Watford FC 0-3 Brighton & Hove Albion - 10/08/2019

380 games?

 

Yeah, that too.

 

Im not looking down my nose at brighton. My intended point was we can compete with brighton by following a different model where we dont need to spend as much as other "mid table" clubs, like brighton.

 

Fair enough but you alluded to them chucking money at it - so I assume you mean £20m for Webster or £20m for Maupay? You then compared that to us paying £6m for Hughes 2 years ago. I don’t think those models are that different. It’s just that the transfer market has moved on. I very much doubt we’d get Derby to sell Hughes for £6m now.

 

Gino would....

 

So what? Their extra income by gate equates to roughly £40 x 10k x 20 per season = £8m. You get roughly £2m per place in the PL over the basic TV money and money per match shown. We finished 11th last season, they finished 17th. So we got something like £12m more than them for that.

So how come we can't compete with them financially then? Unless this Bloom geezer is funding them as his toy which does of course happen but is supposed to be against the rules.

 

Well £8 million covers 25% of our losses! It’s not insignificant and it’s guaranteed year on year whereas us finishing 11th isn’t. And yes I’d say Bloom having a billion changes things. FFP has little impact outside of European spots so he can burn 100 million if he wanted. That’s Pozzo’s total wealth!

 

Tony Bloom is far richer than our owner. To the extent when they built the Amex he paid for it in full himself. He is rumoured to be a multi-billionaire. His father and uncle were director and Vice-Chairman back in the 70’s so he has a link to the club and not just a fly-by-night owner.

People need to realise - FFP isn’t really a ‘thing’ in the PL. If you spend beyond your means and stay up, fine - there’ll be another load of money coming your way for doing so. If you spend beyond your means and go down, so be it - it’s the EFL’s problem to deal with.

 

Indeed-Bloom has put £222m of his own money in-help fund the ground and trading losses. The loans are unsecured and interest free. Brighton also owed £18m in transfer fees-in fairness players in books at £60m value

Contrast that with us. Players valued at £123m but £82m (net of money due in) owed in transfer fees and £70m owed to third party secured creditors and £25m to a Pozzo entity-i make that £177m of debt of which the Pozzos have injected (lent) £25m

 

Ok, to lighten my malaise, I've cheered myself up with this clip from BBC's Kick Start in 1985 - you know the motocross show, which I loved.

Classic clip, which I'd forgotten about and reduced me to a mess - sadly filmed on a potato.

https://twitter.com/BBCArchive/status/1158637580444930048?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1158637580444930048&ref_url=https://www.thepoke.co.uk/2019/08/06/40-years-since-this-kick-start-crash-that-it-as-eye-wateringly-funny-as-it-was-then/

 

Very good, I used to love Kick Start too. This definitely has shades of dropping Pierre Issa off a stretcher about it.

 

Getting quite excited now contrary to expectations. U 'effing ,Orns!

 

I don’t think Javi will throw any new signings in the team, possibly even the squad at this late stage. So the team for Saturday will have been decided.

Only questions are Deulofeu or Gray. And Pereyra or Sema.

Obviously the choice comes from fitness (and Grays pre-season goal scoring form).

Forgetting our lack of transfer activity my only issue with the team is Sema, and he has the occasional good spell and hasn’t played enough to be written off completely.

I’m confident, coming up to the game and starting to get excited!

 

I think Gray and Deeney may start with Delefoo on the bench. As Delefoo had a knock as a precautionary measure keeping on the bench would be a good idea in a winnable game like this.

 

I guess I was having a piss at the time.

 

Maybe Welbeck will start.
(Or is he injured?)

 

You should move to the Upper GT, everyone just pisses in their seats there.

 

Not played for something like 9 months so I doubt we'll see him. Probably has a muscle balance issue or something...

 

Welbeck hat-trick incoming.

 

Strong winds (Force 6) forecast for match time.

 

Foster

Janmaat
Dawson
Cathcart
Holebas

Doucoure
Capoue

Sarr
Geri
Bobby P

Welbz

Watford 4 - 0 Brighton

Sarr (29), Welbeck (38, 67), Geri (90 + 1).

Holebas (red card)

 

Totally agree.
Other than none of your front 4 will play and the score will be 1-2.

 

Comfortable win 3-1

 

For whom ?

 

We’ll rip ‘em a new one with our new signings.

World record win incoming!

 

I don't think the new players will be assimilated into the team quick enough for this first match. Also 2 major players with fitness doubts suggest they won't start either. I think Sarr, Welbeck, Dele may start on the bench. 1 may start.

Still a good home win!

 

Bashiru didn't even get on the bench when we were allowed 11 subs in the last pre-season games.
Welbeck was interviewed on SSN today - doesn't sound like he's going to be anywhere near the squad and Gracia seems to have backed that up in the press conference.
Sarr will be on the bench I suspect. But Gracia was very vocal last season about picking players he has worked with all week before a game.

I hate predicting line-ups but here goes:
Foster,
Kiko, Cathcart, Dawson, Holebas
Hughes, Capoue, Doucoure, Pereyra
Deeney, Gray

Gomes, Mariappa, Janmaat, Deulofeu, Success, Cleverley, Sarr/Okaka

 

I would agree with that but think that Success and Okaka won't be on the bench if the squad has to be confirmed to the EPL before the match. Certainly Success has lost the number 10 shirt. Otherwise exact I think.

 

With some first class signings added to our already excellent squad, the replacement of the dreadful dirge Z-Cars with the jolly and uplifting 'I'm still standing' and our unfortunate cup final setback long forgotten, I can't remember the last time I was more excited about a new season. Emphatic home win

 

Deulofeu is expected to be fit. If fit, he'll start. Therefore it's likely Gray will as always be the one dropping to the bench.

No idea whether Welbz or Sarr are ready to play yet.

 

I would be surprised if we see Wellbeck this month TBH

 

Geri and Maxi both fit to play on Saturday. Interesting to see that Gracia is talking about Foulquier not being fit. Looks like he could be part of things this season.

https://www.watfordfc.com/teams/first-team/team-news-brighton-0

 

Welbeck definitely isn't. Gracia has said so today and so has the player himself on SSN. Hasn't even trained with the rest of the squad yet, not on the training pitch anyway.

I would expect Deulofeu to start. Except we know Deeney will start, and I think its really harsh to drop Gray after his pre-season form. Perhaps controversial but I'd have Deloufeu off the bench.

 

Just saw Gracia's comments on the official site. Seems that while Del is fully fit, Pereyra is only fit enough to play a bit-part.

In which case, given that Sema is so crap, perhaps we could go 4-3-3, with Capoue, Doucs and Hughes in the middle, and Deeney, Gray and Del up top. We rarely seem to line up that way, but it could work, especially if Brighton start in a rumoured 5-3-2.