Watford FC 0-3 Brighton & Hove Albion - 10/08/2019

In Lewis Dunk’s pocket. He made Dunk look like a £150m player. Awful performance and no leadership.

 

Short memory. Pereyra at the keeper like the FA cup final.

 

First game, doesn't mean jordon mutch. Hopefully will shake the complacency from the squad - last season is over and in the history books, there is no credit

 

I’m off to Nepal where I intend to live as a goat

 

Woeful defending from our new centre back .

It seems we re up Dawson’s Creek without a paddle .

 

If we win at Everton I will buy a hat, then eat it.

 

Yes.

 

Early days but that was truly appalling. Brighton were far cuter and slicker and did some clever stuff that other PL sides do. We were predictable and pedestrian by comparison. I don't think the result particularly flattered them

Gray might have lifted his early second half chance a bit as UEA has suggested. GD should have got a VAR pen. review at least when he was pushed over going through at speed on 20? mins. That should be enough for a pen. i.m.h.o.. We had a few cleared off the line in the second half (that's one of the things that defenders do) and I have no idea re. the Pereyra free-kick pen./handball claim. I tend not to comment too much on stuff that happens up the other end.

Troy is a WFC institution. But not for all time. He's a professional footballer and a great bloke who has given us sterling service both on and off the pitch. But everyone has their sell-by-date and I agree with those who have suggested that an over-reliance on him is now holding back the creative development of the team. The exciting new attacking blood can't arrive on the pitch soon enough at which point Troy might have to accept a more cameo role on the pitch while continuing to be 'Mr Watford' off it if he was willing, or move on to pastures new where he might continue to start more regularly if that was his choice.

VAR was used four times and wasn't particularly intrusive.

Rose is currently playing.

We have now conceded 18 goals in our last 5 competitive fixtures and scored only 2 (both of those resulting from intercepted back-passes). That suggests to me that we have both a defensive and a creative problem. The former we'll have to deal with somehow with the personnel available today. The later the new blood will help to address together with at least half a goodbye to one of the greatest servants to grace a WFC shirt.

Onwards and upwards!

 

Danny Rose looking like Nostradamus.

 

The way we allowed them to play out of defence was nothing short of a disgrace. It looked like we had some positive intent by going man to man on their defenders but then we inexplicably allowed the keeper to just chip balls into the middle of the pitch for someone unmarked to bring down and start an attack. What was the ******* point? On other occasions a centre back got the ball with one of our forwards right on them but then had an easy out ball to an unmarked wing back.

We've just let Brighton play out from the back like Barcelona. They deserve credit for taking that approach but **** me, we made it easy for them.

 

He’s also playing like Nostradamus vs Villa.

 

[QUOTE="CleyHorn, post: 2769350, member: We had a few cleared off the line in the second half (that's one of the things that defenders do)[/QUOTE]

Not our defenders, it isn't.

 

We allowed the opposition in the friendlies do that too. Deliberate strategy.

 

A la Joka.

 

I know a couple who did that. Will and Nan.

 

It's genius. We've turned goal kicks into an attacking weapon for the opposition by allowing them to immediately bypass four of our players and start an attack in midfield under no pressure at all.

 

Making false predictions about the end of the world? I'd love Nostradamus at left-hand.

 

Look, that was dreadful and there's no point in saying otherwise. However, events didn't go our way either.

This was a clear penalty, and I suspect it will be given throughout the season, but of course not today.
https://twitter.com/louorns/status/1160234300895309825

Had that been given, it's almost certainly 1-1 and it's a different game.

Gray had a great chance also to level the scores and even in the last minute, Dawson has one cleared off the line.

Brighton had 3 shots on target and they all went in. Then they defended for their lives, and did this brilliantly. I was so impressed with Dunk, Duffy and Burns. They were monstrous.

But the overall feeling of the Watford performance was tired and a continuation from the end of last season. Far too predictable, slow in attack and if there is a worse defence than the one we have, then that side will be relegated for sure.

With the players we have in defence, you can never be totally confident Watford will be safe this season, however, with Sarr and Welbeck being added to attack, you cannot help thinking that we'll be safe.

The performances in pre-season were not good, IMO. We looked undercooked and Sociedad should have thrashed us last week. I said at the time, beating them probably did us no favours as we just didn't deserve it.

We need to sort ourselves out very quickly now though. I looked at the first 7 games and thought Brighton was a must win match, in order to keep us out of trouble. I now think we'll be firmly rooted at the foot of the table after the first 7 games. I cannot see us winning any of them. We might be like Palace a couple of seasons ago, when they lost their first 7 (I think). That could happen to us this season.

I still think we'll be ok come May, but today has to be a wakeup call and acted upon. Brighton wanted it more than us, and that's unforgivable IMO.

 

That does a disservice to Brighton in my opinion. This was no smash and grab, from about twenty minutes on they dominated the play and the way they moved the ball and found space totally outclassed us. They had options on the ball and the switch was always on.

 

[/QUOTE]Not our defenders, it isn't.[/QUOTE]I was going to add that bit and thought better of it.

 

I'm having a beer debating with you, a stranger, on the internet about the decision.

That's what it's all about.

 

#topbantz

 

But we were also losing with the Elton song.

 

Nasty image.

 

I wasn't aware that Nostradamus ever played. What team did he play for? Presumably some local French outfit like Marseilles or possibly Lyons. Not, the heavens forefend, Rennes?

And he was a left-back too? Truly amazing. I'd have put him firmly in the No.10 role.

 

Cojones obviously still hanging out.

 

Intriguing if Rose did foresee the end of days in his post match interview.

Depends on which questions he’s asked, I suppose.

 

He studied at Avignon & Montpellier from which he was oddly expelled for having worked as an apothecary.

No evidence of his having played but something of Mariappa about the beard:

https://images.app.goo.gl/d6xt8iwJJMYJoEjMA

 

That maaaay be a good idea.

 

I bet he didn’t see that coming.