Match Thread Watford (a) - Sat 14th Sept (18 Viewers)

[alexccfc99]

The entitlement levels of our fans is becoming embarrassing. No appreciation of how far we’ve come and how things were not so long ago.

Because, and at the risk of being labelled a ‘super fan’

A lot of our fans now weren’t watching us when things were bad, in their Coventry city lives we haven’t come that far at all

 

---

[Sky Blue Pete]

We also could have easily have lost - we concede now every game and the goals conceded are poor.

You’d take that from an away game
Seems people switch off and let people run off them defensively

 

[shmmeee]

Vague extreme meme for now, but have a feeling Doug’s broke it and we’re just another overspending midtable Championship side like Bristol or Stoke now.

 

[Cally Fedora]

Vague extreme meme for now, but have a feeling Doug’s broke it and we’re just another overspending midtable Championship side like Bristol or Stoke now.

That’s the problem isn’t it. We now assume we’re a cut above these sorts of teams. Unreasonable expectation is leading to frustration. We’re a good Championship team - we have no divine right to be “top 6”. We play in the biggest slugfest of a league there is.

 

[Grendel]

That’s the problem isn’t it. We now assume we’re a cut above these sorts of teams. Unreasonable expectation is leading to frustration. We’re a good Championship team - we have no divine right to be “top 6”. We play in the biggest slugfest of a league there is.

It’s a perfectly reasonable expectation and the owner and fans expect it

 

[Old Warwickshire lad]

I was being tongue in cheek calling them that!

Sorry alex thought you were just another one knocking the overworked midfield.

 

[StrettoBoy]

I would like to see a bit more of Bassette.

He hasn’t played enough for me to come to any sort of conclusion about him, even a provisional one, but I do like what I have seen so far.

I even wonder if he could be a good attacking midfielder, driving into the box from a slightly deeper position in much the way that O’Hare did. We won’t know unless MR tries it but it could work. EM-C might also be an option there.

 

[Old Warwickshire lad]

It’s a perfectly reasonable expectation and the owner and fans expect it

I am not one of the ones who jump to disagree with you all the time. But this time you’re wrong.
We are one one of 10 or 12 teams hoping for top 6.
There are only 3or 4 expecting it. We are not one of those.

 

[Robinshio]

I am not one of the ones who jump to disagree with you all the time. But this time you’re wrong.
We are one one of 10 or 12 teams hoping for top 6.
There are only 3or 4 expecting it. We are not one of those.

I would suggest our owner expects it

 

[shepardo01]

Just seen highlights on ITV.
Haji's chance in stoppage time
EMC's chance at 1-0
Dasilva jogging in behind his man who tapped the ball into an empty net

Fine margins - but teams that do well find ways to win games like these.

Two away games now where we picked up 6 points the last two seasons. (Watford/Stoke)
Just the 1 out of them this season.

 

[Old Warwickshire lad]

I would suggest our owner expects it

If he expects it then he knows what he needs to do. The middle of the park needs experienced cover.
And that will cost money we may, or may not see a return on.

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

It was as stated 4-2-3-1

Sky and Google has it listed as 5-3-2. Formations are fluid so you can have both a defensive and attacking shapes.

In any case, the shape was nothing like the 4-2-3-1 we’ve played this season. Rudoni and EMC were playing either side of Simms - both trying to hit gaps between Watford’s 3 CBs and WBs. Neither were wide as wingers and MVE operated as a dynamic wing back, JDS certainly did not function as a LB either. The defence was also barely ever in a flat 4, in possession, Thomas was a central CB, with Lati and Kitching either side him.

Before Wright came on, whenever we defended, we sat in a 5-2-2-1 shape and afterward, defended in a 4-4-2 with Rudoni and Simms - the latter being what we’ve been doing all season.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Vague extreme meme for now, but have a feeling Doug’s broke it and we’re just another overspending midtable Championship side like Bristol or Stoke now.

Bristol City 3-4 years ago perhaps

 

[2024/25 League 1 Champs?]

Sky and Google has it listed as 5-3-2. Formations are fluid so you can have both a defensive and attacking shapes.

In any case, the shape was nothing like the 4-2-3-1 we’ve played this season. Rudoni and EMC were playing either side of Simms - both trying to hit gaps between Watford’s 3 CBs and WBs. Neither were wide as wingers and MVE operated as a dynamic wing back, JDS certainly did not function as a LB either. The defence was also barely ever in a flat 4, in possession, Thomas was a central CB, with Lati and Kitching either side him.

Before Wright came on, whenever we defended, we sat in a 5-2-2-1 shape and afterward, defended in a 4-4-2 with Rudoni and Simms - the latter being what we’ve been doing all season.

did you actually watch the game?

 

[2024/25 League 1 Champs?]

I am not one of the ones who jump to disagree with you all the time. But this time you’re wrong.
We are one one of 10 or 12 teams hoping for top 6.
There are only 3or 4 expecting it. We are not one of those.

DK expects it, MR expects it, the team, including the new signings, expect it, the fans expect it, and 95-99% of experts and pundits who have commented pre-season expect it……

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

did you actually watch the game?

Yes - I was there and this is what I saw. 3-4-2-1 before Haji Wright came on.

 

[fernandopartridge]

Just seen highlights on ITV.
Haji's chance in stoppage time
EMC's chance at 1-0
Dasilva jogging in behind his man who tapped the ball into an empty net

Fine margins - but teams that do well find ways to win games like these.

Two away games now where we picked up 6 points the last two seasons. (Watford/Stoke)
Just the 1 out of them this season.

The player who scored ran from the edge of his own penalty area, Rudoni watched him go by. Then Torp was ball watching as was JDS. You defend from the front and we just didn't do it for the goal.

 

[Hobo]

For their goal DaSilva was just jogging back towards our penalty area, wondering who was meant to be picking up the Watford man free on the far post?

 

[2024/25 League 1 Champs?]

Yes - I was there and this is what I saw. 3-4-2-1 before Haji Wright came on.

I think you’re the only one that did then and that’s including the Watford boss and MR, plus pretty much everybody on this forum

MVE was not a RB / RWB, even defensively, up until the point Haji came on and EMC switched over to the right

Lats did tuck in a bit but I’m not sure he was meant to..

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

The player who scored ran from the edge of his own penalty area, Rudoni watched him go by. Then Torp was ball watching as was JDS. You defend from the front and we just didn't do it for the goal.

Every goal is a collective failure and this need for one scapegoat is odd. Defensively, the modern game demands more teams to defend higher up the pitch. We got caught on the counter and 2 midfielders didn’t track the goal scorer and he eventually scored at the back post.

Not much is being said about the defending to let the player cross the ball across our 6 yard area. If that’s stopped, there is no goal.

 

[Tommo1993]

Blame the naive and mentally weak for lapping up the pre season expectations that were based on absolutely nothing.

 

[TomRad85]

Blame the naive and mentally weak for lapping up the pre season expectations that were based on absolutely nothing.

I really don't understand this at all. Literally everyone would have had us in a better position right now.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

 

[Potbellypig]

Sky and Google has it listed as 5-3-2. Formations are fluid so you can have both a defensive and attacking shapes.

In any case, the shape was nothing like the 4-2-3-1 we’ve played this season. Rudoni and EMC were playing either side of Simms - both trying to hit gaps between Watford’s 3 CBs and WBs. Neither were wide as wingers and MVE operated as a dynamic wing back, JDS certainly did not function as a LB either. The defence was also barely ever in a flat 4, in possession, Thomas was a central CB, with Lati and Kitching either side him.

Before Wright came on, whenever we defended, we sat in a 5-2-2-1 shape and afterward, defended in a 4-4-2 with Rudoni and Simms - the latter being what we’ve been doing all season.

I don't know what game you watched, but it certainly wasn't the same one I did.

 

[2024/25 League 1 Champs?]

Blame the naive and mentally weak for lapping up the pre season expectations that were based on absolutely nothing.

so you’re saying all the many pundits predicting top 6, and quite a few top 2 for us were basing their predictions on ‘absolutely nothing’?

and that the various signings we made pre season, the goals scored by Simms and Wright last season, the team achievements last season, the talk coming out of the club etc had no impact on expectations at all?

what a silly comment

 

[Hutch11]

Every goal is a collective failure and this need for one scapegoat is odd. Defensively, the modern game demands more teams to defend higher up the pitch. We got caught on the counter and 2 midfielders didn’t track the goal scorer and he eventually scored at the back post.

Not much is being said about the defending to let the player cross the ball across our 6 yard area. If that’s stopped, there is no goal.

Haji tried a difficult pass instead of an easy one and gave the ball away
Their winger then outpaced/outfoxed MVE and crossed to a guy that was all free and not tracked
Not any individual to blame but a collective fk up, you're right !

 

[2024/25 League 1 Champs?]

I don't know what game you watched, but it certainly wasn't the same one I did.

baffling isn’t it

 

[Balli001]

Sky and Google has it listed as 5-3-2. Formations are fluid so you can have both a defensive and attacking shapes.

In any case, the shape was nothing like the 4-2-3-1 we’ve played this season. Rudoni and EMC were playing either side of Simms - both trying to hit gaps between Watford’s 3 CBs and WBs. Neither were wide as wingers and MVE operated as a dynamic wing back, JDS certainly did not function as a LB either. The defence was also barely ever in a flat 4, in possession, Thomas was a central CB, with Lati and Kitching either side him.

Before Wright came on, whenever we defended, we sat in a 5-2-2-1 shape and afterward, defended in a 4-4-2 with Rudoni and Simms - the latter being what we’ve been doing all season.

So the Watford manager says it was 4-2-3-1 as do most people who were at the game but you claim it wasn't. Who to believe......

 

[TomRad85]

so you’re saying all the many pundits predicting top 6, and quite a few top 2 for us were basing their predictions on ‘absolutely nothing’?

and that the various signings we made pre season, the goals scored by Simms and Wright last season, the team achievements last season, the talk coming out of the club etc had no impact on expectations at all?

what a silly comment

It is strange we have to pretend anything above midtable were somehow unrealistic expectations when the noise from the club was of challenging at the top end, the bookies agreed, the pundits agreed and we added to a squad that already had some very good players with yet more millions of pounds worth of talent.
It's ridiculous, I'd expect top 6 and I think rightly so.

 

[clint van damme]

so you’re saying all the many pundits predicting top 6, and quite a few top 2 for us were basing their predictions on ‘absolutely nothing’?

and that the various signings we made pre season, the goals scored by Simms and Wright last season, the team achievements last season, the talk coming out of the club etc had no impact on expectations at all?

what a silly comment

Anyone predicting top 2 has lost their mind.

 

[2024/25 League 1 Champs?]

It is strange we have to pretend anything above midtable were somehow unrealistic expectations when the noise from the club was of challenging at the top end, the bookies agreed, the pundits agreed and we added to a squad that already had some very good players with yet more millions of pounds worth of talent.
It's ridiculous, I'd expect top 6 and I think rightly so.

agreed, and I do hope the first five games, albeit with some evidence of a good performance in patches, turn out to be an anomaly in our season…

I think my main gripe at this point is that we haven’t had the strong start out of the blocks we were led to believe would happen

 

[Sick Boy]

Just seen highlights on ITV.
Haji's chance in stoppage time
EMC's chance at 1-0
Dasilva jogging in behind his man who tapped the ball into an empty net

Fine margins - but teams that do well find ways to win games like these.

Two away games now where we picked up 6 points the last two seasons. (Watford/Stoke)
Just the 1 out of them this season.

You missed Eccles missing the open goal.

 

[2024/25 League 1 Champs?]

Anyone predicting top 2 has lost their mind.

easy to say now, especially with Sheff Utd and Burnley looking particularly strong and a couple of other early season runners, and to be fair I did think top two was over ambitious, but with one or two more signings who knows

comfortable top 6 entirely achievable though

 

[Tommo1993]

so you’re saying all the many pundits predicting top 6, and quite a few top 2 for us were basing their predictions on ‘absolutely nothing’?

and that the various signings we made pre season, the goals scored by Simms and Wright last season, the team achievements last season, the talk coming out of the club etc had no impact on expectations at all?

what a silly comment

Come on. There were people at Stoke thinking all we had to do was turn up, and that we’d win by 3 or 4. As if other teams at the level weren’t going to evolve and that for some reason we were going to breeze it. Again, the naive being sucked in and entirely consumed by empty words and predictions.

 

[rob9872]

I thought Watford weren't great yesterday yet looking at the stats they had 5 more shots than us. Foe lots of nice passing and I am aware I'm a dinosaur, I really want to see us pulling the trigger more often. Keep the keeper working!

 

[SeaSeeEffCee]

Some people act like we’re still a league two team who’ve magically found themselves in this league. We’ve spent an absolute ton of money, anything but top 6 this season is a failure.