Genuinely how does it matter? It will probably be completely different players to those who will start the season in the PL so their form will be utterly meaningless. Them being well rested and fit again for the start of next season is far more important. It's basically a pre-pre-season friendly, and we all know form in pre-season has zero correlation with subsequent league form.
Shout out to Walter not only for that but look at that defence! https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39912032 Pretty sure BBC got the formation wrong and we lined up with a back three with not even one centre back (Janmaat, Behrami, Holebas) with Amrabat and Brandon Mason as wing backs. Then surprise, surprise Janmaat got injured so he brought on Andrew Eleftheriou! Amazing that it was only 5-0. I'd like to think that Big Walt took one look at that homemade banner on the way in and thought he'd troll that lady with the line up but think they were genuinely the only defenders available that day.
Our first win of the Pozzo Premier League win was against Swansea, Ighalo at the vicarage road end after a troy head down if I recall. The sun was shining and we'd lost 2-0 the week before to Man City, little did we know that was one of the better results we'd have v Man City. As we bid farewell for at least a year to the championship, I hope we don't look as half assed as we did last week, but won't be too suprised if we do. I think Troy may feature as he said he was nearly back, so wouldn't be suprised if he's on the bench.
Lost our last 6 as well once we hit 40 points as I recall? A couple of wins would’ve been worth about £20m!
Now a nothing game but I'd prepared something to send off to our analysis department about something I'd noticed about Swanseas defending at corners, hopefully they use it so at least I can say I've helped Watford score a goal (even if I can't work for them for the next 2 seasons)
Genuinely, the only things I remember from that season is beating Arsenal at the Emirates and United at home.
I am sure Sarr and Pedro will have been given extended leave to go on holidays to visit family. As they will need to self isolate, etc before returning for pre season. So they might not even be with the squad. whatever, i am sure if he is fit Deeney will start. while in absolute terms the result is immaterial to the success of the season, I would hope the squad and coaching team would not want to lose this final home game.
Foster, Lazaar, Wilmot, Sierralta, Ngakia, Sanchez, Phillips, Pedro, Crichlow, Zinkernagel/Poch, Cukur Yay.
Bachmann; Cathcart, Sierralta, Wilmot, Masina; Hughes, Phillips, Gosling; Zinckernagel, Cukur, Pochettino. Bench made up entirely of U23s. Ngakia to start if fit but the club have been very mysterious about that.
Have we had the tribunal yet to decide his fee? I wonder if he’s been held back because of this. Would fewer appearances this season have an impact on the price we pay?
We playing this one out in Austria like we do all our pre season friendlies . Excited to see the new kit and the obligatory “Is That Vydra?” Photoshop gag .
It would be be interesting to see if we’d have done anything different in these games if other teams had outcomes riding on the results.
That's actually one of my least favourite seasons, probably in large part because expectations were high, at least on my part. Thought Mazzarri was going to be a top manager for us, and the season started promisingly with us negotiating a nightmare start with the comeback at West Ham and win over Man Utd, and being 7th until nearly Christmas despite a lot of inconsistency thereafter (I should have noticed the alarm bells ringing after that drab 0-0 at Swansea which Walt proclaimed as one of our best performances so far and the equally dull game at Boro despite the win). After the Everton game, the number of good performances could easily be counted on the fingers of one hand - Arsenal (a) and West Brom (h) (plus Sunderland (h) at a push).
Unusually brief for you, but I like that. Sums up the insignificance of this game other than it being a chance to try some fringe players. Like you said, the focus is on pre-season/next season much more than the immediate future. That said, I'd like us to win to get over 90 points, something we've not achieved before in the second tier.
Correct. Promotion, but no relegation due to the National League North and South seasons being scrapped and declared null & void
My cousin Roger a Bees fan said their chairman misjudged the pandemic and brought in a rag tag bunch of lightweights. He believes they are very fortunate to survive although the complete mismanagement of the NL is nothing short of a disgrace. Issuing fines to clubs who cannot afford to compete! No wonder there was a vote of no confidence in the board.
I loved Walt for this. The man got teams to their first champions league qualifications in history and had won the Italian Cup, when he had no right to do so. We had a horrific injury list the year he managed us (our starting 11 was often worse than the year we were relegated) and our hysterical fans were annoyed we were playing disjointed football and that he pissed off the soft moaners in our squad too much. If I was him, I’d had given an even bigger, chain smoking f*** you, whilst lapping up the tears of our very worst fans. He left with a decent pay check, his reputation in tact, and knew that we were stuck with players who had no backbone when the going got tough (which we’d eventually regret).
They adopted my previous advice to deflect the ball off the head or chest of the first defender, so I’m sure they’ll listen to you too.
I kind of agree with you but i remember watching that team and we had absolutley no plan on how to play. It was just abominable to watch clueless performances.
It was fine at the beginning. Which is a miracle given the state Quique left us in (destroying our ability to play as a team and relying on Ighalo’s goals). We were basically safe by November. Walt knew however that to get the club to have the same ambition as his previous clubs long term, he needed to take on the ill disciplined players. He’s basically been the only manager brave enough to take on Deeney and refused to bow to player power. However our injuries started stacking up, the players and Walt knew the club was siding with Deeney and all basically gave up. If the club instead promptly supported a manager with top flight pedigree and allowed Walt to create a side of players able to meet his high expectations, I reckon we’d have reverted to our early season form at the beginning of the next season and our squad would have been far less dislikable.
Walker Rice Welbourne Taylor McClelland Sims Callaghan Blisset Holton Sarr Barnes. Subs: Any fan who wishes to bring their boots with them I like to go with a win, but does it matter?
Stands to reason, surely - they'll want to finish in the higher of the two positions available to them, and go into the playoffs with any possible momentum.
