Watford (H) post-match thread (2-0 home win)

[ARM1968]

6 minutes ago, TeaMen Tom said:

One of the 3-6 teams will stumble - my guess is it'll be Arsenal.  

Hope so. Would be great. We just need to look after our end of things and let the others do what they can. If anyone will stumble I personally think it’ll be Spurs. 

[surrifox]

Just now, ARM1968 said:

Hope so. Would be great. We just need to look after our end of things and let the others do what they can. If anyone will stumble I personally think it’ll be Spurs. 

Please please please 

[rachhere]

2 minutes ago, ARM1968 said:

Hope so. Would be great. We just need to look after our end of things and let the others do what they can. If anyone will stumble I personally think it’ll be Spurs. 

I would say more likely Arsenal myself, but this could make it a very interesting last match of the season..!

[Bert]

Wasn't the greatest of games but a win is a win. Everyone worked their socks off and all contributed to the result. 

 

Thought Maguire and Dragovic were rock solid at the back. James and Ndidi once again impressive. Vardy unplayable at times and Mahrez caps it all off with a really lovely goal. 

 

Amartey showing that with a run a run of games he can be relied upon as well. 

 

Up to 7th. 

[TeaMen Tom]

11 minutes ago, Farrington fox said:

When Silva is fully up to speed. It will be a juggling act keeping the quality in our midfield content. At the end of the day there’s going to be a couple of very decent players warming the bench. 

Maybe this will prevent the occasional crap effort game which this side has had a tendency to submit the past two seasons - thinking most recently of Crystal Palace or Watford (A). It's getting crowded at the back too which is great - and would be even better if there's some European football next season.

Edited 20 January 2018 by TeaMen Tom

[SpacedX]

5 minutes ago, Colourmy said:

I think one thing the world would agree on is his work rate. The man is an animal, he devours defensive lapses for breakfast, that's his bag. 

That goal against Liverpool still has me mystified, so against his normal game but I fear we shan't see the likes again from him. He had momentum and the desire to realise his life's dreams that year and he smashed it!

Now, the clock is ticking, he looks more like his level. Devastating pace but a so-so touch. Relying on the numbers game but the PL won't give him that anymore, he was a new broom that year and caught many by surprise with his pace. His pace is receding and by default, so are his options as a pace driven footballer and not a skilled craftsman.

I'd still like to get as drunk as a lord with him and hope he can carry on forever but as a supporter, I see that he cannot live forever on that year and hope that the club utilise him at his best to prolong the Jamie Vardy era.

[Colourmy]

1 minute ago, Bert said:

Wasn't the greatest of games but a win is a win. Everyone worked their socks off and all contributed to the result. 

 

Thought Maguire and Dragovic were rock solid at the back. James and Ndidi once again impressive. Vardy unplayable at times and Mahrez caps it all off with a really lovely goal. 

 

Amartey showing that with a run a run of games he can be relied upon as well. 

 

Up to 7th. 

 

Thanks for the heads up!.

[gurru991]

It's hard to believe that Ndidi has made me forget Kante, i honestly thought he was irreplaceable !!

Ndidi just keeps improving every week.. We need to sign him up long term with no buy out clause.

[Colourmy]

Just now, Line-X said:

Who is that? Bearing mind I'm 45 and don't have time to live my life on Twitter!

 

[SpacedX]

Just now, Colourmy said:

Who is that? Bearing mind I'm 45 and don't have time to live my life on Twitter!

 

Amusingly and rather perplexingly on the bench today.

[Bert]

1 minute ago, Colourmy said:

Who is that? Bearing mind I'm 45 and don't have time to live my life on Twitter!

 

Call yourself a fan 

[Colourmy]

Obviously not!

 

[Colourmy]

3 minutes ago, Line-X said:

Amusingly and rather perplexingly on the bench today.

Is that the boy with Diabetes?

[Stadt]

Dragovic very tidy again. Positionally he’s brilliant and he tackles very well.

[RumbleFox]

29 minutes ago, Foxy_Bear said:

Matty James was excellent today. Not saying Iborra has deserved to be dropped but Matty is definitely earning his spot on that pitch. With Silva looking the part to, Puel has some decisions to make but it's a great position to be in, having 4 on form CM's 

I think CM depth has been our main issue for a long time.  If we have 4 we can rely on to rotate (which hopefully we now do) I believe we are truly a top, top side as I have confidence in the other positions.  Nice to see. X

[bluesbrothers]

What an incredibly frustrating game that was creation wise! Our final ball was incredibly poor, and the amount of time their offside trap caught us out was astounding. If their final third play wasn't even worse than ours we could have been sent home with our tails between our legs there.

 

Mahrez was heavily to blame for that lack of a creative "spark" today - he had a shocker apart from his goal for me. Gave the ball away so many times I lost count, floated out of position loads of times leaving their left wing free to counter, constantly whinging and shrugging and his final ball was lacking. Silva did in 5 minutes what he failed to do all game - lucky for him, he was the beneficiary! I'm not a Mahrez hater by any stretch, but today he could so easily have cost us the game.

 

That being said, excellent performances from Ndidi and James for me. The latter deserves an especial shout out for his comeback - his body balance is superb - hardly ever loses the ball and if he goes to ground, you know it's either a foul or a bloody good tackle. Wilfred needs no explanation - he's become a beast this season.

 

Back four are quality - exciting times given how young they all are. Amartey deserves credit - if anybody suggested this time last year that he was anything approaching a competent right back, they'd have been laughed off this forum, but Simpson now faces a challenge to get his place back!

 

Vards, Marc and Okazaki the usual industrious displays. Jamie took his peno very well - nice to see him place one (and not put it wide!)

 

Shoutout to Lee Probert and his linesmen, who were all rubbish. Probert was A) inconsistent as fuch for both teams and B) constantly giving fouls yet didn't give a card out all game - thought he'd lost control of it personally and was scared to dish any out. The linesmen (especially the old fart in front of us in L1) were about 3 yards behind the play all game, which after Nachoman's VAR goal only served to increase my scepticism at every offside decision! Rubbish officiating all round.

 

ANYWAY, overall I'm happy with that as much as everything else I've said would suggest otherwise. 

Edited 20 January 2018 by bluesbrothers

[FoxesDeb]

Just back and not going to read the whole thread, I'm so excited that we seem to have real options now, for the first time in a long while. We really are playing some beautiful football. I thought Mahrez didn't really look like he was interested at times, at others he was sublime, I really want him to stay though. Also, thought Watford's strip made them look like little Santas! 

[Matt]

Not a classic, bit boring but who cares, we won.

 

Played well. Thought we needed a 2nd, eventually we got it but was worried at times!

Edited 20 January 2018 by Matt

[SpacedX]

5 minutes ago, RumbleFox said:

Nice to see X

Thank you

[Scotch]

2 minutes ago, RumbleFox said:

I think CM depth has been our main issue for a long time.  If we have 4 we can rely on to rotate (which hopefully we now do) I believe we are truly a top, top side as I have confidence in the other positions.  Nice to see. X

Totally agree. We'e not recovered from losing Ngolo and we'e been doomed to playing one style of football because we'e not had a strong CM. Now we do and we can play possesson football as well as our traditional style. I can also see Mandy coming in next year and being like a new signing due to his past with Puel which would make us even stronger. 

 

With this in mind, I'd like to see us go to 433. It means we're keeping these guys happy and we can dominate midfield in games. It would also allow a forward 3 of Gray, Vardy and Mahrez to do what they do knowing we are solid behind them. 

[SpacedX]

1 minute ago, FoxesDeb said:

Just back and not going to read the whole thread, 

Oh go on, earlier Thracian just came out. 

[gurru991]

14 minutes ago, Colourmy said:

Is that the boy with Diabetes?

I really feel that pun has run its course. If you had a family member who suffers with that I don't think you would make fun of it

 

Fousseni Diabaté

Edited 20 January 2018 by gurru991

[Bryn]

Thought we played well for the most part, Watford had a good spell in the second half without ever really threatening but we always looked the higher quality side.

 

Think Dragovic and Maguire has the potential to be the best centre-back partnership we've ever had, and that's a position we've generally been strong in over the last 30 years. Dragovic is growing in stature and goes to show you can't write players off until they've had regular game time because he makes fewer and fewer errors and adjusts to the pace more and more with every passing game. He's very comfortable with the ball. It cannot be hurting Chilwell's development either to be keeping these clean sheets, he's still very rough around the edges for me but he's so young.

 

We've gone from famished in central midfield to corpulent and it's incredible to think at any point we're likely to have two of Silva, Iborra, Ndidi and James on the bench. Fair play to James, I really thought he was done this time but he's looked brilliant in the last two games, eclipsing the other three. He's start to look leaner, faster and more agile on the ball; again, you have to give players time and patience.

 

Vardy looked really sharp today, I think he's been a little lacklustre in recent weeks. I think as he ages we may find we need to be judicial in how we use him, it's widely known from interviews with him and coaching staff that he has unusual fitness habits and I do wonder if time will catch up with him a little quicker than we'd expect. Not overusing him will keep him going and we really need to prioritise bringing on another striker who can share the burden with him. I think our lesson for this week is perhaps we've written Iheanacho off too soon, but whether it's him, Slimani or someone else we need that player in place in the next 3 windows (including now) for me.

 

We're better when Albrighton and Shinji play. Their workrate is immense.

[Colourmy]

2 minutes ago, gurru991 said:

I really feel that pun has run its course. If you had a family member who suffers with that I don't think you would make fun of it

Mate. I am Diabetic myself. Have been since the age of 7, so I will never tire of a little joke of something that I manage to control, even through sugary cider sessions and the odd close call! Nothing to worry about, life goes on Chief!

[Ian Nacho]

A game to forget. Nice to see that we still won after not the best of performances. The quality of the lads can be questioned today, but their effort certainly cannot.