Match thread: Watford - Middlesbrough

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great result......

 

Well it was never going to be a classic and it proved that way.

1st half was pretty average with us on the back foot.

Certainly played better in the 2nd half and held out quite easily.

The 3 main incidents were really daft - no-body can have any complaints.

Great to see Hoban back and Deeney was excellent up front.

Thought Anya was very useful as a pacey outlet coming on for Faraoni who was poor I thought.

10 points out of 12 in 4 tricky games is great progress.

Roll on Yeovil.

 

Clearly I wasn't at the game and was listening mainly to comments about Watford players, although there were things that did merit mention about the Boro side. Tonight I have read some comments from their fans and there seems to be a common view about Danny Graham.

" Graham won't work for the chances and in this system, you can't have a player who is just going to stand around and hope the ball will fall in front of him."

I did see him when he was at Watford and could hardly believe the effort and work rate that he put in. At the top of this thread I asked if he might be a one season wonder. Anyone at the game who has a view?

It also seems that Chalobah has not exactly created a good impression and there are suggestions that he should be dropped. Has his big contract at Chelsea had a bad effect, or is it just people looking for excuses?

Most Watford fans seem to think that the ref today did a good job. Boro fans take the opposite view. I think we sometimes see what we want to see and not what is actually in front of us.

 

no surprise seeing Diakite sent off, that is why Arry will not select him

 

Don't worry lap-dog, he will fit in well next season still in The Championship when 'arry's gamble will have failed and you go into financial meltdown. Such a shame - but hope you still pay is a visit so we can carry on laughing at you.

 

I probably wont spend so much time looking at championship clubs next season

 

There is a really good player in Diakite, a lot of QPR fans had him down as a future player of the year. Needs a strong, patient coach to iron out kinks.

 

and a brain transplant

 

... anyway back to the match .. I groaned when I heard Bond was in goal - but have to admit he did really well - I'm not so worried now - good sign for the future I think. Thought the ref did well too - a clear penalty and both sending off were justified - what was the Boro bloke doing knowing he has already been booked! As for Daikite - where can he get a bus back to West London?

 

Diakate and Gibson... what a pair of brainless numpties! With the exception of the uneven handed punishment for Fessi in comparison with Chalobah (a talking to and a YC or a YC and a RC) would have been appropriate. The old adopting an aggressive attitude routine is a bit of a catch all clause for referees, I thought the officials got the big calls right and was far superior to many pretty much all the officials we've seen this season and especially that idiot on Tuesday last.
A solid win. No longer looking behind but looking at a playoff spot again. You know as John Clease said in Clockwise: "the despair I can take, but it's the hope that kills me".
If we get a win in Somerset on Tuesday other teams will be looking behind....

 

[video=youtube;Ax0Nd-9luwo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax0Nd-9luwo[/video]

 

It was interesting seeing Graham and Chalobah again and both looked to have gone backwards since they left WFC. Cassetti, who's hardly the quickest these days, looked to have DG in his pocket and the latter looked either half fit or just not interested. When he was with us I thought NC was a quality player, making space and moving rapidly forward with the ball. On Saturday, even before he was asked to play at the back, he looked reluctant to cross the half way line and most of his passing was square. Given that he didn't seem to impress at Forest either, I wonder if he needs a sympathetic manager and one willing to play him in a more attacking role.

 

No, obviously he just needs to play for Watford.

Mind you, if he tried to, he'd have to be patient and wait his turn...

 

Have to agree with that. Tuesday was the first time I had ever posted about a referee, but he was awful. On reading your comments here I tried to think about yesterday's ref and I can't really remember noticing him, despite two sending offs and a penalty. That to me is an indication of when a referee has done well, when you don't really notice he is there. Some officials realise they are there to officiate a football game, and are not there to be centre stage themselves, while some (Rob Styles was always the worse of these) seem to have such an ego that they want to be noticed themselves as well.

Anyway back to the game and the football. Very enjoyable match in the second half. To me the real stand outs were a terrific performance by Tommie Hoban, how well Cassetti has played since coming is as the middle of the back three, Angella's continued assured performances, the energy and attitude of Deeney yesterday, and another excellent performance by Forrestieri - the last three home games he has been terrific. But overall, how much better have we looked as a team since Toszer came in. We always had a good team of individual players, but something was obviously missing as a team, and Toszer seems to have brought that.

 

What a lovely performance by most of the team yesterday. Not sure what happened in the first half as we seemed quite subdued but, they came alive in the second and that's what counts.

I have to say though that Diakite has edged "Fatty" Murfin into my fifth place as one of the worse players to ever wear the yellow shirt, and someone please tell me what was going on with his shorts!?!

 

I have a 400 degree compass. Found it on a Scottish hill. No one has been able to explain why it's got 400 degrees. Now surprised the person lost it! Probably still wondering the glens.

 

Must be something to do with the pre-1707 exchange rate when Scottish degrees were worth less.