Watford FC 3-3 Tranmere Rovers - 04/01/2020 & 1-2 AET 23/01/2020

Won't be easy with away goals counting double. If they score 2 we will need to score 4 just to get a point. There are no easy games in the FA Cup, just ask Manchester City.

 

Excellent info. Thank you. I wonder who looks after him here. Obviously Gomes will be a mentor and translator. But does he live by himself or with a family? A Portuguese speaking family? Plenty of Portuguese/Brazilian families in Watford. Two bars together in the Vic.Rd. and one in the Whippendell Rd. for starters. Or are his own family staying here for an extended period?

 

Heard he is feigning injury in case Giraldi notices his remarkably mediocre career stats and wants to make a bid.

 

I'm pretty sure he's here with his mum and step dad and they are staying here. A while back he said that Richarlison told him Watford town is a good place for young people. Not a bad accolade considering Richarlison has lived in Rio de Janeiro!

 

I suspect he has a young person already given his girlfriend’s age

 

I think Success will be given a game today and this will be the last opportunity for him to impress. Pearson has done well to get the most out of some of our players e.g Kiko looked a complete liability prior to Pearson arriving, but now looks a key defender. If Success does play but doesn’t impress then he will probably get farmed out to some random Belgian club on loan, and never been seen again. But he does have the attributes to be a Prem league player, if he had get whatever is going on inside his head right

 

Apparently Jo Pedro is on the bench!

 

Good info. Thanks.

 

Who?

 

Never heard of this Spencer guy, hope he has a good game.

Looking forward to seeing Pedro come off the bench.

 

Interesting team, stronger than I expected. I look the look of it. Just hope none of the defenders get injured or sent off!

 

Bachmann in goal. Isn't that one thing called for again and again here?

 

Decent side

 

Spencer-Adams joined in July from Arsenal. From club website

Former Arsenal defender Bayli Spencer-Adams has joined Watford’s development squad on a one-year deal, with the club holding the option on an additional 12 months.

The 18-year-old centre-half, who left the Gunners earlier this year and has also previously played at youth level for West Ham and Tottenham, is the latest Under-23 recruit ahead of the start of the 2019/20 season.

“I’m buzzing to be here,” said Spencer-Adams, speaking to watfordfc.com.

“Watford is a really great club that pushed for Europe and got to a cup final last season, as well as playing a lot of young players, so it’s good to get this opportunity with a Premier League club.

“I’m a strong, physical defender who likes to get stuck in. I’m also comfortable on the ball and with my feet and I like to be a leader who communicates with my team.

“My target this year is to hopefully train regularly with the first-team and maybe make a few appearances on the bench, and eventually I’d like to break into the first-team.”

 

Hope Hungbo gets some minutes, heard some good things about him.

 

I like that midfield.

No Pedro, no party.

 

3-1 to The Watford.

Gray will score today & set the cat amongst the pigeons.

 

How refreshing is it to see some of the young lads from the academy getting a run....
I can’t even remember the last time a academy player got game time in the pozzo era.

he’s one of our own, he’s one of our ooooowwn * insert name here * he’s one of our own

 

Yes but we may live to regret it given we ain't seen nothin' yet.

 

Good to see that Mariappa is copyrighted

 

Tranmere ain't seen nothin yet

 

Seems I wasn't too far off.

Chalobah starting might suggest Hughes won't be out for long and should be back in for our next PL game.

I'm surprised 3 of our senior defenders are being played given our current lack of numbers, though hopefully it's just giving them last chances to try and impress as all of their places in the squad really should be under immediate threat of being upgraded in the January window.

I wouldn't be surprised if Dawson still struggles against League One opposition (assuming they have any pace whatsoever in their team), and in fact I hope that he does, because he really should not be playing for us at all in the Prem.

If it's a scrappy and tightly contested game then I wouldn't be surprised if JP stays on the bench wrapped in cotton wool.

I'd like to see Dalby and Hungbo given a decent chance to impress.

 

What's the beef with Dawson? He hasn't been THAT bad.

 

Shoutbox up

 

I don't think it really counts to call them ones from our academy though when they joined at the ages of 18 and 19 respectively (the debut starters).

In fact none of the young players in the squad today had joined us before their 18th birthdays. Mariappa is the only player in our squad that is an academy product.

It's good to see young prospects being given a chance, but they have basically nothing to do with our academy.

 

Plenty of potential fire power on the bench. Maybe Pearson wants to see if any of our young strikers could have the potential to make the step up to the 1st team rather than having to dip into the transfer market to buy striker.

 

Good to see Bachmann getting a chance. I guess with Dahlberg not on the bench, that means he’s about to join somebody on loan?

Masina gets an opportunity to impress, which I think he deserves based on his recent form when on the pitch.

Good for Chalobah to get another 90 minutes under his belt, after looking more like his old self against Wolves. It’s also pleasing to see Quina and Dele-Bashiru, both of whom will be hoping to impress and stake a claim for further first team involvement, the former being closer I imagine.

Hopefully Gray, Success and perhaps even Pereyra put themselves in the shop window, before Dalby and Pedro get 30 minutes or so to make their own case for further involvement with the first team.

Good to see some young players on the bench, and I’m glad we’ve been able to give regular starters a break, given the massive effort given over the last 2 weeks. Looking at all the injuries being picked up recently, keeping the likes of Capoue and Cathcart fit is going to be very important.

 

He was comfortably our worst player vs Wolves. In the first half he was almost single-handedly trying to sabotage the rest of the team's efforts, and then Neto should have been his man for Kabasele's red card.

He's only been alright for us when absolutely surrounded by other defenders. In a back four against anyone half-decent he's just gash.

 

That would be a good strategy if we were mid-table but with relegation a real possibility it might be time to bite the bullet to get a proven striker.

 

If that was really the case then I would have expected one of them to have started ahead of Gray - they won't get much chance to show that coming off the bench late on.

I suspect JP is already seen as being ahead of both Gray and Success in the pecking order (he's just being wrapped in cotton wool still).

Gray and Success could be giving more minutes to justify if they should be in the squad at all, or replaced by one additional striker instead.

I'd like to see Dalby, but suspect he still needs a bit more time to be ready for the PL.

Next season (if we're in the PL), I wouldn't be surprised if our striking options were:

Deeney, JP, new (Suarez?), Dalby

with Gray and Success having moved on unless they suddenly start pulling up trees.

 

I do like our team. Really wish we could use 4 subs today. Would love to see Dalby, Whelan, Hungbo and Pedro come off the bench. Unfortunately we won’t be seeing one of them. My guess would be Dalby not coming on to play.

 

Welbeck?

 

None of those three senior defenders have played too much recently ...