Back From The Game - Watford; Thoroughly Deflated

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Should've beaten them last season.

[John Peel]

I was f*cking angry yesterday but not so much today. I think we may be underestimating the effects of the last minute Scunny draw. The team would genuinely have been thinking about play offs and I think that last minute sucker punch just finished them off. The emotional intensity at which they've been playing since January must have been immense and shouldn't be underestimated. Two a games a week most weeks as well.

I know they're professionals etc etc, but I'm confident they'll pick themselves up and go completely destroy PNE next week. In Brian I trust!

[gonesy]

West London not a happy stamping ground this year! And Graham scored a quarter of his goals against us this year LOL

[CMRoyal]

Team with nothing to play for put in limp performance shock.

I'm just annoyed with myself for taking the time and trouble (not to mention the expense) to go along expecting anything else. Ah well, roll on next season.

[Rex]

Those are the strokes though when going to any game, expectation ,elation or clearly in this case, deflation.

[Dirk Gently]

Just seen the goals on the football league show. ALOL at Griffin to give away the third, and I mean ALOL.

As he was going for that, I called out "Don't let it bounce!" He did - absolutely elementary mistake!

But for his contribution this last few months he's still massively in credit.

[Irvinchangeyaname]

Well that was a pile of shite. Don't think any of the players put a decent shift in today. Then again I was in row bb right in the front row and didn't have the best of views behind the goal.

Also got a ball smashed in the side of my head during the warm up. Still have a headache!!!

...did you not duck?

A ball is fairly large and pretty easy to keep an eye on.

DO YOU SEE?

unfortunatly for me I wasn't looking at the pitch at the time which is why I didn't see the ball coming at me.

DO YOU SEE?

You were in the row in front of me. To be fair, you were near the front and Churchy did hit it bloody hard.

Having said that, it was a schoolboy error to think that he may actually hit the back of an unguarded net!

[howser]

Lots of negatives on this thread from yesterdays game, not unexpected, maybe, as our recent success opened up the "play off" beliefs.....but all in all not a totally, IMHO, unexpected result, Watford are fighting for their lives and, surprisingly, after our recent turn in form we have only won 3 out of the last 9.

So maybe it was the result that, based on our current form, would possibly have been predicted.

[RoyalBlue]

The sooner footbal is played by robots that can turn out the same level of performance week in week out, regardless of the situation, irrespective of what has gone before, the better.

I seem to remember our 106 point team weren't far away from that!

The sooner overpaid professional footballers at least look like they are making an effort to earn their wages the better. The situation was that they had 2000 travelling supporters (albeit it wasn't that far) who had paid much harder earned money to watch them. What had gone before was a poor second half performance at Scunthorpe that had left their manager very unhappy.

Too many people, including the press and the likes of Claridge on the FL Show have referred to our players looking like they were already on holiday. Well I've got an answer for that. Tell them that if they fail to wake up and put on a much improved performance against Preston, the start of their real holidays will be delayed for a week. I'm sure there is plenty of painting/general maintenance that they can undertake around the Mad Stad!

[Ian Royal]

First of all, message to rexers: I was on the other side of the stairs to you and saw that twat take a swing at you, so feel free to PM if you need anything. Hope you've got your shades back ok. You didn't miss much in the game.

As for the game itself. Inflatables were fun, decent crowd and plenty of noise from the Royals for most of the first half, shame the players didn't turn up. Very definitely a good job of shut us down by Watford, made all the more effective by players who seemed to lack any motivation, knowing the game was pointless (and thus delivering a pointless one - boom-cha)...

I haven't had a chance to look back over the goals yet so will comment on those when I have... missed the second one watching some knobs go off on one for no reason I could see. The first looked like yet another case of failing to mark effectively or tight enough in the box. Not that I think they should have had the throw in the first place.

We simply didn't play well. We needed to put our foot on the ball, bring it down and pass and move. We didn't We kept lobbing cross pitch balls to the wingers and Long who were all doubled up on and not in space. We needed to draw them out and pass and move creating space.

Not sure about the fist half pen shout, but neither of the second half ones were penalties. Just Long and HRK running out of ideas and going down too easily.

Federici - ? not marking him 'til I see how he did on the goals. Made one save of note, don't think he had a chance with the first. Third looked woeful marking again from memory.
Griffin - 5 worst game from him I've seen.
Bertrand - 6 didn't get into the game much going forward. but not awful
Mills - 5 passing atrocious, and I think at fault for at least one goal
Khiz - 7 tentative score as I'm not sure if he was at fault in any of the goals, but I was impressed with him. I'd happily have him here next season.
Tabb - 5 poor game from him. Didn't break up play enough, didn't put his foot on the ball and play it. not great passing
Howard - 6 more in the game than Tabb, but not really good enough
Sigurdsson - 5 his usual brilliance just didn't happen. Didn't get control of the ball well enough or ride the challenges and come out with space and the ball.
Kebe - 4 kept falling over, didn't even look dangerous. worst game in absolutely ages. But he was completely marked out of it.
McAnuff - 4 fell over less but looked lethargic and just couldn't get anywhere today. Beat his man a few times, but never got away from him and wasn't strong enough Again, doubled up on.
Long - 4 Didn't get a sniff. Up against a man mountain with no service.

Church - 6 and that's for hitting the post. Didn't do much, but came agonisingly close to getting a consolation goal.
Rasiak - 5 put himself about a bit, won some headers, didn't really prove very effective though
HRK - 4 couple of runs that looked nice but went nowhere. Otherwise forgot he was on the pitch for most of his time.

Think McDermott got it wrong from the start and should have begun with 4-4-2.

Can't say I'm that unhappy. Went in not really caring about the result of a meaningless game.

Oh, Watford's fans were atrocious. As was the ref.

[handbags_harris]

LOL @ the fickleness of our fans, singing Griffin for England one week then telling him to fcuk off back to Stoke the next. Idiots

Couple that with loads of people near me next to the away fans chanting "Come on Wednesday" and "going down" when Watford were 3-0 up

[Ian Royal]

Get a grip you suicidal lot. Watford had everything to play for in front of their home fans - we had nothing to play for.

Only ever going to be one winner today. We have a shite record there anyway.

This team has done phenomenally well since BM took over. They can't play brilliant every week & perhaps adrenaline has been keeping them going thus far. Now they have nothing to play for, it's inevitable they will take their foot off the gas. So fecking what?!

LOL at slagging off Griffin. Some people on here crack me up.

feck off you pLOLastic pcunt.. After watching trash like that we can criticise our players. And yes i never liked Griffin so i can slag him off when he plays like he did.

Infact did you even go today?

I went yesterday. If you don't like Griffin, it must be the only game you've been to. That or you're educationally subnormal.

[Ian Royal]

Oh, and LOL @ that performance being claimed to be the worst in ever, was still a hundred times better than QPR away which was utterly shambolic.

This one we just didn't ever really try to get out of 1st gear, that's all.

No reason to start teeth gnashing and moaning about how we're suddenly terrible at all.

[dantheloyalroyal]

was still a hundred times better than QPR away which was utterly shambolic.

It really wasn't. The team actually created clear cut chances against QPR and even managed a goal. The players tried stringing passes together then, but yesterday you just expected them to lose the ball every time they got it.

[Ian Royal]

was still a hundred times better than QPR away which was utterly shambolic.

It really wasn't. The team actually created clear cut chances against QPR and even managed a goal. The players tried stringing passes together then, but yesterday you just expected them to lose the ball every time they got it.

Well, given it's subjective, it was in my opinion.

Watford did a job on us and we just didn't care that much. QPR pissed all over us without trying and we only had chances because they got bored and stopped playing. For me it's all about context. There was no excuse against QPR. Yesterday it wasn't a huge surprise we weren't that up for it and Watford were.

Also the tactics weren't great, but the management was still massively better, which raises the level for me.

[URZZ]

Just seen the goals on the football league show. ALOL at Griffin to give away the third, and I mean ALOL.

As he was going for that, I called out "Don't let it bounce!" He did - absolutely elementary mistake!

But for his contribution this last few months he's still massively in credit.

Ah no, I don't mean to come across as moaning. I love Grif, would absolutely love to keep him at Reading.

Yesterday he was awful though. But in his defence, the team were.

Just read this on Watford's forum btw.

Great atmosphere and some really funny songs. Especially liked the ones directed at Reading, including some revenge ones for what they were singing to us in at their place

It may have been because I was so far to the left, but I didn't hear them sing one song.

[floyd__streete]

I am going to put as much effort into these 'back from the game' thoughts as the players did during yesterday's 'game'.

[Ian Royal]

Just seen the goals on the football league show. ALOL at Griffin to give away the third, and I mean ALOL.

As he was going for that, I called out "Don't let it bounce!" He did - absolutely elementary mistake!

But for his contribution this last few months he's still massively in credit.

Ah no, I don't mean to come across as moaning. I love Grif, would absolutely love to keep him at Reading.

Yesterday he was awful though. But in his defence, the team were.

Just read this on Watford's forum btw.

Great atmosphere and some really funny songs. Especially liked the ones directed at Reading, including some revenge ones for what they were singing to us in at their place

It may have been because I was so far to the left, but I didn't hear them sing one song.

They didn't sing a thing until they'd scored. They only made a reasonable noise about twice durign the latter stages of the game.

mexican waves were an utter embarrassment.

[dantheloyalroyal]

mexican waves were an utter embarrassment.

at them not being able to go around the whole ground.

[Cookie]

Most of these posts are harsh. I'll not add to that, but suffice to say Brian and Nick you gotta sort it because it's going to effect ST sales if they don't give a good performance against Preston.

Isn't anyone playing for a contract?