Indeed. To counter the brigade of fans, like you, who will lap up whatever dished our to them as long as they have a day out. Next time you go, most likely Tottenham away to see the shiny new stadium because the media has told you to, I hope it ******* rains.
You've got no ******* idea of what type of fan I am - I do not "lap up" anything - like most on here I was horrified at yesterday's result and performance, but unlike some on here I have not resorted to knee-jerk nonsense. As for going to Tottenham because the media told me to, I would just make the point that I have seen Watford play at 80 of the 92 "League" clubs and at least 15 of the now non-League clubs. I have stood in snow, rain, howling gales and scorchio temperatures watching Watford. I have had many "nice days" and some pretty horrible trips, suffering broken bones for the cause. Nobody told me to go to any of these games least of all the "media". These days I am prevented by health reasons to go to many, and some of those I would like to go to I cannot because of the ticketing groups. Fair enough, those that go to most games deserve to get first pick of the tickets, I cannot complain. What I am surprised at is why some go to most games and then brag about leaving early if we're losing.
Well we could have done with you in the mid 70s down in the 4th Div. giving your trenchant views on the ownership and management of the club. You could even have been the subject of a "citizen's arrest" at Griffin Park - for all the good it did at the time.
No win in 10 league games in which we've conceded 28 goals, a record 6-0 FA Cup Final defeat and a record 8-0 defeat in which we were 5 down in 18 minutes. And still some call it 'a knee jerk response'.
I do - what I'm referring to is the "Pozzos out" and "sack the players" comments littering the threads. What would that achieve at the moment and how could they do it? Who buys us, what players do we buy and how long would transactions like that take? Apart from this, nobody seems to have any other ideas as to how to halt the slide. I am as unhappy as most on this forum but am not foaming at the mouth with hatred for players, staff, management, owners, "happy-clapper" fans etc. I guess I am calling for a bit of perspective.
I’ve been a Watford fan since the late 60’s. I have some great times, and some not so great times. I still remember losing to Walsall at home and hence being relegated to what was then Div 4. So like all Watford fans I’ve learnt to live with the highs and lows that love for this club brings. I know that to a certain extent we are punching above our weight. Our owners, at least up this summer, have done a great job, and god only knows what would have happened if they had not turned up and left us with Bas. But yesterday I actually felt ashamed, for the first time in 50 years. Not because we lost 8 nil, although that’s bad enough, but because of the gutless, cowardly performance of most of the team. How many yellows did we get, how many hard tackles went in, how many players were sweating blood for the cause? I know pride in the shirt has become meaningless with the rise of the super rich mercenaries who now parade around the Prem, but it still means something to people like me. Add to that the shirt swapping and laughing in the post match interviews, and I begin to think something is seriously wrong with this club. Hats off to the away support. You were incredible. You are the club, the real club that is. Sorry guys rant over. First post and probably last!
Surely Lucas Neill's is still the worst ever debut - and indeed the worst ever last appearance. I'll give you the others, though. That was the worst display by a Watford side that I've ever seen.
I just realized that we had the kick-off. So, we actually managed to give them the ball back and concede a goal within the first minute, all without making a single challenge anywhere on the field. LOL
Decided to watch all the goals through again. Some things that I noticed. They were absolutely ruthless in their targeting of Femenia as a weak link. It’s clear they saw him as weak and continued to torment him time and time again. They attacked the ball from crosses, whether in the air or on the ground, while for the most part, we were ball watching. Shockingly evident lack of desire to compete. Constant lack of pressure on the ball, without showing even the vaguest interest in making a tackle, or even hassling the ball carrier. The ripped us apart in the cup final, in this instance, we just sat there and let them do it. Hideous. We’re completely and utterly ****ed.
Sounds like a mentality issue. They played with fear. There will only be one outcome when this happens. Again I ask- do the club not employ sports psychologists?
Sorry but no. You have no perspective. There have been many a wretched home defeat where players have been rightly called out for lack of application and you have come on here, mounted your high horse and talked solemnly of entitlement and spoiled fans. You will not tolerate and criticism of our players or our transfer strategy. Even now, when a group of players has so little professional pride and so little application and fight that they are 0-5 in 18 minutes your instinct is to attack the people rightly castigating these cowards and tell them in your superior way that they are not welcome as supporters. Our players are laughing at you as they pick up their paycheques.
Ben Foster has been given a lot of stick, mainly for his post-match comments, but that is the type of guy he is. He has a "doesn't take life too seriously" outward attitude. After a game like that, fans want to see the players hurting a bit and not joking with gallows humour, but Foster is not like that. It doesn't mean he doesn't care though. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-s...h-soon-watfords-foster-idUKKBN1W808U?rpc=401& When he says “To get in at 5-0 at half-time I was over the moon,” doesn't mean he's a closet Luton fan desperate for Watford lose get hammered, no, he means City were so good, destroying us and 5-0 up after 18 minutes, to not concede again, he's really pleased it's not 8 or 9 at half time. As fans, we talk like this all the time. When you're beaten 8-0 in the league, you've got to take the p1ss a bit...…..but some will cry and some will get angry. These are different reactions from different people. I'll add this to Ben's comments “They will do it to somebody, there will be a nine or 10 out there soon,” I expect that will occur on May 9th 2020. https://www.watfordfc.com/teams/first-team/foster-theres-no-point-dwelling As suspected, he's a more revealing comment from the official site “You’ve got to keep smiling, I’ve just let eight goals in and I’m not happy but you’ve got to put a brave face on. It is what it is, there’s no point dwelling and you’ve just got to look towards the next game.”
We will get relegated at some point. As will at least 12 other current Prem teams over the next few years. However Saturday was pathetic and I'd sack the lot of them.
Good post. I am amazed at how at least one player didn't even try to stand out from the shambolic crowd on Saturday. If someone had visibly made the effort, chase down some Man City players, chase the odd lost cause or two, made a few hard crunching tackles, showed some fighting spirit, then he would have been a relative hero in most fans eyes. I remember Beckham doing that in an awful England performance once, he stood out, not by what he achieved with the ball, but what he did without it. He lived off that performance for a couple of years.
Frankly I hope more players have that outlook as it makes it easier to bounce back. Unfortunately I suspect most of the teams will wear the emotional scars of this result for months. The real downside is the loss of confidence the players will feel in the manager brought in to save them. His credibility is shot.
I hope the board realises that the last 2 games against City have probably completely undermined all the efforts the club have made to increase our reputation on a global scale. 2 hammerings like that are ridiculously damaging in that regard. They need a good long look at themselves and come up with a way to salvage this season fast - although I think it's already too late...
Here are the lowlights https://www.watfordfc.com/matches/highlights/highlights-man-city-8-0-watford It shows more of the match, and I couldn't believe how many good chances City missed, especially Aguero. He should have scored at least 3 more, De Bruyne missed a sitter and they've hit the bar as well. We did have a couple of chances ourselves, but the nearest we came to scoring was a wayward back-pass from Otamendi which had Ederson scrambling back to clear off the line. A fair score would have been 13-1 based on good chances created. What strikes me is how our "defenders" play. They are always switching off and ball watching. They can never win a header in the air and they always stand off their opponent. There is no closing down. I'd say the problem cannot possibly be corrected by coaching. The players are just so bad, it's embarrassing. If a central defender cannot win a ball in the air, or the wing backs just prefer to stand and watch players run past them, it's time to go. We need rid of the lot of them. This crisis at the lack of defensive quality has gone on for far too long. We've been crap at the back since around January 2016. Nearly FOUR YEARS and nothing has been done about it. We could have Pep and Klopp as our coaches, and it would still be the same. Individually and collectively, they are not fit for purpose in the Premier League. They are ALL of Championship standard or below.
Well Jumbo, I actually agree with players being "called out for lack of application" - it would simply be superfluous for me to come on here and repeat what others have already stated far more eloquently than me. What I do object to is the (almost) raving about Pozzos out, sack the players etc. etc. which seems to me to be very much over the top. What I really mean about perspective is to judge the Pozzos on the last 7 years, not the last 7 weeks (and yes I know that the losing run goes back to last April). I'm sure that all at the club realise that more, much more investment was needed to our defence than Dawson. It will not make the blind bit of difference to Pozzo, Giraldi etc. whinging on about it on the forum. In that I absolutely do not tolerate the summer's transfer activity and I do (and always have) criticised our players, especially lack of motivation and effort. I just don't see the point banging on about it on the forum. It's not going to change anything at the club. I'm not attacking folks on here for "castigating (great word BTW) these cowards" - I have done a lot of castigating in private myself, it's legal these days - but for the more extreme reactions. I see lots of vituperation (see I can do it as well) but very little constructive criticism on here. Maybe it's because at the moment nobody knows how to pull us out of the slump. Given the second 45 minutes versus Arsenal, it seems to me to be almost entirely a mental thing - defence perhaps excepted. To throw in loads of youngsters as some on here have suggested might very well blight their careers, such as they are, for good. Most football players, even those at the top of their game, are metaphorically laughing at us fans whilst collecting their vastly inflated salaries - probably not these days by cheque though. I love the idea of me "talking solemnly" - just where do I do that and who (apart from Nath) have I called entitled? Incidentally I do not own a horse, high, low or in-between. Will a ten year old car do? Enough of this banter, we go again Saturday........
Fair enough and I agree on Pozzo. However I am very much in the sack the players camp. I’d be happy if at least 4 of them from Saturday never played for us again, even if we have to play energetic more limited younger players on our books.
Ok I'll accept sacking 4 - but which 4? And how long will the youngsters keep their energy up amongst the other 7 lazy sods?
Femenia, Foster, Holebas and Marriapa to be banished. Also extended dropping period for Doucoure, Dawson and Hughes So I suppose my team is: Bachmann Janmaat/Foulquier Masina Cathcart Kabasele Capoue Cleverly/Chalobah Quina Delefeou Sarr Welbeck/Gray/Deeney (in that order)
I like the idea of Doucoure, Dawson and Hughes described as extended droppings. Harsh but fair, I say.
Apparently Pawson made another VAR mistake. The wall for the third City goal had City players in it, which is not allowed under the new rules. Should be been disallowed. So, if that's true......that's now 4-0 against us on VAR reviews...…..and two of those are attributed to Craig Pawson.
It doesn't seem like the rule has been enforced very well this season. See Arsenal's winner against Villa, an Arsenal player runs in to the back of the wall pushing a Villa player out of the way as the kick is taken.
Yet in a league two game the 4th official ordered a Grimsby goal to be ruled out for attacking players in the wall - mind you they only chalked it off after the celebrations had died down and the kick-off about too be taken!
Not our biggest defeat by any means. Lost 10-0 v Wolves in 1912, but don’t write this team off - they are capable of eclipsing that record.
