Unless we continually play like we did against Norwich though (and then some) there won't be much point us making the play-offs, though. And that's if we do - Stoke, for one, have taken more points than any EFL team except for Spurs since Michael O'Neill took over. The three teams below us: Boro, Stoke, and Barnsley, are all currently in better form over 5 games and all have a more settled team under either a more promising or far more experienced manager. Would we really bet the current incarnation of us against all 3 of them? Short of the odd blip, we have been on a downward trajectory for quite a while now. Who is, and how are they, going to arrest it? Edit - must admit that I just rechecked the form table, and Stoke aren't actually in better form than us; they have one fewer victory, but also one fewer loss.
Yep, that's fair, and I certainly wouldn't be betting on us in the play off unless we improve. You never know with the play offs but it would have a 2008 vs Hull vibe to it.
Why are you expecting assists from Cleverley when he's being played as a defensive mid? I know he's a boo boy but come on be fair
Elton Hercules John cleaned the Augean stable after declaring that it needed an enema from within. His next task was to guide Andre Graymedes to the netted doorway to project multiple golden apples through it's gateway. Unfortunately, this labour was a total failure and Hercules flounced off in disgust.
I watched that with my brother and the Watford supporters club in Sydney. As you can imagine, it did not end up seeming worth the abnormal time commitment.
Deeney and Gray missed matches the first half of the campaign to date so we may have scored a few more earlier on with players playing in their normal positions.
He isn't being played as a defensive mid though, is he - he's being played as the more advanced and less defensive player in a central midfield two.
Including Cleverley as he’s only our fourth player to have scored more than 1 goal for us this season. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yeah very fair point. Gray is 17th for minutes played less than even Capoue & Quina. Deeney is 14th so you are definitely right. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Here’s a stat that’ll make your toes curl. In our 4 highest scoring games we notched 13 goals, against Blackburn, Coventry, Preston and Stoke. Of course that’s very good, but (and this is the toe curling bit) in the other 18 games played this season we’ve scored just 12 goals. 4 high scoring games, 18 low scoring games. In the vast majority of games we’ve scored 1 or 0. It’s pretty obvious where our problems lie. The owners need to resolve this and do it pretty quickly. We’ve stripped out a lot of quality and what we’re left with are players on big wages, big egos, but little quality. Deeney and Gray have massive egos about their own abilities, but I think even they are shocked at how ineffective they’ve become as strikers now.
I agree with that concern - we have played like dog***** 9 times out of 10 and not yet gone on anything resembling a losing streak. I'm not inclined to believe that's because we're so incredible we just can't lose; I'm inclined to believe makes us ripe for the bottom falling out as soon as those one or two lucky moments a game suddenly go against us rather than for us. The team/squad is also so mentally weak it could get catastrophic (not that it definitely will, but it's a possibility) - we see how they all responds to even going a goal down - it's like a puppy that's been kicked. Imagine if this current dressing room loses 3 on the bounce.
A midfield 2 overloaded by the oppositions midfield 3. He’s not playing in an advanced role he’s running around like a headless chicken chasing the opposition who are running rings around us.
We achieved the incredible feat of looking outnumbered everywhere on the pitch today. They had more players in the middle, were getting down our flanks and always had more defenders than we had attackers. Luckily Work Experience Xisco spotted this and did a couple of like for like substitutions to sort things out.
I certainly agree he's running around like a headless chicken, but he also wasn't always playing that role, right? When we were playing 3 at the back, he was often the most advanced of the midfield 3, if I am recalling correctly, and that is quite an offensive position. He's certainly had enough shots and attempts that he's fluffed spectacularly - he should have scored more this season.
Sneaking suspicion he's crap too but at least he sort of gallops about a bit and closes defenders down and tries to get in the box. I imagine he's also being constantly undermined and bullied by Deeney too though as he's seen as competition. Deeney laughed at his stats when they were playing guess the Football Manager player then had a pop at him on Hive Live another time saying he was about 6'10" but scared to head the ball.
He's hardly played. He's either been injured, suspended or not fancied. Even when he's come on from the bench he's rusty like against Norwich when he effed up that 1-on-1 near the end. He needs a run of games. Then we will know if he really is utter sh1te or not.
You don’t really need a run of games to take a 1 v 1 chance. You either have that quality to put the ball in the net or you don’t. Perica’s had 6 big chances this season. Scored 1, missed 4 and had one disallowed. From what I’ve seen if him, he’s no better than Gray or Deeney in front of goal.
Not entirely trying to rubbish your point, but it's not really fair to say he's had one disallowed - it was a perfectly legitimate goal, scored by a good headed finish and earned by movement of the kind no other striker we have have ever shown themselves capable of. If we are judging him based on the scant opportunities afforded to him, it is literally only fair for that to be very much in the 'plus' column, along with the other goal.
I’ve said it recently it’s clear half the players are scared of him - I truly believe we would improve if he left now.
Scared of a flabby gobby Brummie ? Good job these lads weren’t around when there were hard men in the game !
A run of games can definitely help a striker discover form and confidence, which leads to more successful one-on-ones. I don't think Perica is a prolific scorer but he definitely offers more than Deeney and Gray on current form
Troy Deeney 1 goal from open play in 766 Championship minutes (and it was a tap in after a defensive error). Mr Watford, the Talisman, he who cannot be dropped, our Leader and Legend. 'Deeney, Deeney Deeney'. Let him play for us FOREVER!! Let him pick the team amlnd sack the managers. 'Deeney, Deeney, Deeney'
That is rather point I was alluding to. The fact that the best chance we created was a bobble off a crap strikers shins is a concern. There is zero creativity in the team. An £18 million striker (LOL) and a £40 million winger (LOL) and they turn in performances like yesterday.
Grays had loads of chances on and off the field. Perica has had minimal chances but put effort in when asked. Grays one of the biggest frauds in football. Shagging his pop star mrs taking a reported 70k per week living the high life in Surrey most would dream about. He’s a waste of time oxygen and skin one of the reasons the club finds its self in this position. Ok not his fault the club keeps backing him the sooner he’s out the better Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
At the end of the Norwich game on Hive Live he also said to Emma that we should have scored more and singled out Perica, saying along the lines of "including Perica's chance, which I'm sorry but you've got to be tucking those away at this level". Which is true, but a bit rich when Troy's been missing all his sitters as well.
Some good points made there, looks as if half the teams hearts aren’t in it, think they are too good for the situation that they actually created! We need to start again make Wilmot captain ( he has come on leaps and bounds the last two games) play the players that actually want to play for us! Backmann Fermina Sierralta Wilmot Ngakia Siggy Garner Cleverly Sema Sarr. Pedro Shades of How, Coffill and Farley (older supporters will remember this)
Last season at The Arse , when Troy had real influence, and when we were chasing the game throwing the kitchen sink at Arsenal, when it was time to send the cavalry in , because we needed goals, an untried 19 y.o. got the nod over Gray. This tells you what the skipper really thinks of Andre. This tells you everything.....
I just watched the highlights on the club site, and although Big Ben could probably have done better with the 2nd goal I don't get why he is being slated for the first one? Quite frankly I think we are lucky to have Ben Foster in goal, because he has kept us in many games that we would have lost without him. I really don't get why many people on here are saying we need to replace him, because without him I really do fear that we could be stuck in the Championship for a while. As for the rest of the team, Deeney has been a great servant for this club, but I really must emphasise HAS BEEN, as that is exactly what he now is unfortunately. Gray, although a willing worker, just has not got it, he can't control the ball and he seems to have an aversion to the net. Ngakia is not a left back, so I do not really blame him for his performance, though he is a competent RB. Therefore if "The Kid" wants to play four at the back, he should switch Kiko and him over, as at least Kiko can play at LB. Serrialta did not have a good game and should probably be only used as a backup CB not a regular starter. Wilmot had a reasonable game, and as some have suggested on here, I also think he could be converted to a defensive MF player where he could possibly become a bit of a playmaker, helping us to play out from the back as well as protecting the defence. Another man who is often wrongly slated IMO is Cleverly. OK he his probably passed his best, but he still puts in a good shift for at least an hour in most games after which he begins to tire these days, having said that he always leaves it all out there on the pitch and gives 110%, which is more than can be said for many of our players. Chalobah, unfortunately is never going to be the player he was, but he can still have reasonable games though not often enough I'm afraid, it's such a pity his career has been tainted by injury as he could have been something special. Sarr I feel is just a bit disillusioned with life at WFC right now, hopefully he can rekindle the enthusiasm he had when he first joined us. However I think we will need to bring in fresh blood up front to get him firing again, maybe our new "Great Dane" Zinckernagel will help him to do that. As for King Ken, his early season form seems to have waned of late, but he still has his moments. Finally we really could do with getting back our injured talent and we REALLY must bring in some new strikers who can actually find the net. If we can do that I still have hopes of us getting back to the PL at the first time of asking, but the rot must stop NOW if we are going to do it!!!
