joey_big_nose

Yup the journey as an experienced fan is to recognise playing well is a mugs game... Have a shit midfield, cant string a pass together, but make sure you have a defence who won't concede and strikers who put the opportunitues away. You start with that and fill out the middle as a luxury.

If that means we can start again without Venkys i am all for it.

De Neve has been directly linked to us conceding half a dozen goals... Why have we brought him on?

Hes been so rubbish since coming back from injury. We could have used his wages to pay for a bump for Travis and Hyam and be infinitely better off. So ironic we have a wage ceiling but a player who has 4x it who offers so little.

That's the issue really.... I don't think we have ever been a situation where we have had so few wide players back to front. Only Alebiousu is more comfortable out wide than central of all 20 players on that squad. Even Pickering is a left back whose best game is coming inside to support the midfield, not overalapping and getting to the touchline. Really horrendous squad planning.

Agreed... we've got into a real mismash where some players suit 352 more, and some 4231, and we look very confused all over the place. In October we looked reasonably settled, and while we were obviously going to have a bad season there was enough there to stay up. But the injuries (very predictable...) and the absolutely crazy transfer window (why sign another left back who can't play left wing back when we don't have a fit lwb or left wing? why sign a striker who plays in a front three? why sign no other players??) has really tipped us into looking odds on for relegation. I can only hope it's enough for Venkys to decide to exit.

Id aim to get back to the 352 personally, it suits us when everyone is fit. Just been stupid we have stuck with it without Alebiouso, Hedges, Gudjonsen. We absolutely have to sign a left wing back. But I can see the money men saying - quite logically - that we have to shift two out of Riberio, Pickering and De Neve first.

He can be quite good on form. I wasn't a fan last season but this year August to October he was quite good, and surprised me by being motivated by the captaincy and clearly his intensity upping a bit. But then got injured and off the boil again (although to be fair to him he still works very hard). Not worth the money imo. If he was unavailable and we played Baradji and Mori as the attacking mids I wouldn't expect any real change in the quality of our attack. Maybe be a bit better on recent form.

Yes this is true - performance similar to where we were in October - competivie but very blunt going forward. Do feel that Watford were really really poor though. A better team could have hurt us quite easily. But then again Watford are top eight so maybe this is the standard. Need Gudjonsen back to give us a bit of threat. And we need to figure out what we are doing down the left side - its a real mess without Hedges. We can't end the window without having something serviceable there - we've got four (!!!!!!!!) left backs / wing backs and they all can't do the job - i.e. be able to both defend or get forward across the full length of the pitch - at LWB (Cashin, Pickering, RIberio, De Neve). That said if we're looking to get an attacking option on at LWB at the end of the game like today surely Powell would have been a better option. How did he not make the bench? He looked pretty good against Swansea.

I really doubt anyone will fancy him and his wages in the UK. Could see a Saudi club or something like that going for him.

Cantwell has been so poor today. Since his injury hes been a total waste of space. No lack of effort or interest, just gets so many simple passes completely wrong.

Looked better more central... Maybe swap him and Ohashi round would make more sense?

Im pretty confused by our formation... I think its 343 but Mori doing absolutely nothing to provide cover for Cashin. And Jorgensen looks pretty lost. If i was the Watford manager id focus on getfing down the channels. Alebiouso could make a massive impact I think. Is powell not available? I thought bringing him in left side would make sense.

Yeah but he can control the ball and and pick a good pass. I think Id rather have him in than the other options.

Think we're back to 4231 Toth Miller O'Riordan. McLoughlin. Cashin Forshaw Tronstad Mori. Cantwell Jorgensen Ohashi Worried how slow Cashin is though...