Hard for anyone else to break into the top 6. Their brain resources are much higher than the rest of us. One of us dimmer lightbulbs might have a good week but over the course of the season the top 6 are the top 6
Just watched the sky highlights, even game and draw would have been fair I think. Team looked like they played well again and we have a top 6 team away from home a proper go, no parking the bus from us. Might get punished for that against Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea but other than that looks like we’ll give all teams a run for their money. Just wish there was space for chalobah and obviously we have deleufeuo to come back as well
I wouldn't expect Chalobah to make a massive impact too soon. Seeing him play for the under-23s recently, he looked well off the pace in the first half and very very quiet in terms of vocal support for the youngsters around him. Several times he flexed his knee and once he stretched a hamstring so I'll presume he was easing himself into the game against a very energetic Ipswich side. Second half he was better for the time he was on but it was by no means an all action display. He had moments where he came to life before quickly disappearing again. With an international break coming up he could do with a game to test himself, providing he's not picked up a secondary injury in training in the mean time, but I don't think the under-23s have a match. Maybe a behind-closed-doors friendly will be arranged for the fringe players.
Often I agree with you, but I don't think this one is fair. I thought the coverage was even-handed and the comments, too. It was anybody's game right up to when Arsenal scored, but they won it fair and square at the end and that was the story. Although there were goal-mouth incidents, there were not many (credit both defences up to a point), and so the time allotted on the programme wasn't huge.
Nobody's going to do a heat-map on me! (Come to think of it I might enjoy it - you don't know 'til you've tried it).
He was fantastic against Spurs in the week though. Definitely needs to be built up in terms of fitness as he was shattered after 70 mins. 2 games in a week would be beyond him I think but I he's definitely there or thereabouts in terms of being ready to start and wasn't off the pace.
Very few people on here mention the opening twenty minutes, by when we could have been two down. 1 Kabasele tripped (Lacazette?) - definite penalty in my view, but he stayed on his feet and for some reason referees and supporters think that means it's not a penalty. 2 Cathcart made the cardinal sin of getting caught with the ball when he was in the last line of defence (luckily a really poor finish let us off the hook). He's cut down on them, but Kabasele still does make mistakes, often errors of judgement around when and how to tackle. Pity, because most of his play is very good.
Even though it would have been against us on this occasion I do wish referees would give penalties when a player is fouled but doesn’t fall over. It would act as a reassurance to players that they don’t have to ‘go down’ when they are ‘touched’, as the modern parlance has it. I wonder what VAR would have made of the Lacazette incident.
I think it’s rather harsh to say “Success obviously wasted a golden chance“. At the game yesterday we all thought it was in right up until it shaved the wrong side of the post. The most glaring miss in my view was the clear chance Hughes put wide on his best foot. However the great thing about both the Man U and Arsenal games is that, although they ended in defeats, they no longer felt like ‘big team vs little team’. We are really competing with these clubs in games that could go either way.
Agree. This weekend Rose and Calvert Lewin both felt the need to do ridiculous arms up swan dives over the weekend as if to say to ref "look he put his hand on my side". Both were far softer than the challenge on Lacazette which was a penalty all day. Really poor refereeing in our favour.
Thought we played well but once again our finishing let us down, only criticisms would be that substitutions could be made a little earlier. Arsenal fans were terrible but nothing new really.
He did well from the position he was in and it was a decent attempt from that angle. Having said that, he was only in that position as his first touch was terrible, meaning that he was much wider and closer to the keeper than he needed to be.
It suggests SA has Malts as #6. Could a socially acceptable radio DJ from the 1970s do a reverse countdown to This Week's Number One?
First half they were on top, second half we were on top. A draw would’ve been a fair result, but they finished their chances and got a fortunate win. I personally don’t think Capoue had a good game, Grey and Deeney caused them issues and Success did well when he came on. Navarro looked good for his first game in the league, everyone else gave us what we expect. A disappointing result but a very encouraging performance.
I was reasonably sanguine until I arrived at the club to receive nauseating faux sympathy from the idiotic Spurs fan. I have decided to eat my own body weight in Kettle chips,Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorn flavour.
Of course I have a league table. Derrr! I’ve got nothing better to do. (As you can see by responding to all your valid comments) I exhaustively analyse and rate posts based on vitally important criteria - all for the success of my forum posters league table: Originality Factual correctness Statistical analysis Humour Length Hyperbole Structure - introduction, body, conclusion Use of pictures and emojis Holding my attention. Moaning miserably Number of posts (without repetition, deviation or hesitation). Use of the English language and words with more than 5 letters; and grammar, punctuation and swearing Unfair criticism of my favourite players Picking fights Bias Emotion Of course this is for my own amusement and I obviously don’t want to upset anyone by publishing my posters league table. But as you’ve all commented, what I can say is: RD makes a very astute observation but with a false presumption. HH24 is fighting hard in this league. One of Moog’s aliases once came very close to being ‘the best of the rest’. And if I may say - Jumbolina you’re better than your critics give you credit for - and you make the sound observation that the top 6 are indeed the top 6. )) There is hope cos a few years ago there was a top 4. Now it’s a top 6. Amazing where throwing resources can get you. And this forum is like the supporters Ryder Cup - all competing individuals that sometimes come together in a glorious team spirit. But who are the top 6 and who is number one ? All I can say is form is temporary, but class is permanent.
Was at a family wedding yesterday so missed the game, it sound like the performance was good but we didn't take our chances which I worry is going to be a familiar story this season we really need to be more clinical, at Fulham we should have been out of sight and despite being pleased with both Gray's ands Deeney's performances this season I left the cottage wondering how far we could have gone this season if we had brought in a top finisher.
This ^ Start with Success and Gray on as sub. Chalobah on last 30. Subs on earlier if the game needs changing and/or players out on their feet.
With an algorithm that sophisticated, you should be able to take on Google. Bring on the Silicon Allotments! (I believe all other Silicon related geographical features have already been bagged.)
Well I was gutted, for 70mins it was anybodies game, but you could see why we lost by 2 , our team looked knackered at the end , I kind of expected a third if I’m honest. However if we had put one of our chances away would have been a different story , I thought success looked good when he came on, I have nothing against Gray but would like to see him start. Thought most of the players put a good shift in , it was just one of those days when nothing was dropping for us but I think this is the 1st time this season we haven’t scored
Crikey Malts, no need to fall on your sword, everybody has their opinions and if we all posted less when they didn't work out it would be very dull. However, if I may be so bold, where you have let yourself down recently is the lack of interesting trademark stats. I need to know the OG was the first by a Watford centre half that led to a 2 - 0 defeat since 1958 away at Preston and that is only the second time that we have brought on a Nigerian substitute and lost at an away game in a London fixture. These are important things that make leave us in awe of your knowledge. Facts always win over opinions.
Don't worry malts, we're just a defeat at home to Bournemouth away from you being able to say "I told you so"
Seen on Twitter: "Watford were an enormous 2.38 on the expected goals yesterday - their highest tally of the season, despite losing the game 2-0. Arsenal recorded only 1.59 on xG. I think this was Watford's best performance of the season thus far. AFC very clinical. WFC look a proper team though." I'd probably stop short of calling it our "best performance", but to be that much ahead on expected goals against Arsenal at the Emirates is impressive. It confirms what most have been saying: if we can harness those performance levels and improve in front of goal, we'll be well on our way.
