Agree with most of the comments above, think we actually do have a good team and would criticise very few of them for their work rate or team spirit. Defence ain’t the best in the world - but if we score more than we let in who cares, plus loved seeing Gomes so desperate for us to score that he was up by the 1/2 way line - shows how much he loves the club and wants us to win. Richarlison has missed a few, but also scored a few and is great to watch, plus if he hit the back of the net every single time he would have cost a £100million. Capoue has had his day, he makes a good impact sub , but should never play more than 15mins (have never liked him really so might just be me. On the flip side couldn’t stand holebas last year, but this year think he looks much better. Think Deeney is struggling (and I love Deeney) if he doesn’t get a three match ban I will be astonished and to be fair think he probably deserves it. However getting a ban might be good for us as it might force us to look back at Okaka Not sure about Gray, but happy to believe in Silva he must see something in him. Can’t help thinking we are one quality striker away from a really good team.
Deeney has already been booked for the Allen scrap. He shouldn't be punished a second time (double jeopardy). If Oliver wants to claim he didn't see it to its full extent then he should have carded no one and left it for the retrospective review lot at the FA to pick the bones out of it. Deeney would clearly have been sent off if we had VAR but we don't and that should be the end of it.
Sounds odd from a Watford fan, but I kind of think he should be banned and fined. I watched it on TV (and can’t find a video of it to re watch), but it was riddiculous loss of composure and very embarrassing to watch.
I reckon that whatever happens to Deeney, we'll get charged for failing to keep our players under control, or whatever it is called. Probably Stoke will as well. It will be our second this season, I think.
Having read the comments in this thread I guess things seem different when you studiously watch the match at home on a stream in your underpants, rather than actually attending. I was pissed but I thoroughly enjoyed the match. Wave after wave of attacks for 90 mins, how is that not entertaining? Annoying we didn't get the well deserved win, but we've got two lumps of dog **** up front so this is hardly surprising - we can't rely on our ace midfielders every game. Presumably this well be addressed asap. Giving okaka a go v Everton is an absolute must, they are terrified of him. Best thing Deeney did was man handling that rat at the end. Only disappointment was that the chaps eyeballs didn't pop out.
I agree. I think Silva needs to look at 2 up front at home as the difference is stark. Hopefully it will be easier to solve home problems than away form.
Doesnt sound odd at all. Just looking at his face you can see he's lost the plot there. Whether he can receive a retrospective ban or not (some say he can because he was booked on a different incident) he deserves punishment of some kind for that. Either stripped of the captaincy or a club fine (or both)
I seemed to remember a few people on here saying this would be a good win for us, a no brainer almost. Can't be bothered to go back and quote these comments but I suspect, or hope, these people know who they are. Still think some have a lot to learn about football, nothing is ever set in stone or a sure fire thing. Years of Championship football should have taught people that, but maybe not.
I was linesman to Graham Poll (in a Watford match funnily enough) when he was at his Zenith. I couldn't believe how fat and out of shape he was for a bloke who was to all intents and purposes a professional sportsman. Piss poor warm up he did and not as dedicated as many I've reffed with who were on the way up the ladder in the Conference and lower. Fitness correlates directly concentration and decision making later in each half, which is why Poll did his three yellow card trick at the World Cup and why Jon Moss is so bad. A ref that is reluctant or unable to run backwards or get around the pitch is a poor ref. Its a giveaway. Keith Hackett was a similar fat chunky boozer like Poll, and thats why he, although a better ref than Poll, didn't go to two World Cups but George Courtney who was absolutely fantastic and really really fit did. Graham Poll only got a head start in refereeing as his dad was the Secretary of the Herts FA. Which club official or referee's assessor was going to give the golden child bad marks? The ego Poll has persists to this day and he is and he's deluded. Which is why Clattenburg had a different view to the Bellerin could on Richarlison. Poll and Winter and Hackett are all chunky media personalities of diminishing credibility compared with Clattenburg and Howard Webb. None of them better than Terry Heilbron, btw, just from a more influential part of the UK, FA wise. Its very very cliquey....
Whoever puts in the winning bid for Troy's Poppy shirt will get some Joe Allen DNA thrown in for free....
I do wonder what some supporters want if I'm honest. Have we been that conditioned by clubs to demand perfection immediately that if everything doesn't fall into place after half a dozen or so games some heads must roll? When you look back at our evolution under the Pozzo's it's pretty staggering to be honest. The squad we have today is light years ahead of the one we entered this division with and will continue to improve and evolve. Will every signing be a success? No. Even Duxbury alluded to the fact that we are likely going to have to take some more risks than other teams when it comes to signings as we will not get, or afford, the "sure things" that some people seem to want. We currently have injuries to 4 key players which also happens to be part of the engine room in midfield and the heart of the defence. We are still more than competitive and actually should have beaten Chelsea with much of the team that turned out yesterday. Bigger clubs have been done by Stoke's methods. On that subject, let's face it, once again Stoke did a number on us. Unfortunately we have not learnt our lessons, or done our homework. I really do think they may still end up in the bottom 3 as they are truly dogshit and will not be able to pull that off all season with the players they've got. We tried to win the game and became frustrated and ran out of ideas whilst still also creating two very scoreable chances for an off colour Richarlison. Despite losing I'd far more want to watch us take on Everton away and the likely quality on show than be in Stoke fans shoes going to Brighton to watch that garbage. I won't go so far as to say I feel sorry for them but can see why many want to see the back of Mark Hughes. I suspect quite a few are probably embarrassed by it all.
I would add Dermot Gallagher in your list also, as personalities with diminishing credibility. It's not until they switch over to the world of media, you realised how flawed and clueless they really are. Even after analysing incidents on replays their reading of the situation is often wrong. Gallagher always wants to back the refs, regardless of the incident. He often contradicts himself in the same sentence. Poll is just a nasty grudge bearing individual. Why he is given airtime, just to play to his ego, is totally beyond me. I agree with you. Webb is class and is always fair in his analysis. If the ref gets it wrong, he says that, and doesn't make excuses for the official.
Why are people claiming that Okaka is our best striker. He is like a false hope for people. He really isn't that good.
To be fair I reckon today would have been a comfortable win if we got the first goal as stoke are terrible, as soon as they got the goal it was always going to be difficult against Stokes 10-0-0 formation.
To be fair our other two strikers have played 10 games between them this season and have come up with 1 goal each (one of which was a penalty).On the other hand Okaka has played one and has the same number of goals and was man of the match in that game. I remember Ian Wright saying how unplayable he was in the Liverpool game. So for me and I assume many other Watford fans it it just seems ridiculous that he is not getting in the team when Gray is full of running but will struggle to get in to double figures this season and to be honest it wouldn't surprise me if he struggled to get five goals and Troy with the exception of Arsenal has been ineffective all season.
That is why Shawcross reacted and we t head to head with Troy (maybe that will get himself into trouble?) Sure the FA will charge both teams with failing to control the players..
Okaka does have qualities. He's by far the best finisher at the club. He falls between two stools though. He's not as good as Deeney at holding up the ball with his back to goal, and he cannot play on the shoulder with pace like apparently Gray can. He doesn't seem to have the stamina to be effective for 90 minutes either, but he is a real handful in the penalty area.
That is a perfectly reasonable response but I believe people are setting their hopes too high regarding Okaka's ability. If he is given a game and plays poorly, the meltdown would be ridiculous. That said, he did do okay against Liverpool but like HB said, he does fade out of the game after around 60 mins. Again, it's worth giving him a go but I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being crap. Though i'd be over the moon if he became our new goal scoring striker (because we bloody need one)
I am not suggesting that Okaka should be starting every week but he is certainly a decent option to come off the bench, in my opinion we could have done with 3 up top yesterday in the last quarter of the game.
Kinda hoping Deeney gets a ban. In a free flowing team he has been truly awful. No workrate, no bringing team mates into play.no movement off the ball.
