Yes it does, but its hardly surprising given EtG posted a highly selective set of stats designed to show just how poor we are. One could just as easily say 16 league defeats (one less than play off Norwich) 8th best away form in the division etc Does this show or prove we were good? Of course not, they're selective stats that in isolation provide a distorted picture. The same applies to the selective stats EtG posted.
Got a lot of time for you as our interactions over the years show. But ‘shouting the players name out’ is a bit Rousy!
Figured it was available to everyone through the link posted on the site here already, so I didn't consider it as an issue, to be honest. But fairplay, I see your point.
Been on court 9-4pm. No lunch,two banana energy bars. Came home to a dead squirrel, courtesy of Ford, on the doorstep. I haven't read or heard much about the match but if TC was in any doubt as to the size of the task ahead, he shouldn't be now. The only saving grace is that dead rubbers are meaningless in all sports. That said when one's only real salvation is a temporary alliance with whomever is playing Filth, matters have declined dramatically. Good luck to Tom. Good luck to all of us as I suspect that things have not bottomed out just yet. Bugger.
Good riddance to this season. Still have reservations about Our Tom but hoping for better next season.
Okay, take all the stats together then. We finished 15th, six points above the relegation zone, 17 points below the play-offs. We won fewer games than we lost. People who only watched the team at home saw a grand total of six wins all season. As turd-polishing missions go, this is pretty thin gruel!
We are mid table but I believe 6 points from relegation and 17 from the play-offs 6th top. We are very much the bottom end of mid table. With some quality teams coming up we are going to need to find some real quality signings this summer to avoid a relegation battle. Another Healey, Chak, Livermore, Ince will not do. EDIT - posted before seeing your post @EnjoytheGame !! Similar theme !
Make a copy of this post and re-read it this time next season. A fair few of us would of "bottomed out" by that time, especially if we're booking away trips to Charlton and Shewsbury.
But how will it change? How can we buck the trend of the last few seasons’ generally average to poor recruitment? Our club thought Rajovic was the guy to fire us into the play-offs. That Bayo would bang in the goals consistently. That Ince would be a terrific addition. That Chak would win us matches. And so on…. How can we suddenly start getting such things right for a change, when certain people who’ve been badly wrong with their judgments time and time again remain in positions of influence/authority? How many times in the last few years have we all said ‘oh the next window will be a very important one’ because of mistakes made in the previous ones? And then been underwhelmed by it.
Well, there goes another season of football. We finished roughly where we expected, maybe a few positions lower but ultimately the result is what we thought we'd be at. We finish though with more questions than answers which leads us onto a concerning feeling this upcoming season as a result. From the outset, we knew this year would be a tough one for a few reasons: Financially, we were not in a healthy state. Not emergency levels, but we were trending in that direction and our frugal business last Summer reflected this. We expected that and we accepted that. We had to cut down a significantly bloated squad that could not play any single shape effectively. Between this and the significant sales, we should be expecting to be, as Scott Duxberry described it, externally debt free and have a little more breathing room going forward. Whether that will be the case remains to be seen but I have strong doubts we will be debt free this year. This leads into the squad profile and churn. The squad got significantly culled into thin but more clear squad roles and although we did not have adequate cover or quality in certain positions, we've made do with what we had and made it through this year without too many scars. However, with the rumours of TDB being sold due to an unsigned contract, the question mark over Pollock staying over his transfer request back at Xmas and several players entering the final years of their contracts (2024: Hamer, Livermore. 2025: Hoedt, TDB, Sema, Ince) we may see once again significant outgoings but few incomings to replace them if we can't divert much of our sales into player recruitment. Our recruitment strategy is a huge concern. If rumours of our whole recruitment team being sacked are true (LouOuns Tweet a few weeks ago) which from what I've heard elsewhere is correct, that leaves only Gianluca Nani standing. Suffice to say, we're expecting miracles here. I'm think the idea to be that Cleverley to work with young players and improve them as time goes on given, he's been very vocal about this, and we'll see a much more speculative, cheaper approach going forward. (As if we weren't scraping the barrel already) Who knows, maybe we'll get Chalobah again as he's on a free from WBA? So, with those happy thoughts, where do I think we'll be next year I hear you asking? First off, we know you didn’t, but I don't care as I like the sound of my own voice. Starting with the financials, I don't think we're going to clear our external debt unless we make somehow get a good cup run or get promoted, both of which won't happen. I think we are getting it down, but the interest rates are killing us. Next, I think we'll finish in a similar position again (10th - 15th) We'll have a younger looking squad with a few unexpected bits of business both positive and negative and we use Cleverley's connections at Man U, Everton and his philosophy of developing players to snag some good gems who will give us moments of quality. Speaking of Cleverley, I don't think he'll see out the Season and will go at a similar time to Ismael. Such a hot take, I know but Gino Pozzo has demonstrated time and time and time again he wants promotion which isn't happening to get to the PL and the money machine it entails. Do I want this to happen? No. Cleverley seems to have a clear vision and philosophy of how to play and he does seem to have the player's respect. But it's more likely to happen at this club than others due to our ownership when the going gets tough. I'm not hugely optimistic about our future nowadays and do not trust by the upper levels of the club with any major decision to get right. It's not finishing midtable that concern me, but what we're doing to get there. If it was because we built a young squad that was here for the next few years by and large then sure, I would say there's optimism as they should only get better. But although a few of our current players fall in that bracket (Porteous, Pollock, Andrews, Koné, Chakvetadze, Asprilla) and we have some players who could make the step up (Forde, Doumbia, Hurtado) from those, Asprilla will certainly be sold while Koné is at risk of it who are a significant part of our limited creative threat. If we integrate Louza back and he wants to play then that's a big help but that still doesn't answer our forwards question, neither Bayo, Rajovic or even Dennis answered this year and will decide our fates this upcoming season. And yet I renewed my Season Ticket the day we could do the early bird renewal. The joys of Watford, eh?
Sadly that is not a question any of us can answer with any real conviction. Buck stops with Gino, end of. If any radical change is going to happen in how we move forward as a club, he has the final say (as much as we all don't like it), being the owner gives him that power. Unless we are bought out between now and the new season it's going to be the same as the previous three seasons. Problem being, how much of the current squad will leave and how good will the replacements be? Will they be a step up in quality or a downgrade? As we seem to be continually spiralling downwards projection wise, being the later over the former is highly likely. Here are a few things I would personally like to see happen: Bayat gone from all interaction with the club Gino finds a decent investment opportunity, sells up and buggers off Duxbury to either leave or get his annual wage slashed (I can actually this sort of happening as funds will be tighter) TC to be given a little lea way in how we recruit and he is given the chance to mould a side to fit his play style We have a decent window (loans) and manage to assemble ground work with a more potent strike force Will any of that happen? I doubt it. Money runs the world and that includes Watford's future plans. If we really are going to be debt free (external) soon then perhaps we can widen the purse strings a little in the Summer but still be careful and spend within our means.
It is delightful. Do they still have the little coracle type vessel to fish the ball from the river Shrew or Bury or Dungey-in-the Wold? Nice. And is there still honey left for tea?
Hey no turd polishing intended, apologies, just making a wider point about drawing definitive conclusions from selective stats. Ultimately I think this season we were a bang average mid table championship side and the stat that demonstrates this is that we finished 15th.
This might sound rubbish, but the last few seasons we have had periods where it seems the players have down tools and stopped playing for the coach, the coach eventually gets the sack and we go again. You only have to look at the difference between VI’s last few games and TC’s first home game to Leeds and away to West Brom etc to see this. If we can keep going with the players actually playing for the coach, we should be able to finish in a similar position to this season at least! If Gino is expecting top six he is going to be disappointed and we will be playing the swop the head coach again!
If he expects that, he needs his head examined. There is always a "chance" we could do it, but let's be honest the squad who played today will be dismantled a bit more over the coming weeks and whatever TC has left to work with come pre-season will have to satisfy until January. Gino needs to lower his expectations, but if I were in his shoes, they would be pretty low already considering how we have regressed so much in the last four/five years.
Was a long journey starting at 3.30 yesterday. Quick summary of the day: Our away support is brilliant King Ken - legs have gone. Boro fans - absolute gammons in the ground. Our strikers - absolute gammons on the pitch. Highlight of the day - people asking to get a photo with our Cheer Up Uncle Ron Smiley flag.
Unblocked me on twitter and had a rather nice chat actually. Who knew a flag could bring peace to our Watford world.
Didn't go but have seen the "highlights" Same s**t different LB Hopeless strikers ,defenders scoring . Was it ever thus ? If Lewis doesn't play is it still his fault ?
Sema was poor. Morris really poor. They had pace up top and took their chances. We had the chuckle brothers
We didnt keep a clean sheet in all 9 games. We went at least one down in all 9 games. Defence was the problem.
Morris really poor, indeed. But Sema set up a couple of good chances in the first half with his typical run to the byline and cross.
