Utterly bizarre post. It was a poor performance. People are commenting as they saw it on a discussion forum, just as they praised the team at West Ham.
22nd Dec: West Ham 26th Dec: Chelsea 29th: Newcastle 2nd Jan: Bournemouth When you look at the amount of games we have had to play in a small space of time I cant say I blame Gracia for freshening things up and I have no complaints about that. Considering we made 6 changes it was still a strong line up and we were the better team which goes to show how much depth we have this season.
I can’t see how Success is going to improve as a player. He has very little composure in front of goal and is happy to go to ground after the slightest of touches. The way he’s built, he should be bullying 95% of premier league defenders
Phew - got away with a point there. Poor performance maybe due to the number of changes meaning a lack of understanding and fluidity about our play. Newcastle did defend well in all fairness but we made it easy for them at time. Success needs some new boots and you can see why Holebas starts! Still got a draw and well there were a few unpredictable results today.
Thought draw was fair, ball didn't fall for us but probably didn't do enough. Had GD scored after 20 mins think it would have been quite a different game as we could have stretched them. They played for 1.0 and then a draw but all things considered a point was decent - at least they didn't do double over us
Pleased with a point. Newcastle are decent away, and don’t concede many. Success is a wide player and not a central striker. Delefeou was poor. Mariappa needs replacing.
Horror show, maybe the worst performance of the season. A horrendously lazy, half arsed performance, and lacking effort is unforgivable. Zero fight, zero intent, zero effort. They were literally jogging around the pitch. Success fell over at any opportunity. It wasn't tactical, smart diving, he just fell over whenever he got the ball. Delofoeu was at his most lethargic, petulant worst. Abysmal from him. Newcastle were just the pits, what a shocking team to have dropped 5 points against.
Actually I think Gracia made the changes and the correct ones quite quickly, only around 5 mins in to second half. Probably right he didn't make them at half time but his changes worked today. Only criticism I had was the number of changes but some were enforced and I accept there has been very little rest period Agree with everything else though
Gracia had to give some players a rest - all teams are doing this, and we don't want players burnt out. But, today showed that we have a few players who are not quite up to premier league ... whatever people say about Deeney - and we can't expect him to be like he was 3-4 years ago - he is a leader and a captain. Mariappa is not a captain. I'd like to see Cleverley starting. Why no Femenia in the squad? I agree with the other comments about Britos ... the thought of him coming on was just too scary - why no Wilmot? Newcastle are a better team than they look, if that makes sense.
It was surprising that Javi made so many changes. Maybe some players were especially tired after Chelsea or there has been a bug. Deeney didn’t even make it back to defend corners. Maybe he was just saving them to avoid injury during a run of games. I wouldn’t assume he didn’t have good reasons, but you could see it coming when the team sheet was announced. A good start, but the player’s weren’t often on the same wavelength from about 20 mins on. Nothing seemed to work. Happy to get a point in the end and would settle even more happily if it means we beat Bournemouth.
Success should have been subbed after 2 minutes. Awful display. He is clearly only best right now as an impact sub. He was completely useless for the entire game .
Was offside and Hughes had long departed the pitch before then! Shoved out wide didn't suit him and Masina didn't appear to be willing to go forward.
As expected, a disjointed performance. Far too lethargic. Any premier league team would be able to defend against an attack as pedestrian as that. Opening 5/10 minutes were okay. Passing was fairly slick, Pereyra was playing well coming inside off the left to link up, Hughes picked up some good positions and looked like the player we saw in the first few weeks. Deulofeu should have scored his chance in the first half. As talented as he is, he’s not a natural finisher. No-one in our squad is. Capoue put in the kind of slow, frustrating, sideways passing performance that we became accustomed to before Gracia arrived. Quina had his worst game yet. Tried to overplay in the middle and got caught out far too many times. Doucouré proven to be our best midfielder by his conspicous absence. Masina is nowhere near Holebas’ level. I said it before when everyone was crying out for him to start and I stand by it. Tough afternoon for Mapps and Cathcart. They got bullied by Rondon. He’s not particularly good but he is a massive handful and we couldn’t touch him. Very disappointing overall. Felt like a loss as I walked away from the stadium. They’re a very poor side and Benitez has pulled Javi’s pants down again. If Bournemouth do the double over us I’m going to be apoplectic.
Newcastle look like a team who look like they are better than they look. And that doesn't make sense more than it looks like it doesn't make sense.
Deeney won every header when he came on Hughes, Janmaat, Success were really poor Not sure about Deulofeus attitude - looked petulant Thought the ref had a good game Draw was a fair result - 6 changes affected the game
You can see how Gracia wants us to play but sadly the grinning idiot doesn't realise we don't have the players to do it. I always say that I'll never criticise a player for a lack of ability but I certainly will criticise a lack of effort. As such Masina should get nowhere near the team again. Lazy ****.
Good move by Javier - demonstrating to the owners why we need to strengthen in the January window. Today demonstrated how important Holebas is to the team, why Decoure would leave a huge whole in the midfield. Why we need to find a forward who looks likely to score from open play. On the other hand, a team with Hughes and Janmatt (who had a good game) returning from injury. And a couple of young players in Quina and Success who are starting the journey to become first team regulars. The team was competitive against a well drilled Newcastle. I think the justification of todays selection to rest some first choices and to get more minutes in the broader matchday squad, will be the results we get in the second half of the season.
Firstly I think we would haver lost that game last season. Clearly six changes was going to be disruptive but the space afforded to Atsu for their goal and a few times afterwards was alarming. They were as most expected,robust,tactical fouls but with some quality crosses from Gordon Ramsey and Boris Yeltsin or whatever his name is. That was the best I've seen Rondon play and they may not have been pretty but they were certainly organised and effective,typical Rafa I suppose. I thought that was a match TD had to start,we had too many little guys,Hughes,Pereyra,GD,Q. It was just Troy's sort of game I thought and Isaac was much improved when TD was alongside him. I'm not unhappy with the point,so many games in such a short period is hard to manage. I may change that view of course,post Bournemouth!
The biggest impact from a sub today was Holebas (although Doucoure actually scored) which wasn't made until the 79th minute, when he came on the tempo was upped!
Also, if he's going to insist on playing him wide then Will Hughes can p*ss right off. Absolutely abysmal in that role. Why in the world did he just waltz back into the team after the season he's been having? Javi got it all wrong today... again.
Lots of criticism on social media and on BBC 3 counties for the number of changes but all those brought in have played their part this season Frustratingto only get a point but could so easily have been a loss Very frustrating just how slow and over elaborate the build up play was. Missed holebas's delivery of crosses Also would be nice to score from a free kick , not had anyone decent since Toczer.
Best performance in a Watford shirt was the young ‘un whose dancing on the big screen we witnessed just before ko. Starting with a Klopp piston punch, he bloomed into Freddie Mercury tribute mode. High energy & really wanted it. Unlike the team.
They are rubbish at home, but decent away. Generally concede very few goals. We didn’t play well, but It was always going to be difficult today, and to suggest otherwise is total arrogance.
Didn’t see the game but on 3cR Jon Marks said it looked like Success had the wrong studs he kept falling over. When I saw 6 changes I just thought it’s too many, especially 3 in the back four, even if one is forced. Reminded me of Zola’s 6 changes at Brizzle which also completely messed up the team cohesion and affected following games, Very disappointing, it’s always uphill when we miss chances and concede, but we should have beaten the Toon. We need to bounce back at Muff.
Near the start of the Mazzarri season, it was clear that Deeney doesn’t have the skill or pace to excel in the Prem. What was flabbergasting today was that he now doesn’t have the appetite to try. We watched him increasingly closely during the warm up. CBA. Stood around in a silly hat sulking. When he came on, he won most of his flick ons but otherwise hid. No runs, no energy, no leadership. Loan out to Leeds in January.
They're an extremely poor side and if we can't mark Newcastle at home as a game where we should be targeting three points then I'm really not sure where we would be expecting any points to come from.
First out after the game though. Doing sprints from one end of the pitch to the other. Guess he's preparing for that move to Leeds.
Maybe e he could give Success his boots - then Isaac might live up to his hype and become a useful replacement. Both big and physical looking but win very little - Rondon showed them up. Badly need a striker or two - again did either of them have a shot on goal of note? Is Gray this season's out for ages with unkown injury player? He might do ok I reckon with the midfield supplying him.
Thought Success did well but he's already been written off by some. Won numerous free kicks in dangerous areas, ran at defenders and won headers. It was those around him (GD and RP) who were under par and providing him with with scraps at best
A very winnable game thrown away; squad rotation should have waited for the Bournemouth game - 3 from 6 points will be better than 1 from 6 pts. I'm not sure Success would make the Forest, Villa or other mid-table championship starting 11 right now. Build up is slow, ponderous and frustrating. It was beyond turgid to watch for the first 70 mins and the subs. Looking back at other results, and along with today, we should be sitting comfortably in 6th. Desperate need to bolster defence and get a decent striker or 2. However, standby for more continental / S American imports who will be either zero or hero....
Deeney has given a lot to this club in his time here. I still regard him as a great person in the stature of Watford as a playing icon, almost in the same vain as Mooney, Johnson, Chamberlain and Blisset. I will however agree that apart from his early form he has gone downhill again. He is a good leader on the pitch and a great motivator, not so much a public speaker for the club. I still think he needs to drop back to a more defensive role, and if we get a striker in, the mobility will work alongside Success/Gray.
I think Success is lightyears ahead of Deeney, even with his current shortcomings. I'm not sure why some people are so against him and I certainly wouldn't single him out today. He has an excellent touch and is extremely strong and quick. But yes, we definitely need at least one new striker, probably two. Deeney, Okaka and Gray are all pants and Success is still a work in progress.
Something the people around me in the Rookery noticed. I know it can come across as a bit of a jokey comment, but sometimes you do wonder if there actually is a legitimate footwear problem with some players
