Pathetic. Didn't expect to breeze every game this season but was hoping to be entertained considerably more than the dross being served up so far. Execution of final pass worse than park football. No intensity or desire from technically good players (at this level) who should be achieving so much more.
Slightly surprised at the level of meltdown on here, though that a lot of it is coming from the regular suspects. Bristol City are/were 3rd in the league and were playing at home. They were even more negative and 5hit3 than we were. We probably should have won and created a few excellent chances, but a draw isn't the worst result overall given the circumstances. The second half against QPR at the weekend was much worse than anything we saw today.
To be fair to Gray, Perica, Deeney whoever would've played tonight would've been starved of service. The idea was for Sarr to bomb down one side and cross, and Pedro to do the same the other side so that the striker got on the end of a ball with a stretched defence. Didn't really have that in our locker tonight. We missed Sema tonight for the overlaps as well. Garner played in decent balls at time but Bristol had men back.
No manager is going to get a team with Deeney and/or Gray in it playing anything other than "ugly football".
Wycombe battered us with a 50 year old man who weighs more than the Big Show. It can be done. We just play football for the sake of it. No trying to win. No trying to achieve. Just get through another 90 minutes then back slapping and onto Insta whatever the result.
I agree with most of your post, but I think we probably missed Sema the most today - he's been pretty much the one player in our team who has consistently shown the necessary composure in the final third to pick out a man when it matters (Sarr does it sometimes, but erratically).
Also with the players isolating, chances are we'll have the same squad available for the next two games. Praying that Ngakia just had cramp otherwise we're down to one fit full back/wing back or dipping into the u23s... Don't think we can do anything other than swap Gray for Perica or Deeney. This squad is so imbalanced, no strength in depth in the wide areas or central midfield at all.
We didn't start moving the ball until the 70th minute and finished well but the first 3/4 was same old... At half time I concluded that our game is so slow before the odd flick on to Sarr, we just do not play with any midfield, and it dawned on me that for 3 years we have worked the ball out of defence using (a fit and able) Capoue and Doucoure. We basically do not have the equivalent any more, besides which we basically play with 6 players thinking only of defensive keep ball, with a front 3 waiting for the ball to get moved up thru a non existent midfield. The gap between attack and defence is huge, you could see Sarr and Gray turning off. Pedro was mainly not involved. So basically we have 6 players trying to play out of defence where only Kiko and Ngokia have the first clue. Garner tries but it's all too deep. Also we don't "ball carry" at all well, B.C. Guys were pooring thru at times, making nice incisive runs at us. So basically we continually play 6 deep players who can't get the ball away, the oppo press hard until the team just lose further confidence and we continue in this spiral with the odd attack thrown in. Forget LB I think the main thing we need at new year is a tough ball playing leader at CM.!!
Lots of criticism in here but I don't think it is needed, that was a very inexperienced and young line up. I thought we were the better team but were toothless up top. Gray offers us absolutely nothing. We had nothing down the left hand side so they was able to overload the right and not allow Sarr or Ngakia any space. However it was good to see that we looked more solid at the back sfter the past few games. They are third in the league and were playing at home and we had around 66% possession and were the better team.
Twice they got in behind at the byline and flashed balls straight across the goalline that were just missed by their players in our box - any contact or an opposition player a couple of feet differently placed and we wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.
Whatever the performance was like, that’s really not a bad result. I fully expect us to lose at the weekend now.
Outplayed them? Really? Two extremely average sides, frightened to take the game by the scruff of the neck. 90% of games are not worth the effort of pressing the remote to watch. Football has never been so boring, even when Venables’ QPR were perfecting their offside trap.
Decent insight Dorset. What's your input as to why things are working better at home and not away? At least results wise.
So not even a shot? Not sure a misplaced cross is a better chance than a free header inside the six yard box tbh. Even game that could have gone either way, good point. As long as we continue our excellent home form then it's a positive result. Performance better than some games, but still room for improvement
It's fairly churlish to label them as 'not even a shot' when whether a shot actually materialised had pretty much nothing to do with our players, and had their strikers been ever so slightly more aware we wouldn't have had any say in the matter and how much of a shot it was would have been elementary. You're as aware as anyone else that an opportunity doesn't necessarily translate into a shot; you are a Watford fan, after all.
Think the bed wetters are just upset that all the work they put in this week came to nothing. With global footballing superpowers Norwich and Bournemouth marching on to inevitable championship dominance, it was proving to be a great week for them. Now I think they’re just upset we didn’t lose so they could really get behind the appointment of (snigger) Sam Allardyce. No obsessive responders to this post please (you know who you are).
A much better performance overall tonight. We controlled the game for large parts, but still so frustrating to watch. It's the final pass that's lacking. None of our forward players are calm in the moment. The final pass is under or over hit, when just a regular pass will do. I cannot understand what's happened to Chalobah. He just cannot play in tight areas anymore. He needs to change his game. Make it simple and play when he has space around him. Good players can do that. When he plays tight he invariably loses it. He cannot spot a pass either. I lost count how many times he gave the ball away.....well into double figures. Anyone sticking up for Gray have lost the argument now. That was probably his worst performance in a Watford shirt. His game was summed up in the opening minutes, when he gave the ball away carelessly then lunged in to try and retrieve it only to give away a free kick on the edge of the area......then the rest of his game went downhill from there. Not all bad though........just diabolical forward play. Defensively we were pretty sound. Ok, the usual panic in the last 5 minutes, but then Watford have always been like that. Opponent's best chances will usually come in the final minutes especially in tight games. This is what we routinely do. Overall a point at Bristol City has to be seen as fair enough......but just 3 goals in 7 away Championship games is truly pathetic for a side looking to bounce straight back. I liked our shape better though. 4-3-3 suits us much better, and is quite damning on Ivic's insistence we can't play this way without Masina or a qualified left back. I thought that was a nonsense and tonight proved it. I'd like to see Deeney start and rotate with Perica. With Pedro/Sema and Sarr flanking, that has to be our best option. Gray is done as a viable option as far as I'm concerned. Considering we had no Capoue, Sema, Hughes or Cleverley we did ok tonight, and the desire was more on point. We've got to step up now though, and really make our mark in this league. We've been quite feeble to date, but at least I feel there is a chink of hope things might get a bit better.
Well not now people have some evidence. But plenty of mugs in the summer were convinced Quina and Chalobah were going to be untouchable in the middle.
Yeah Deeney actually looked like he was treading water when he went after the pass, I'm afraid he really is past it his legs have gone IMO
I think it is a bit harsh complaining about the midfield today we were better than Bristol City and started the game with a 19 year old and a 20 year old playing in central midfield. Both of which were our best players tonight.
I'm pretty much with hornetboy1, I thought that Quina was our best player but the defence was pretty solid despite a few scares. Going forward I though Gray was utterly woeful, Pedro had his quietest game for us. I thought that Deeney was lively but you can see any remaining pace he had has escaped him.
Tonight's highlight had to be Grey's attempted back-heel in the first half. Anyone still prepared to argue that the bloke is anything other than utter cr ap shouldn't be allowed within 5 miles of a football stadium
I sat in my armchair and I did less harm than Gray did. I repeat,we had 10 on the pitch with him on. I cannot believe an elite sportsman can be THAT bad. He's been bad before this I know but boy,that took the biscuit and I count myself as relatively supportive of him.
Nothing to do with our players? The touch from Foster denied the tap in on one of those chances. I was being slightly tongue in cheek though, there were good openings and opportunities for both sides. Draw was fair.
