Will Hughes: Is the Watford winger a target? Does he get enough protection?

Poor, little bubbakins Wilf Zaha's moaning seems to have been picked up with gusto by the mainstream media: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45537498

To paraphrase... going back many years, when many other [more fouled] attacking players weren't in the league, Zaha is second for fouls attracted. This stat is illustrated in large infographics, to ensure the article delivers it's purposeful message to the audience.

What is less clear and found in the text, is that over the last 2 seasons, he is behind four other players, whom have moaned far less: Richarlison, Hazard, Jordan Ayew and Dele Alli.

This season, Maddison, Hazard and, the albino wizard Will Hughes have received rougher treatment. Hughes has, of course, already suffered a number of long term injuries and is far more vulnerable to being taken out long term.

How many yellow cards have opposition players received for hacking down vulnerable Hughes? How many media articles are there bemoaning his horrific mistreatment?

It's time to put the message out loud and clear - if Zaha, Palace fans and the media can bemoan their darling Zaha, they first need to argue for the protection of Hughes.

Zaha, whose game centres on holding on to the ball too long to deliberately draw the tackles he bemoans - to get opposition players carded and concede penalties - and whom goes down like a feather in a hurricane, melodramatically weeps:

"I feel like I'd have to get my leg broken for anyone to get a red card"

"Why am I getting different treatment from other players? I have tried to speak to referees. There's nothing I can do any more."

Well there is:
Grow up.

 

The only Watford player I would recommend protection to is Isaac Success

 

Not after 2 bottles of Bailey's!

 

The most unfortunate thing about the Capoue tackle is that it has allowed a double narrative to take hold:

a) that teams are deliberately trying to take Zaha out of the game; and
b) that we're a dirty team

See this exchange between a Watford fan and the Guardian's Barry Glendenning. Even when it's pointed out to him that the stats directly contradict his point, he just ploughs on regardless:

https://twitter.com/BaitVic/status/1035796675275763712?s=09

 

Yep. Had it been one of Souness' Liverpool mates or someone in the England squad instead of Capoue, the pundits would be straight in there acting as a character witness:

He's a good lad, I know him, there's no way he'd go out to hurt another player, never. He's just misjudged it and got it really wrong.

But seeing as it's a Watford player, who the pundits do not know or care about, they have ascertained that he was sent out to assassinate Zaha infront of the ref.

 

I'm not a Zaha fan at all but the stats sort of back him up, apart from Hazard who possibly attracts different types of fouls. Regardless, this will all back fire on him hopefully, as more teams will set out to target him and stop Palace.

His mouthing off has only made the target on his back bigger and more tempting than ever imo and that's got to be a good thing.

 

There's nothing new about disliking Zaha. When he was younger he acted like a complaining brat all the time. He was just a pain in the a**e. In fact, recently I'd thought he had matured a lot and become a better player for it. It seems I was wrong. But the media like to make something of any story and he just seems so easy to wind up. A lot of the time, I'm sure, it's like the boy who cried wolf as far as referees are concerned. They disbelieve it and get fed up with him too. As has already been pointed out, he runs at defenders and (often brilliantly) keeps the ball a long time. He does often dive, and he draws in fouls and then he complains about it. He's such a capable player, but I wouldn't want him in my team.

 

I've just skim read that article on the bbc...

There's a bar chart showing "fouls won". Do you win a foul? I'd have thought awarded was a better word. But in wilfs case I'm sure he wins fouls.

Will Hughes won a red card late on in the man utd game.

 

“He’s not that kind of player” would have been wheeled out.

 

Zaha is a cheat pure and simple. He shows up on the charts because most of the fouls are him falling over theatrically. It's a complete joke.

 

To be fair, we are quite a dirty team - we had the joint worst fair play record in the league with West Ham last season.

 

Pretty high ranking for yellow cards and fouls already this season too.

 

And Capoue is, of course, French.

 

To be absoloutly honest we have been in the bottom 2 very year since we re joined the prem (2x19th and 1x20th), but what do you expect with Holebase, Capoue, Britos etc .

If I’m honest I’m absoloutly ok with this, we have always been a physical team , something for the opposition to worry about.

The big difference is that on the whole (few notable exceptions) we can take what we give, no moaning to the press , if you get knocked down, get up , get your own back (or run 20:yards and scissor kick someone’)