The Premier League - 2021-2022

What game was it?

 

Cov v Cardiff.

 

I think the key is that it's less fun supporting a smaller team when you know you are at the peak of one of your highs and that there is only one way to go. We just want to stay at that high for as long as we can, and we managed to survive for 4 years last time before failing in the 5th, but much of that survival wasn't a lot of fun.
Ultimately of course, football is pointless.

 

If last season had been anything like some of the early Pozzo seasons, I’d understand people preferring the Championship to the Prem (I think most would agree that 2012/13 and 2014/15 were far more enjoyable than 2016/17 and 2017/18, even with the latter’s bright start). But it wasn’t - a paucity of goals (didn’t it have the least number of goals in a Championship season by some distance?), no crowds, fake crowd noise, the lack of the competitive level of previous seasons (there were some shocks that aided our promotion charge, but by and large the promotion-chasing teams got the results against the weaker sides they were expected to), unlike in 2014-15 title, auto and play-off places wrapped up early, the uncertainty and fear of not going up that clouded the season even during the winning run, all of the above put paid to that. The good memories I have of last season are previously peripheral players like Pedro, Sema, Chalobah and Cleverley establishing themselves in the team, Kiko starring in the Championship and winning back many a Watford fan’s favour, Pedro scoring against the Scum on his 19th birthday, Jon Marks’s commentary, the two-month race to automatic promotion and finishing the season with a few records. But it doesn’t compare to 2014/15 which was entertaining throughout, had loads of goals, great comebacks, crowds, atmosphere and a feeling that even if we didn’t go up there was always next season and many more wins to look forward to.

 

Exactly - if you have any hope/chance of promotion at all, it’s a never ending slog of hanging on by your fingernails, scraping that 1-0 win for the fifth time in ten, and nervously looking back over your shoulder - particularly if you are fairly aware that the financial future of the club revolves around it. It’s tense and fraught and bad for your blood pressure.

Add that to the tinpot grounds and the greatly reduced quality and Millwall and there’s very little to recommend it at all, unless you’re a club coming up from the lower divisions.

 

I enjoyed a few of the games involving our rivals towards the end of the season last season. Not from a quality point of view but just rooting for the other team without it being the end of the world if they didn’t do us a favour. I rarely enjoyed many of our games.

 

I remember a fried of mine, who supports Palace , saying in 2013 when they were promoted that he would miss the Championship for all the reasons people have said here. He said he would therefore continue to follow the Championship highlights, but shortly afterwards he admitted he had changed his mind and realised that the PL was the only place to be and he had completely lost touch with what was happening in the Championship.

 

So did I last time we were up for 5 years. Obviously knew who was in the division, roughly, but other than the play-offs I can't say I'd keep much track on it.

 

Each to their own but I watched a lot of Championship football last season and on the whole it was rubbish. Much as I hate the Premier League, the football is far better to watch than the Championship

 

We were exactly this for a number of seasons in the 90's and probably there when Gino came in and don't remember it ever being fun. Mid to low in the Premier League is far greater than the same position in the Championship

 

You can't use last season's covid affected zero crowd zero atmosphere football as the benchmark for the quality and atmosphere of champ football unless you use the summer of 2020 equivalent as the benchmark for prem football. No-one is saying the quality is better in the champ. Some including me are saying the excitement is greater as there are a greater number of possible outcomes. We know what will happen this season. We will celebrate finishing 4th or 5th bottom if we can, and then look forward to the same the following season.

 

The ideal world for Watford is to win the Championship, refuse promotion and then win the Championship again etc

 

yes perfect plus win the cups

 

My goodness what an idea, why didn't Gino think of that!

 

I don't care about the standard of football really, I just love watching Watford play despite my constant whinging and the fact that we're awful sometimes.

The barrage of games you get in the Championship are what makes it better for me. I should be too old to get a buzz from seeing the teams being released an hour before kick off but I do. You can't beat rushing home from work on a Tuesday, getting to The Vic for a game under the floodlights and losing 0-1 either.

 

How bloody weird is it that Steve Bruce starting as a Sky Sports pundit?

 

Toon one down already to Leeds. The goal reminded me somewhat of the one we conceded at Spuds. Also, Toon look terrible.

 

How bad are Newcastle

 

Very bad. Where's Wilson? Hopefully he's missing next week too.

 

As bad as they are, you feel that Leeds need to put this to bed or get Willocked.

 

Lovely goal to be fair

 

That's what happens when you don't take your chances when you're on top. I'd still bet on a Leeds win though.

St Max is great to watch, he's a real box of tricks.

 

Dear god Newcastle are awful!

 

How many chances are these two teams going to give away and its till 1-1.

 

Yes a draw would keep both sides below us in the table & winless, but I suspect Newcastle losing would be better for us in the long run

 

I'm quite happy with that result - teams in a relegation battle tend to be poor away, and if they don't win at home, so much the better.