Frankly I’m amazed that after this total f up of a season we’re still in the mix to stay up. 1. Awful start so we didn’t win till game 11 2. Sacked the manager 3. The most bonkers decision to bring back a manager who we’d binned off 2 years ago (Ok second most bonkers - see below) 4. Sacked him 5. 6 points adrift at the bottom in December 6. Season ending injury to by far our best player 7. Lower championship quality defence 8. Then with one week of the season to go, THE most bonkers decision in the history of the Premier League, we sack the guy who’d given us half a chance to stay up. How on earth after all that are we still able to avoid relegation on Sunday?
The one thing I’m really annoyed about is that I bet on us to go down at 5/2 then we won two games and went out to at least 12/1. Why oh why didn’t I put a bit more on us then.
Because, as I've been saying for 5 years, this league is **** at the lower end and the bar for survival isn't that high. Though really from your list the only one that actually matters is the first one. Our start was horrendous and that's what will relegate us. Since the win at Norwich our form has been back to par, midtable-ish and would have seen us safe over 38 games.
Yep. Our relegation is mainly down to the gurning simpleton Gracia. If we'd lost to wolves in the semi we'd probably be mid table now.
Who ever stays up will probably be having the exactly same sort of season next time.. You are right - think Palace have lost 7 in a row and Brighton took till March to win a game this year.
Don't know why everyone is so upset. This has been coming for so long now that we should all have seen the writing on the wall from Christmas. If there are any weekend gamblers that haven't completely filled up their accounts on the back of Watford and the relegation battle then shame on you.
I've never really cared if we stay up or go down barring the immediate disappointment. Although our owners have made a number of small and large blunders over the last 3 years, they do try to do the right thing for the club. It's just frustrating watching our long term squad neglection finally come home to roost and dumb choices further up (QSF) compound it and waste the potential we have spent 5 years building. I think Giraldi needs to be rolled back to his old role where he oversaw only the scoring network where he did do well and bring back an Andy Scott type role to focus in recruitment only. Gino is on the training ground premise every day anyway so he needs to take a step back next season and watch with a less invasive gaze. We're in a better position than most clubs who go down given our saleable assets I've outlined previously and (in theory) still a good squad on paper
This is the one silver lining for me, I'm going to make a fair wedge when we go down on Sunday. I was telling a lot of my mates to lump on us especially after the Newcastle game when we were 12-1/10-1 on some sites. My mates poo pooed it, and now they're messaging me saying they wish they had done it. Some say it's silly betting against your club, but anyone who's been watching us the season would have known it wasn't an illogical move.
I would argue that Giraldi has never had that role at Watford and has been doing what he's currently doing since 2012. He was, of course, the guy who handed Deeney's shirt back to him on the pitch after scoring against Leicester in the Play-Offs. I highly doubt a guy who was overseeing the scouting network to be in proximity to the pitch.
This is what I’m annoyed about, pure laziness/forgetfulness on my part. I bet on it at 5/2 then after the Newcastle win I was going to cash out and put it back on and more at 12/1 but completely forgot. Also nearly did £500 at 5/2 but bottled it.
I took 10/1 but I've heard some got nearly 20/1 on betfair but only very small liquidity. Made up for it last night as soon as the teams were announced. Been so lucky with first goalscorer and anytime the last few weeks. Took City to win to Zero, Man City -3 its eased my pain a little. Arsenal did me no favours but I deserved that.
There are many factors that will contribute to our relegation, lots of ifs and buts, but right now that last gasp defeat at Villa looks like being the real hammer blow. It gave a 3 point swing to the side who most likely will now stay up at our expense. Had we held out that night, Bournemouth would now be relegated and we’d be 3 points clear going into the final match, with a better goal difference too. If goal difference decides things, there are other annoying moments too we can all look back on. For example, at Chelsea recently we missed a very good chance to get a consolation goal in stoppage time. We missed and they went down the other end and scored. What could have been a one goal loss became a three. Another blow to our goal difference. I know people will no doubt say ‘yes and if I had a whatever I’d be my aunt’ or whatever the popular expression is, but it’s easy to look back at such moments with the benefit of hindsight and realise what killer blows they were. When they happen in stoppage time, you really can be sure of how game changing they were, whereas with incidents like Villa’s goal-line technology mess up, you can’t really be sure how seriously they affected the eventual outcome of the match.
Absolutely agree with this. People moaning about VAR etc are simply looking for others to blame, whereas in reality had we not ****ed up so many times ourselves we would now be comfortably safe. Mariappa's ridiculous OG is another candidate, of course.
I think the worst thing that can happen, is if both us and Villa draw the last game. To go down by virtue of 1 goal will not only be heartbreaking but it'll take a long time to get over those "what if" moments, of which there are many this season. That would be the worst relegation in our history, to lose Premier League status by a single goal.....and that is a serious possibility.
While we were lolling around in mid table the last couple of years some were crying out for an exciting relegation fight. Well that would qualify. Has anyone ever been relegated on goal difference in the PL era?
I've actually read a piece on that, by a legal expert. He went into the pros and cons of it all. I think he focused on the Hawkeye decision at Sheff Utd, but in his final analysis he thinks you would get nowhere with legal action. Far too many events have occurred since that goal, for it to have had meaningful impact, legally that is.
5 times it seems ; http://www.premstats.com/5-times-the-relegation-battle-was-settled-on-goal-difference/ First season When Everton just stayed up in 1998 The Tevez saga ! Fulham's great escape winning their last 3 games.
Looking at what ifs are pointless, there are so many of them. Equally there are plenty of what ifs in our favour as well. If we hadn’t have conceded that late goal against villa would the rest of the season have panned out the same way? Or would our slightly more favourable position have led to greater complacency and changed events in future games? Changing one single event changes everything that happens after it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53492578 Good to see all the pile ins on our club are continuing in the BBC comments section today (and elsewhere). Could we be the most despised club in England at the moment?
At the moment? I think there has been a lot of jealousy, hatred, dislike of us since the Pozzo's turned up. Fans/Media do not like us because they don't like the loan thing, the owning of two clubs, the quick turnover of head coaches and outspoken Deeney.
Theres an even more ‘heart-breaking’ scenario looming worse than being relegated on goal difference. If we lose by one goal and Villa by two (or ditto Villa win by one goal and we win by two but I think that’s more unlikely) and Bmouth don’t win, we’d go down by virtue of fewer goals scored. Sorry to appear a pedant but if both our matches are drawn on Sunday, we’d go down by two goals not one. Yes our goal difference would be one worse than Villa’s but in effect it’s two worse because they’ve scored more goals. (unless we had a crazy 5-5 sort of match) Pity it’s not done on a head to head, as we’d have won that 3-2
I guess you have a point. My Southampton supporting work colleague was almost gleeful when messaging me this morning and said getting Deeney out of the Premier League was one of the best things that could happen.
In summary, we've stepped out of line the last few years and now they want us to resume our rightful place.
ah....you just stole my thunder. I was going to write something similar. How about, the players play their best match of the season with a polished 2-0 win at Arsenal. The game finishes and there's an extra minute at the London Stadium. Villa then score with the last kick of the match. This not only sends us down with a last minute goal, it will also send us down on goals scored. How cruel would that be? I suppose it will be regarded the "most Watfordy thing" of all time.
I think the prospect of us scoring two away from home, having only netted once in our last five matches on the road, and keeping a clean sheet too make that scenario something I’m not tempted to put money on! But yes it would be very very Watfordy! Imagine if VAR then took a long look at the Villa winner too omg! With all the extra time being added on for the substitutions since re-start, it could yet be a very nervy finish on Sunday with games often going to 95 or 96 minutes.
Its weird but I can't help feeling slightly pleased for Villa and their fans after last night Their performance was excellent and even one showing like that from us against Saints/Burnley/WHU would probably have us safe right now They wanted it more, it meant more and they delivered when it mattered
I’m sorry to be such a pessimist but I think it will be over for us long before that. Reckon we’ll have shipped at least a couple of Arsenal goals in by then.
I must agree. The manner of that defeat was terrible and I can't remember being so deflated,even accounting for numerous 1-0 defeats to Loon. The closest I would say was a 1-0 defeat at the Kennel when Poskett had an equaliser disallowed for a foul on Luther. Hideous. It was a seminal moment at VP,no question.
