Fa Cup 3rd Round - Fulham 4-1 Watford

Reality is, tonight didn’t matter. But, it’s another loss in the ‘Gino is watching column.’

I’m beginning to fear for Cleverley and I’m starting to feel like he may not be here for much longer.

 

I think the gulf in class was evident. It was an attack vs defense drill for most of the game and on the rare occasion we did get the ball, Fulham were very well organised out of possession and pressured the mistake. Some of our players looked more culpable to make those mistakes than others.

It’s hard to read too much into any individual performances as we were playing against an almost full-strength Premier League team who are chasing a European place. It was a particularly tough night for Andrews, Ince, Kayembe and Tikvic though. Doumbia chucked himself about a lot but didn’t get much of a chance to show any attacking instincts. Vata always works very hard and that goal sparked some of the best away-end celebrations I’ve been a part of. Looking forward to seeing more of this kid in the second half of the season.

 

Pozzo would have to be utterly insane to sack Cleverley now. I expect an announcement imminently.

 

Might sound like a strange question, to those that went, was there any applause from the Fulham fans to Vata’s goal?

 

My Fulham supporting mate said it was best goal he's seen from an opponent this season

 

So from the first minute then...

Or did he get lost when the starting teams walked out the tunnel?

 

Also, this was the third time I’ve seen Tikvic play in a Watford shirt and the first time I haven’t seen him try and fight an opposition player.

 

I thought he came on as a sub - and I was there! Totally anonymous.

 

Andrews, Porteous, Ince, Kayembe were woeful. Larouci not much better I may add.
I was happy enough going direct from the keeper then all of a sudden go short and bingo a penalty awarded and game over.
Pointless bringing on Baah and Chak at 3-1 down. TC is again making some very odd decisions.
Thought Tikvic looked half decent first half and his crisp pass for Vata was excellent the shot was a joy. He Vata has to be starting every game so we can enjoy watching him while we can.
Udinese now sniffing around Moder by accounts, now that would be a he'll of a signing.

 

He did have a little wrestling match at one point against the muscular Fulham player!

 

Please, please, please, stop playing Tom Ince. It’s a crime to have to watch that man do his impression of playing football. His legs are so unbelievably gone.

 

So, just the three of our potential starting midfielders this post is largely applicable to

 

Ince, Sissoko and Kayembe are all horrendous footballers and all signed up for next season as well.

 

Celebration for Vata’s goal was, to be down with the kids, limbs. Worth every penny for that alone. Rest of the game was played in our half

fantastic away support. The stick to Silva was as loud as that infamous “he’s better than you” chant a while back.

 

Hang on, did were play last night?

Sorry the FA cup tie isn't until Saturday 3pm??

 

First leg was last night. Return home leg is Saturday.

 

Away goal could be vital

 

You people do make me laugh

It's more insane to stick with a manager who has barely been able to win away all season, and who can now barely win at home either.

Getting utterly annihilated by an average prem side doesn't even register as a shock or disappointment to you. That says it all.

 

How good do you think our squad is ? What would an adequate finish with an adequate manager look like ?

 

You people make me laugh. A bottom-half Championship squad sliding towards the bottom half of the Championship does not make the head coach a problem. How can some fans watch Pozzo go through 3 head coaches a season, with no sustained improvement under any of them, and think ‘the issues I’m currently seeing will be resolved by replacing the head coach’.

 

We'd comfortably be in the play offs if we had a striker. The reason we don't is because our manager blew his load over Jebbison.

 

What have we got to lose?

The best thing about Pozzo was his ruthlessness. That's why we stayed in the league so long.

As soon as he started this ridiculous policy of staying loyal to failing managers, we became just another shyt team.

It all started when Gracia was not sacked at the final whistle of the cup final.

 

I'm thinking definitely trolling, yeah!

 

Pozzo has been mental since the cup final. I just want the steely eyed ruthless Italian executioner back. The Joka sacking was a masterstroke.

TC has met the pozzo failure threshold. Get rid and try another.

 

Probably the same as if our manager was Pep or Mourinho. There’s only so much we can do with Vakoun Bayo, and unless Pozzo recruits to plug the increasingly obvious gaps in the squad then we’d probably be relying on literal magic to be running away with this league.

 

That's what visiting fans say about ours, too. But a routine win against a lower division team isn't anything to get that excited about.

 

Certainly the world changed May-Oct 2019 with poor decison after poor decision which killed everything built 2012-2019 (bonuses, signings, QSF v2.0)
A better strikeforce this window is essential but proven strikers are expensive and we risk being outbid for anyone decent. It's going to be tough to get back close to where we were in April 2019 when we had a decent chance of Europe and a Cup Final to look forward to.
It's hard to disagree with much of what you say though I'm not sure better managers will be queuing up to sign on the dotted line given the squad and finances we have now.

 

That 2019 moment is long gone, if that’s what anyone is hoping to get back to in the next 10 years I think it’s a bit unrealistic.

We know Pozzo has lost the scouting advantage, for a second season in a row it looks like all three clubs may come back down, even clubs the size of Leicester.

That was a golden moment in time, a moment that Brighton and Brentford took advantage of, they’ll be down back again obviously but I think we’re back to one, two seasons at the top for most who go up before coming back down. That 5/6 year run we had is not something we will replicate for another 30 years IMO.

 

Yes I agree.

 

Maybe the wheel will soon turn the full circle and Pozzo appoints Dyche lol

 

Dyche is suddenly available, time to bring him home Pozzo!