Well we never seem to get many of our chances shown. GD missed a really sitter when one on one at Newcastle but that wasn't aired. Mind you we didn't have any on target apparently..
I think Gracia is struggling to find his best 11. With all the players coming back from injury and the likes of Deeney/Grey Kabasele/Cathcart starting so well, only for success/Deulofeu maps/Cathcart to come in and do well leaves him with a dilemma. The game he mixed it up a bit was wolves and he caught them of guard. Today wasn’t about Javi though as the team had enough chances but it was one of those days we could still be playing now and not of scored. With fixtures coming thick and fast we will see what he’s made of. Remember this is Javi’s first Xmas in English football it even had the great pep moaning and struggling to keep up with it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Bit late for this but it’s been a good read so thank you all who have posted and I concur with most of you. I may of been a bit harsh in my HT rant but I was truly annoyed at the first half showing in general. Their second goal was fantastic and worthy to win any game, we were caught on the counter and lost possession in an attacking stance. The penalty conceded by Foster was needless.Hr didn’t have to make that challenge, he wasn’t the last man but Holebas wasn’t doing much to help. Second half was better, we had lots of possession but little end product as usual. We do had sone half chances and really could of got a draw had it been more clinical. My MotM was Success today. He worked really hard and tried to get us back in the game even late on. Ok the Gray header. I’m not joking. I could of scored that, or at the very least got it on target. He had time and space to direct it, he didn’t just miss head it, the ball was closer to the corner flag than their goal. I put my head in my hands and knew the gig was up at that point. Had it gone in, then it’s 2-1 and game on. We never really had them on the ropes and they never had to do much to protect the lead. Our need for a striker is so plain to see it’s beyond ridiculous we haven’t invested. Gray is useless, I’m sorry I’m sure he’s a nice guy and he does work hard but he is mid table Championship level at best. Delafoo is not a striker so please Gracia stop playing him as one. Hughes back on the wing where he is so much more effective, and move Peyera back to his usual position. I think Success can .play the lone man if he gets support. I know Mapps got stick today and he was poor, but realistically he’s third choice. Kabasele MUST come back into the side. Janmaat needs a recall and Gracia needs to know these things. No signings will be made till January and we have to start converting chances. One point from Newcastle and Southampton is a poor return despite being dominant in patches. Losing today would of not have hurt as much had we won at least one of those games Liverpool was a write off but we did mms play well. We are not a bad team. We are a good side who need a striker ir two to bang in chances we can definitely make. Gino, blow the dust off the wallet and please, please take a chance. I know we’re cautious with investments but we as fans know what we need to change things. I know you do too.
Clearly the MotD editing made it looked like Leicester destroyed us, but I know we had more than a couple of chances. Both contentious decisions went against us. Vardy, did what Vardy does. He ran into Foster looking for the penalty. He always does this, and it's the speed in how he runs that fools the referee every time. This is what p!sses me off. There have been two more obvious penalties for us in the last two games not given. This was a clear dive by Vardy, never a penalty and he's conned the referee. He made contact with Foster, not the other way around. The red card was a joke. Both players tackled the ball. You can see it clearly. Both have their studs firmly on the ball. They both made the same challenge, so why is it the Watford guy sent off? Wasn't a yellow card or even a foul. It will have to be rescinded, but it's the second red card that we would have had rescinded this season. We really are on the receiving end so often. Every week it's the same. The red card didn't effect the result, but if we lose Capoue for 3 matches, it would be a ridiculous consequence. The penalty, which was engineered by Vardy, changed the game. The first goal often does. There's nothing we can do about the referees. We just have to ride out this bad sequence and hope against hope, these bad calls stop occurring. I don't want Watford to get any favours, I just want fairness. Now to the two chances shown. Success was very strong when he ran through. He did everything right, but let himself down with a dreadful finish. The other chance was Pereyra, who was a bit unlucky. That could have found the bottom corner. Although in the lead up I think Deulofeu should have played in Success earlier, instead of delaying. He was fortunate Pereyra was an option for him as it looked like the chance may have been lost. There's not a lot wrong with Watford, but things are just not going for us. To me that's clear, but it's also very clear, we're our own worst enemies at times, by missing so many good opportunities match after match. It's a big problem. Gray in the air, he's probably the worst header of the ball I've ever seen, and that's including amateur league players. He must close his eyes and is scared he might get clattered. This is why he mistimes it so often. The only thing he can do is finish from a close range with his right foot. That's about it. He's been at the club long enough and apart from what I consider a lucky goal at Burnley, all his goals have been tap ins. He's terrible in a 1 v 1 situation, terrible in the air, cannot control the ball, has no composure and is easily flustered. It's depressing what £18.5m can buy you.
I heard the editor on MOTD is a Little Mix fan and was asked not to show up the boyfriend of Ms Pinnock
Fortunately I can get Sky match choice - a full half hour of highlights, and a far more balanced view of the game than MOTD. On late but worth waiting for.
I was following the game at the end on the 'live tracker' on FotMob on my phone. Deeney hardly seemed to touch the ball. I have rather lost patience with him and Gray. Would like to see Kabasele and Masina back on Tuesday, with Chalobah or Wilmot screening the defence. Pull Hughes in-field as a number 10 with one striker. Anyone but Deeney or Gray. Even Okaka would cause more issues than those two at the present time.
Deeney has something to offer, but he is clearly a target man, not a goal scoring striker. I’ve seen Gray do that swing of the leg, missing the ball and it hitting his standing leg so many times. Then he looks dumbfounded as if it’s the first time he’s ever done such a thing. It’s quite comical really.
Totally agree about Gray. I was underwhelmed when he first rocked up. But thought He needs time. He is now more famous for being with a celebrity rather than anything he does on the pitch. At least Deeney has a record that demands respect and gratitude from the fans but he is also becoming less effective match by match. Against Citee we need to play someone up top who is either strong like Success or awkward like Okaka. Worth playing someone like Quina, Penaranda or Sema off the bench. We are starting to become predictable especially up top so need to mix it up.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, we don't have ANY strikers in this squad. We dominated Leicester from start to finish but they are able to pick a killer ball and finish it whereas we had Andre Gray's square head and two left feet. Otherwise it was a quality day out. Because of the fantastic gesture with the banner, (the Leicester fans loved it), Leicester decided to make a kind gesture of their own so at half time everything from the food and drink outlets was free. Including alcohol! We seriously considered not going back up for the 2nd half. I've never seen the queues go down so fast, maybe it's something other clubs should try! After that we couldn't give two hoots about the match. Quality day out despite the game, including following the under 5's back to London on the train and watching the Police get their knickers in a twist over them having a good time.
Is that a first? The free beer and food. I haven't heard anything like that since the inception of the PL. Kudos to Leicester and how quickly my decades of hating them, since they relegated us to Div 3 and their jeering fans, evaporate.
The Leicester owners have done it quite a bit - but usually to their own fans. That was part of the charm and mutual respect between them and the supporters. I guess at some grounds it would be considering a risk to safety etc.
So I was a bit drunk on the shout box last night. I’m in phuket and the game started at 10pm. I’d like to say I hadn’t been drinking at the pool bar from lunchtime but that would be a lie. Hotel provided a friendly driver to take us down to the bars in town showing the game. He introduced himself as Mr Bond. I sniggered when he said this and said hello Mr Bond. He came to collect us at half time. Obvious we were going to lose and bar full of Leeds and Huddersfield. When he arrived I did the voice and said “ So we meet again Mr Bond” My proudest moment this year
Hoping he is driving tonight. My next go to is going to be “No Mr Bond I expect you to drive [us to the night market] But I’m open to other suggestions
I made the short trip up yesterday in hope that I might finally see us win on the road again (I’ve seen us win away once in two years, Saints last year, and I’ve done about 15 aways in that time!). Of course it wasn’t to be, but having calmed down a bit I can give a fairer verdict of things. 1. I had high hopes for Gray this season. Yesterday he could’ve been a hero. He could’ve easily got a hat-trick. One free header, one total miss-kick and then another header which he should’ve done better with. He was given the ball on the 18 yard line for a first time hit but instead panicked and gave it back to Success who was wrong footed. A positive attack resulted in Gray passing the ball out towards the corner flag and out of play. 2. Marriappa. Ok look, I like his commitment and I have no issue with him as a squad player, but at 1-0 in the last two games he’s been at fault for the all-important second goal. That header on the half way line was beyond pathetic which ultimately resulted in Maddison scoring. Why Mapps was marking Vardy I’m not sure. For at least two seasons I’ve been saying we need to invest in our defence. If Prodl and Britos aren’t seen as good enough players, replace them. 3. Hughes is a class act but he’s not a winger. Capoue and Dacs are probably undroppable, so for Hughes to play we’ll need to line him up centrally. In my opinion, the central role of a 4231 formation would suit him. But he’s not a winger and him playing that role must stop. 4. Kiko. Seems to have got worse over the summer. Or just doesn’t like playing in the colder weather. This guy has pace, granted, but can’t tackle. Janmaat is better but not ideal. Navarro appears raw. I think this position needs looking at. Too many goals are leaked down this side. 5. Gracia. Surprised by the contract but in Pozzo we trust, etc etc. But his team selections are becoming quite worrying, his substitutions are poor. GD was the only player who looked like he could make something happen yesterday and Javi took him off and kept Hughes on, who had been poor. 6. Foster. Great shot-stopper but been at fault for a few blunders already. He didn’t need to come off his line yesterday. Whether there was contact or not he must know he isn’t likely to out-pace Vardy! I fear for Tuesday. Our form has to be as bad or nearly as bad as it was with Silva and Zola at their worst points. Most concerning of all, I don’t think we had one shot on target yesterday. Absolutely woeful.
What really irks me about this poor run of form is not the endless analysis of the refereeing or even that people are suggesting we start injured or barely fit players, it is that Okaka’s name is being mention more frequently. That indicates to me just how bad things really are.
Looking at Goals on Sunday, that was a clear dive by Vardy. Foster is a moron, but Vardy is already in the dive position and falling before Foster even touches him. Would VAR over rule that?
Finally found someone that agrees!! Vardy put his foot into the turf and went over before the contact. VAR should over-rule these sort of things!
Would it be referred? Most seems convinced watching it live but I agree Vardy certainly made sure he earned the penalty. The Leicester player involved in the Capoue tackle said he wasn't caught - although his team-mates certainly thought so with the way they rushed around the ref demanding a red card. And after he himself had done a flip in the air and a roll or two.
We're absolutely rank. Anyone that was still in that ground by half time needs their head examined. Happily we weren't the only ones leaving on 25 mins. More and more fans are seeing this team for what it is: a hateful band of mercenaries just using us as a stepping stone. None of them give a single ***** about the club. Not one. So why on earth would we stand there and watch these ****ers?
Had we got the goal our play deserved to bring it back to 2-1 there's absolutely no doubt that we would have gone on to at least draw and probably win. But we didn't. Frustration eased by free half time refreshment
I think it’s time Javi tweaked the formation and lineup. Arguably, our three best players are Doucoure, Capoue & Chalobah, I’d personally play all three in a compact three in the middle. GD7 has to play wide, he’s been atrocious playing down the middle. TBH I don’t like the player, the vibe coming from him stinks. I would leave Isaac up top, potentially, there’s a hell of a player there. At the back, I would drop Holebas for good, and with a heavy heart, Mapps too. Kabasele isn’t the answer though as he’s proven to be incredibly inconsistent. We need to invest in a central defender in January. At right back, I’d give Clev a run of games there, wouldn’t be any worse than Janmaart or the increasingly disappointing Kiko. Enjoyed yesterday despite the result, what with the banner ( top marks 1881 ) and free scran Sorry for lack of paragraphs, can’t be half arsed this morning, banging head.
Very noticeable that when the game ended certain players didn't even have the minerals to come anywhere near the supporters and say thanks for the outstanding support. Club captain included.
Every time I looked up with goals on Sunday on in the background Gray had his head in hands. He needs his own emoji.
