Newcastle United 0-2 Watford FC - 26/01/2019 - FA Cup 4th Round

A cup win would be perfect so I'll raise your stake by adding a "JC as PM" to see the colour of your money.

 

Yeah, it meant 11 changes

Gomes, Janmaat, Cathcart, Britos, Masina, Quina, Wilmot, Chalobah, Success, Gray, Hughes.

 

With that team we deserve to lose this and if we do, Gracia deserves a big kick in the plums.
Clearly a cup run would be an unnecessary distraction.....

 

Good, I’d much rather finish seventh.

 

I understand giving some players a chance, but did he really need to weaken the side that much? It would be nice to actually have a cup run.

At least Chalobah is alive.

 

Stinks of giving Gray a chance to put himself in the shop window.

 

I'll reserve judgement on whether that's a good or a bad idea until the full time whistle. Either way, we'll go again.

Number of changes aside, I do prefer Success in a wide left position (assuming that's how we line up), and I'm looking forward to seeing how many the new, reborn Andre Gray will bag in his first game back.

Interesting midfield...

And hopefully we'll be cruising 3-0 by the 60th minute and Penaranda will get another run out.

 

Solid team and good enough to beat the starting 11 Newcastle have put out as well.

Our bench is much stronger than theirs as well.

Javi knows we can get something against Spurs on Wednesday and has put out a team more than capable of winning today. Well played Javi.

 

Usual moaning. Don't see anything wrong with that team - defence looks solid (Britos was pretty good when he came on the other day), Wilmot needs to be given a chance, Gray and Success could be a useful combination. Let's see at 4.50

 

Would swap Hughes and Quina in that formation. Would settle for a point.

 

Lets face it, we've not beaten them this season with our strongest XI. I don't see a problem with playing this type of side as these players are all Watford players and are at the club for a reason.

We will probably lose, but it's another run out for the squad.

 

I can’t stand the selection of Gomes. Chalobah doesn’t warrant a start. Apart from that a decent team. The volume of changes will hurt us though irrespective of personnel.

 

Clearly Javi has zero intention of playing him anywhere but out wide, no matter how horribly unsuited he is to the role and how continually ineffective he is there.

He's a central midfielder and would likely be very good for us there, instead we have to watch him not be able to showcase his true ability whatsoever, week in, week out.

 

Solid team with Quina, Chalobah and Wilmot in midfield, and points against spurs ?. I wish I had your confidence.

 

Best to wait til 4.55, we’ve a habit of shipping late goals

 

But it won't necessarily be his fault will it?
The Pozzos are running a business here, and there is quite a lot of wedge riding on league position.
I suspect Javi will have been told something on the lines of "Do as well as we possibly can in the FA Cup, but always give league position priority".
But admit I could well be wrong on this.

 

Surely no one expected any regular first XI players to play (Cathcart aside which is down to injuries I assume)? Every one of those players isn’t a million miles away from the First XI so I’m happy to give them all a run out. It’s good management from JG - the squad harmony seems much better than recent seasons and it’s decisons like this that aid that.

And we have good strength in depth. Newcastle don’t. Look at their line-up after 7 changes...it stinks. If we lose this, it’ll be because of attitude not because the line-up isn’t good enough to beat what’s in front of them.

 

Shoutbox up

 

Agreed. If winning the match isn't the be all and end all.

 

No Chalobah again, clearly finished as a player. Sad to see.

Deeney starting again despite being ****. ******* sick of it.

#cutnpastesaturday

 

I expected Foster to play. Sorry but playing Gomes weakens us significantly and who cares about how the keeper retiring at end of season feels? Gracia won’t put Chalobah on bench for league games yet now he warrants a start? It’s bullsh*t.

 

Expected, no: hoped, yes.

I am sure we all understand the “business case” regarding a PL finish but it doesn’t mean we, as supporters, have to approve of it.

Still, this team will hopefully have things to prove.

 

The line up basically confirms that Watford don’t consider the FA cup to be of any importance despite what Javi and others may say in public to placate the fans. There could have been a degree of rotation and maybe given players like Wilmot or Penerada a chance to see how they fit in with first team players. But to change the whole team basically confirms they don’t give a poo about the cup and see it as distraction.

Yes we may still win but only cos Newcastle reserves are poor although they seem to have a couple of first team players.

Disappointing but not surprising.

 

He hasn’t put him on the bench because he can only name a certain number of subs and we are well stocked there. And the squad will care how Gomes feels - he’s a senior squad member who is clearly well thought of and a leader. So that’s why.

 

Merse rinsing us on SSN for the changes. I agree with him.. “what’s seventh!?”.
IMO we should play a full strength best 11. I couldn’t care where we finish in the league (even bottom). We really should go for it!

 

That’s genius Burnsy. Let’s get knocked out of FA Cup to keep Gomes and pals happy. Great logic. Why not play him every other league game FFS. Surely keeping Gomes happy is more important than league points?

 

When did we get knocked out? Must’ve missed that...

 

The lack of cohesion concerns me but I will reserve judgement until 5pm.
If we lose I shall be ever so slightly peeved.

 

Let's hope this Newcastle side isn't as good as Woking's

 

The prize money from winning the whole cup is equivalent to that from 4 points in the league.

Newcastle have also made 7 changes so I don't see what's the big fuss.

 

I really like Javi and think he’s great, but why on earth does he have to say something as disingenuous as this?

Watford manager Javi Gracia: "If you ask Watford supporters whether they want to reach the final or finish seventh, they will say they want to be first in the league, and to win the FA Cup, not seventh. That is our ambition, and that is our target.

"I don't like it when you change the side, or give the chance to other players, and your decision means you are showing the FA Cup is not important to you. No, I know the FA Cup is important and I want to go forward in this competition and to carry on."

 

Slightly better than Millwall so far. But only just.

 

The magic of the FA Cup, eh? It would truly be the crowning glory of the club's history to win such a high quality competition!