Ratings & Reactions: Watford v Villa

[VillanousOne]

8 minutes ago, ThunderPower_14 said:

We clearly set up all wrong. It just didn't work at all and it was only once we got Ramsey on that we had any sort of cohesion when moving the ball forward.

The defence was completely at sea. Targett was incredible last season but looked like he hadn't stepped on a pitch in 6 months.

Next game, start Bailey and Traore over El Ghazi and Young thanks.

who starts instead of Targett then?

[thunderball]

Watkins was part of the success in how we changed last season, his return will herald a more familiar pattern from which we can build.

[gaffer85]

1 minute ago, Tumblerseven said:

Managers performance poor? Literally changed the game with his subs.

Took of targett made us more solid.

Subed in traore who got pen.

What the hell do you want from him seriously....

To get it right from the start

Not when were 2 nil down 

[Hiney]

Watford were fitter and wanted it more, they were half a yard faster than us all over the pitch especially in the first half. 

Most people wanted Targett to start but he was shocking today, I really hope it was a one off and not a sign of things to come. He really looked to push on last season but that was reminiscent of when we first signed him. We looked a lot more solid after the change and when Young went to left back.

Nakamba poor, probably the worst I've seen Matty Cash and Buendia was terrible too. Ings didn't do much but had no service 

Highlights Ramsey when he came on and Bailey looks a player.

We looked like a team who had a disjointed preseason, lost our talisman 1 week before the season started and had a number of players either out or not match fit. Watkins was a huge miss with his pressing and runs into the channels.

Bad day at the office and need to dramatically improve next week 

 

 

 

[VillanousOne]

Cash let everyone move around him

[Villa_Vids]

1 minute ago, mjmooney said:

No preseason, new players, last year's playmaker gone, team was rusty, away to a newly promoted side who happen to be our bogey team, too many of our players had an off day. It happens, get over it. 

The biggest disgrace was the match thread bedwetting, with talk of relegation, FFS, after one game. Probably the same people who were praising Dean Smith to the skies and swearing eternal loyalty in his thread yesterday, and voted Matt Targett as last year's player of the season. 

The club has never been in better shape. One defeat doesn't alter that. 

We are all highly emotional. I was saying sell the lot of them at 3-0 down. 

[JoeParker91]

Some of the reactions on here are almost as bad as the performance, it's like people are desperate to be negative. Anyway, some thoughts on the game. 

1st half we were very poor, I think what's most disappointing is the players that were consistent last season were dreadful. Targett is the obviously one but I though Cash ran him pretty close. Konsa was also well below par with Dennis running him ragged. It's obviously we need time to get the new players to gel, we know Buendia is a fabulous player but he looked very ineffective, much improved second half out wide. Ings didn't get a sniff and we really did create very little for him, I think a big part of how well we do this season is how he links up with Watkins. 

We were better second half (not saying much) and the changes all made a difference, especially Bailey who will hopefully help with that lack of chance creation. I still think we are lacking a number 10 if we go 4-2-1-3 and that showed, Norwich fans were very unanimous about his best position not being central. I also really hope we never line up with McGinn and Nakamba line up together again. I know we have both Luiz and Sanson to come back but if this results means we go all out for Ward-Prowse, I think we'll be a far better side. 

[Ponky]

Way too many pointless long balls from our defenders. We desperately need players farther upfield to be able to retain possession and we had nobody to do that until Ramsey came on. 

Young was excellent at fullback too and used his experience to pretty much take Sarr out of the equation second half. 

Buendia was a worry for me. Very easily pushed off the ball and (from memory) twice when that happened they went down the other end and scored. 

I think the start of the season has come about 10 days too soon for us. 

[calcifer]

2 minutes ago, maqroll said:

Look at all the incoming overreactions...

This was basically a preseason game, missing a couple of players though injury, trying to bleed in the new guys, trying to adopt a new style and adapt without the player everything went through. Away to a newly promoted side. Obviously there were a couple of really bad individual performances as well, but those happen. I'd prefer we get them out of the system sooner than later.

We clawed back two goals, and if you subtract the Mings deflected OG, this would've ended 2-2.

Bailey and Ramsey both looked good. Buendia a debut to forget but we know how good he is.

Cash needs to do some extra work in training because that was not Premier League standard play. 

McGinn MOTM for his goal and industry.

Disappointed of course, but it's not even halfway through August. It's a long season.

I suggest that instead of telling the manager to "Go f*ck himself", we actually support him, support the project and the players. Novel idea, huh?

Get out of here with your common sence

 

100% agree! 

[HKP90]

1 minute ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Very disappointed, but encouraged by the 2nd half.

PROS

- Dean changed things relatively quickly, good sign.

- Buendia was poor, BUT we know he has quality, and surely will get better )

- Bailey, with only 2 days training under his belt, looks a real asset.

- Traore seems to have some more zip about him than last season.

- Jacob Ramsey

- Transfer window still open. Surely the owners/Deano will see that we need massive improvement in midfield and act on it?

- No Ollie ( We will be much improved with him )

Cons

- Our full backs looked horrendous.

- Midfield

- Result

-

Exactly what I’m thinking.

[thunderball]

Just now, rjw63 said:

By which time European qualification will look a distant memory

It was always a very long shot for me. So much to do this season, lots will yet happen this season, so many stories and dramas. It’s next season we are setting up for because Jack leaving is massive.

[Villastine]

1 minute ago, Tumblerseven said:

Managers performance poor? Literally changed the game with his subs.

Took of targett made us more solid.

Subed in traore who got pen.

What the hell do you want from him seriously....

He needed to change it far quicker. It was clear and obvious they would score if he didn't. He didn't, they scored and he still made no change, they scored again. 

FFS DS was far too slow to change things. 

 

[Jono62]

Now I remember why I don't in match threads. 

[TRO]

13 minutes ago, jim said:

Embarrassing! Barely laid a glove on the mighty Watford.

Top 6, my arse!

Top 6....was based on a notion that oppositing teams was going to give us the freedom of the park.

I'm not sure where this topsy turvy naive outlook comes from.

[May-Z]

Not to pin the loss on Targett, but we lost the first half goals (and I would say the initiative to win the game) because of him losing his 1 v 1 battle with Sarr. The same way he was rinsed by him a couple of years ago. 

We failed to help him deal with that battle by giving the ball away in midfield and allowing them to break quickly. This was mainly Buendia getting caught with he ball or McGinn/Ming's going long to a defence who we sat on their own 18 yard box.

Feel a bit for Ings, he was absolutely swamped all match long today and had very little to feed off. 

I'm going to put this down to a disrupted pre -season and hope we're sting enough by this to be fired up Newcastle onwards. 

[TheStagMan]

Just now, Jono62 said:

Now I remember why I don't in match threads. 

Don't what?

[VillanousOne]

We've made some good signings but we are always going to struggle with midfield of McGinn, Nakamba and Luiz.

Sanson will help but not sure we can pin all hope on him.

why has Cash stopped overlapping and running down the wing? 

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

Sort of feared this sort of result and performance given the lack of preparation this squad has had coupled with the disruptive departures. 

Watford back up with fans back, cant begrudge them that win. We need to be much better. Bailey, Traore and Ramsey all changed the game. Ings off the mark but largely anonymous. McGinn with a nice goal. We were unlucky with their goals, but lets dust worselves down and batten down the hatches.

[cbr600rr]

few players did not look match fit ,need a few more in , long season 

[Keyblade]

Not getting carried away after 1 game, just as I wasn't after we won 4 on the bounce last season. But today was very poor. I hate when we play at this ground, it's always a thrashing. Was especially disappointed with Cash. I hope Guilbert puts him under pressure. But I feel Nakamba and his partnership with McGinn is what undid us today. Buendia had a bad debut too, but it's only the first game. We've had plenty of great players have awful debuts for us.

There were still positives though. I think we're 1 good CM away from being competitive. We saw when Bailey and Traore came on how dangerous we can be. Ings needs to build up chemistry with his teammates, but once he does he'll be deadly. We still have Watkins to come in. Deano will figure this out. It was always going to take a bit of time for a team that was built around 1 player to adjust to life without him. The good thing is that we have a very good squad now and should be able to cope after some inevitable teething.