If we can't take a decent haul of points off Villa, Everton and Brighton how are we going to take a decent haul from Utd, Liverpool, Lesta, Palace and Burnley. It's fantasy. Liverpool are going to embarrass us. This was a key moment in our season and we blew it.
They have Will Hoskins, Lloyd Doyley and Jordan Parkes. Mariappa could play at that level. I hope he does not put on a Watford shirt again. Anyway, it's another day and football is not everything.
I'm sure you're correct but I do believe the anxiety is fuelling the tiredness. Whether these players have realised too late that they are in a mess or whether they don't believe in themselves as a team it all amounts to the same thing,poor decision making and consecutive failings. Sarr's absence too,as we all recognise. He gave us a signpost ball. How many times yesterday did we lose the ball and then sit further and further back? I feel for AD and EC they have no options without Sarr. GD is habitually selfish,brilliant once every two games or so but only fleetingly. RP is slow and can disappear and TD rarely gets into the right positions in the box,however well he may do outside of it.
On yesterdays showing I'd put Deeney in defence as he is often our best defender against the oppositions set pieces, and with that stunning finish yesterday, Marriappa is obviously the striker we are looking for
What on earth are you on about? Who says I’ve “thrown in the towel”? Do I think we will go down? Yes. Do I think we have a chance of staying up? Yes. Am I always positive at each home game? Yes. Am I annoyed at the decision to rehire QSF and the woeful recruitment? Yes. These things are not mutually exclusive. The evidence suggest we will go down. A weak mindset, poor aging defenders and forwards lacking in any confidence. Looking at a league after so many games table indicates we have deficiencies. And indeed the shambolic end to last season. But it seems we are all “gutless” because you give it a virtual fist pump on here. I hate to break this to you but in 12 games time the points total really is the only thing that matters.
Well done to Maps yesterday. He waited patiently for his chance and when it came he absolutely buried it. Also a big thank you to Pereyra for getting that ridiculous hair-do, I wouldn’t have known he was on the pitch if it wasn’t for that.
This is fantastic news! Do you have your dossier ready to submit to the Premier League re-election committee for when Burnsy has merely looked at the points and the table after 38 games?
Nothing to do with me being correct or not in this instance - I was just pointing out that Pearson had claimed it after the Tranmere match. It doesn't surprise me to hear that from Pearson though given that it seemed as if our approach to pre-season (and the player's demeanour during it) was a bit complacent. Anxiety probably wouldn't help, but it's still worth remembering that this lack of fitness and regular occurrence of hideous defensive errors/lapses in concentration has generally been happening since after the Cup SF at the end of last season, when the team was already safe in the league and so anxiety should not have been the issue.
Some reflections: Hoofing the ball up to Deeney as a lone striker when all their defenders are 6ins taller than him was never going to work. Other than Doucoure's goal we had nothing in our armoury. We did very well to quell their attacking threat overall, frustrating to watch but even worse for the home fans. I wish people would lay off Mariappa, it's not his fault he's not good enough and we haven't got any better / uninjured players. Blame the recruitment policy (or lack of one) not individual players, who like Mariappa, try their hardest. The vitriol on here suggests he meant to kick the ball in the net. It was a mistake, we all make them. Anyway, we still might stay up, we might go down, it makes for a more exciting / nail-biting end I suppose. Plenty of comments on this thread about the behaviour of some of our 'fans'. Disgusted about the homophobic chants - I have reported seat numbers of those next to me. The more all of us do the same, the more likely we can get these scum banned / prosecuted. They were too aggressive & drunk for me to feel confident enough to confront them. As for those refused entry because of drugs offences, serves them right. Overall I'm getting fed up of lairy, pissed-up lads following our team away. There seems to be more of them in the last couple of years. But as a previous poster said, it's embarrassing and I don't want our team to be associated with these selfish twunts. Report them at every opportunity, to the police, to the club, to the railway authorities, whoever.
It will be interesting to see if anything is done with your report. I hope you get a follow up communication. Well done for reporting. As for Mariappa, when he consistently starts he is the poster boy for Pozzo/Giraldi/Fitness Team incompetence. Personally my anger is firmly directed at the club rather than the player who I would still be happy with filling in here and there. Him starting significant numbers of games year in year out is a disaster though, especially in his weaker position.
I presume Kiko suffered a set back from his injury and Janmaat is out long term? Makes me think we won't see Sarr or Cleverley for a whille even though the latter is training. We never really get told much on the medical side unless Pearson says something.
There are a number of great pubs in Brighton! Is your friend under 23? And if 9 people had drugs on them or were under the influence of drugs, then that’s their own stupid fault. Hardly seems fair to blame that on Brighton!
Only been once, the day we got promoted funnily enough. Was an absolute belter of an away day. Loads of pubs down the high street, easy to get the train to the ground & back. Was impressed by their stadium aswell.
Very frustrating but had it not been for Marriapa's brain storm we'd all be praising the players for a hard-fought ugly win. I managed three of Brighton's excellent pies yesterday (2 before the game and one after). Can anyone beat this?
I do not agree about Mariappa. He may well be all we have left to play right back, but he is out of his depth at Premier level. They had Dan Burns against him at first. He is Peter Crouch without the skills. As soon as Brighton took him off we were in trouble on the left. At one point, Mariappa let the ball bounce over his head, schoolboy stuff. Mariappa missed a simple chance to head the ball clear in the build up to the goal. He is known to panic. He ran back and made cover, but with his head down. He had no idea where the Brighton players were, that is poor awareness. He was under no pressure, no Brighton player near him and no chance of that cross/shot going in.. No danger at all. One player is not a team, but he should not play again. It was an embarrassing error by a very, very poor player.
Unlike you, who has always seen the truth, the light and the dark? You are such a cheery, fair-minded chappie.
Still get the feeling that Sarr's return will transform the confidence of this side, which is utterly shocking given we shouldn’t be reliant on a 21 year old in his first season. Since he went off against Spurs, it’s felt like at least teams have had confidence to come at us consistently and apply pressure, with little to no consequence of being caught on the break a la Villa at home when Capoue set up Sarr. We’re blowing out of our arses on 50/55 mins at the moment which allows for an incredible amount of pressure to come on to us even from poor sides, what Sarr gave us was an outlet ball, teams wouldn’t be so committing of their full backs to add an extra man or 2 to their attack for 30 odd mins. Big ask, but think if he stays fit after coming back v united, we’ll be ok. That said, there’s a big old inquest that needs to happen upstairs at the club whether we stay up or go down.
As they say goals change games.. and views! I think it's the combination of having blow it 3 times in a row and the games coming up that darken moods even more.
Kiko should be back for Man Utd, Janmaat is back on the grass this week according to Pearson and Cleverley travelled with the squad yesterday which suggests he is in contention for a place soon. The only one that worries me is Sarr. Pearson said he could have been involved this weekend but he hasn't appeared in any training videos or photos like Cleverley.
I am not sure that 'grassing up' seat numbers is a good thing. Some of the chants were funny, some were not PC friendly. I don't want to live in a Securitat Society.
I respect the view point, although I feel the confidence and awareness factor as a lot to do with the mentality if the side at the moment. Foster was interviews after the game and looked very dejected. He knows how vital those extra two points would of been, and who knows what was said a FT in the dressing room. It was his error and it was poor - but had we not dropped off a cliff previous we could of accepted the result as a point gained. We should be sitting in almost mid table right now, but we aren't. If it really is down to Sarr not being fit - then questions need to be fired at the other players for almost downing tools. We have never been a one man team - we are capable of functioning without key players, so something has gone seriously wrong. It's Pearson's job to find out.
I am not just on about Gay chants . I heard a few. It doesn't bother me. I meant Society in general, not just Watford fans. I dont like bagels, suddenly l am anti semitic. Watching what you say in case someone is listening is a dangerous road to go down.
Our best hope for survival is if Caronavirus, now it's here in London, spreads around the capital like wildfire and the league schedule is canned
... time to give up with this forum if it's come to people defending homophobic abuse, and people wishing coronavirus on people ...
Watching what we say in case someone is listening isn't the point. Watching what we say because it's the right thing to do is more important today's changing society.
But we aren’t talking about wider society in this case? Some fans were heard singing homophobic chants and you said you didn’t agree with them being reported? Just because it doesn’t bother you, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t bother others. Think there’s a bit of difference between not liking bagels and actively singing songs to marginalise a group of people.
