The Championship 2020-21

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by Markoa$, Jul 26, 2020.

  1. Guy

    Guy Squad Player

    The fact that Brentford have only picked up 4 points in the last 12 playing teams towards the bottom .. Derby, Forest, Huddersfield and Birmingham suggests they are far from likely to win all of their remaining games
     
  2. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    Of course, I don't think they'll flick the switch and suddenly start destroying everyone, but I also doubt they'll continue at a pace of a point per game
     
  3. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    Interesting that both teams faltered when their core group of players hit 2000 minutes much earlier than ours.
     
  4. Luther Bassett

    Luther Bassett Reservist

    Agree with this. It all feels too remote. I gave up watching around new year, unable to put myself through any more grindingly boring 0-0s/ 1-0s. Yes, I’ve been updating scores from ours and Brentford and Swansea’s games quite a bit more frequently recently, and decided to watch the Boro game. Obviously picked the wrong one, but am simply unable to feel part of what’s going on, it just feels like a computer game.
     
  5. Bubble

    Bubble Wise Oracle

    No, he's not a better 'Manager'. A Manager can manage a squad and keep them happy. I would say Xisco appears to have the right balance between being someone great to work for/fun and being able to give out the home truths as well and not lose the respect of the players!

    His tactics/subs sometimes are baffling but then again he's a new Manager/Coach starting off in the game, he's not quite as experienced as someone like Neil Warnock lol.

    Ivic I think is a good manager and at another point in time under different circumstances he could've worked out for us, but I think he was deeply unhappy after the transfer window closed and you could see that in his demeanour and the performances!
     
    wfc4ever likes this.
  6. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    I don't know...the vibes coming out around the time of the Coventry game suggest Xisco wasn't getting much respect. I'm convinced that if Ivic goes to another club near the top of the Championship, he'd do well, I'm not sure I'd say the same for Xisco
     
    The Voice of Reason likes this.
  7. WeveGotSteviePalmerNo1

    WeveGotSteviePalmerNo1 Academy Graduate

    T
    Turncoat???
     
  8. Knight GT

    Knight GT Predictor extraordinaire 2013/14

    I would say it's vitally important we don't sign players like Pereyra (dreadful last season), Doucoure (dreadful last season), Dawson (dreadful last season), Welbeck (injury prone) etc or anybody else that couldn't give a sh1t. I would also get rid of anybody that wanted the season cancelled after the first lockdown as they are not strong enough mentally. Sign hungry players who want to succeed. I don't care if they see us a diving board to something better as that's what we are.
     
    wfcmoog and Chiswell like this.
  9. YellowKicks

    YellowKicks Squad Player

    Let's get promoted before any further talk of who we should be signing. Nothing is done yet and 6 points (assuming they win the game in hand) is not insurmountable with our run in.
     
    lowerrous, Cthulhu, AshdonWFC and 5 others like this.
  10. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    I'm with u a million % on that mate!
     
    Knight GT likes this.
  11. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Yes, wasn’t that a strange comment? I don’t think he really knows what it means.
     
  12. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    As soon as he hit a run of form with us he was publically angling for moves to PSG etc. I have no idea why the fanbase accepted it. I'm so happy he ended up at Everton, its exactly what he deserves. He'll never be any better than that. A self obsessed **** who didnt give a shyt about the club and thought he was as good as his best performances rather than as bad as his worst. If we'd sold him and Troy after the cup final collapse, where Troy was impotent (again) and Man city's midfield ripped Doucs a new one, we'd never have been relegated.
     
    Ybotcoombes likes this.
  13. Relegation Certs

    Relegation Certs Squad Player

    Mercenaries kept us up last time we were promoted though. It's not as if we had a team full of tommy mooney's back then.
     
  14. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    It more likely than not that the return of Henry and Dasilva will galvanize them and their form will pick up. let's hope they take a bit more time to come back
     
  15. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    Ighalo, Capoue and Gomes weren't mercenaries. They all developed and emotional connection with the club
     
    Ybotcoombes and Supertommymooney like this.
  16. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Lets face it, the same could be said of ANY time under his tenure. It wasn't just exclusive to after the transfer window.
     
  17. TomWatfordFC

    TomWatfordFC Reservist

    Reading some of their forum, Henry and Dasilva might not even be back in time for the play-offs.
     
  18. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    I can agree with all apart from Doucoure. He was a success and if we can sign anyone who comes close to replicating what he did with us then its a no-brainer. Signing a player like that wasn't the problem - not adhering to an agreement to sell him when he was at his peak value was the big mistake. Up to that point he was brilliant and both parties could have parted and been happy.
     
  19. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

  20. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Pereyra and Doucoure in their time were brilliant for us. Welbeck looked a good deal when signed, accepting that it was a risk. What's clear is that the current XI are nowhere near good enough to stay up and we won't be spending ridiculous sums to try to stay up. It will be a nice problem to have if we can navigate these last few games successfully.
     
  21. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    (With two to play). Regardless, it does show, even if we match our worst spell of the season, we'll still end up with 9 points. I have to say, this is rather reassuring.
     
  22. YellowKicks

    YellowKicks Squad Player

    To an extent, although have we had a run of fixtures as hard as this at any point would be my caveat?
     
  23. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    In fairness to Doucoure (and Pereyra to an extent too), he didn't play in his best position last season. Good player, especially alongside Capoue at the base of the midfield, but I think we were asking a bit too much of him pushing him forward like we did. As for Pereyra, he's just not quick enough to be a winger
     
  24. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    My reassurance lasted all of 2 minutes.....damn you :D
     
  25. YellowKicks

    YellowKicks Squad Player

    I'm sure it'll workout ok, but on paper it's just literally as hard a six games as you could ever want. It's stopping me from getting excited until we win a couple.
     
  26. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Is it clear they are ‘nowhere near’ capable of staying up? It would be tough with this current best XI - but ‘tough’ is as far as I’d go.

    Obviously a fair bit of work will need to be done with the squad and we shouldn’t be entering the PL season (if it happens) with Carlos Sanchez, Perica, Success, Gray etc as the options/examples of squad depth. But there’s also talent in the squad that can A. Kick on to a new level or B. Find some decent form that deserted them last time around at that level. Femenia has done enough this season to be given a shot again I’d say and I’d love to see this new, improved, fit version of Chalobah at that level. I’d back Joao Pedro to be a good performer there and it’s not cut and dried Sarr would leave either. Hughes too. Sierralta could also make the grade. Some smart additions and moving the likes of Sema, Cleverley, Troost-Ekong to more ‘squad player’ roles and I’d be optimistic.

    What we will desperately need is a striker or 3. And clear out the dross we have in that department.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2021
  27. Halfwayline

    Halfwayline Reservist

    really? I mean really? Have you seen the dross in this division. Norwich, yes. Brentford on form, yes but they aren’t. I can’t see us losing any game bar from the Norwich one. How many we draw and how many we win will be the question
     
  28. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    The current XI...not a hope.
    Serralta, Hughes, Chalobah, Femenia(?) and Sarr have looked prem quality. Pedro and Kabasele potentially. Sarr will leave.
     
  29. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Newcastle currently are staying up.

    So again, I think you are going a bit far in saying there’s ‘no hope’. But happy to agree to disagree!
     
  30. ForzaWatford

    ForzaWatford Squad Player

    I think our current first 11 would be on a parr with our first 11 from 2015. Pozzo's showed they could recruit to keep us up from promotion, i'd trust them to do it again. You'd hope they'd learned the lessons from last year too...

    Only slight concern is I think it'll be a lot harder to offload the likes of Gray/Deeney as previously a championship club would take a punt, but with reduced budgets that might not happen.
     
  31. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    The league has turned on its head in the last few weeks, all of a sudden Swansea looks a much kinder fixture, last few weeks the likes of Brum and even Sheffield Wednesday have been playing much better. Norwich will of course be hard, as should Brentford (especially if they have Dasilva back by then), Reading will be tricky (rather them than Bournemouth mind you), and then Millwall and L*ton are very middle of the road fixtures on paper
     
  32. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    Gutting for them but helpful for us
     
  33. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    Our record against the current top 8 is:
    W
    D
    L
    L W
    L
    D L
    L W

    The majority of the teams we have left to play are more than capable of beating us.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2021
  34. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    And you think our starting 11 is better than theirs ? Even then they are plummeting and only just surviving.
    The gulf between prem and champ is huge. Norwich looking like world-beaters with the same team this season that finished bottom in the prem, and the 3 relegated teams likely to go back up.
     
  35. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    We plucked some absolute gems that window, especially in terms of defensive-minded players which was where we were weaker in the promotion season, it gave us a fantastic platform for Iggy and Deeney to propel us up the table. Ironically our defence might be the strongest its been since that first season back in the Prem, but, among other areas, we'd definitely need a reliable goalscorer if we go up
     
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