Pre-season 2019

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by hornetboy1, May 23, 2019.

  1. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    What is your 'required standard' for a Watford squad player? It seems very high!
     
    Leighton Buzzer likes this.
  2. Markoa$

    Markoa$ Squad Player

    Sema apparently of to Besiktas on loan if you believe twitter. Udinese played them yesterday and won 2-0, so could be true I guess. My guess is Sema doesn’t want to go which is why he did he best to look rubbish today and give away a penalty.
     
  3. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    Gray is great coming off the bench. Cleverly. Chalobah. Kabasele/Janmaat decent options. Marriapa okay as backup. Also players with scope for rapid improvement like Quina, Wilmot.

    What I cannot stand are the players who are squad fillers because no other clubs will touch them. Prodl. Okaka. And absolute garbage like Sema and Masina of course.
     
  4. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    Geri only scores against the bottom 2 or goals that dont get us points
     
  5. NathWFC

    NathWFC First Team

    I'd be just as happy with that as with a new signing.
     
  6. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    Former player of the season Prodl, Italian international Okaka who saved Udinese from relegation last season, Masina who appeared to have adapted to the Prem by the end of last season and Sema who JG clearly rates as a reliable back up? None of these players are likely to get much game time this season but they can provide reasonable back up when required. They were in the squad last season and we finished 11th.
     
    Leighton Buzzer and Robert Peel like this.
  7. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    Disagree. In my view all four are awful.

    Why did you post “Italian international” as if it has any weight. Shall we bring Fabrinni back?

    If you are happy with those 4 then frankly you are going to happy with whatever tat Pozzo offers up.
     
  8. Bahrain Hornet

    Bahrain Hornet Academy Graduate

    But does score goals to get us into a cup final!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  9. EB Hornet

    EB Hornet Reservist

    Genuinely made me chuckle. I’m yet to read past this post so you could in fact be rolling in the money as I type....
     
  10. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Were quite a few unpredictable results...again.
     
  11. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    Yes play him in the cup and against relegation fodder
     
  12. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    To tell the truth I'm very happy with 'whatever tat Pozzo offers'
     
    Leighton Buzzer likes this.
  13. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    I’d be very pleased with that. At least it would show some kind of intent to shed awful players.
     
  14. EB Hornet

    EB Hornet Reservist

    One positive - we won. And we’ve now won 3 out of 4 and they were against a mix of decent quality teams.

    Another positive is Gray scoring goals, bizarrely though, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t start v Brighton. Deulofeu is a guarantee if fit and I don’t think Javi would play him and Gray together?
     
  15. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    We won a cup......can't say that about Watford every day. Yippee.

    Gray scored 2 goals and actually looked like a clinical striker. Two shots, two goals.

    Capoue was majestic. Wonderful performance capped with the pass of the match sending Gray away for the winner.

    Foster made some fantastic saves and his reactions are sharp as ever. He's still saving certain goals.

    Dawson had an encouraging game. Looked very assertive and strong in the air.

    .....but that's where it stops.

    We were badly overrun in the first half. Giving far too much space on Kiko's side and a simple quick pass so often opened us up in the middle of the park.

    RS created so many great scoring chances, that it has to be considered a very lucky day that we didn't get steamrolled. We rode our luck, and here's no denying that.

    Foster was forced to make three fantastic saves, they hit the inside of the post had one cleared off the line and missed a couple of other very good chances.

    Sema, was just dreadful. I like they guy personally, but he's not good enough, even as a back up. He gave the penalty away as well, which was a bit unlucky really, as I thought Pawson waited far too long before giving it. It was just a coming together of players and I thought it was extremely soft.

    Our pre-season results have been encouraging. We've beaten Real Sociedad, Bayer Leverkusen and only lost to a last minute goal against Ajax. Even QPR won at Stoke City today so are no mugs. Results have been good, but overall I think we've been very lucky to win the games we have done. Our performances have been patchy and we've relied on the opposition not making the most of their chances and us scoring from virtually every shot we have. Clearly that type of thing won't continue throughout the season.

    I consider next week, as an opportunity to win. I believe Brighton will be one of the weakest teams in the Premier so I think it's vital we win that one. If we fail to do so, with the next 6 games looking between difficult to impossible, it's going to be a tough start to the season.

    We have to be much better than we were today, if we are going to pick up points this season.
     
  16. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    When u have a striker of Andre Gray's calibre u have a chance against any team. He can score against anyone. Ajax, Leverkeusen, Sociedad all good teams and he got 4 goals.
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2019
  17. folkestone orn

    folkestone orn Squad Player

    What are the odds
     
  18. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    No doubt our equaliser would have been disallowed under VAR.
    [​IMG]
     
  19. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Why ?

    The 2nd might have come after a foul by Capoue though!
     
  20. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    Well, unless he's got a hideous deformity or alien type creature is about to burst out of his chest, I'd say Gray is holding his shirt......which is giving him an unfair advantage.
     
  21. folkestone orn

    folkestone orn Squad Player

    They been in for him for nearly a year then?
     
  22. AndrewH63

    AndrewH63 Reservist

    It was a friendly. Real Sociedad played good football and with better finishing could have a hat full. Their 21 was a cut above. Reminded me how Abdicate looked in his first season a different class to the opposition. Thought Holebas, Doucore, Harry the Hornet and Feminia among others were good. Sema is not a first team starter so harsh to pick him out as poor. The match was about getting match fit rather than demonstrating our likely Premier League standing. The set pieces were interesting and Dawson will be an asset at corners. Overall a pleasant afternoon, including a rare hour in the Moon under Water - £2.49 for a decent cask beer. Next week will be interesting against a new manager and a Brighton team we have struggled to dominate in recent years.
     
    Mazzereth likes this.
  23. lowerrous

    lowerrous First Team

    Gray was being fouled by the defender just before that though - the defender had his hand shoving Gray's back all the way until he got to the box. It was six of one, half a dozen of the other. Gray could have easily gone down, which would have meant the defender perhaps getting red carded, but rather did very well to stay on his feet until the box and get the shot away.

    The only reason VAR might have denied the goal is because it might have been marginally offside.
     
  24. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    I think VAR will be used to cherry-pick what officials want to concentrate on. This would be disallowed because Gray is holding the defender's shirt. What happen before that is immaterial as it was the last thing to happen before the goal was scored.

    Clearly whatever the defender did or didn't do before that didn't effect Gray from scoring a goal.
     
    wfc4ever likes this.
  25. luke_golden

    luke_golden Space Cadet

    Seems a bit strange to preempt our being robbed by officials and VAR before we’ve seen a single instance of it being used.
     
  26. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    Only the insanely na*ve and babies would question what I say.
     
  27. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Yes, the two in the semi-final got us absolutely no points at all.
     
  28. Robert Peel

    Robert Peel Squad Player

    Almen Abdicate?
     
  29. Mazzereth

    Mazzereth Academy Graduate

    ...back from the pub, 2-1 to the horns, happy days.
     
  30. simpleMASH

    simpleMASH Reservist

    That was Martin Odegaard I believe. The kid who joined Real Madrid on £80k per week at just 16 years old, if you remember that a few years back. Still on their books but must be near the end of his contract by now as he’s 21 later this year.
     
    Markoa$ and wfc4ever like this.
  31. PotGuy

    PotGuy Forum Fetishist

    But for a ridiculous final month of the season we were up around 7th place the whole of last season.

    If we don't sell anyone there is no reason to think we won't be there or thereabouts again
     
  32. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Old players within the squad are another year older. We could do the same as last year in the PL, but to say there is ‘no reason’ to think we won’t be is stretching it a bit when more or less every team around us and below has spent a fair bit of money strengthening their squads.
     
    Jumbolina likes this.
  33. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

     
    hornetboy1 and EB Hornet like this.
  34. EB Hornet

    EB Hornet Reservist

    Great play by Hughes
    Great pass from Capoue
    Great strength and scoring instincts from Gray
     
  35. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    Wow...that's very "pre-season" coverage too. They got the score wrong, and there's a full 7 minutes of watering the pitch, players warming up and other mundane things before Capoue actually kicks the ball!!
     

Share This Page