Watford 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday Saturday 3rd May 2025

Bit of a weird season....
We had some good runs and some bad runs - no real consistency.
Our biggest problem over recent years has been getting a real team spirit going, yes we are good at getting narky but always look likely to have a man sent off.
We have some reasonable players and we play some decent football in midfield, but we two big problems... We look vulnerable at the back and we don't look like scoring many goals.
Championship level requires a good "spine" to the team. We had no spine early season but with the new keeper / +pollock / Abankwah / Louza coming along nicely - the biggest issue was total lack of an experienced Striker (and sticking to a lone striker).
I guess we'll lose a few, but for me - if Baah and Chack stay, we need to add: ą) a tough CM dynamo and B) a proven striker to make a difference next season.
If those 2 leave in the summer then we need a major rethink....

 

Dwomah looks useful.
Doumbia a handful.
Messiah-Edwards lots of energy.

Get Wiley back again, couple of loan signings.

Sign Kyprianos on a free
Sign Ryan Hardie from Plymouth

We could make at least 11th next season!!!

 

Agree, Dwomoh looks very handy. Plenty to work with.

Louza spoke about next season so I have some hope...

My guess is we lose Chaks but keep the rest. Think we'd have lost Baah if he wasn't injured.

 

We never looked as good as our early season form, but likewise I don't think we have looked as bad as our late season form has suggested. Chak and Louza will be off in a flash, I hope Vata and Dwomoh/Kyprianou(?) can at least do a decent impression of them (albeit I think if Vata isn't available for whatever reason it'll be a kid from the academy such as Massiah-Edwards taking his place which is a bit of a gamble). The striking position is the biggie, the good things I suppose are that Doumbia has shown promise and that we surely cannot do any worse than Bayo, Hardie would be a sensible move, as would Salech at Cardiff, with them going down that might be possible?

 

We can only dream!

 

If Louza does go whatever this team can actually claim to be instantly evaporates. We won't get the ball past the halfway line in a game. Good times are on the way!

 

One good thing about our position is that we're not going to spend much in the summer again and that parasitic agent will look for another target to infest so as to feather his nest.

 

On a positive note, we do seem to have some real young talent bubbling under. It is possible to believe we could have an enjoyable team to watch next season.

 

He's just turned 26, and I'd wager in light of that he'll be champing at the bit to get out - I could easily see him moving to one of the big money favourites at the top of this division, even, if I'm honest.

If you were him, looking at entering your prime, having (in your own eyes, at least) finally justified your talent and reputation, and facing down another year of chaotic mismanaged mediocrity-at-best in the lower reaches of the Championship; one with realistically no ambition from the off. What would you do?

I reckon the only thing standing in the way of a departure is how tethered to this planet Gino's accepted valuation of him will be.

 

Yes though always a risk if you move up, that you end up benched and get forgotten. At least he’s guaranteed game time here. More likely to move for better money elsewhere. A relegated prem club would be my best guess if he stays in the UK. Maybe one of the 3 teams promoted this season will take a chance on him. He has prem experience.

 

Our nearest and dearest are building a Championship super te…oh

 

A couple very highly thought of have agreed to join too. We’ve also got two very good age groups coming through the academy/scholars at the moment. Much to be optimistic about.

 

Can't wait for the tribunal fees in 2028!!!

 

I've Never seen a player change his spots like Louza has this season, ever!
I think he and Tufan came in and decided they weren't up for it but would roll along until a better opportunity came along.
We watched Louza lazing around in front of our CBs making 5 yard passes, 90 pct of which went straight back to the same player that passed to him.
I can't remember him making a solid tackle. He started this season the same and yet somehow TC must have gotten thru to him to change his ethics because it's been seismic.
I'd go so far as to say that if we lose Louza this summer we'll go very much backwards as we won't find a replacement.....

 

As so often, I view quite a few of the comments on here with bemusement. (Although, I suppose, quite a few can be described as performative, telling you more about the poster than the game). Expecting a drab, end-of-season knock-about I was pleased to watch a decent first half of football; and the second half started in much the same way and then, as if at some unseen signal, it became less disciplined and less ambitious for the last half hour.
The game did, however, exemplify why both teams finished in mid-table: Lack of abundant finishing power. As nearly always, Watford players in finishing positions would hesitate and take a touch (or more) too many.
Sheffield had fewer chances but the finishes, with one exception, were wayward.
Both goals, as it happens, were high class, in different ways. Despite spectators yelling at the linesman, Wednesday's looked to me to be straight off the training ground and was crisply and confidently executed. Watford's on the other hand involved one of the passes of the season; and it showed how it takes at least two to make a good pass: The passer and the runner-off-the-ball to receive it.

 

Due to significant events this has now been revised to building a League 1 super team !

 

I see a lot of criticism for our 'fannying around' with the ball, but I think this is it, I don't think it's the case that the players don't want to pass forward, but I think too often the players off the ball aren't brave enough to make a run (in all areas of the pitch), which leads to us playing the 'safe' option more often than not

 

Seems like quite a strange smug comment to chuck out there. Of course, your view is the completely correct and unbiased one, and must be held as superior to all those other 'performative' views as a result, though.

 

Hope you’re right but as always it will be a case of believing it when I see it. None of the youngsters were good enough to play even a minor role this season and there’s no guarantee that those who said they will come will indeed come eg Kyprianou(?)

 

Sorry to say this, but Louza is 100% going to be sold this summer. We reportedly turned down a £10m bid for him in January and he's at peak value now as Player of the Season, aged 26, three years left in his contract and performing at a very consistent level. We'll probably squeeze out a couple more million, so around £12m is my guess - which keeps the club afloat for another season. Remember, the club had problems paying staff wages last month. No way are we going to turn down that kind of money for (presumably) one of the higher earners.

I actually think there's more chance of keeping Chakvetadze. He hasn't shown enough consistency in terms of fitness and performance yet, and he has four years left in his contract. He might stay for another season before being sold. On the other hand, if Gino wants to start chipping away at the owner's debt everything and everyone will be sold in a fire sale.

 

Oh dear, it looks like a couple of raw nerves have been touched. I didn't mention any names.

 

Is that in particular due to Cleverley being in charge or just Watford's sale pitch as a whole? Re: highly thought of players?

 

It was just a weird thing to say. (And I don’t think I posted on this thread before this in any case).

 

It doesn't matter whether you did or not, it's exactly the same cheap, inflammatory rhetoric that is so obviously, again, smug and arrogant, regardless. Classic modern GBeebies style response, though; 'Oooh, triggered are you, guess the stupid thing I said must be proved right. Why? That's for someone else to determine'.

 

I hope you are right but personally I can't see him staying. If he is going to get a good move and kick on after a stunted few years then it is now or never.

 

Wow.
On the subject of 'smug and arrogant': The fact that there was no indication that this was aimed at you (or the people who are 'liking' you) and yet you have chosen to imagine it was says plenty.
As it happens this comment was a qualifier to exclude those who you seem to identify with from a group of football commentators on here who I think were mistaken with their reading of this particular game.
Meanwhile have a happy close season, and maybe calm down a little and broaden your outlook.

 

Well, I hope you're right. But I think somebody will probably make a bid for him and, if the money is substantial enough, he'll go.

 

But that's my whole point - it doesn't matter if it was aimed at me, I didn't say I thought it was - I said that the suggestion that people with a different view to you of what happened on the pitch must be doing it performatively was the issue. Complaining about the use of the word smug and then telling me to calm down and 'broaden my outlook' is also somewhat ironic.

That being said, I'm aware I'm starting to drag this out by responding again, so I'll say that if I misread part of the intent in your initial comment, I apologise for that.