Watford Fc 0-1 Crystal Palace - Play Off Final - 27/5/2013

Promotion = Pond, can't get ahead of myself! :biggrin:

 

When we go up I can't think of anything better.

End of Uni for life, promotion, pond, a few beverages. I'm in heaven.

 

Hope you stuff palace 4-0. It's bad enough losing to Palace in the fashion we did, last thing I want to see is that lot in the Premier League.

 

Wembley pond looks a lot nicer than ours though. Jump in there instead.

 

Probably not the best topic where to post this, but is the most visible one and i guess you all are interested. On today's Gazzetta dello Sport (italian most important sport newspaper) Giampaolo Pozzo in an interview said that play the final match to get promoted with Watford is a great satisfaction, but strong coronaries are needed, looking how the qualification arrived against Leicester. It has been a crazy situation, but we weren't lucky earlier; we could get directly promoted in Premier League but that went wrong. We are there to fight and we hope it will end well.

 

I need a strong coronary!

 

I nearly had one on Sunday!!

 

Not a problem, we'll take care of it.

 

If Vydra is on song I think he'll tear them a new one

 

Shud be fixed, thank you for kind thinking! Pink or green block
Have a problem, bought away kit on 50% discount and that yellow IVECO shirt is washed in bits and peaces and is too small too :]]
too much beer ?
Will buy a 2013 shirt then

 

The more I think about this game the more concerned I get, all season we have played well against teams that have come out and played against us but struggled against teams which have set out to spoil and frustrate us as Palace did to Brighton, really surprised by how confident some people are.

 

I'm not an invested believer in fate. But all along, the agonising and unfortunate chase for second, during a fantastic season defying the odds and doubters, with players we'd never heard of becoming genuinely loved, representing our supposedly banished identity impeccably.

I couldn't help but think that maybe all the bad luck/ misfortune, such as so many stonewall penalties since Blackpool not being given, was just waiting to be repaid at the end, in the sweetest of manners.

The SF couldn't have been sweeter, a play-off final v Holloway?

Like I say, I don't believe in fate, but it does have a feel of "this was meant to happen" about it. The accumulation of eery circumstances just makes it seem like we can't lose.

Seems like someone's script is being played out here, and it's a Watford fans'.

 

Moog prefers a spit roast

 

Just realised that the game falls on the US Memorial Day, so I don't even need to book a day off from work.

 

We've got a lot to be optimistic about. Our top goalscorer just broke his goal drought in amazing style. Theirs is out (until Christmas), along with one of their more creative midfielders.

I think our main issue this season has been overconfidence, more than anything. I think we've struggled against the lower teams because some of the team turned up expecting to win easily, and those teams fought tooth and nail.

There is no excuse for underestimating Palace. They are in the final on merit after a long season. I think we're a better side, no doubt about that, but that doesn't matter if the players don't turn up and work for it.

After Sunday, any questions someone might have had about our players not being willing to work for a win should be completely banished. If they turn up and don't expect it to be a walk in the park, if they're not overawed by the occasion, it's there for them to take. We've got a lot of players who have the ability to create something out of nothing: Vydra, Deeney, Abdi, Chalobah, Cassetti, Battochio, Forestieri are all capable of pulling something out of a hat in seconds. Most teams in this division would be happy to have one player who can do that, and we've got 7.

 

Stop getting all jittery you liver lilies!

Palace are a good team, they play attacking football not spoiling, have you forgotten our games against them this season? Also our performances ALL season against the top teams have been excellent.

After Sunday this feels like OUR season so stop pooping your pants; providing the players are wrapped in cotton wool between now and game day and, for once, the referee we get actually just does his job, it will come to be.

 

Haven't read any posts on this thread, but it just came to me! We played Palace on the very first day of the season and will now play them in our final game of the season, lets just all the hope the day/score is as good as it was on our first game of the season, on that fantastic August day! 12 Days...

 

A chorus of 'we pay your benefits' would go down nicely against their window lickers. Sorry, Ultras.

 

Just realised the pitch will be used two days before our game when Bayern play Dortmund. Does anyone know if this will affect the playing surface?

 

No they'll be able to sort it in time. It's not like it's been played on all season.

If not, the FL is against us again.

 

With the Germans in town the pubs might run out of beer

 

I am actually more worried with Murray out.... Zaha looks better in a more central role. Do worry too about their wing play but Vydra is our very own RVP and we have shown it only takes 20 seconds to score a goal after starting from our own goal line.

My only doubt is the fact that Holloway is their manager..... I couldn't stand it if he won, Zola would be gracious in defeat I couldn't be.

 

Zaha played up top I think when Wilbrahim came off.

 

Its going to be a tough game on all accounts, Palace are good team and should not be underestimated. Whilst we have penetrated their defense 5 times this season we have to also accept the fact we have conceded 4 times against them.
However they are lacking the firepower options at present and just at the wrong time. I can see their game plan to be defensively minded, compact the midfield and put pressure on the ball to frustrate us with a hope of a Zaha break away goal. They did this to good effect against Brighton and will be confident they can do it again to us. The difference being we do score more frequently and have the forwards to take this to them. Being the League's top goal scorers on 85 goals scored we are not going to stop now. If we compare ourselves to Brighton (69 scored), we are the next level to the attacking threat that Brighton were. With our strikers back in form, I think we will score on the day but really depends on the Palace team that turns up, will it be the same team of a few weeks back that was leaking goals by the number or the same Palace we saw this week against Brighton?? (I wasn't convinced of their final day performance either just as much I wasn't convinced of ours)

If they go behind early then I think they may suffer quite badly however make it to halftime 0-0 and it could be anyones.
I'm confident Watford have what it takes though, we are a menace going forward but equally know we are well capable of defensive errors.

Defenders win you league position and its your forwards that win you cups...

Well our league is now our cup and I think of the two team we should be slightly favoured.

 

Wilbraham played the full 90 minutes. From what I saw, Zaha was on the right side pretty much all game, except when Palace looked to break where he would go more central.

 

It's worth mentioning that Brighton played very poorly in the play off games. It looked to me like they lose their nerve and didn't show up. Their approach after going 1-0 down was to basically give up, rather than show any fight.

By contrast, our opponents turned up for the two legs.

You can only beat the team in front of you, and Palace can't help that Brighton capitulated, but I think our team have proven on a number of occasions that they don't give up when chasing a game. It has proven key on many times this season.

Something I've been thinking about is big game experience. We have quite a lot: Almunia speaks for himself, as does Cassetti. Abdi has played in the Champions' League. Vydra and Pudil are full Czech internationals. Ekstrand has played in the Champions' League, and has also won a full Sweden cap. Doyley has seen two playoff finals with Watford before, although he wasn't in the 1999 squad. Hall is also very experienced with regards to promotion, although we don't know if he'll be fit or not. Experience can count for a lot on this sort of occasion.

 

Sorry. I stand corrected. must have imagined Wilbrahim coming off. Do see him as the main threat although Bolassie looks quite decent too. I can see us conceding a penalty, just hope it's not decisive but would';t if be good if it was saved and we broke away for a late goal.... oh that can never happen surely

 

Don't know how I'm coping for the next 2 weeks...nerves are building up already! Want this so much....we deserve it so much more than Palace...we've had to put up with so much sh1t this year from anyone and everyone!

 

I would expect Williams and Garvan to start and then bring on Bolasie and Moritz(attacking midfielder) for pace. I don't think Bolasie will be to much of a threat against Anya but Zaha against Pudil/Briggs could be dangerous, especially if one of them gets a booking.

 

Hear Hear ..... don't think I could live with a smug Holloway thinking he's got the better of us and doing that ridiculous dance in the dressing room

I hope to god that class tells but I've still got that sneaking doubt

 

Me too. There's no way I'm going to this thinking it's a nailed on win for us.

 

^^^

Brighton bottled it big time as only they can. All season long when they've conceded they've never gone on to win, as soon as Palace scored you could see their body language change.

Nice tippy tappy without end product is pointless. They have good players but no leaders on the pitch and a tactically naive manager to boot.

Watford may be a lot of things but this season they are not bottle jobs.

Holloway has bog game experience but so does GFZ and most of our squad have played in big games so hopefully no stage fright.

IF we play like we did for most of the season and have started to again just when it mattered + we get a decent referee for once then I think we will win but not easily.

I've had enough drama over the last few games to last me a lifetime so if it's a tense, drab war of attrition but we win with a scrappy own goal I'll be more than happy.