I think it's easy to say "poor defending" when you're sitting at home watching it for the 27th time, but something pundits and fans often forget is the players get to see it once, in real time. While Pereyra didn't touch the ball for a lot of his move, the reason the defence didn't touch it was he completely sold them on him doing something else entirely. Any one of five of them could have tracked the ball if it had been threaded through with someone running onto it and easily put it out; it wasn't the trajectory of the ball that was the issue for the defence. They were just sold a number of dummies in quick succession and by the time they all twigged it was too late. You have to give huge credit to Pereyra for that, because fooling that many people at once in a football match is a bloody difficult thing to do.
Ah yes - the ever clinical Callum Wilson. 15/16 season: 13 played, 5 goals in 770 mins of Premier League football. One goal every 154 minutes. 16/17 season: 2o played, 6 goals in 1366 mins of Premier League football. One goal every 227 minutes. 17/18 season: 28 played, 8 goals in 1991 mins of Premier League football. One goal every 248 minutes. 18/19 season: 10 games played, 5 goals in 878 mins of Premier League football. One goal every 175 minutes. He's had a great start to the season yes but Wilson misses so many chances and is anything but clinical if anything he's wasteful. The media just hype him as international standard because he's young, quick and plays for Bournemouth. He's a slightly better version of Gray at best. Gray has two fewer goals in 270 fewer minutes this season. That's three whole games less than Wilson. We're not missing a clinical striker people just watch too much TV and think teams like Watford will have strikers like Aguero who don't miss..
Well put. And the thought of Callum Wilson throwing himself over in a Watford Shirt brings up some sick into my mouth.
A decent performance and a comfortable victory against a limited Huddersfield. I was a little disappointed in the second half performance but never felt we were in any danger of conceding. GD going off was the slowest walk I’ve ever seen from a player substituted and not a good reaction. I’m sure he was disappointed to come off but I felt he showed Javi a little lack of respect. On his performance, I think he showed his capabilities and also his frailties. So much talent but maybe not quite fulfilled it yet. Hopefully he will here as that frontline yesterday of GD Pereyra and Success looked frightening Thought Masina was ok but prefer Holebas. Sema I’m not sure about so far. Great run at the end of the game when he should have played in Gray but he just doesn’t look like a Premier League player at the moment. Best game this season for Kiko. I feel he is so important to the way we are trying to play football now and delighted to see him in the side. Best right back at the club. As many have said, the change in Capoue is incredible. He looks fitter, stronger and is involved for 90 minutes now rather than flitting in and out of the game. Is this is down to Javi then he is genius as nobody else has managed to do this with Capoue. Excellent game for Foster. Superb save to tip the one on to the bar and although you would expect him to make all the other saves he made it was his handling of those efforts that pleased me. Huddersfield. Started brightly and they do have some decent players but just not enough of them to save them from the drop I’m afraid. Who was their number 20 up front? That’s one of the worst players I’ve ever seen.
Deulofeu has said his reaction was down to not scoring a second goal, rather than being substituted. Good. On Huddersfield: the worry for them is that was probably the best they can play and they still lost 3-0. They just don’t have good enough players. Their only hope is that at least Fulham, Newcastle & Cardiff continue to be as poor as they have been so far - and there is no guarantee of that.
Truley a WTF moment. After the lucky ‘winner’ had admitted to 1000’s of us that he regularly fantasises about Tommy Mooney, he stumbled drunkenly around the 18 yard box in front of the Rookery before being escorted off by security. One of the security guards then showed off some impressive keepy uppy skills finishing the session off by hitting the cross bar. Was it all set up like that? Was I whooshed by the whole thing? I think that MoPlay will be asking their marketing apprentice for advice again.
This blog offers an explanation for Capoue's improvement and reckons it is down to Gracia: https://vicbait.wordpress.com/2018/10/21/capow-explaining-the-resurgence-of-super-etienne/amp/
Is that what was happening? I clapped and sang 'Mooney Wonderland" for a bit then played a word game on my phone.
A win in second gear. The only things to concern anyone should be the slow starts to both halves. The midfield is superlative and those five all complement each other perfectly. Delofeu should have bagged a couple more and Hughes could have capped off truly memorable approach play.Also still not killing teams in the final third. A little more accuracy and we could be scoring five to six goals a game without any trouble at all. This is the best midfield we have ever had at the club so that should not be a surprise. As for Pereyra's goal. Messi has done that many times. Just takes the ball in a straight line ball glued to the foot and with subtle dips of the head and shoulder dummies defenders out of their socks. Just as Pereyra did. It was great close control and defenders are reluctant to challenge because they are fully aware he can go the other way of they do make a challenge. I would be unconcerned as well about a club coming in for him. He will certainly attract attention but Scaloni the Argentina manager has intimated he will pick players who are playing regularly for their clubs. Roberto looks like he enjoys the role he is in and thoroughly enjoying himself. Perhaps a contract extension and wage increase behind the scenes.
Nice easy win, we should be expecting nothing less from this very talented squad. Hope Gino is already preparing a fair few new contracts when other teams come sniffing in January.
I don't understand why they didn't just say 'here's Tommy' and let him introduce the keepy uppy chap,rather than that daft pretence. Bring back Harry and Harriet and their marriage ceremony!
I did notice Tim and Emma - the 2 match day guys having a quick chat afterwards as they walked off - suspect that didn't go as planned!
Watched MOTD repeat just now. Javi really celebrated Success' goal. Suggests it was very much the coming together of a well drilled plan and the satisfaction was evident. Delofeou throwing his gloves down does look like he was frustrated not to have at least a brace. He didn't show any disrespect to Javi as the coach greeted him off the pitch. I'm inclined to accept his explanation.
I was walking back down Vicarage Road after the game and overhead two depressed Huddersfield fans talking. Word for word: "I can't see where the goals are coming from or how we stay up. What happens now?" "I guess we go again" Even better was that this was in a proper Yorkshire accent.
What even was the premise? Piecing together what I saw and what people have said, a fan won the chance to ask Tommy Mooney some questions, began by sexually harassing him in front of 20k witnesses, asked something mundane about scoring a banger and then robbed the ball and tried to score a goal into an empty net. Then he was bundled off and a young steward showed some decent ball juggling skills but missed an open gole, whilst Emma asked Mooney more mundane questions. Y tho?
Should never let fans on the pitch, ruins everything. The last time fans were on the pitch was against Sheffield Weds and look how that day ended.
Well good point! Maybe they won't be doing it again or maybe asking a more mature less drunk person to take part.
If you can see through your red mist and take a step back, there was a reason I used Wilson as an example. It's because, IMO, he's vastly better than Gray and he's a type of player that could easily be at a club like Watford. This is why I did NOT mention Aguero.
After our win yesterday, that sees an 11 point upgrade on points gained from corresponding fixtures last season. So, simplistically, if the results for the rest of the season mirrored last season from here on in, we'd end up with 52 points and would finish in 8th place, on last season's table.
I'm sure the fan will act more mature and less drunk in his next acting gig, if that's what the director wants...
We seem to be upping our “unplayable” number of minutes quite nicely. Only saw the exteded highlights of the Wolves game but clearly starting to control larger parts of the games. Felt Huddersfield, outside of the opening 10mins, were limited to mostly long range efforts. That said they did have some great attempts and Foster certainly earned his crust this week. Unlike previously I actually felt that if Huddersfield managed to get a goal we’d step it up a gear instead of collapsing. Should not take our foot quite so much off the gas in future though as we did become very sloppy. Agree with most comments in respect of the player performances but will defend Sema a little bit as a number seem to already be writing him off. I’m sure it’s not easy to be only getting a few minutes here and there and not all players can just integrate and get up to speed in sparodic appearances. I thought he wasn’t too bad and if he’d just have fed Gray at the end we’d be looking at 4 top draw goals instead of 3. For once I shared Gray’s frustration. Willing to be patient because the way we are playing, he’ll struggle to get a game. Lots of examples in the past of players taking a while to show what they’re capable of. Also think Masina, after the first 10mins, did ok. Good in the air and pretty good with the ball at his feet. By the way most bookies are offering nearly 2/1 on us at Newcastle next week. Get it before it goes!
