Watford 0-0 LCFC, post-match thread

[marketharboroughfox]

Genuinely just got home after a nightmare journey back involving a broken down car...just as well I didn't call up Patson to help else I'd still be stuck there. Two points dropped for sure and it's troubling how different we look away from home.

[trabuch]

It's been quite rare when I feel like we deserved to win a match these days. Even when we've won. But we did deserve to win that.  And we really needed to. So in many ways that is the most depressing point this season.

I'm no expert, but I think if I was the director of ****ing football I might have thought about buying a ****ing striker. 

Edited 22 March by trabuch

[fox_favourite]

Well. That's our 22/23 Everton game where Maddison missed a penalty to win it for us and we would have stayed up if he did. 

 

All the signs are pointing downwards. Bye Championship, good bye football 

[Jazzy_Jeff]

So much negativity again.

 

i appreciate we need points, but Watford are a decent side who had a good result midweek and we went there and made them look ordinary. Could easily have won the game but poor finishing let us down.

 

The positives are that we looked a lot stronger defensively - Lascelles made a huge difference and Thomas probably had his best game of the season. We worked hard and did look dangerous when on the front foot. Both wingers looked good, especially Fatawu who looked more like his old self.

 

What Rowett needs to fix now is the final third. Dakas confidence is on the floor and Ayew makes little to no effort. I would stick with the same midfield 3 as yesterday with Mukasa as a false 9. I’ve been against this before but after yesterday we can rely on Daka and Ayew. Not only is he a better finisher but him coming deep would allow JJ to go beyond him. Definitely worth a go against Preston.

 

With Oxford and Portsmouth results there is still all to play for.

[LichesterRedSoxSoccerBall]

I want Patson Daka to phone in my work tomorrow and explain why I look tired. It's because I've been awake all night trying to work out how a professional footballer misses a header from 2 yards out. 

[ClaphamFox]

1 hour ago, Jazzy_Jeff said:

So much negativity again.

 

i appreciate we need points, but Watford are a decent side who had a good result midweek and we went there and made them look ordinary. Could easily have won the game but poor finishing let us down.

 

The positives are that we looked a lot stronger defensively - Lascelles made a huge difference and Thomas probably had his best game of the season. We worked hard and did look dangerous when on the front foot. Both wingers looked good, especially Fatawu who looked more like his old self.

 

What Rowett needs to fix now is the final third. Dakas confidence is on the floor and Ayew makes little to no effort. I would stick with the same midfield 3 as yesterday with Mukasa as a false 9. I’ve been against this before but after yesterday we can rely on Daka and Ayew. Not only is he a better finisher but him coming deep would allow JJ to go beyond him. Definitely worth a go against Preston.

 

With Oxford and Portsmouth results there is still all to play for.

Seriously. Many were predicting a thrashing yesterday, yet we went there, dominated, and should have won. Two of our rivals lost — one already looks doomed — and Lascelles looks exactly like the missing piece we hoped for in defence.

 

Yet half this forum has gone full Ant Hill Mob and is screaming “We’re all gonna die!”

 

Genuinely amazed some of them make it through a Tesco shop without declaring it the end of times.

Edited 22 March by ClaphamFox

[Product of 84]

10 hours ago, DJW1 said:

We drew 0-0 in September with ......... the team that's going to win the Championship 

Ha sorry. 

 

My point still stands tho.

 

Whether it's standards, mentality or fight we are improving from some terrible runs of defeats. Hopefully it will be enough. 

[fox_favourite]

16 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

Seriously. Many were predicting a thrashing yesterday, yet we went there, dominated, and should have won. Two of our rivals lost — one already looks doomed — and Lascelles looks exactly like the missing piece we hoped for in defence.

 

Yet half this forum has gone full Ant Hill Mob and is screaming “We’re all gonna die!”

 

Genuinely amazed some of them make it through a Tesco shop without declaring it the end of times.

Have you not seen the price of a creme egg!! We're doomed I tell ya, doomed! Don't panic Mr Manering! Don't panic!!!!!!!!!

 

But in all seriousness, we needed to win that. Yes positive performance but points are what we needed. 1pt isn't enough as our home form is horrific. We now need to go on a run of wins to even give us a chance. Have we done that at any point? Nope. 

 

We've been relegated in my eyes since that Southampton game. 

Edited 22 March by fox_favourite

[LCFCJohn]

1 hour ago, Jazzy_Jeff said:

So much negativity again.

 

i appreciate we need points, but Watford are a decent side who had a good result midweek and we went there and made them look ordinary. Could easily have won the game but poor finishing let us down.

 

The positives are that we looked a lot stronger defensively - Lascelles made a huge difference and Thomas probably had his best game of the season. We worked hard and did look dangerous when on the front foot. Both wingers looked good, especially Fatawu who looked more like his old self.

 

What Rowett needs to fix now is the final third. Dakas confidence is on the floor and Ayew makes little to no effort. I would stick with the same midfield 3 as yesterday with Mukasa as a false 9. I’ve been against this before but after yesterday we can rely on Daka and Ayew. Not only is he a better finisher but him coming deep would allow JJ to go beyond him. Definitely worth a go against Preston.

 

With Oxford and Portsmouth results there is still all to play for.

 

17 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

Seriously. Many were predicting a thrashing yesterday, yet we went there, dominated, and should have won. Two of our rivals lost — one already looks doomed — and Lascelles looks exactly like the missing piece we hoped for in defence.

 

Yet half this forum has gone full Ant Hill Mob and is screaming “We’re all gonna die!”

 

Genuinely amazed some of them make it through a Tesco shop without declaring it the end of times.

You can look at the performance and result as a stand alone and see it as a positive. It definitely one of those ‘would have won comfortably another day’ type of game.

 

Clearly the negativity is because we are running out of ‘another days’.

 

If we were to go and get 6/6 in the next 2, Preston and Sheff Weds, we’ll be likely looking in a much better position. But currently we are dropping too many points that are there for the taking.

[Raw Dykes]

16 hours ago, PhillippaT said:

This reminds me of a cartoon theme song, but I have no idea which...  Dammit.

Is it The Family-Ness? I think that mentioned Timbuktu.

[Pliskin]

3 hours ago, Jazzy_Jeff said:

So much negativity again.

 

i appreciate we need points, but Watford are a decent side who had a good result midweek and we went there and made them look ordinary. Could easily have won the game but poor finishing let us down.

 

The positives are that we looked a lot stronger defensively - Lascelles made a huge difference and Thomas probably had his best game of the season. We worked hard and did look dangerous when on the front foot. Both wingers looked good, especially Fatawu who looked more like his old self.

 

What Rowett needs to fix now is the final third. Dakas confidence is on the floor and Ayew makes little to no effort. I would stick with the same midfield 3 as yesterday with Mukasa as a false 9. I’ve been against this before but after yesterday we can rely on Daka and Ayew. Not only is he a better finisher but him coming deep would allow JJ to go beyond him. Definitely worth a go against Preston.

 

With Oxford and Portsmouth results there is still all to play for.

It’s blind optimism. 
 

You HAVE to win these games, we missed a penalty and an open goal more or less…. There’s no positives to take, it’s another two points thrown away. 
 

There’s zero evidence this team will stay up, we simply don’t have the minerals to do so. You can’t be losing 1-3 to QPR and expect to stay up. And it doesn’t matter is Watford are a “half decent team” (which they aren’t they’re shit)…. But when you get the best opportunity to score a goal and win a game of football you must take it. We kept a clean sheet, if we score the penalty we win, it’s simple, but we couldn’t manage that…..

 

That is a sign of a team that’s going down, regularly missing opportunities. We’re incapable of putting together any run of half decent form, and we’ve not got the same grit and fight of the teams around us, we’re pathetic. 
 

All that’s happening is we are delaying the inevitable. We will lose to anyone who has something to genuinely play for. 

Edited 22 March by Pliskin

[J. James]

Elliot or Walsh would own the 9 shirt (if they wanted it) in this useless rabble.

[Bezzanator89]

Big chance missed for three points. Just shows we can hold our own and threaten against those pushing for promotion and play-offs. And a second clean sheet in three games. Nothing to be sniffed at considering the run we were on prior to Bristol City at home.

 

The game was scrappy and low on quality but we deserved to win this. Daka may be infuriating, but he gets into those positions. I struggle to see how Ayew would fare any better, or even be in a position to score at all. I'd just stick with Patson for the rest of the season.

 

More positives than negatives yesterday, and shows we could well survive yet. But as Leicester does, it continues to keep me guessing. I was very pessimistic after QPR last week, but I have a little bit of hope again. Oh, how I hate having that hope.

Edited 22 March by Bezzanator89

[Number 6]

1 hour ago, Pliskin said:

You can’t be losing 1-3 to QPR and expect to stay up.

I presume by similar logic you also can't lose 6-1 to QPR and expect to stay up?

[Muzzy_no7]

4 hours ago, fox_favourite said:

Have you not seen the price of a creme egg!! We're doomed I tell ya, doomed! Don't panic Mr Manering! Don't panic!!!!!!!!!

 

But in all seriousness, we needed to win that. Yes positive performance but points are what we needed. 1pt isn't enough as our home form is horrific. We now need to go on a run of wins to even give us a chance. Have we done that at any point? Nope. 

 

We've been relegated in my eyes since that Southampton game. 

It was the Charlton and Oxford home games that did it. 
 

Incompetence from the board and Kingy being inept. 

[wallin1704]

Good performance and another clean sheet, should have taken all 3 points though.

 

I'd still stick with Daka as at least he gets on the end of chances rather than dropping to DM like Ayew.

 

Preston I'd go Mukasa over Winks, Lescelles needs to play although rather start Nelson than Okoli.

 

Big big Easter weekend for us.

[Gamble92]

2 hours ago, Pliskin said:

It’s blind optimism. 
 

You HAVE to win these games, we missed a penalty and an open goal more or less…. There’s no positives to take, it’s another two points thrown away. 
 

There’s zero evidence this team will stay up, we simply don’t have the minerals to do so. You can’t be losing 1-3 to QPR and expect to stay up. And it doesn’t matter is Watford are a “half decent team” (which they aren’t they’re shit)…. But when you get the best opportunity to score a goal and win a game of football you must take it. We kept a clean sheet, if we score the penalty we win, it’s simple, but we couldn’t manage that…..

 

That is a sign of a team that’s going down, regularly missing opportunities. We’re incapable of putting together any run of half decent form, and we’ve not got the same grit and fight of the teams around us, we’re pathetic. 
 

All that’s happening is we are delaying the inevitable. We will lose to anyone who has something to genuinely play for. 

This is looking at everything negatively though too. Which I can't blame you for but let's just assess this a bit.

 

Portsmouth just got beat 6-1. The affect that's going to have on them compared to us having a dominant performance and a clean sheet could be huge. I fancy our fixtures more than theirs. 

 

The next two teams we play haven't got anything to play for. 

 

If you can't expect to stay up losing 1-3 to QPR then the team above us just lost 1-6. 

 

Literally all the teams supporters will have said exactly the same as you have about their own teams at stages through the season.

 

This isn't excusing the absolute disaster it's taken to get to this point. If the Premier League title win needed the absolute perfect storm to happen then this has needed the same. This downfall is every bit as incomprehensible as winning the league was. I just don't think we are down yet. 

Edited 22 March by Gamble92

[South Shire Fox]

12 hours ago, marketharboroughfox said:

Genuinely just got home after a nightmare journey back involving a broken down car...just as well I didn't call up Patson to help else I'd still be stuck there. Two points dropped for sure and it's troubling how different we look away from home.

Few factors i think. King Power is toxic as **** every week and has been for a long time. Players look nervous before they’ve even started the game. And away from home teams dont sit back as much and hit on the counter attack which we usually struggle against

[whoareyaaa]

7 minutes ago, wallin1704 said:

Good performance and another clean sheet, should have taken all 3 points though.

 

I'd still stick with Daka as at least he gets on the end of chances rather than dropping to DM like Ayew.

 

Preston I'd go Mukasa over Winks, Lescelles needs to play although rather start Nelson than Okoli.

 

Big big Easter weekend for us.

Okoli has featured in the only 4 games we kept a clean sheet no idea why he gets so much stick yea he has gifted a couple of goals but def not the amount some think 

[South Shire Fox]

2 hours ago, Pliskin said:

It’s blind optimism. 
 

You HAVE to win these games, we missed a penalty and an open goal more or less…. There’s no positives to take, it’s another two points thrown away. 
 

There’s zero evidence this team will stay up, we simply don’t have the minerals to do so. You can’t be losing 1-3 to QPR and expect to stay up. And it doesn’t matter is Watford are a “half decent team” (which they aren’t they’re shit)…. But when you get the best opportunity to score a goal and win a game of football you must take it. We kept a clean sheet, if we score the penalty we win, it’s simple, but we couldn’t manage that…..

 

That is a sign of a team that’s going down, regularly missing opportunities. We’re incapable of putting together any run of half decent form, and we’ve not got the same grit and fight of the teams around us, we’re pathetic. 
 

All that’s happening is we are delaying the inevitable. We will lose to anyone who has something to genuinely play for. 

Theres definetley positives. The fact that we were the better team and should of won is a positive in itself. For 3/4s of the season we’ve been consistently the worse team on the pitch. Two clean sheets in three when we went 30 games without one. A solid foundation is essential to getting results. We just need to convert our chances

Edited 22 March by South Shire Fox

[woznotwos]

30 minutes ago, Number 6 said:

I presume by similar logic you also can't lose 6-1 to QPR and expect to stay up?

So Oxford escape then??

[Jobyfox]

5 minutes ago, South Shire Fox said:

Theres definetley positives. The fact that we were the better team and should of won is a positive in itself. For 3/4s of the season we’ve been consistently the worse team on the pitch. Two clean sheets in three when we went 30 games without one. A solid foundation is essential to getting results. We just need to convert our chances

Yep - and our striker options are Patson Daka and Jordan Ayew

 

 

[Number 6]

13 minutes ago, woznotwos said:

So Oxford escape then??

I don't know how they got on against QPR to be fair.

[wallin1704]

9 minutes ago, whoareyaaa said:

Okoli has featured in the only 4 games we kept a clean sheet no idea why he gets so much stick yea he has gifted a couple of goals but def not the amount some think 

His distribution isn't the best, he dwells on the ball a lot and always fills me with dread when defending as worry his touch will lead to losing the ball.

 

Whereas Nelson is slightly more composed on the ball in my opinion and as we insist on this god awful playing out from the back would rather have him.

 

Without a decent DM whoever plays centre back this season has been more exposed than in the past which has caused us massive issues at the back with an aging Ricardo not able to come back and cover as he previously did.

[ClaphamFox]

28 minutes ago, Jobyfox said:

Yep - and our striker options are Patson Daka and Jordan Ayew

 

 

Yet we’ve comfortably outscored everyone else in our five-club mini relegation league. Which would suggest if scoring goals is a big problem for us, it’s an even bigger one for our rivals.