Pre-season 23/24

Too much was down to lack of effort. No heart, fight or desire from the majority.

 

**** sakes

 

Mr Quiver ? Mr Quake ?

 

"I'm too good for the Championship"

In his world, he is. Meanwhile, back on Earth...

 

Gaspar is a strange one - where is he? Something weird went on under Wilder when he just disappeared.

 

Probably had enough of our sh1t club and a third coach of the season.

 

It's his wedding

 

Uh oh, they've found us. Everybody hide!

 

Probably looking at Giaretta’s latest Instagram postings.

 

Wonder if the Stevenage friendly will be cancelled now we've drawn them in the cup.

 

It has been cancelled.

https://twitter.com/WatfordFC/status/1671903848816934912?t=GnKgcIrHcdr_XV7HRMCjLA&s=19

 

Presumably Pussetto, Gaspar, Quina, WTE and Fletcher can be considered as good as gone if they’re not in training?
Maybe Kayembe too.

 

T

Thump the ball aimlessly forward. Hmmm thought Hoedt, this sounds like a bit of me

 

So, our one and only pre season game is a week on Wednesday .... cant help but think pre season hasn't been very well organised.

 

It's extraordinary to think only one pre-season match is sufficient preparation for the forthcoming campaign. But........the Watford hierarchy always know best.

 

It's not as though we have a new manager, working with a new squad, playing a completely different style....what could possibly go wrong ???

 

Didn't they say there were going to be training ground games?

 

I have felt we have been under prepared for the season ahead for the last 4 ... we never look fit enough or sharp enough - not having a decent number of pre-season games certainly contributes to that.... maybe we have some lined up, but training ground matches are less intense than friendlies - we have to hit the ground running this season

 

Why? Maybe they'll be treated exactly the same as the types of friendlies we usually play at the training camps we go on when abroad?

Maybe the club just want to keep our training matches behind closed doors in order to surprise our early opponents next season with whatever tactical approach Ismael has gone for?

 

Doesn't he always play the same style?

 

He mostly played 343 at Barnsley and West Brom, but used 433 a lot at Besiktas. He also occasionally in the Champ switched to a 3412.

His West Brom team was also a bit less direct than his Barnsley one.

 

Louza and Porteous back in training today.

 

Just like that our squad goes from Hopeless to Not Good

 

Seen:
Daniel Bachmann
Jeremy Ngakia
João Ferreira
Imran Louza
Ismael Kone
Vakoun Bayo
Ryan Porteous
Tom Dele-Bashiru
Ben Hamer
Christian Kabasele
Samuel Kalu
Francisco Sierralta
Mattie Pollock
Matheus Martins
Kwadwo Baah
Joseph Hungbo
James Morris
Wesley Hoedt
Ryan Andrews
Tobi Adeyemo
Alfie Marriott
Myles Roberts
Michael Adu-Poku
Rhys Healey
Maduka Okoye
Edo Kayembe
Shaq Forde
Jonathon Macauley
Gabriel Ortelli

Missing:
Mario Gaspar
Ashley Fletcher
Domingos Quina
Ignacio Pussetto

Yet to return from internationals:
William Troost-Ekong
Ken Sema
Yaser Asprilla
Ismaila Sarr

Anyone got any more youth names to add to the list?

Edit: updated

 

TBF I suspect that Gino, Dux, Giaretta and Manga would have wanted more games, but Rob Edwards has probably stopped it from happening.

 

Okoye, Kayembe, and Forde are in training (seen on the official sites daily pre-season galleries). Matheus Martins is also training with us at the moment (where or not he's staying I don't know)

Under 18 keepers Jonathan Macauley and Gabriel Ortelli have also been training with the first team.

 

Thanks!

 

The club have just seemingly teased a new signing for an hour only for it to be James Morris winning the bleep test.

https://twitter.com/WatfordFC/status/1673331921214922753?s=20