Yes, I know we're at home but I couldn't pilfer an image from the internet the right way round and lack the technical skills to mock one up myself... Welcome to the wfcforums, a cheery place where the fanbase is united and really enjoying the season! What a difference a couple of weeks makes... this place was almost universally despondent until Xisco shuffled the pack and the team finally began playing like we'd all hoped they would this season. A barnstorming 6-0 and a gritty 1-0 might not seem that similar on the face of it but the common theme was moving the ball from back to front through the midfield, a complete contrast to what came before. Whether by luck or very underrated judgement, Xisco seems to have found a formula that works for this group of players. 'One day I will banter off a whole fanbase of an obscure Championship club by making the team play a dysfunctional long ball 4-4-2 then... Boom! Vamos arriba! Xiscoball!' Will Hughes is a player reborn, finally fit and operating with Premier League class in the chaotic Championship. For the first half of the season, the centre backs would pass the ball to the midfielders, who would then pop it straight back to them to go long. Hughes as the deepest player of the midfield three completely changes this. All of a sudden, the ball is being progressed along the floor. Hughes should be fired up for this game against his boyhood club who he made a phenomenal 180+ appearances for by the time he turned 22. Cleverley's industry now has a purpose in a midfield three, snapping into tackles and breaking up play. In a two, he was still running around but more often than not watching the opposition pop the ball around him as he was outnumbered. And when he got it, there were no options other than the long loopy ball in the direction of Deeney. As for Deeney, who knows what would have happened if he hadn't picked up whatever these mysterious knocks are? And a further question arises for the club after the suggestion that he'd been playing with injuries again, as if they hadn't learned the lesson from relegation last season. But anyway, the change has been made and it's up to the other players now to make any return to 4-4-2 an impossibility. On to the opposition. Wayne Rooney's Derby have taken over the mantle of Frank Lampard's Derby. A once proud football club boiled down in the media to a managerial nursery for one of England's trophy-less Golden Generation underachievers. Rooney's signing as a player seemed a bit of a gimmick and he played most of the games as a defensive midfielder, a kind of poor man's Will Hughes. Wazza must sometimes wonder about the talent he squandered as he was all but finished as a player by his early 30s in an age where top players are playing longer and longer. Still, when have Ronaldo or Messi ever been knocked out in their own kitchen by Phil Barsdley? Swings and roundabouts. Head coach of Rooney FC, this week they're playing away at Deeney FC © The Media Derby have pulled away from the relegation zone in recent weeks, with an impressive four wins in the last five. They have a genuinely bizarre squad consisting of lots of very young players with a whole bunch of journeymen sprinkled on top. No idea what to make of it really but fair play to Rooney for getting a tune out of squad containing Curtis Davies, Craig Forsyth, Colin Kazim-Richards, Jordon Ibe and Martyn Waghorn. There's not many goals in their squad and they are joint lowest scorers with Birmingham and Sheffield Wednesday with only 21 goals so far this season. Top scorer is Colin Kazim-Richards, fresh back in the Football League after a peripatetic trawl through Turkey, Netherlands, Scotland, Brazil and Mexico. It's somewhat of a renaissance for K-R as he needs one more goal to make this the second most prolific season in his career. The last time we played Derby on a Friday night, the Hornets put in an excellent performance to pull off a 2-2 draw after Marco Motta was sent off just before half time. The match is most remembered for that pass from Guedioura. A similar performance but keeping all the players on the pitch and bagging three points would be much appreciated. COYH!
Whatever we do, the media will make this all about the granny grabber. It's our big chance to sneak up on Norwich under the radar.
Derby are the most in-form team in the league with 5 wins in their last 6. And a last minute winner tonight too will give them even more confidence. Watford 7-0 Derby
Not an easy fixture. It’ll be the first time Hughes has played against the Rams since he left them for us. Hope his head’s right. Our most important player. And my wife is a Derby fan. I’m very nervous about this. I won’t be happy until the club announces that 90s hunk and former Ram, Craig Ramage, is going to be a special guest in the Hive Live studio to publicly declare his love for Watford over Derby. Unless we get Rambo in, I can see a big loss here. Make it happen, Emma.
When Derby were bottom of the league some scum fans were mocking them on social media. I told them that derby would still finish above them. My prediction is looking good. However we don’t need to donate derby with 3 points for my prediction to look a bit more promising. Hopefully xisco will use all that more experience he has over the Granny shagger and we will secure another double on a mid table team. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last time we played Derby I decided to listen to the Derby Comms as a way of getting a balanced overview of the game and was excited to hear Ramage was on Comms for Derby. Not only was he hugely biased towards Derby, he spent most of the time slagging off Watford . He then capped it all of by constantly ridiculing Ighalo and repeatedly called him Ebola, deliberately, much to his own amusement but to the embarassment of his co-commentator. Racist cxnt, imo.
They were lucky against Wycombe last night. Lots of effort and energy but little skill or talent on show. If we can match their energy we should blow them away. Watford 0 Derby 1 (Gray og).
I retract. He’s not worthy. Can’t believe that, but believe it I must. A rare gleaming light from a dark period of on field drabness. And now it seems he’s a bigoted, hornet hating ***.
Actually the last time we played Derby on a Friday night we won 1-0 this season with João Pedro scoring. Our first away win of the season
I thought that as I remember going to the pub to watch it and even checked the calendar when writing the preview but obviously misread it as I thought it was a Saturday!
Not that I want it but I guess Pedro will be rested. Hopefully it’ll be Perica given the nod. He does look a bit lightweight but has some agility and movement to play the game we have played last two games, plus is still a little bit of an unknown. I’m guessing still no Success? If he is ready I’d have him in the bench as a replacement. Obviously Pedro could be used for half hour if needed. Maybe an U’23 if none of those available. Think that’s all the options we have.
I would like to see Perica given a start to see what he could do, with Pedo replacing him during the 2nd half if needed. JP should be our main main in the middle, but having Perica as a good backup would be great. Perica should be fresh as he did not touch the ball in his time on the pitch last night.
Gray will start Friday I reckon. I think we will win anyway whoever it is as its a home game and there is no Deeney so we should have enough on the pitch to beat them. So no reason for rageitis pre game when team sheet announced.
Maybe he should knock on Xisco's door and point out that Pedro only scored once last night to help make his case?
Personally I hope we start with Pedro, he usually gets subbed was last night after 81mins, which I know isn’t much less than playing all the game but he is doing well and should be able to start fitness wise!
Word is he’s been attempting this all week and now has a broken hand through missing the door and hitting the wall constantly.
Why didn't we have access to that conversation of Xisco's earlier on? It would have saved a lot of anguish. Also, just so we don't get complacent, this is the kind of mouthbreather we still have to contend with, asking the Watford Buzz guys whether we should swap Chalobah into the role Hughes has revolutionised our play by filling as only he can:
That 2-2 in 2015 goes down as one of, if not my favourite draws. And obviously one of my favourite equalisers. That match proved we were too good for the league. Let's hope Friday's game does the same.
Agreed. I've said before that game is right up there amongst my all-time favourite away games, despite the fact we didn't win. It was the night I really felt we were going up.
Derby have won 5 of their last 6 games so are in better form than us. We should still have enough to beat them at home as long as Troy & Andre are given a run out. Must win game. WFC 0 (Deeney missed pen) Derby 4 (Forsyth 4)
Must win game. Gray needs to be nowhere near the starting 11. His place is the bench. We’re trying to win this game, not lose. Gray starts, we lose. So back to reality, front 3 stays the same, we win. If rotation is needed, then Gosling for Chalobah, and maybe Wilmot/Ekong for Cathcart. The other option of rotation is Ngakia for Kiko. They are the only changes that would be acceptable in my eyes. We don’t play again until Wednesday, so they will have plenty of time rest after Friday.
