Manchester Utd 1-0 Watford - 13/05/2018

Discussion in 'Match Day' started by SkylaRose, May 9, 2018.

  1. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    Glad this season is finally over. Decent performance today, but no luck. There have been too many days like this though. They have one shot on target and we lose. It's all very Groundhog Day following Watford.

    We stayed up. That's all that will be taken from the past two seasons. But I'd rather we be treading water in the Premier league than in the Championship.

    We ended being the team with the fewest away points and goals across all the top leagues in Europe in 2018. Well, at least we have a record.

    I have a lot of hope for next season though, but we need to get it right with the clear out and summer signings. It's obvious what we need to do, I only hope we are able to do it.
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2018
  2. NathWFC

    NathWFC First Team

    Another depressing season comes to an end.
     
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  3. Malteser

    Malteser Squad Player

    So Gracia has now been in charge for 8 away games and we’ve failed to score in all of them. 8 matches! 720 minutes without a solitary goal.

    Time to say thanks for keeping us up but for Gino to now release him from his contract, back to Spain and a level he is more comfortable coaching at. We can do better.

    I’m just bewildered why so many people seem to want us to start next season with him in charge. 8 matches on the road without a goal. Are our expectations now so low?

    The world has gone mad.
     
  4. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Rancid rancid away form. Decent performances are all well and good but it goals that change games and points that count in the table. And away from home, we are sadly poorly lacking ability to do either.

    I agree Gracia is doing all he can to change that with different formations/lineups. The guy is trying. But I do wonder if he just isn’t up to it. Next season, we can’t just afford to bin off 19 away games. Stats don’t lie.
     
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  5. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    How does he coach Richarlison to not miss a free header centre of the goal 6 yards out?
     
  6. lowerrous

    lowerrous First Team

    Disappointing that Gray, Holebas and Cathcart were all caught out being lazy for their goal.
    Doucoure's passing continues to be shocking.
    Pereyra decent game.
    Richarlison looks a bit closer again to the player who started the season for us, and was unlucky not to score. Still a headless chicken most the time though.
    Good to see Chalobah back on the pitch, looking fairly sharp and giving some nice, quick one-touch passing.
    Some nice play at times, but still no goals away from home under Gracia and we won't get many better opportunities to nick something at OT than we had today. Has he done enough to stay on next season? After another average performance I'm still none the wiser.
     
  7. Cassetti's Beard

    Cassetti's Beard First Team

    Another season, another easy survival, bit boring init?

    Good to see Chalobah back, thought Gray was decent, Holebas was poo, Deulefou wanted the headlines and Richarlison can't finish for ****

    Bring on the World Cup!
     
  8. Malteser

    Malteser Squad Player

    Omg all the time it’s excuses excuses excuses.

    He’s the Coach and under his watch we’ve not scored an away goal. 9 blanks in all his matches. To fail to score in one or two matches could be put down to bad luck yes, but can people not see a pattern here?

    Why pick Richarlison in the first places to answer your question? He’s woefully out of form.
     
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  9. NathWFC

    NathWFC First Team

    I suppose that's where you potentially question his ability to get the players to believe in themselves and bring back the confidence of someone like Richarlison. He's certainly not been a catalyst to turn around the individual form of any of our players.
     
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  10. ForzaWatford

    ForzaWatford Squad Player

    Pererya? Hughes? Delafao?
     
  11. Goal hanger

    Goal hanger Beyond Belief

    We seem to play away games like pre season friendlies, like the result doesn’t matter and 75% effort is okay.
     
  12. Steve Leo Beleck

    Steve Leo Beleck Squad Player

    Difficult to judge that game as it was pretty obvious United were in second gear. We started brightly, neat and tidy yaddah yaddah yaddah, then undone by one defender switching off and standing two yards behind everyone else. Not entirely sure of the offside rule anymore but seems wrong that Rashford can benefit from being so far offside in the same phase of play. But that's it, game over. One shot on target all game is good enough to get you three points.

    Some stinking performances out there today. Hughes, Richarlison, Doucoure and Deulofeu made the wrong decisions time and again when we had promising attacks going. Very worried by the way Chalobah was moving, didn't look at all right. Hopefully after a full pre-season he might look a bit more natural. 0 shots on goal from Gray and Deeney (unless you include the offside one on one that Gray shovelled into the side netting).
     
  13. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    I think both Capoue and Pereyra have looked much improved under him. He's also recognised the importance of giving Hughes game time and I think that'll hold us and him in good stead next season.
     
  14. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    It’s the same excuse every week. “Why is it Gracia’s fault our defenders are morons or our strikers are useless”

    Fair point, but why was such a line or argument not be used for Wally/Silva as well in their shortcomings? Does the manager have no accountability for not scoring away from home for 8 games?
     
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  15. Steve Leo Beleck

    Steve Leo Beleck Squad Player

    Capoue and Pereyra spring to mind.
     
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  16. NathWFC

    NathWFC First Team

    When was Hughes in bad form that has been drastically turned around? Pereyra has had a good end of season but has always been hit and miss and that hasn't changed under Gracia, and Deulofeu has played what, four games?
     
  17. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    Who else is there to play? If we had a tonnes of options I'd see your point but Richarlison is as good a choice as anyone.

    I'll be surprised if Gracia is binned after this. The last two have had their 'mutually agreed' departures announced the week or so before the final game. The silence suggests he's staying unless a much better option comes up.
     
  18. HELGO

    HELGO Reservist

    JG doesn’t appear to have an attacking idea in his tactics. 41 points and a 1 point difference on last season. No away goal in about 5 months ( no all JG fault I know). Muff, West Ham, Newcastle and palace finishing above us does not look good.
     
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  19. Vicarage Road

    Vicarage Road Reservist

    We’re **** at free kicks, corners, throw ins, defending & shooting, Boring as ****, glad I didn’t travel up to Old Trafford.
    If I see Holebas, Deeney, Mapps & Janmaat playing in a Watford shirt next season, I’ll be horrified. If we don’t recruit well in the summer, we’re doomed. Gracia out I’m afraid
     
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  20. Heidar

    Heidar Squad Player

    If you can't score, you can't win.

    If you can't defend, you can't draw.

    If you can't win or draw, you lose and get relegated.

    It's all very straightforward what is required in the coming months.
     
  21. NathWFC

    NathWFC First Team

    Hughes actually looked his best when he came into the side under Silva, in my opinion, and was then injured for a long period. I don't think Gracia has had much choice but to use him because A. he's clearly a good player and B. our squad massively lacks quality depth.
     
  22. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    Apart from West Ham, Huddersfield and Liverpool, the away performances have been decent. We're improving on the road, performance wise, and you shouldn't take the goals thing too literally. Ok, it's a big stick you like to use, but I think it's just one of those crazy runs you get in football. In these games we've missed a penalty and a few other sitters.

    If the performances were really bad in all the games, then I'd be with you on this, but I'm not letting the results fool me. The performances have improved, there's no doubt about it. We just do not have the necessary quality to take chances. There's always a mistake in our defence too. Iron these weaknesses out, and it will have to be in the transfer market, then I will expect results will improve.
     
  23. ForzaWatford

    ForzaWatford Squad Player

    There is obviously something wrong within our squad. We've been awful from February onwards every PL season. The difference this year is we've actually played quite well, just silly mistakes and lapses in concentration have cost us. I think there are some encouraging signs under Javi and i'd like to see him given the chance to build on it. Nothing will change if we change our head coach every 6-8 months.
     
  24. wfcSinatra

    wfcSinatra Predictor Choker 14/15

    A damp squibba of a season ender.
     
  25. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    I think this is the overarching thing. He can’t stop individual mistakes. But that isn’t really a great defence. He is in charge. It’s on his watch. He is the manager of 11 players on the pitch, mistakes or not and the buck stops with him. There is simply no defence at all for his away record.
     
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  26. wfcSinatra

    wfcSinatra Predictor Choker 14/15

    Also, how a team that lost it's first seven without scoring a goal finished above us is just laughable.

    In fact, Newcastle, Burnley, Palace, Bournemouth and even bloody West Ham finishing above us is just appalling. West Ham were rioting on the pitch a few weeks ago!!
     
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  27. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    I've held the players largely accountable for all the mysterious slumps over the past few seasons, which smell badly of downing tools. But I can't say I've seen the same under Gracia. The application has been pretty good in the last few games. I'd say a severe lack of quality and lack of 90 minute fitness from the playing escaping the treatment room have been the major influences.
     
  28. Malteser

    Malteser Squad Player

    He was a terrible choice. He’s woefully out of form. We impressed last week with two up top. Why drop that approach today?

    There seem to be some people for whom Gracia can do no wrong. You can equally turn around and retort that there are some who criticise him a lot, me being one. But I always try to be fair and balanced and praise him too for the good he’s achieved. But when we lose and when we discuss our woeful away record, we just seem to get excuses rather than people fronting up and admitting the away run hasn’t been good.

    He’s average. His record with us has been average. The future under him looks average. I want us to be more than average. Yet those of us those don’t rate him very highly are turned into pariahs. Moaners. Entitled. Etc. Seriously the world has gone mad.
     
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  29. ForzaWatford

    ForzaWatford Squad Player

    Burnley had a pretty atrocious away record last season. They stayed with their coach and they're doing alright aren't they?
     
  30. Steve Leo Beleck

    Steve Leo Beleck Squad Player

    Not sure what you're getting at here. We're not so big time that we're somehow a massive step up from the Malaga side he had a few years back. We are a small Premier League team whose best finish in the last 30 years is 13th in the Premier League. It's a bit patronising to suggest that this job is too big for Gracia, even if you don't think he's the way forward.
     
  31. onion8837

    onion8837 Reservist

    Am so bored with Gracia saying how much they want to win / finish top half / display their passion at wembley and then just fall over.

    Like him but not good enough either tactically or as a motivator.

    Thanks but goodbye
     
  32. Aberystwyth_Hornet

    Aberystwyth_Hornet Squad Player

    Opportunity not to lose at old Trafford lost but in terms of the season we've stayed up comfortably though can't take anything for granted and plenty of work in summer.

    Still undecided about Gracia, would depend who Gino has lined up as his replacement
     
  33. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    I’m worried about next season and think we are in serious trouble.

    Firstly for me Gracia is uninspiring with an average track record and has had an awful away record for us. To me he is lowest pedigree manager we have had since being in the premier league.

    More importantly though we have some dreadful players in defence and attack. Everyone can see that we need a huge clearout yet Giraldi/Duxbury seem happy with the squad in general and talk of a quiet summer.

    I can live with Gracia staying. However if we don’t shift out substandard deadwood and replace them then we are toast.
     
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  34. ForzaWatford

    ForzaWatford Squad Player

    Javi Gracia on if he will still be @WatfordFC next season: "I think so. I have spoken many times with the owner. I can feel his ambitions. I don't know what will happen but I am sure the owner will try to improve the level of the squad."
     
  35. Malteser

    Malteser Squad Player

    No disrespect but that’s just the usual excuses. Over a period of time results and statistics do not lie. Nobody has said we haven’t played well in some of our matches we’ve lost or drawn. What I’m saying is we’ve failed to score an away goal, and for some people not to think the Head Coach might not bear some responsibility is just bewildering.

    Again you fall for the mirage of the ‘wonderful summer window’ making the world ok again. The same people will be recruiting for us this summer who did the job last. Last May we headed for our beaches hoping they’d get it right in attack, yet this season our outright strikers only got 8 outfield goals between us. We hoped they’d get it right in defence, yet we’ve had another poor season there. I wouldn’t put my mortgage on them getting it right this summer either.
     
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