I have watched us in all four divisions. I've had a lot more fun over those 50 plus years than just a season vying for 7th 4.5 years ago. I really couldn't give a toot what division we are in, if we play in the National League, I'll still be watching and adding some more grounds to my tally. I think some on here get more enjoyment sitting infront of their PC shouting into their echo chamber than going, meeting their mates, train journeys up North, having a beer etc which to me is what it's all about. Each to their own, takes all sorts, I suppose.
out of interest hornetboy when did you start watching Watford? I only ask because for most of my life, born ‘89, Watford have pretty much been a team of hard workers that tends to lack in quality. Yes, we have always had the occasional gem that has given everyone a lift and a had a touch of class about them, but for the most part we have been a team of grafters. The exception is the Pozzo era where we have been lucky enough to have some truly phenomenal footballers ply their trade here. That period does now appear to be over, but what we are watching at the moment reminds me of the Watford teams that I have spent most my time watching. I for one don’t think it’s wrong to enjoy that.
I go to every home match and have been to a few away games this season and have done so for the last 44 years. I used to actually go to every home and away game plus friendlies and achieved the 92 ground club (if there is such a thing) in the ‘80’s.
You're right, I'm an old git. Growing up watching Norwich City in the sixties, I never expected them to go up or down (until they did - in my first year in London). It was two up, two down in those days, with no playoffs, so you enjoyed what you'd got rather than looking forward to a change. Now it's easier to go up, the corollary being that it's easier to go down too. Watford's history hasn't involved many Cup Finals and semis or challenges for Europe, so we shouldn't take that as the norm. I'm dissatisfied with Gino's recent performance too, but the present team is about average (in the proper sense, not the modern synonym for bad).
I think you hit the nail on the head, I would be a Watford fan whether we were in the prem or the national league. Obviously we all want to see the club doing well and competing, but realistically with the broken system that is football it’s never going to happen.
41 points now. Who'll be the first player(s) on the beach? There are only 17 meaningless games to go. Only right they get some rest now before next season's efforts.
I think people are not understanding where I’m coming from. We had a very good team only a few years ago and that’s been scandalously allowed to arode. This is what I’m having difficulty in accepting and I’m holding the current owners to account for it. They’ve jeopardised the future of the club with their mismanagement,
Fairs, so in that time you have seen the glory years under Taylor and the glory years under pozzo, but you have also seen a whole lot of average in the times between those spells. at the end of the day are we not just an average club with fairly average players, who occasionally have periods where we shine? it might be another 15 years until we have another moment, but that’s part of what being a fan of Watford is all about. at least it is for me anyway. give me a team that works for the shirt, than a team of highly paid flashy gits who chuck the towel in any day of the week.
The team now is perfectly likeable. Useless cloggers trying to play football.....it's actually quite amusing to watch really and if I wasn't so into it, I'd actually laugh at seeing Bayo try to put the ball into the net, or Rajovic running after the ball only for it to be moved on long before he gets there. It's pure comedy and once we are on 50 points, then nothing will matter for the rest of this particular season......which in a way is nice as the games towards the end of the season will have no consequence, thus will not make me a nervous wreck hoping we win. I'm looking forward to the futility of the last dozen games or so.......so I'm not too down on the current squad. They are just crap and it is what it is. In any other period in our history, this current team would be perfectly in keeping with what's gone on before. I am angry over where the Pozzo's have placed us, from the position we were in only 4 years ago. That should never have happened. They've massively let the club down with their mismanagement. The only thing that annoys me more than the Pozzo's are fans who still support them and bend over backwards justifying what they do and continually making excuses for them.
What do you think a "par" performance would be for a club of our size that hasn't been bankrolled by its owners ? Is the issue with where we sit now, simply that we were unable to sustain our over-performance, not helped by some poor decsions ?
The issue is the nosedive Gino Pozzo has placed us in through his arrogance and incompetence. Soon as his father left the scene, it's all gone pear-shaped, and now the same thing is occurring at Udinese. Fans had better quickly wake up to where this ownership is taking us. I think too many think we're now at our rightful place and the decline has bottomed out. Believe me, with the level of debt Gino has placed on us, things can get a hell of a lot worse.
I just don’t believe anything the hierarchy say. By next summer the goal posts would have moved. We’ll still be in massive debt and new excuses for it will be made.
We rely a lot on our full backs to provide attacking threat as we're almost incapable of attacking through the centre unless Kone and Kayembe are both playing. Andrews in particular is up and down non stop. No idea if it's true or not but remember reading somewhere that Ismael beasts his teams in pre season so they start super fit but they're known to run out of gas in the second half of the season. If there's anything in that, a very small squad is asking for trouble...
I've a vague recollection of hearing/reading this too but wasn't sure enough to commit to my post And as you say, a small squad will only add to the tiredness/fatigue and the niggles & strains picked up along the way due to being unable to rest players adequately
None of the crap in your post is why we went down. Palace are in the exact same position and where are they? We went down by a gnats pube because we didn't make the ONE signing that was required in the January relegation season, and because Deulofeu was brutally and unforgivably injured by a massive c unt.
Although you expect the club knew this with so many out-goings in the Summer. When you are almost rubbing pennies together for a transfer kitty, your going to be playing more or less the same team each game. That's 46+ games in a full season. Sure, you can rotate but as we have seen (and may well see more) an injury or two totally unbalances the side. We obviously miss Kayembe, and a more up to speed Dennis and Sema would certainly aid us. But TDB is clearly either very tired or just not switched on when it's game time. He very nearly cost us a point yesterday but I think had we more strength and depth he would probably be third choice at best. How we have still not rectified our RB situation is stunning. Unless Gino has some prime aces up his sleeve come the next Window, we are going to get performances like last night as a common theme. I'm glad we got rid of the rot but next season will be even tougher financially with no parachute payments. I think the overall morale of the squad is still strong though, and hopefully we can have a strong end to the season. Whatever comes next season will come and you would hope the club will deal with it in a professional way.
Little Watforders. They’ll never feel the way we do, have an excuse for everything. Deeney called them out on it and look how he’s treated now. The answer to your often asked question about Champo vs the PL is it’s where the majority of our fans want to be. Forever.
Never said it was the reason .we will never be a mainstay in the top flight never have never will .we are a small club palace are probably slightly bigger and have spent more of their history in the top flight than we have..palace will be back down within a couple of seasons Brentford, Fulham , Bournemouth will all be back down to the 2nd tier at some point
I want us to be in the premier League but I'm realistic enough to realise ww wont be constants in that league
As far as I personally see it, that bird has long since flown. We had built a foundation under Joka which was carried on (to an extent) by QSF and despite a close call under Walt, we stayed up for four seasons pretty comfortably. Pre Pandemic we were awful, the defence was aging and we had players' like Doucoure' and Capoue' who had obviously had their minds made up that they wanted to move on. Even when football resumed we had more than enough games to save ourselves but for whatever reason we threw points down the drain. Losing at home to Southampton was a big one, and despite beating Newcastle 2-1 and putting us fairly clear of the drop we again fell to bits and in the end I think we deserved to go down as throughout the season we had relied on the team that the ownership was reluctant to improve in the key areas. This is an issue we have gone over countless times on this forum but it remains true. I would like us to be a mainstay PL side, it's where all fans' want their club to be. However, due to the costly errors in recruitment and financial stability the only chance that will come back around would be after a large re-build and a lot of investment in the squad. Getting out of this division is hard enough and I think we all know next season will be more of a struggle (or not, depending on the Summer) with even less money coming in from external sources. We know the reasons we are where we are. we know who is ideally to blame, but as fans' all we can do is support the side as much as possible and hope that one day, things will turn again.
You are right. Nothing that comes from the board at Watford right now is worth a listen. The owner is in his bunker and his lieutenants will soon jump ship or fall on their swords. Our debts were or are between £200m - £234m. Debt free with Pozzo at the helm? Those little green men on Mars are still laughing
Let’s get this season over first but yes can see a few outs of key players this summer and some will be a year older.
Yep. Asprilla, Kone and Hoedt will all be sold in the summer. We will replace them with one Mogi signing.
Yeah I can't believe some people earlier in the thread were blaming Bayo - even though his pass was a tad over-hit, it wasn't so bad that Martins shouldn't still comfortably slotting that away. But instead he crapped his pants and pretty much fell over.
