Blackburn Rovers 2-3 Watford Fc - 24/02/2021

Discussion in 'Match Day' started by Smudger, Feb 21, 2021.

?

What will the scoreline be ?

Poll closed Feb 24, 2021.
  1. Watford by 3 goals or more

    4 vote(s)
    5.3%
  2. Watford by 2 goals or more

    14 vote(s)
    18.4%
  3. Watford by 1 goal

    31 vote(s)
    40.8%
  4. Score Draw

    17 vote(s)
    22.4%
  5. No Score Draw

    5 vote(s)
    6.6%
  6. Blackburn Rovers by 1 goal

    3 vote(s)
    3.9%
  7. Blackburn Rovers by 2 goals

    1 vote(s)
    1.3%
  8. Blackburn Rovers by 3 goals or more

    1 vote(s)
    1.3%
  1. Rookery Refugee

    Rookery Refugee Reservist

    He may very well be too lightweight to play inside. On the wing, I think not.
    Edit: I just checked the internet. Not sure if accurate, but it basically shows him at 154lbs, so only a few lbs lighter than Hughes, with 4 inches less height. Should be able to stand up against many. Not sure about his upper body strength of course. Might need more chest/arms to ward off defenders.
     
  2. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    This whole 'lightweight' thing is such a weird accusation that gets thrown around basically any time a foreign player comes to this country who isn't notably a brick sh*thouse - he's very clearly not particularly physically lightweight in a fundamental sense, and as Rookery Refugee has just alluded to, as a winger, it's quite hard to even possibly be 'too lightweight' - if Mahrez, for one, managed to survive the Championship as a relatively young man, it's pretty hard to find an adult who wouldn't.

    There are plenty of legitimate explanations for why he might at times have appeared to struggle, including the fact that he has been pitched in for small cameos at the end of matches, or that he has genuinely spent several of those being deployed in a role he has never played before, doesn't claim to be able to, and doesn't really reflect his skillset at all. Not to mention that he didn't play for the very best part of a month between the end of the Norwegian league season and his debut here. Or that he's playing in a new country with a famously frantic approach to the game that he's never played before, and he's only being given dribs and drabs to adjust to it.

    Personally, I just don't get it, and then suddenly after they actually get some minutes, that 'lightweightedness' magically disappears. Odd.
     
  3. Will Hughes was a guest at the WFC quiz night a couple of years ago. I thought, seeing him up close, that there was nothing to him. On the field though he is the opposite of lightweight.
     
  4. SkylaRose

    SkylaRose Administrator Staff Member

    Rovers' fans don't seem at all looking forward to taking us on. They mention we don't score many away but don't concede many to boot. They peg all their offensive hopes on Armstrong who appears to be their best player in an attacking sense. They also feel Mowbray is on his last chance saloon game. Most are expecting an record equaling fifth successive defeat.
     
  5. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    He's scored 19 goals this season, so yeah, it's probably fair to draw that conclusion ;)
     
  6. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    ....So a narrow defeat would be very Watfordy.
     
    SkylaRose likes this.
  7. Supertommymooney

    Supertommymooney Squad Player

    He's no Deeney though.
     
  8. miked2006

    miked2006 Premiership Prediction League Proprietor

    I’m sure the reason it gets thrown around lightly is because of the number of managers who state that their new signings have been put on heavy weights programs.

    There have also been numerous recent articles on the Athletic, which shows the amount of thought that is put into allowing players to adjust quickly to the English leagues, including incredibly precise nutritional/ protein intake.

    But I’m not specifically referring to ‘bulking up’, per se. In youth football, a key thing you look for in terms of readiness for first team action is their ability to shield the ball using body positioning and core/ upper body strength. You don’t have to be built anything like Adama Traore, but even wingers need to be able to resist being easily nudged out of the way.

    See Mason Greenwood post Covid break last year for a great example.

    Zinkernagel will develop both strength and confidence through time. I’m sure we’ll see a stronger version of him next season, or maybe even later in this season.

    But for now, whenever he plays, the defender seems to too easily ease him aside and nick the ball, which gives me little confidence that he’s ready to start games against northern ****houses.

    But I hope I’m wrong.
     
  9. They are Meltin' over Mowbray....
    I'll get me coat.
     
    reg_varney, Watford Gav and SkylaRose like this.
  10. Forzainglese

    Forzainglese Reservist

    Liked for fitting 'mildly' and 'kamikaze' together.
     
  11. Happy bunny

    Happy bunny Cheered up a bit

    Our friend from Glimt said Zinc had played on both wings and as a no. 10, so I wouldn't have thought that position on the field was an issue. The pace and frenzy of the Champ, yes.
     
  12. ITK platypus

    ITK platypus Squad Player

    Much like Preston, Blackburn is another team where I can't ever remember winning away there.

    I did my research and it is indeed over 20 years since we did, but that was a 4-3 win which inexplicably I have no recollection of. I was a wee child in 2000, but a child with an excellent memory and very few interests besides supporting Watford so I'm surprised I don't remember this game at all. Does anyone have any knowledge of that match? I fear some kind of parallel universe, Mandela Effect shenanigans here. I'm from a universe where we absolutely did NOT beat Blackburn 4-3 at Ewood Park in 2000, but probably lost 2-0 or something.

    I researched the match on BSAD (at least the version of BSAD which exists in this universe) and apparently Blackburn took a 2-0 lead early, before we roared back to lead 3-2 at HT with two goals from Hyde and one from Helguson. Mooney put as 4-2 up in the second half before our hosts pulled back a late consolation to rattle our nerves.

    Hyde, Helguson and Mooney, pretty much my three favourite Watford players as a child. And yet no memory of this at all.

    I'm scared to see what other history has changed from the universe I knew and love. If our 2003 FA Cup win was deleted I don't think I could handle it.

    Prediction

    Blackburn 2-2 Watford
    Zinckernagel (og 78, og 89); Gray (90+2, 90+7)
     
  13. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    The 4-3 at Ewood Park in 2000 was during the petrol crisis so very few away fans went.
     
    ITK platypus likes this.
  14. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    I have been to Ewood Park only once, that was the league cup in 1992 where we lost 6-1. Alan Shearer in his prime versus Perry Suckling was no match.
     
    reg_varney and Sort of OK like this.
  15. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

    Yes he did. Tbf the Eliteserien can be pretty frantic.
    I see promise in him I would have no problem resting up Sema who looked leggy against Derby. @Chumlax made good points about Zinckernagel that should be taken into account. In these cameos he has made mistakes but also gets in some decent positions and I can see why he's scored and created a bundle. I have no doubt he will make his mark before the season is out.
     
    EB Hornet and Chumlax like this.
  16. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    The 4-3 win was an amazing win away at fellow promotion challengers managed at the time by Souness. Rarely has a win felt so good though our promotion challenge under GOD ultimately fizzled out....
     
  17. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    My main concern about Zinc, is that he hasn't helped out the left back by tracking back enough. Derby's goal came from Zinc allowing Masina to get exposed. Some people have complained he loses the ball too often up front, it would be less of an issue if he then got back and helped out.
     
  18. WeveGotSteviePalmerNo1

    WeveGotSteviePalmerNo1 Academy Graduate

    somehow I managed to get out of school and went to this on the club coaches. Mike Newell, Shearer and Jason Wilcox ripped us apart in what would have been like Mike Tyson v John Major. I think Furlong got our goal and thus it wasn't totally wasted. I loved him, would be a perfect fit for this team.
     
  19. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    Derby's goal came from a throw right in the corner though and Zinc was on the spot, marking the receiver of the throw:

    [From 1:29]



    Arguably Gosling not helping Zinc out was far more to blame than anything Zinc did/didn't do.
     
    PowerJugs, EB Hornet and Chumlax like this.
  20. ForzaWatford

    ForzaWatford Squad Player

    Reckon they'll go all out for a 0-0 so this could be another boring away game...
     
  21. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

    Yes I understand what you're saying but if he had say started would he have been up to speed instead of playing catch up as Sub. Not trying to make excuses for him though because I know he has made some silly decisions and mistakes.
    As for the Derby goal it was a calamity. Was hoping that the keeper would of came and taken the cross
     
    Dorset-Orn likes this.
  22. GoingDown

    GoingDown "The Stability"

    Zinckernagel appears to have taken the Deeney and Gray position of hate at the moment. People even made up that he was offside when he scored a goal as it ruined their argument that he's useless.

    Sort of thing exclusive to Andre Gray but as he's not around to moan about recently, there's got to be someone. I assume Isaac Success will be next when he returns.
     
    Cassetti's Beard, PowerJugs and RS2 like this.
  23. RS2

    RS2 Squad Player

    For all the good things he does going forward Sema is also guilty of not tracking back. Sema has played over 2000 minutes this season, a lot of them at wing back, and has only stopped 4 crosses. Zinckernagel has stopped 2 so far. Zinckernagel has also made half the number of tackles Sierralta has made this season which is pretty decent if you ask me. Obviously I'm cherry-picking stats here but I don't think it's a case of Zinckernagel not pulling his weight, purely just the different pace of football catching him out occasionally.

    Going forward I don't see any issue at all, I think he's one of the few players we have who look in total control when they have the ball and always looks to get the team moving forward.
     
  24. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    But No.10, and the way he played it for Glimt in particular (which our Glimt friend also said was his least effective position of the three, if I recall correctly) is not the position he was being asked to play by Munoz when he was/is being deployed in midfield.
     
    Dorset-Orn likes this.
  25. Dorset-Orn

    Dorset-Orn First Year Pro

    Most of these issues culminate from the club not bringing in players for specific positions/needs (as we all know).
    I love Sema, he's my new Mooney, charges about - good with the ball and always on the front foot. He's no WB as we've seen but in that current LW position he looks good. We should have enough players deep that can cover Massina but I notice we play very narrow across the back esp on the left, so Massina is often to be found 30 feet from the sideline and then pushing over when a winger comes down wide. Him and Cleverley do OK but we do look susseptable e.g. The Derby goal.. Not really Sema's fault.?
    With Zinc I don't think he fits our formation esp in a clogging division. He doesn't look like a proper winger, and he doesn't look like cover for Hughes (yet?). He's more like a proper 10 and we don't play one. I would give him a go on the left of front 3 for half a game to see if he has some magic a la Deulefeu..?
     
  26. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    He definitely is a proper winger, with a very strong line in carrying the ball, which is one thing that we do severely lack as a squad, he just hasn't particularly been given the opportunity to show it, and certainly not in his favoured position:

    upload_2021-2-23_12-45-43.png
     
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  27. Sort of OK

    Sort of OK Reservist

    Same as. Think I am still trying to shift the meat and potato pie I had at the game, was very nice but the heaviest and densest individual portion pie I have ever encountered.
     
  28. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    No basis at all for criticising Zink if you ask me. For one he was free, and he’s getting no more than 20 minutes per game. A player who starts a game will have a completely different mindset to one who gets a small window to try and impress.
     
    zztop, Jumbolina, PowerJugs and 5 others like this.
  29. NathWFC

    NathWFC First Team

    Sema was absolute s**t against Derby and not great against Preston. Give Zinckernagel a start and let's so what he can do when he's playing in one of his more natural positions and not being brought on out of position for 15 minutes as we struggle to see out a game.
     
  30. Steve Leo Beleck

    Steve Leo Beleck Squad Player

    Given he'd been substituted before they scored, I think this is very fair of you.
     
  31. Forzainglese

    Forzainglese Reservist

    Ewood Park is the one ground in the top two divisions that I have never attended. Plenty of apparent opportunities, but something or other always has cropped up. And this season? Whaddaya know, Covid has cropped up.
     
  32. GoingDown

    GoingDown "The Stability"

    Sinkanargal needs gaymes
     
  33. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

    This is a game to bring back Gray.
     
  34. Markoa$

    Markoa$ Squad Player

    upload_2021-2-23_9-6-59.gif
     
  35. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Agreed. If a keeper can't come and try to collect a ball that lands about a yard from his goal line, you'll have issues. When the Derby corners came in, Bachman was acting more like a spare defender not sure who he was supposed to be marking, than a keeper dominating his box.
     
    The Voice of Reason and Carpster like this.

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