. I've made such a big play about WBA being better than us that 3-0 and daylight between us and WBA is assured. Knight and WatfordTalk licking their chops tuesday morning
