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Match day thread: Watford

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  • Far too much has been made of this 'letter' imho. It's a new chairman who has taken too much notice of comments on social media and perhaps doesn't really understand what's going on. We have already over-achieved this season. I'm sure GA and the players took it with a pinch of salt.

  • @LX1 said:
    Far too much has been made of this 'letter' imho. It's a new chairman who has taken too much notice of comments on social media and perhaps doesn't really understand what's going on. We have already over-achieved this season. I'm sure GA and the players took it with a pinch of salt.

    It initially put a bit of a rocket up them in a good way, the simple idea that you're all still being paid, you aren't done trying hard. There was a danger they could react badly but it didn't seem to happen. He's never going to say in public we've got no chance. I wonder tbh if this view has added to some of the caution though. They collectively aren't seeing games as free hits and are desperate for a point or even a respectable defeat rather than swinging for 3. In reality it probably won't make much difference due to the gulf in playing talent. It's harsh to slate the job anyone has done in the circumstances but you can't say whatever the approach may be that it's worked well this year unless the aim was just not to get absolutely hammered every week.
    The little upturn, albeit against poor teams, pointed at a bit of hope and hopefully we get to see some flashes and moments of quality and maybe some more wins if not a realistic go at staying up.

  • @StrongestTeam said:

    @LX1 said:
    Far too much has been made of this 'letter' imho. It's a new chairman who has taken too much notice of comments on social media and perhaps doesn't really understand what's going on. We have already over-achieved this season. I'm sure GA and the players took it with a pinch of salt.

    It initially put a bit of a rocket up them in a good way,

    Did it really? The supporters got the letter. The players and management didn't. They had a reassessment of what was needed which as far as I am aware routinely happened in well functioning teams.

    I agree that Couhig's intervention has been massively over emphasised and is really what any good leader would be doing regularly. The odd bit is he chose to tell us about it but maybe he just wanted to show he was still involved despite travel restrictions.

    I really don't think the players responded to a rocket. They deserved those points for all their effort.

  • Might be stating the obvious here, but to me the big difference this season has been the sheer speed of most of the teams in the Championship, both physically and mentally. Sure, many of our players would be able to play a nice passing game if required, and have done so at times during the season, but to consistently do it at the level of pace you see in this league is a step too far. Similarly, the speed of thought required when making decisions about what to do with the ball once you've got it, is way above what we've been used to. I personally think that if we tried to play more expansive football in most matches, we'd probably get hammered most times, simply because we couldn't do it at that pace. The players in the Championship who cost x million pounds can do it at that pace, that's the difference.

  • Yeah, you look at someone like Sarr and remember he cost £30M and think fair enough, if he plays his best he's going to be too good for us.

    But at the same time we didn't play well the other night, and we're capable of playing better. Hoping to see a reaction tomorrow. I think it's a game we're more than capable of winning

  • @NewburyWanderer said:
    Might be stating the obvious here, but to me the big difference this season has been the sheer speed of most of the teams in the Championship, both physically and mentally. Sure, many of our players would be able to play a nice passing game if required, and have done so at times during the season, but to consistently do it at the level of pace you see in this league is a step too far. Similarly, the speed of thought required when making decisions about what to do with the ball once you've got it, is way above what we've been used to. I personally think that if we tried to play more expansive football in most matches, we'd probably get hammered most times, simply because we couldn't do it at that pace. The players in the Championship who cost x million pounds can do it at that pace, that's the difference.

    Nailed it.
    The amount of people who don't seem to see this though is higher than I'd have thought.

  • @NewburyWanderer said:
    Might be stating the obvious here, but to me the big difference this season has been the sheer speed of most of the teams in the Championship, both physically and mentally. Sure, many of our players would be able to play a nice passing game if required, and have done so at times during the season, but to consistently do it at the level of pace you see in this league is a step too far. Similarly, the speed of thought required when making decisions about what to do with the ball once you've got it, is way above what we've been used to. I personally think that if we tried to play more expansive football in most matches, we'd probably get hammered most times, simply because we couldn't do it at that pace. The players in the Championship who cost x million pounds can do it at that pace, that's the difference.

    You are spot on. Professional teams looking at players rate pace very highly. At the youth level they scout for pace above pure ability. The slower player has to have very, very strong skills to compete with pace.

  • Only explanation for Anthony Jeffrey being at Arsenal.

  • @Forest_Blue said:

    The slower player has to have very, very strong skills to compete with pace.

    Looking at you Darren Currie

  • @NewburyWanderer suggests that it is unreasonable to expect the players we currently have to compete successfully with other clubs in the Championship by playing passing football. That may be true against the best teams but many of the points we have gained this season have been the result of playing an attractive brand of football with a fair amount of quick interpassing on the deck.

    Like many others I think (possibly including GA and Dobbo), I felt thoroughly disgruntled on Wednesday evening because the way we played felt like a parody even of some of our least entertaining performances. Normally, in the course of 90 minutes, there are passages of play and flashes of individual brilliance to admire and make us feel proud but, for whatever reason, such moments were conspicuous by their absence on Wednesday evening.

    The feeling of disgruntlement was probably also partly fuelled by memories of our superb performance against Watford at Adams Park in December when Ben Foster was their Man of the Match.

    Time (even as little as 48 hours) has done a bit of healing and @Right_in_the_Middle will probably not be surprised to hear that I have bought my iFollow pass for tomorrow’s game!

  • @Forest_Blue said:

    @NewburyWanderer said:
    The slower player has to have very, very strong skills to compete with pace.

    Not to forget our own JJ!

  • Fifth ‘Whoops’ of the week. The home game against Watford was in October. Seems so much more recent.

  • @micra said:

    Time (even as little as 48 hours) has done a bit of healing and @Right_in_the_Middle will probably not be surprised to hear that I have bought my iFollow pass for tomorrow’s game!

    Pleased and not surprised in the slightest. Never really in doubt despite the initial comment.

    Being totally honest the sheer frequency of the matches in grinding me down.

  • I've certainly changed from being delighted there's so many games, as it's helped lock down pass more easily, to now, kind of half willing the season to be ended, as the recovery with the vaccines gives plenty of late spring/summer hope.

    However, as of 3pm I'll be thinking we can win, and doing that thing all fans do of adding wins on, and saying if this happens, and that happens, and we go on a run , we can still stay up etc

  • I wasn’t going to bother today with ifollow but strangely enough it seems like there’s not much else on, so I’m in again...

  • @arnos_grove said:
    I wasn’t going to bother today with ifollow but strangely enough it seems like there’s not much else on, so I’m in again...

    Hope springs eternal old son.

    If we still did end of season videos, the first three words of the above would be a good name!

  • "I wasn't going"?

  • following the Watford red and white kit mystery, I see we're wearing the yellow one tomorrow against a team that plays in all white. Surely time to rewrite the club charter?

  • That is really disappointing.

  • Isn’t white and yellow more or a clash than white and blue?

  • Especially if you're watching on a black and white TV :)

  • I don’t want to be Ian Baker 2.0, but there’s a chance we’ll be relegated this weekend isn’t there? If we lose tomorrow we can only get to 45 points. If Derby and Huddersfield win and Coventry and Derby avoid defeat, the team in 21st will have 46 points.

    Someone tell me I’ve missed something.

  • I was thinking the same thing, @floyd. Finally, a must win?

  • Coventry won last night, so that one's gone. Derby play tonight.

  • @floyd I think Derby have to win tonight for your scenario to be possible.
    If we lose tomorrow, we can still finish on 45.
    If Derby draw tonight and get no more points, they will have 44.
    All a bit academic though really.

  • I know it’s a bit academic but I’d still like to know! Coventry play Barnsley on Sunday, a point takes them to 46. Hopefully Blackburn will help us out.

  • I have to say that with all the slings and arrows of this season, to still be mathematically in it with five to go almost feels like an achievement! Pity we could not have held on against Luton and guaranteed getting to at least four to go...

  • Must admit, I think the Luton result will count as my most disappointing...I know we did not play that well, but to have held onto that lead would have been a highlight of the season for me.

  • Derby winning early on too. Oh well.

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