A poor game from him in general when he came on, quite a few loose passes as well from him, did just enough for that late corner though
Another big win! Lads, we actually scored 3 away from home! This team is worlds apart from the stale, cautious style we saw earlier in the season. Solid performances by most. Hughes great again I thought. Moved the ball well and made vital tackles/blocks/interceptions also. Only real negative for me was WTE. He was very dodgy at times, poor passing, should have conceded a penalty too. Would like Cathcart to start at Bournemouth ahead of him. A couple of soft sloppy goals given away as well but we hung in there in the end, and that's all that matter at this time of the season. 4 wins on the bounce. Another away win. Consistency in team selection and shape is translating into good results. Big big game on Saturday. Let's f*cking go!
We don't make things easy by giving the ball away on the edge of our area. The Pig did well in the end.
Another huge 3 points, got to just keep ticking along now. We need another centre midfielder so badly though.
A big thanks to Everton who rejected our loan bid for Branthwaite in the summer, so that he could instead join Blackburn and play us onside for our first two goals.
Good to play a team that doesn’t stick everyone behind the ball. Enjoying watching us at the minute. Need to sort out some sloppy defending, if we want the run to continue. Keeping Sarr, Pedro and Hughes fit is critical
Phew! Made it hard for ourselves at the end with sloppy marking from the corner but deserved the win for our attacking efforts. 4 on the bounce now.
Big win, good spirit and probably should have been more comfortable. We look a bit ragged at times - Ekong in particular looking a liability. Sarr’s not going to keep coming out of the shoeing he’s getting every game and needs more protection. And our left side is pretty broken. Ken did well to score a neat goal, but that came out of the middle. Football’s definitely getting more and more of a Groundhog Day vibe to it though. It feels like every Championship away game in is a stadium full of empty blue seats and cardboard cut outs and played on a lousy pitch.
Important 3 points there. Quite a bit to look at and improve defensively but for now just put everyone up in cotton wool and get ready to go again Saturday.
Credit to the boys tonight! That was an awful pitch with terrible conditions to boot and we managed to grab 3 goals. Hughes brilliant yet again, life and soul of this team. Kiko player of the season. Sarr always a problem for the opposition defenders, he contributed to the goals but two bad decisions on the counter where a correct one could've made the game a bit easier for us. Pedro brilliantly taken goal, first choice striker without a doubt. Sierrelta great again too, surprised many of us, I actually think he could be a regular Premier League starter for us which is great news if we make it by there. I thought Troost Ekong & Masina were poor, very shaky. Four wins in a row with goals and attacking football, hard not to be happy right now. Can we bottle this stretch up forever please? I forgot what it was like to enjoy Watford play and be excited for matchday.
Supposed second-best CB at the club Wilmot getting bullied for their goal within minutes of coming on, then losing Branthwaite at the back post for their chance to equalise in injury time.
Also, did Gray do anything at all when he came on? I know he's a meme on here but what the hell has happened to him?
The front three all scored. Three goals. And consecutive away wins. Ground out in the end. We needlessly put ourselves under pressure from being 2-0 and 3-1 up. The team was led by Cleverley superbly. Hughes, Kiko, Sarr and Gosling were great. Pedro was outstanding in leading the line. Sumptuous as ever to watch and a real joy again. That pass out to Sarr, his control that led to the Sarr second and the first what an exquisite finish. Calculated in an instant the angle of the strike and the perfect weight. Even Gray pulled his weight late on in wasting the time. However Masina and Sema aside from the goal need to up their game. Ekong was very poor. Gifted the ball away, passing poor and nearly conceded a penalty on Armstrong. Nonetheless job done, rest and rest and focus on Muff who must be reeling but are dangerous. Onwards and upwards. COYH.
Wow four wins out of four. 12 goals. Finally look like we’ve buried the away hoodoo too. Yes the last two matches have resulted in nervy finishes, but our opponents do get a say in the match too. They will fight hard to try to prevent us coasting to victory. The bottom line is we’ve held on to win each of our last three matches by a single goal. This season in the Championship is now starting to resemble the way of things the last time we went up, namely four strong sides breaking away. Keep up with the rest up until Easter and then one final big push to the finishing line when we play all of them in our last four matches. Whether by luck or judgement, or most likely a bit of both, we’ve finally hit the form we all hoped we’d be capable of. Well done Xisco, and the players. You’ve put the smiles back on our faces, after that mini run of winless games threatened to send us all into depression and despair.
I cant stand our match endings.!! We played well again and took them apart at times, but then when they really had a go we looked defensively static. We let in 2 sloppy goals, and once all the 70 minute subs are made we completely lose shape.!! I thought Sieralta had his worst game tonight, nothing like his usual self, looked low on energy.... Good win tho...
Why does it always have to be like this with Watford? That should have been a comfortable victory. We were clearly the better side, and the performance was commanding, but we missed a stack load of chances, then gave two soft goals away. I thought Munoz's substitutions were poor and caused all of our problems. Should have been 5-1 ahead, instead of hanging on to a 3-2. It's important to keep winning, but that wasn't a good day at the office in all honesty.
Just felt so sorry for big Ken, just now. So nervous for the Hive after match interview. Don't make him do it again!
You can't seriously be asking this? Besides, by his metric this was one of his better performances - he didn't make any terrible mistakes, and actually kept it in the corner for a bit once.
Massive result. Until 80 minutes, that was our best away performance of the season. With the pitch and conditions, the fixture congestion etc. to be 3-1 up at that point against a Blackburn side who were absolutely no mugs, was very good. We lost a huge amount with the substitutions though. We have so little quality behind the starting 11. Everytime we make changes we look fragile and our changes coincided with a huge uptick in Blackburn intensity. They threw everything at us and it was little surprise they scored and made us sweat. Overall, we saw it out, although we had a couple of sticky moments, including that palmed save by Bachman at his near post. Gray won a corner to waste 13 seconds, which ranks as the best thing he's done for 3 years. He is utter crap. Doesn't even have the decency to run himself into the ground during a backs to the wall ten minute hold out. Shouldn't even be on the bench for us. Zink and Wilmot were also crap. Cleverley charged around like a mad man all game, but was so off on his timing. He was late to all his pressing and put himself out of position. But still, a 4th win in a row and a real step forward. We were not in the auto race 3 weeks ago, now we're well in the hunt. A good outcome, all things considered tonight.
Don't tell manat, but I thought Gray was pretty good* when he came, in terms of the job asked of him. Put a real shift in, and actually held the ball up well. Negatives were Ekong's distribution which bordered on the ridiculous towards the end, and we looked shaky from set pieces. Bachmann needs to be more positive. But, we showed more good patterns of play, made some chances, and deserved the win, overall. Thought Cleverley and Hughes were excellent, despite a couple of sloppy moments in possession.
Good win and big 3 points. We miss having another centre mid to bring on badly though. If we pick up an injury I fear for our chances long term. Still 4 on the bounce and huge game at the weekend!
Pretty good win on balance, 3 from open play on the road and created enough to score more Good for all of the 3 forwards to score and thought Cleverley and Hughes were brilliant again in the middle. Fair play Andre as well, did a decent job for once when he came on Negatives - Troost-Ekong was terrible and Zinckernagel was crap off the bench again
He’s not good in the air, which is a pretty big weakness for a CB, but I thought he was playing well this season before getting dropped recently. I think next to Sierralta he’d do well. Certainly well enough in the champ.
He's turd. Not strong enough, or tough enough or enough quality to play CM. There was a moment when he first came on, where he expertly controlled a high ball on the half turn and laid it off. Sublime. But then he proceeded to no nothing but hold it up in the corner flag
I do agree that this was Gray's most competent game this season. It's not exactly showered praise, and not at all impressive for a man in his position, but at least he did what was required and didn't **** up at all.
Never mind rotating the players,what about rotating us,I'm exhausted! Great win on a bog of a pitch and a lively attack,Elliot is a very fine young talent. Gray I thought held the ball up well but there was that moment when Sarr had the ball and Gray was with him,Sarr looked and decided not to pass and had a shot. Telling. WTE is getting worse with his distribution. Dan Duck ran out of steam and Pumpernickel started better but seemed to lose his way. Happy with that but I need some serious rehab to be ready for Saturday! COYH!
Except he screwed up twice in situations where he was effectively doing the work of a centre back (defending, or at least attempting to, an aerial threat from a set-piece). I'll perhaps "give it a rest" once some posters take their head out his backside.
Oh maybe I wasn't paying attention, I just didn't see much from him at all. Even towards the end, I saw him walking back or letting Blackburn players nearest to him win headers and I don't even hate him that much.
Hyperbole doesn't even begin to describe it. What were you saying about Cathcart's idiotic decision that put us in major danger at the end of the last match?
It is a bit hard for players when they come on for cameos. Wilmot and Zinckernagel are not match sharp and probably have lost some fitness. It is tough for Xisco given that the games are coming thick and fast. Some players including Gosling who did very well need still time to get match fit might have been struggling a little so Wilmot has to come in rather than his natural slot. It's rather harsh jumping on players who obviously need more game time. Wilmot was removed from the side for no reason and gien how poor Ekong has been it is amazing he is still in the team. Poor passing, lost his man several times and nearly conceded a penalty. And has been given playing time regularly.
