EFL Championship - Away @ Watford, Saturday 29/8 @ 3PM UK time

Comments

• alderz

  August 26

  Hermansen / Veltman Mavropanos Kilman Scarles / Bowen Orford Engels Solomon / Mukasa / Taty
  
  That would be my preferred. If Mavropanos is injured then I guess Golambeckis, or Veltman inside with KWP at right back.
  
  I really like Orford, but I also think he and Engels seem quite similarly stylistically, so would rather we had a proper DM instead of forcing one of them to do it.
• Whitehorsehammer

  August 26

  Why we appear so keen to off load Alvarez, I don't understand.
• IronHerb

  August 26

  Whitehorsehammer said:

  Why we appear so keen to off load Alvarez, I don't understand.

  He doesn't want to be here.
• Whitehorsehammer

  August 26

  NES does not appear to give him support or game time to encourage him to want to stay.
• IronHerb

  August 26

  Whitehorsehammer said:

  NES does not appear to give him support or game time to encourage him to want to stay.

  The rumour is that he is refusing to play.
• Fortuneseeker

  August 26 edited August 26

  I agree Whitehorsehammer any player would feel unwanted and become disillussioned if the manager wasn't giving them game time when they genuinely felt they were good enough to merit a starting place. Magassa could fill the CDM role but his departure will mean we will need a replacement?
• alderz

  August 26

  I'm pretty sure Alvarez's disillusionment began long before Nuno got here. He was loaned out by Potter, after all. What's to say he didn't come back and go "you didn't want me as a club, then you got relegated, why would I stay?"
  
  I think if a player makes it clear they have no intention of playing the Championship (if that is in fact what's happened here), the right decision is to leave them out and try to get rid. If they end up staying you try to reintegrate.
• Lukerz

  August 26 edited August 26

  If Mavro is out still
  
  Hermansen
  Walker-Peters - Veltman - Kilman - Scarles
  Bowen - Engels - Orford - Solomon
  Mukasa
  Taty
  
  Herrick, Casey, Golambeckis, Mayers, Kanté, Magassa, Lamadrid, Ajala, Piroe
  
  Is what I expect we will see, otherwise i’d go KWP LB, Veltman RB & Mav at CB
  
  I also assume Pablo is still out & JWP won’t be included
  
  1-3 Irons
• Whitehorsehammer

  August 27

  I don't know why you are leaving Piroe out of that starting eleven?
• IronHerb

  August 27

  That's what happens when you have depth. 😂
• Lukerz

  August 27 edited August 27

  Whitehorsehammer said:

  I don't know why you are leaving Piroe out of that starting eleven?

  Because it’s either Taty or Piroe if we pay a 4-3-3
  
  Good to have options off the bench
• IronHerb

  August 27

  I think Piroe is likely to play, instead of Musaka, up top with Taty just off him.
• Lukerz

  August 27

  I hope not as we will struggle to win IMO
  
  Mavropanos pictured in training today
• jay_in_cpt

  August 27

  IronHerb said:

  I think Piroe is likely to play, instead of Musaka, up top with Taty just off him.

  I think you are right, BUT IMO Musaka was MOM for me on Tues Evening.....
• ASLEFshrugged

  August 27

  Our last visit to Vicarage Road was 28th Dec 2021 when we came away with a 4-1 win. They were relegated at the end of the season since when have gone through eight managers and have never finished above 11th
  
  This season it’s the turn of ex Sassuolo and Empoli coach Alessio Dionisi, he started well with a 1-0 win in the Carabao over League Two Crawley, a 2-1 win over Southampton and a 1-1 draw at Wrexham before a humiliating 5-1 loss to League One Peterborough.
  
  Admittedly changed the entire starting line up midweek but given the owners propensity for changing managers he didn't do himself any favours
  
  The owners are the Pozzo family who also own Udinese and there's a lot of player movement between the two clubs
  
  Last season's top scorer Danish U21 Luca Kjerrumgaard was on loan from Udinese and signed a permanent deal last month. Two other loanees from last season returned to Udinese
  
  Three other players from Udinese have signed permanent deals, another has joined on loan with 21yo Spanish AM Iker Bravo looking the most useful so far
  
  In the other direction last season's first choice left winger has joined Udinese on a permanent deal while first choice right winger, Australian Nestory Irankunda, joined Sporting after appearing in the World Cup.
  
  They've been replaced by a couple from the kids, 22yo Morroccan RW Othmane Maamma won Watford's young player of the season (21 starts in 27 appearances) while 19yo Afghani LW Amin Nabizada got his first start against Saints
  
  First choice GK Egil Selvik joined Brest on loan after deciding that two seasons at Watford was enough and has been replaced by Federico Ravaglia (Bologna, £6.8m)
  
  Another player who has had enough is Moroccan CM Imran Louza (top for assists with 10 and 2nd for goals), he hasn't been in the squad since Crawley and is reported to be going to Panathinaikos
  
  It all sounds a bit of a mess but then Scott Duxbury is chairman and Gianluca Nani is technical director
  
  Say no more...
• Lukerz

  August 28

  Pablo seen training today
• MrsGrey

  August 28 edited August 28

  A Watford Quiz: (WHU-Watford head to head)
  
  1. Who has managed both clubs? (Not at the same time, obviously.)
  2. In all competitions, ever, how many times has the aggregate number of goals scored equalled 5?
  3. Our biggest defeat was away, in 1985. (5-0) How many goalscorers can you name?
  4. In that match referred to by Aslef (Dec 2021), name as many of the scorers and assisters as you can.
  
  For anyone who wants to have a guess.
  
  Just for fun, I'm not running a league or anything.
  
  
  
  
• Ravel49

  August 28

  Zola
• MrsGrey

  August 28

  Oh no, now I'm embarrassed.
  What TWO managers have managed both clubs 😂
• Lukerz

  August 28 edited August 28

  Bilic?
  
  Did he manage them briefly? Lose track of their managers.
• MrsGrey

  August 28

  Lukerz, might have been easier to ask who HASN'T managed Watford 😆
• IronHerb

  August 28

  🙋‍♂️
• MrsGrey

  August 28

  Stay by your phone 👍
• ASLEFshrugged

  August 29

  Bilic was manager for three months, they had three managers that season
  
  Watford is a fairly new squad
  
  Out of the squad against Wrexham only two have been at Watford for longer than two seasons while another two joined in 2024 but both are under 22
• EXETERHAMMER

  August 29

  How confident are we about today on a scale of 1-10 for a win?
  
  8/10 for me
  
  COYI
• alderz

  August 29

  EXETERHAMMER said:

  How confident are we about today on a scale of 1-10 for a win?
  
  8/10 for me
  
  COYI

  I don't think I've ever been more than a 6
• Brother_Sledge

  August 29

  I don't think I've ever been less than a 7
• ASLEFshrugged

  August 29

  Louza to Panathinaikos confirmed
  
  RB Omar Traore (one of the three new Udinese signings) is fit, He was subbed at half time against Wrexham and is one of seven outfield players currently available that is 24 or older
  
  We put the kids out for the Carabao Cup, Watford put the kids out every match...
• Lukerz

  August 29 edited August 29

  We have a good record at Watford, I think it continues today.
  
  Bowen to score, plus get your money on Orford to score too.
  
  We haven’t fully clicked yet, but we have still won 2/4 games this season, were 2-0 up in one & missed a last minute pen where we would have got a point in the other. Could easily be 3 wins & a draw, despite not being convincing. We’re not a million miles away. It clicks again today.
• ASLEFshrugged

  August 29

  We've won three in a row at Vicarage Road, 4-1, 3-1 and 4-1
  
  Noble scored in all three games
  
  What are the odds they score first?