Watford (A) | 21.03.26 | KO 15:00

[Pita]

20 hours ago, fox_favourite said:

3-0 loss. Season over. Yes I'm an optimist

I think you are a realist 

[oxtonfox]

It will be interesting to see Rowetts team following his Seagrave watergate moment. 

Personally I’d like to see Asmir Begovich in goals as there’s a massive trust issue with Jakubs confidence and the back four. 

I think if Lascelles is fit we have to start with him. I’d add Nelson, Aluko right back and I’d keep Thomas at LB hoping he has a decent game. 

Id go Winks, Skipp and James in midfield as they’re about the best players we have regardless and can’t afford benching any of them. Winks for his passing, distribution from the back, Skipps industry and JJs box to box ability. 

Up front I’d drop Abdul, play Mavadidi, Daka and Mukasa, hoping they perform anywhere near their best 

For subs Id be bringing Abdul on at some stage alongside BDR, and possibly Page and the Southampton lad whose name I’ve forgotten because I’m old. 

[bmt]

1 hour ago, Pita said:

I think you are a realist 

Yes but hes realistically optimistic

[Gamble92]

2 minutes ago, oxtonfox said:

It will be interesting to see Rowetts team following his Seagrave watergate moment. 

Personally I’d like to see Asmir Begovich in goals as there’s a massive trust issue with Jakubs confidence and the back four. 

I think if Lascelles is fit we have to start with him. I’d add Nelson, Aluko right back and I’d keep Thomas at LB hoping he has a decent game. 

Id go Winks, Skipp and James in midfield as they’re about the best players we have regardless and can’t afford benching any of them. Winks for his passing, distribution from the back, Skipps industry and JJs box to box ability. 

Up front I’d drop Abdul, play Mavadidi, Daka and Mukasa, hoping they perform anywhere near their best 

For subs Id be bringing Abdul on at some stage alongside BDR, and possibly Page and the Southampton lad whose name I’ve forgotten because I’m old. 

Aluko should have been played a lot more early on in the season. I can't see them dropping him in now. But when Ricardo made it pretty obvious his legs had gone, it was a no brainer. Hamza has never been a like for like with Ricardo as an inverted full back. 

 

He was an okay option to rotate with Ricardo for some games under Enzo but even then I think we sacrificed so much of our build up play. The fact that we have had lukewarm shit verisons of parts of Enzo ball because we have hired managers who don't really play anything like that is just another in a long line of absolute disasters from Rudkin. He's supposed to be ensuring alignment in vision and has hired Steve Cooper, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Mari Cifuentes and Gary Rowett. It's beyond laughable. 

[Pita]

44 minutes ago, bmt said:

Yes but hes realistically optimistic

I just think we are going to get stuffed

[Trav Le Bleu]

Not sure why anyone bothers talking about team selection any more. There's no one you could swap from squad to team that actually making enough of a difference and what is more, really requires four or five players at least.

 

[Corbee]

Going for a draw 

1-1 or 2-2 

 

At least they'll be a half decent atmosphere in away end 😀 

[Gazza M]

Please Gary, just pick XI who gives a shit and not tried and flopped multiple times. If that is a load of young lads then so be it, experienced or not. Wouldn't play Jakob again if we can help it either. Give Fran a go. If it goes wrong we are no worse off as guaranteed the usuals will let us down.

 

                         Fran

Aluko   Lascelles  Nelson  Thomas 

 

               James     Aribo

   Mukasa       Page     Monga

                       Daka

[Officer Doofy]

18 hours ago, Ian S said:

He is not the worst striker I have seen in the last 5 days, I can think of a much worse one.

The one you are thinking of isn't a striker.  Or a footballer

[TonyN11]

Looking forward to this. 

Think I'll pop in to that little micro beer tap place on the walk there 

[TonyN11]

Methinks one won't be enough 

[FoxinNotts]

4-3-3

 

Vieites (got to be better than Stolarczyk)

 

Aluko (Mental that he's not had more game time!)

Lascelles (Time to step up for what we brought him in for)

Nelson (Should look better with Jamaal next to him)

Thomas (No other option)

 

Skipp (Need his energy)

Winks (Need his distribution)

James (Best number 8/player)

 

Fatawu (Needs consistency. 2nd best player)

Mukasa (Man City say his best position is false 9 - prove it!)

Mavididi (I actually think he's been a little unlucky of late - His luck needs to change sometime !)

[Wortho]

With that brain dead back 5 I don’t hold out much hope. I’m already giving out my excuses to the Watford fans I know. How embarrassing 🙄

[moore_94]

Not gonna get a back 5 or system change then

Rowett was also asked if he'd be willing to switch formation to help improve their fortunes

 

Edited 19 March by moore_94

[winteriscoming]

I’d rather Rowett would be flexible enough to change the system/shape during the game. 
It just seems a common occurrence with recent managers of that’ll do. 
Fvcking do something different. 

[Gamble92]

11 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

Not gonna get a back 5 or system change then

Rowett was also asked if he'd be willing to switch formation to help improve their fortunes

 

He's right isn't he? It's been brain dead errors and a complete lack of mentality 

[Gamble92]

Are we just a social experiment for for how to ruin a persons mental health?

[Sol thewall Bamba]

58 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

Not gonna get a back 5 or system change then

Rowett was also asked if he'd be willing to switch formation to help improve their fortunes

 

He isn't a manager with the ability to change the system. 

 

Life under Awaiyatt, we can't attract a manager that knows how to play more than one formation.

[AjcW]

39 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

He isn't a manager with the ability to change the system. 

 

Life under Awaiyatt, we can't attract a manager that knows how to play more than one formation.

Or isn't allowed to?

This is a manager who played different formations in 20 of his 50 Oxford United games, even if 4-3-2-1 was the highest.

He also played a 3 or 5 at the back for the entirety of the 20/21 and 21/22 season at Millwall and the majority of the 19/20 season before that

[AKCJ]

15 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

He isn't a manager with the ability to change the system. 

 

Life under Awaiyatt, we can't attract a manager that knows how to play more than one formation.

I don't think that's the case.

 

I think it's more that - because of life under Aiyawatt and Rudkin - we have a squad that has been built specifically to play that 4-2-3-1 Man City style and it's incapable of adapting.

[Sunbury Fox]

I can see the temptation of a change in system but in my view it would be risky to try to implement it so late in the season with only a few games left to save ourselves. Also not at all convinced we have the players for it. We will end up with even more crap CBs and crap strikers in the teams, whilst not having anyone in the squad who can play both parts of the wing back role effectively.  

[filbertway]

I'd imagine he'd take one look at the wing back options and think that the suggestion would be absolutely mental unless we were looking to play a 5 4 1 and try and 0-0 every game. Which feels very unlikely with this team. 

 

At this point I just want to see 3 CBs over and done with, throw Lurch in there, patrolling the backline as well. Just to shut people up

 

[lcfc sheff]

2 hours ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

He isn't a manager with the ability to change the system. 

 

Life under Awaiyatt, we can't attract a manager that knows how to play more than one formation.

his job is to keep us up. 

 

any long term manager appointment would be unfair at this point

[Claridge]

On 18/03/2026 at 12:07, filbertway said:

I think he has less situational awareness than any player in the club. Which for a defensive minded player isn't ideal. If we get confirmed relegated I'd love to see him at CB for the banter though.

 

The only real time he's played CB is in a back 5 with 5 players about 10 yards in front of them. That kind of formation got Coady into the England squad when he was with Wolves.

and when we beat Liverpool, no one at the club has less awareness than Nelson, but i do agree Hamzas not good

[Mark_w]

2 hours ago, AKCJ said:

I don't think that's the case.

 

I think it's more that - because of life under Aiyawatt and Rudkin - we have a squad that has been built specifically to play that 4-2-3-1 Man City style and it's incapable of adapting.

It's incapable of playing the 4-2-3-1 Man City style though...