His backstory is very impressive too. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/football/2020/feb/07/watford-adam-masina-interview
Things always have to be so binary on here, if we win then everything has to be amazing, likewise if we lose everything is a disaster. Masina does some pretty brain dead things, things he just doesn’t have to do irrespective of ability, which is always going to be frustrating for quite a few fans, hence the venting on the shout box, which incidentally should always be dialled down by a factor of 10 when gauging real opinions. It’s a medium for wisecracks and hyperbolic statements based on the absolute here and now of what’s happened in that precise second, with no regards to any wider context. Masina will continue to do those brain dead things game in game out, but he won’t score a free kick game in game out. I’m absolutely delighted that he did score one yesterday, but we don’t have to abandon all common sense in the process.
Serrialta has a new nickname apparently https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/what-sparked-mass-melee-end-20138890
Ha The emotions on the Shoutbox are something to behold and reflect the passion of the moment. Some great banter, insight and some bizarre statements: When a mistake is made.. ‘X can just f..k off’ , ‘I never want to see Y in a Watford shirt again’, ‘X can just f...ing die’ Great entertainment, especially when there is some agreement and egging each other on to the point they want a fellow human being doing their best for the team to die! The Xisco Kid negativity has been great. And when the player scores or threads a match winning assist.. ‘Never doubted him’, ‘X is a legend’, ‘Always knew X would come good’ type comments. Just love the pashun. And all this insightful entertainment on the Shoutbox is free. And for the record, I just think X is a w.nker.. and I hope he fu.ks off at the end of the season.
His yellow card didn't really matter though. Sure he should have cleared it sooner, but he still snuffed out the immediate danger.
Low blow there by Mick. His man was disgraceful in the Match and it's not as though these things are ever settled by bare knuckles. El Gaucho knew it would rile 'Flinty' and so it did. The best bit of wfc pisstaking since 'Does it Hurt?'
Just an immediate example of something he was perhaps a touch lucky with. Close to losing the ball 40 yards from goal, not card itself. I'd be keeping him in until he actually makes an error because the act of keeping him #1 might elevate his confidence and performance further. Hes been good and does not deserve to be dropped.
Cassetti left a mark on an opponent and then leant over as he was writhing on the floor and asked 'Does it hurt?' As with all things, I only remember parts.
The wind and rain yesterday was gusting and gailforce at times. Bachmann got his yellow yesterday for bailing out Troost, he came to clear at the edge of the box. Whether it didn't go quite to plan the fact is irrelevant, he was positive and took control of the situation.
We battered Blackburn that day and if I remember rightly, was it Leon best, who then for the final few minutes tried to put one in on Cassetti for any reason but he just utterly outclassed him at 48.
Thanks for posting the link "Ghost of Barry Endean", Masina had a tough start in life and he comes across as a very mature individual, interesting that he started out as a striker.
I hope you're doing well now! Great win for us, yeah it wasn't the best performance ever, yes there were some shaky performances, but in fairness, it was always gonna be a massive challenge for the likes of WTE and Bachmann and we got through it just about, you'd hope the next few games will be much calmer!
And I'd argue Pearson put the groundwork in place with him. That game v Bournemouth last Season was a turning point on a personal level for Chalobah.
I don't agree. His natural instinct is to go back and stay on his line. That would be very hard to change. The club can try, but they must be aware of this weakness in his game. Many fans on here are acutely aware and are making their feelings known.
I don’t think they take much notice of what fans think a goalkeeper does or doesn’t do tbh but it is true he doesn’t seem that confident about coming off his line. Watched Quest - they spent more time talking about the little spat at the end than the game although did say Chalobah’s goal was excellent.
In one of my typically long rambling posts the morning after Coventry, I felt as fed up as so many others have been on here for large parts of the season. A seemingly bad transfer window, three winless matches in a row and fears that Xisco’s bounce was well and truly over and those so against his appointment seemed more clued up than people like me who thought he was a genuine breath of fresh air and a gamble that could work. I wrote that, stuck here in lockdown with covid cases high and normal life looking a long way off, we all needed our football club to lift our spirits and quite frankly they seemed to doing the opposite. That it was time they all stood up and were counted. Because playing football for fairly decent sums of money was a privilege not to be underestimated in these times of furlough, redundancies and uncertainty. Well wow how they have ever since! The transformation has been incredible. 21 points from 24. Goals coming from all over the team (which I think in a way gives us an advantage over Brentford who rely so heavily on one player for theirs). Us no longer dreading playing away from home. And yesterday the ending of two annoying statistics, the never winning from behind on the road or scoring from direct free-kicks. The lift it’s given everybody has been immense and not to be under-estimated. In these most miserable of times, suddenly we have our beloved football club back in contention to give us a wonderful ending to this, the strangest of seasons. Of course we are all Watford fans, and so it’s second nature to be cautious. Praise has to be tempered with the occasional negative too, or doubt. What I call the ‘we won but..’ syndrome. Even yesterday evening you read the odd comment about their keeper gifting us our winner. Oh come on! We won! Away! From behind! With a free kick! That’s all the league table shows this morning! Just deal in facts. Not interpretation or opinions or prejudices. Facts! 7 wins out of 8 since that mini slump. Second in the table. The form side. So many players firing. People returning from injury. Whether some are too proud or stubborn to admit it or not, Xisco has 11 wins from his 16 matches in charge. That is stunning form for such an inexperienced coach. He’s breathed new life and energy into a faltering, negative side. We may go up, we may not but just a few weeks ago there were doubts we’d even make the play-offs. Now we are in a position where making the play-offs will be seen as disappointing. We have an exciting few weeks ahead. We have our club back to support and believe in again. I can’t wait!
I would never want him managing Watford, or indeed any other team I theoretically follow, but I think we have to give Mick some credit for his attitude, really. He's pretty magnanimous in his reaction to losing and his lads getting the frighteners put up them, in reality. Imagine some of the other irascible old lads and their responses in the same situation. My only problem really is with the idea that El Gaucho would have anything to fear from some oversized agricultural worker who accidentally stumbled onto the pitch, tripping into a Cardiff shirt on the way in.
Small amount of credit to the club's media for softening the Godawful PR tat they were churning out until recently. The Andre Gray disaster coupled with Troy's 'play ugly' being two shockers. It all seems to be more in tune now with where the squads mindset is at. Love it!!!
The celebration was much like when his Ipswich’s side scored in the 90th minute at the Vic in our promotion season. Anyone would have done the same.
Mick McCarthy is a likeable character. Tells it as it is. I think his tongue is firmly in his cheek. You can see the wry grin as he is speaking. He has been there and has done it in the old centreback club. And seen a lot worse back in the day than hair pulling. You compare that to what the boss of Muff might have said.
I thought Masina was poor yesterday. Obviously the winning goal makes a big difference to his overall impact on the match but before that I thought he had a bad game. Don’t think that’s a controversial view to be honest. He does seem like a good bloke and he’s our only left back so there are no alternatives in any case.
Please, El Gaucho is a cowboy of the Chilean Magellanes prairies. He's an agricultural worker too. Just the cool kind.
Good post. I agree whatever happens from here we have given it a decent shot and I finally look forward to match days again. Xisco takes a huge amount of credit for it. As you say an exciting 2 months ahead whatever happens.
I disagree with your poor assessment of Masina, I think if he was making mistakes leading to goals being conceded then we could complain, the way we play he is adequate for us at the moment, maybe not so in the Premiership, but we aren't there yet!
