Watford 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 4 (26/01/2008) 27/01/2008
Posted by Matt Rowson in Match reports.trackback
Five thunks from the cupitulation to Wolves
1- Another kick up the backside, Aidy? If our arses are that sore no wonder we’re struggling so badly.
2- A surprising number of tolerable performances – Ellington did well, Sadler looked the part, decent corners included, Kabba and Bangura worked hard and Smith looked terrific when he came on…
3- …. but boy do we need some help at the back. And much as we’re all Mali fans on Tuesday, it’s going to take more than Danny Shittu to sort this out.
4- Matt Jarvis looks like one that got away – far more threat than from our left winger. Andy Keogh would need to score a brace a week to justify those boots though…
5- Three-one next week then? Good…
BHaPPY (not BSaD) 
In response to Matt :
1. Another wretched, miserable and boring afternoon at home. I can’t name another season of more horrendous matchdays at Vicarage Road.
2. ‘worked hard’ should hardly be the definition of tolerable. It should be the absolute bare minimum required from a professional footballer. Bangura looked absolutely dreadful, whilst we all have sympathy for what happened, we are not a charity and if he is not up to first team football at the moment, he should not be in the first team, regardless of whether it qualifies him to stay in this country at the end of the year or not.
3. It was an insult to all Watford supporters that Mackay played. He retired last season. Where was Cedric Avinel? – if he wasn’t playing yesterday then thats it for him, another waste of a contract. As for Matt Jackson, we are paying him 10,000 pounds a week for the next 18 months – and people wonder where the money has gone.
4. Quite right about Jarvis. One thing is for certain – his transfer fee from Gillingham to Wolves was nowhere near the £1.7m we paid for Mcnotgoodenuff
5. Only if we get Lee Nogan out of retirement.
As soon as I heard Kabba’s name announced my heart sank – didn’t we learn earlier in the season that he simply isn’t a winger?? Why not Ainsworth? Having paid for my ticket I didn’t expect to watch the reserves playing and feel a bit short-changed. Okay rest a couple of players, but if you totally disrupt the team (and play Kabba) what do you expect? The only conclusion we can really draw is that Aidy wasn’t that bothered about the cup, despite everything he says to the contrary. When the Palace win led to such a lifting of spirits and a breaking of the home jinx the tactics to play to lose just seem perverse to me.
With regards to point 5 – yes please! My daughter will be distraught if we lose the first game she has ever attended…
Very glad we finally have decent competition for JS at left back. Don’t get me wrong, I thought he was one of the very few to come out of last season with any real credit. However, I get the feeling that he is not really being kept on his toes this season.
Perhaps we could get someone like Calum Davenport in at CB – oh, we did and, oh dear what rotten luck…
sob sob
Apparently the sunset was good too, but sadly I could only see the dross on the pitch from the Upper Rous.
Meldrew
2- I agree with the general sentiment, but Bangura was better than you give him credit for. Playing two youngsters, one of them well short of match fitness, in centre mid was asking for trouble.
3- agree
NRC – Ainsworth was cup tied, and Kabba was one of our better players on the day, which isn’t saying a lot I’ll grant you.
It did seem a pretty odd team to play, though Ainsworth couldn’t play because he played for Hereford in the Cup. Would’ve preferred to see Hoskins given a chance ahead of Kabba although having said that, it did look like he was at least making an effort. Either that or I was just expecting him to be so bad that he pleasantly surprised me!!
Currently watching Sheffield Utd on TV and they look worryingly good. Only good thing is that they must be tired after playing today and then on Tuesday! Hopefully we might have Danny back by next Saturday but as previously said, he can’t fix it all. I so hope history repeats itself and we do win 3-1 but it’s hard to envisage right now.
Thanks Matt, that at least explains something! Can’t agree about Kabba I’m afraid although will grant you he looked slightly better when allowed to play to posn when Smudger came on. Thought the Duke was trying harder, could be back to where we were at the start of the season if three strikers compete for two places, which at least gives ground for some optimism. By the way, Collins John wandered through the crowd in the East Stand at the start of the match and watched at least the first half there along with Hamur B and Lee Williamson.
Biggest lesson I took away was we’ve been consoling ourselves all season that we’ve got strength in depth and it’ll show as the season wears on – it seems we were mistaken if this is the next level down.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news for all the Jordan Stewart critics out there, but I would imagine that he’ll be playing with Sadler in the coming weeks, with Stewart another option on the left wing. This will suit JS better as he does like to get forward, but he’ll track back more than McAnuff, thus making us stronger defensively. Presumably this wasn’t used on Saturday because a) Kabba was given a last chance and b) Jordan was given a deserved rest after playing every game so far this season with the exception of the league cup.
That possibility had occurred to me also billyo. Given the encouraging signs shown by Sadler’s dead ball delivery yesterday, I would suggest that Stewart won’t have that responsibility any more. As previously suggested, that suits everyone, Jordan not least.
I think McAnuff’s lack of tracking back has been responsible for a lot of Jordan’s slack too. He has been defending the left side alone all season, whilst on the right, not only looking the more attacking threat, smudger has been helping out Lloyd all season.
I thought Kabba had a good game yesterday, and gave 100%. This maybe because he wants away and knew there was a number of scouts watching him, but credit where its due, he tried very hard yesterday. Ellington put alot of effort in aswell, great free kick that hit the post, someone who can take a free kick. Lee had a good game too. Defensively we were poor, all four of them , JDM is not a leader and i fear the weight of captaincy doesnt sit comfortably with him. How can we blame Mcanuff when he is right footed, he is not a left winger. I would like to see him in centre midfield behind front two (when we get our catalyst holding, ball playing midfielder this week …….)
Priskin, oh Priskin, yes you have ability, but your total lack of effort yesterday was disrespectful to the fans !!!
Horrific. Even worse than the abysmal show they put on against Accrington Stanley last season. Supreme arrogance (totally unjusified) from Boothroyd to treat this competition with utter contempt, bearing in mind it saved us from going under in 2003, and provided a splendid diversion from a very difficult league campaign last season. Very disappointing indeed.
Kabba was one of the “better” players which is a worry but no-one really pressed their claim for a starting spot..infact probably ended it!
Bangura is not match fit and Keogh made a real mug of our defence and maanged to get 2 goals which is rare for him.
Only cost 659k as well compared to Ellington who missed a couple fo good chances.
I only hope we have Smith and Henderson back to make a different but then again they have Edwards,Kightly and Banks to come in.
I have a new tactic……..balloons on the pitch…
C’mon it wasn’t that bad. In some ways it was an entertaining game, what made it hard to take was that we rested players, so management are just not interested in a cup run (ditto the Carling Cup) and that at times Wolves just looked, well, more competent.
Plus points to take from the game.
Al Bangura had a poor first half but improved tremendously in the last 30 minutes. He just needs match fitness.
The 20 minute cameo from Tommy Smith.
The Duke and Steve Kabba looked sharper. Does Ellington have an invisible step ladder. Some of those leaps in the second half (wow).
With four short(ish) frontmen after Tamas was subbed we actually had to play ball to feet and looked better for it.
Mat Sadler looked solid enough
Rinaldi made it to the bench.
Minus Points
Rinaldi stayed on the bench. (OK Matt that was a plus point for you)
Afraid that Tamas looks like he has lost all confidence
At times our Defending looked amateurish. Malky should not have played.
I guess what hurt the most for me is that the Management don’t think the Cup was important this year. The next round of the Cup is something always, always, worth striving for
To describe this season as the worst ever set of home games is over the top. The entertainment level has been poor, as have results, but don’t forget there were a number of rubbish years in the 90’s to choose from .However, going into a debate on which year was the worst would be far too depressing. Lee Nogan did seem to feature in a lot of those years.
It was a really good sunset.
A number of web postings have been suggesting playing Malky. so now we know that may not be such a good idea.
I don’t necessarily agree that Saturday’s debacle showed our lack of strength in depth – of the ‘second tier’ players on show Kabba played pretty well, Sadler looked solid enough considering the circumstances and Bangura was a bit rusty but was by no means the worst (in his first full game after a long lay-off). O’ Toole has struggled recently and clearly needs more time to develop, but an appropriate loan move could address this. Only Priskin effectively ruled himself out of contention, probably for good.
No, I’m afraid this one has to be laid firmly at Aidy’s door. I remain a big supporter of his but the changes he made for this match effectively ended our chances before kick-off. By randomly chucking in a debutante, a long-term injury absentee, a couple of fringe players, and most bizarrrely, a semi-retired and unfit player in Mackay, to a team already struggling for fluency at home, the consequences were only ever going to be shambolic. Relatively solid regulars like Doyley, Demerit and Lee were the worst of the bunch as a direct result of those changes I believe.
I understand the need to focus on the league this season, but Aidy showed a total lack of interest in a competition that should still have meaning to a club like Watford, and an insulting lack of regard to the supporters like me who paid to watch because they, perhaps naively, still care about it. And frankly, that stinks.
Sharp intake of breath when i heard the score. very disappointing undrelines the fact we still are off the pace after a great start. What is wrong, boothroyd has shown his priorities by picking a weakend side but gambled hoping the fringe players would be hungry, defence is obviously a problem wierd they have signed a left back rather than a centre back would suggest more cover in that position, as the concencus is that Jackson isnt delivering i still believe Macannuff is a good player who can offer us decent options coming forward, interesting to hear people speculating stewart may be tried further forward but im not sure the delivery from crosses would be consistent enough time to try Ainswortth need to get back the service aj provided before going back to boro to try and get henderson, john and ellington going and tighten up at the back
The draw for the next round adds insult to injury – OK, Cardiff away is never easy but is a very winnable tie, coupled with the fact that Merchandise are playing the Arse meaning another big gun will definitely bite the dust.
Missed opportunity?
I really fear our next 2 matches if Mariappa plays with Doyley moving to CB.Mariappa’s position sense is appalling and Doyley too short for CB.
When we have lost our next 2 matches which is for me a certainty I hope more and more people will question Boothroyd as he’s lost the plot!
Dear God,
Please help Aidy make some good decisions just like he used to. Make him realise he does not need to be kicked up the backside any more-he should know his best team and how important a cup run is to any supporter. We don’t mind a young inexperienced team who try their best and fail, but saturdays team was an insult. What did he/we learn from that?
Please remember us on saturday when it can all be put right.
3-1 sounds good to me.
Amen
Bizarrely and slightly arrogantly the official site refers to the result as a “cup upset”. A little echo of a certain italian’s claim that we are the Manchester United of Div 2???
Apperley ‘Orn – spot on, a missed opportunity. However, looking at the video of the press conference on the official site (an excellent innovation by the way, especially last week’s), at least Aidy seemed to know it.
We are at a real crossroads –
Should Watford beat Sheffield tonight because they are ‘tired’ after their cup exploits on Sunday and follow this up with a win over Wolves on Saturday because they were expecting the same dross they met last Saturday – – – – Hail the football genius called Aidy. If we don’t —— ?
I hope it’s the former- – – –
Markymark…what was the score last night?
Mark 1-1 not exactly what we needed!!
Is that a “certainty” Marky?
I thought I’d give you my 5 thunks about Tuesday night
1. That pitch was awful,
2. Steve Kabba seemed to have something to prove, but if he keeps playing like that we’ll have a new player
3. Sheff Utd were ‘Strong and Agressive’ or ‘Dirty and Thuggish’ depending on your viewpoint. Regardless of that, the ref seemed to miss lots of late and high challenges.
4. Rob Hulse is still a charmless nerk who throws his toys out of the pram if he is being bossed. See Malky in Cardiff or Mariappa on Tues.
5. £3.50 for a plastic bottle of lukewarm Carling!! How do they make a profit?
Markymark…can you predict such results for the rest of the season?
😉