How I See Things Right Now....

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by SkylaRose, Feb 8, 2020.

  1. SkylaRose

    SkylaRose Administrator Staff Member

    In 99/00 we were way out of our depth at Premier League level. We tried, but losing Smart and Noel-Williams hurt our chances. Had great moments like winning at Liverpool, beating
    Chelsea at the Vic and running both Arse and Manure close at home. We knew it was going to be a struggle, and so it proved to be. Six wins out of 38 condemned us against all odds.
    In 06/07 we had a better squad but again fell short due to injury a then immense Marlon King and never got the targets. Despite ripping Championship sides apart we never had the ability
    second time around.

    In 14/15 we began our now almost extinguished five year stint in the Premiership for a third try. We came up with a decent team, a good core and latterly no injuries. We played above our
    level for 1/2 the initial season under QSF and thank god we had enough points after Xmas to stay up. After that. the Wally season was forgettable apart from stuffing Utd at the Vic. We finished
    17th that season and had two goal keepers on the bench last game. Enough said. Then we got Slither... not going into that. Gracia saved us that season and last season under him was our best
    in recent history to where we finished. I fully agree with the ideal that the F.A Cup thrashing played on the minds of the players going into this season - we had the same side who were playing
    well - and were so slow out of the gate we deserve to be where we are.

    Was it really mission impossible after Southampton? Yes. QSF had to go = and was binned. One thing I will say for our owners - they know when to bin the crap on the management front. We were
    all a bit on the fence when Pearson came in - but combined with Shakespeare - we really began to see the side we all knew was there deep down. Confidence flowed, the goals were being smashed in
    and our defence looked solid enough despite being poor. All of a sudden, Sarr is injured - we lose all pace in the side and revert back to the laboured "hoof ball" esp. today, that we had seen before hand.
    Individual errors can happen, I can accept that, but throwing away three leads in three must win games is unforgivable. Has Pearson run out of ideas? Have the players latterly given up mentally and
    collectively? Will Sarr's return really change our fortunes? I do not know. We have two very hard games coming up.

    We are running out of "winnable" games now. But with confidence down the toilet when defending a lead, no pace and a Championship back line, can we even expect to win those? We are running out
    of games, running out of time and as fans, how much more spineless performances can we defend before we face the reality of where we seem to be going? We are not down, we can still survive, but I am
    finding it very hard to gather optimism that the squad even believe they can.

    Just my thoughts I wanted to share.
     
    LaClusazSki and FromDiv4 like this.
  2. hjw

    hjw Reservist

    We are ****ed. Need a football miracle.
     
  3. Whippendell Woods

    Whippendell Woods Squad Player

    Five wins from the first 26 matches. They’ve got to find five or six wins from the final 12 when they’ve thrown away big points from potentially winning positions (starting with Deeney’s save penalty against Spurs) in the past four games. Which all feel like defeats.

    Logic says there’s no chance in hell.

    Pearson expected and got a huge increase in work ethic that our base fitness level couldn’t sustain. Hence mental errors and weakness in the past few games. Add in injuries to Sarr caused by over work and that fact that they’ve had to play Capoue and Doucoure (and god knows who else) on injections, painkillers and no training all week.

    The “world class” (titter) medical facilities and global recruitment severely let the club down before the first whistle of the season.

    Where we were blowing teams away in the last ten minutes last season due to supreme fitness and work ethic, it all seems to have gone to pot from January 2019 onwards.

    I think the players took advantage of Javi’s light touch and took the piss in pre season and thought they were big time for getting to an FA Cup Final and fringe of Europe and simply didn’t get as fit as say Brighton or Sheffield United and got a huge shock when they faced them.

    In some of the early matches Roberto Peyrera looked one of the fittest and he missed Austria entirely as he was on International duty with Argentina.

    Add in the Deeney knee “minor op” fiasco where he’d played injured before calling it in after the 1-0 loss at a poor Everton in our second match. How the feck did his knackered knee evade detection from our world class fitness scientists? And he was out months not the few weeks first alluded to.

    That lack of supreme squad fitness led to pulls and hamstring injuries from our aging players and the usual Pozzo era smoke and mirrors and simple silence as to when players would be back or the extent of their injuries. I give you Prodl, Cleverley, Janmaat, Dawson, Welbeck. You can think of more.

    We’ve cruised into this season thinking we’re better than we were and come up way way short with results.

    It’d need a remarkable near miracle to beat enough top sides to give us the wins we need when we’ve choked against Brighton twice, Soton, Villa, Sheffield United, West Ham at home, etc etc.
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2020
  4. We don't have 5 wins in us, which means barring a miracle we're down. Blame the lack of investment in the defence.

    We'll lose some players over the summer - Doucs, Del, Sarr, Pereyra, maybe a few others, but should recoup decent cash to help the P&L.

    On the upside it will be interesting to see if we went a youthful route:

    JP, Hernandez, Suarez, Peneranda,
    Quina, Hughes, Chalobah, Dele-Bashiru, Whelan,
    Masina, Kiko, Wilmot, Estupinan, and several new centre and full backs

    There's an interesting 433 in there
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2020
    SkylaRose likes this.
  5. Whippendell Woods

    Whippendell Woods Squad Player

    And I forgot the Premier League’s superstars (at least that what they say in nightclubs) who went down with cramp against Tranmere after 60 minutes.

    They maybe all flash cars and step overs in their head but they were way off the required fitness level.

    Peneranda and Success also nightclubbed their way around the Costa Del Sol last season on loan at Malaga when Peneranda was fined for missing and being late to training. That was before Success’s lap dancer Baileys evening.
    Folk on social media see the fat Panda as the messiah ignoring he got bombed back from a second rate Belgian club for being piss poor too. Bad attitude can be seen in how overweight he is.

    Quina and the like think they’re way too good for the Championship, so don’t expect them to turn up Saturday / Tuesday next season either. Not that they’re fit enough or dedicated enough anyway.

    The attitude required is that of Luke O Nien, currently at Sunderland.
     
    SkylaRose likes this.
  6. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    Letting go of the likes of Geri and Doucs will be sad, but inevitable at some point (even if we stay up). Will we be able to keep a hold of all of those young players if we do go down I wonder? That'd be the most frustrating thing about relegation this year
     
  7. AndrewH63

    AndrewH63 Reservist

    Doucoure is our boy truly top ten club player. Actually revitalised by Pearson, so its ironic that our relegation or skin of our teeth survival will see him iff in the summer. Deleufeo, Pereya, Holebas, Cathcart, Mariappa, Success, Welbeck, Penerandana, have no part to play in a championship squad. We need a few journeymen pros with a winning mentality and mental strength to see games through, and kids who buy into the coaching teams ethos. If we can keep Hughes, Cleverley, Capoue and Chalobah we will gave a solid midfield to hang a back four and front two in.
     
  8. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Well if we kept him fit Welbeck would be very useful in the Championship...

    Cathcart and Mariappa are Championship defenders so they will stay in some role.

    Guess you mean getting in younger faces which we need.

    How many of these overseas loan players will play in the Championship or get sold to Udinese!?

    The youngsters have potential but need to be stronger.
     
  9. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    Cathcart and Mapps would probably stick around, and tbf, neither would be a disaster at Championship level (I'd still hope Mapps isn't a regular though). Dunno about the midfield, surely someone would come in for Chalobah, Hughes could be a useful bargain basement deal for someone, and I could definitely see Capoue pick up a decent late career payday warming the bench at a bigger club, though I'd hope they'd all stay
     
  10. Journey men pros 442? Christ on a bike are we in a time warp and slipped back to 2002? Let’s get AB back while we’re at it, take a plough to the pitch, and go full bore hoof.
     
  11. brinnyboy1985

    brinnyboy1985 First Year Pro

    Its all about momentum and although we’ve slipped up recently it can quickly change.

    We have to just keep ourselves in the mix and then who knows what we can produce in our final 5 games.

    Once Sarr returns we’ll look a different outfit
     
  12. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    Even if we do get relegated, we will not be fielding a team of youth players, come off it. It's a fantasy that fans across the spectrum always love to dream about, but in reality they'd be eaten alive in the Championship, and experience and nous would be the main drivers of us getting back out of it; obviously mixed with enough energy and talent to give us the requisite spark.
     
  13. It might be youthful but it's far from a team of youth players.
    Wilmott is already playing in the championship. We'll keep Kiko and Massina. Keep Cathcart or Kaba and there's a decent~ish championship back 4. Estupinan is playing La Liga now.
    Hughes & Chalobah are first team. If they want to leave tell them not yet. Quina is on the fringe. If we can keep Capoue or Cleverley (and make them captain) that's still a decent midfield.
    Hernandez is playing La Liga, Suarez S2. Sema back from Udinese.
    JP and Peneranda are the only 2 unproven.
     
  14. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    Great post.
    If you are correct,which I rather fear you are,it is simply unforgivable but it happens so often.
    Dan Evans,one of the most able tennis players in GB for the last thirty years is only now dedicating himself to his craft.
    Lack of application due to the vast wealth in sport,especially football is a blight and if it has infected our players then it is difficult to have any sympathy.
     
  15. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    With the Pozzos you can never be sure who will stay or be sold /sent to Udinese!

    Might be a surprise or two..
     
    Chumlax likes this.
  16. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    If we go down, do we start taking on Udinese's rezzies again? :D
     
  17. Guy

    Guy Squad Player

    Will be the return of Prodl, Sema and Zeegelaar
     
  18. The Voice of Reason

    The Voice of Reason First Team Captain

    WE ARE STAYING UP
     
    Leighton Buzzer and Lloyd like this.
  19. GoingDown

    GoingDown "The Stability"

    MAKE WATFORD GREAT AGAIN!
     
  20. LaClusazSki

    LaClusazSki Reservist

    Sarr has made a big difference to our team. His pace allows us to play higher up the pitch and also win the ball higher up. His inclusion makes other sides think of their own set up against us.
    He tracks back and has an aggressive streak which we need.
    I am not saying we are a one man team, not at all. He does make a difference to our own players as well.
    Yesterday at Brighton we had no outlet up front, zero pace . Sarr adds this to the team.
    Brighton were not going to score till Maricrappa lashed the ball home when under no pressure at all.
    The lateness or reluctance to bring on subs is a worry. Leicester fans said the same about Pearson. He has a plan and sticks to it when a change is really needed.
    I would love us to stay up, but l just don't see it.
     
    SkylaRose likes this.
  21. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

    You do know that the acronym would be pronounced "mooga" <mʊga>, have you no shame?
     
  22. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Mmmm...Muga. One of my favourite Riojas.
     
  23. Chiswell

    Chiswell Academy Graduate

    I'm feeling positive that we will stay up. If Sarr returns soon I believe the team will bounce back to form. If Sarr's injury is more serious then Nige will have to set the side up differently. Maybe an extra man in midfield to gain more possession and control, particuarly away from home, possibly a 442?
     
  24. BigRossLittleRoss

    BigRossLittleRoss First Team

    That sort of positivity is not welcome on this forum Chiswell.

    Only soul grinding negativity is allowed . You must remember this forum is mainly populated by sad and pathetic people whos’ only joy in life is to go on football forums and moan.

    Reality and facts will not provide an obstacle to their relentless negativity.
     
    Leighton Buzzer likes this.
  25. LondonOrn

    LondonOrn Squad Player

    While I can’t really argue with the rest of your post (although I’m more positive about our hopes of staying up than you - I’d be more worried if it was the opposition scoring their goals first as it would suggest that our confidence has totally bolted) I don’t think the bad start and lack of fitness was down to arrogance. Quite the opposite. I mean, I could understand that mindset if we’d lost to City on penalties after being ahead (as a comparison, look at West Ham in 2006/07, who were even worse than us before pulling off one of the greatest of great escapes).

    I think the hammering on the big stage, combined with not even making top half after being in pole position for a Europa League place just four games previously, led to apathy amongst a lot of the squad. You’ve got a bunch of middleweight players in the midst to twilight of their careers having one of their best if not their best season, and you could understand if not excuse them for thinking, “well, if that’s the best we end up with then why bother?” before opening the following season with a mundane fixture against Brighton which even our fans admitted to being less than excited about. Kind of the footballing equivalent of a midlife crisis.

    We just have to hope the danger of getting relegated and the risk of never playing top flight football again for at least some will retain the enthusiasm that Pearson has restored in the team (assuming it hasn’t completely disappeared again) and keep them up for the challenge ahead.
     
    SkylaRose likes this.
  26. GoingDown

    GoingDown "The Stability"

    At least we don't put spaces before our full stops.
     
  27. Cassetti's Beard

    Cassetti's Beard First Team

    Look at how far we've come!
     

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