Will the real Watford please stand up? Without putting a too fine of a point on it, the Preston game was a sack of **** wasn't it? A defence looking all at sea (After Ogbonna came off) with a missing midfield and a profligate attack brought back uncomfortable memories of seasons past we thought we'd banished. At least we have Middlesbrough to look forward to hopefully shake off the malaise and with it being a home game maybe, just maybe, we'll make it hard for the opposition to get through us this time. This is being written immediately after the Preston game which perhaps is ill advised but hey ho. The Opposition: Middlesbrough had our number in the final game of last season at their ground with a strong 3-1 win for them. Goals from Laithe, Bangura (No, not our one) and Jones capped a strong display with former Hornet Wesley Hoedt manging to prevent a clean sheet for them at least. They'll also be going into this having beaten Stoke 2-0 but have suffered an inconsistent start this season and are above us by a single point in the table currently. Joint top scorers for them are Matt Clarke and Tommy Conway, the latter having joined from Bristol City for £4.5m, or to put in another way the same price as one Vakoun Bayo. That may be an insult to Conway. However, both will also be touch and go whether they will be fit enough to have an impact against us this week as both are injured currently. https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/s...rough-injury-update-tommy-conway-matt-clarke/ I expected us to draw against Sunderland, beat Preston and lose to Middlesbrough when I saw this mini-run of fixtures so given we have beaten Sunderland 2-1 and lost to Preston 3-0 so I can only take this as a sign that we will now draw 1-1 to Middlesbrough. #NostraJugsdus The 'Orns: Before the Preston game, Cleverley noted that Bachmann is close to a return and could replace Bond who has been solid overall in his performances and can't be blamed for the goals we have conceded since he's stepped in. Additionally, both Tom Dele-Bashiru and Daniel Jebbison had a knee strain and heel injury respectively but were expected to be available against Middlesbrough and there did not appear to be any new injuries after the Preston game that were apparent, save for our pride which was thoroughly two footed by PNE much like the Samba Diakaté tackle on Dean Whitehead when he played for Middlesbrough. It's clear Cleverley likes rotating the side and values blending youth and experience into the team to help manage games so I'm not expecting any radical departure from this ethos despite my frustrations with some of his substitutions recently. Ogbonna appears to be the defender we hoped he would be, and we looked notably less organised when he was substituted off which you have to imagine was purely due to match fitness given he was a late addition to the squad and missed pre-season. Pollock had his first game where he didn't look on it while Morris could be in line to be dropped following his longest spell in the side with a weak performance. Ebosele and Larouci both will likely be subs as part of Cleverley's wing back rotation and you would think Sissoko is dropped to the bench given his age and minutes played. Louza meanwhile you would hope is dropped off at the airport and told to go anywhere but here. Given Chakvetadze is a guaranteed starter, you have to imagine it's a toss up between Ince and Vata starting given Baah played himself out the starting XI and Kayembé no better. I'm not even going to talk about Bayo. Final Thoughts: Unsurprisingly, Cleverley has had strong words about his thoughts after PNE and expects an immediate response from the squad this Saturday. Although we can believe Cleverley will give the squad a rollocking and genuinely believes in what he says, fans will be asking the same question as before. Will the real Watford please stand up?
They seemed to be playing well without taking their chances . But obviously got 2 good wins this week .. So after tonight there won’t be much expectation.
I’m actually going to this so… Watford 0 - Boro 14 Shortly after the final whistle a sinkhole appears and swallows up the entirety of Vicarage Road, and the flapping wings of a Pigeon escaping from the wreckage sparks off a chain of events that cause a global financial meltdown.
As good as we've been at bouncing back from losses with a decent home performance, I cannot see us doing it this time. However, with the return of goal machine Jebbison and the engine that is TDB (going by TC) I think we stand a chance to see a much better performance than Wednesday night. Love or hate them, Boro' are one of those sides you would expect to be sniffing around the playoffs most of the season. They have hit a bit of form and I think they'll catch us cold. Hopefully it won't be another 3-0 or 1-4 smashing, but a tame 0-1 or 1-2 loss would hopefully still put the side in good spirits for the trip to the Dog Kennel next week. However, a win would be even better and as much as I would love it I cannot see TC being able to turn things around morale wise so quickly after a late midweek meltdown.
Would be typical of Bayo to score a worldie and thus divide the fanbase again. Just when there is a sense of harmony and collective resignation to the fact that he’s crap.
Our form is jumbled, roll the dice. 1-2 win, 3-4 draw. 5-6 win. It's the stage we are at. Roll a 7, and well how? We are in development, a mediocre squad under a novice manager. Must be a gambler's nightmare.
Nobody in the crowd complained about the red. That was a rarity. Only other time was Britos on Knockheart I can remember this and he was cheered for it
Another f****** international break after this one? Jesus Christ. Am I alone in this or is everyone having sleepness nights, full of excitement at England vs Greece & Finland vs England upcoming. 1-1
Missing this as will be at a beer festival at Ascot, despite our home form being good, I think Boro will probably do us 2-1.
Jebbison and TDB in then although apparently we play better with Bayo in the team according to Cleverley’ s comments yesterday. https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/s...initely-making-changes-watford-team-tomorrow/
As much as Bayo and less so Sema are painful to watch, watching England in pretty much any game is horrific. Can't stand international friendlies/qualifiers..
Bayo will start hands down. It's been said already but Baah up front was a failed experiment (we assume anyway). Jebbison is not a starter but I do expect TDB to play from the start.
It’s effectively a football free 10 days or so. Really frustrating. No idea who England are playing or when but I know it’s probably irrelevant and will involve lots of players pushed up to fill gaps left by established players who can’t be arsed and don’t want the risk of injury.
Jebbison seems to have got a lot more highly rated since Wednesday night. Let's hope he can justify his new status as our favourite no. 9.
Southgate out! A football free ten days is a blessing from the gods for those of us of an incurably pessimistic disposition.
International football is utter gash. I'd rather dangle my balls in a piranha-infested river than watch England.
Last chance saloon for Clevs today? After the West Brom defeat from the future and the loss to Preston, the gaffer needs nothing less than a win to stop his Hornets from being sucked into a relegation dog fight.
I have gazed into my crystal ball and predict that we shall concede an early goal which will be followed by huffing and puffing and shots rolling gently out past the post for a goal kick . Then the coup de grace as Boro get a second on the break on 75 . This will lead to the inevitable clanking of seats as people start to exit the ground . Watford 0-2 Boro
They are decent. We are good at home. Draw I reckon. Probably suits both teams going into the international break. Especially important for morale that we don’t lose given the next 2 fixtures.
