Match Day Thread Watford v Middlesbrough

Im sure the pain will go soon .There was some nice bit on FB but then you get the few wanting the manager sacked , someone needs to tell them there was a old Div 4

 

First of all - a big thanks to the Boro fans... for joining in the applause as well as 'There's only one Graham Taylor'

As for the match... first half we looked awful and made Boro look good. Second half was better but still so sloppy in so many areas. Just so little pace or movement. Okaka does look good - some of his turns/movement on the ball looks like Ighalo did at the start of last season! It was between him and Doucoure for Man of the Match for me. Doucoure looks like he wants to drive forward, rather than back to the CBs...

Am beginning to worry that the boss isn't quite so bothered any more. He just sits in the dug-out, watching... and that almost seems to be filtering to the players. Capoue seems like he feels he did his bit at the start of the season and isn't so fussed any more. Britos, not really sure how he is starting still. Kaboul defensively worries me, but at times seemed more like a right winger! As for Holebas - such a diva! Would love us to give Bennett a run of games there... someone who genuinely seems happy to be out on the pitch and tries!

You could sense the frustration in the crowd too - a lot of unrest and feels like Mazzarri is losing them... set-pieces are very frustrating. With Prodl and Okaka, we look a a real threat, so no idea why they keep insist on playing it short - it rarely comes to anything, and just makes the players look like they can make simple passes and crosses.

As for the penalty appeal... honestly thought it was a penalty. The guy was all over him... but I think Okaka tried staying on his feet too long, and by the time he decided to go down, it just looked like he was throwing himself to the ground so on one hand feel it was a penalty but on the other, can see why the ref would give a free-kick and yellow against him!

 

Yes here we are again after Xmas and we really wonder what the manager is up to..

Going through so many managers/coaches is the antithesis of the values of our club too...

I really wonder how much unity and positive feeling there is in the squad

 

The worry is that he has lost the players....

There have been rumblings about his training methods, which might explain the amount of muscle injuries the team have had. Is he pushing them too hard, or maybe not enough

I must admit, I didn't mind we had so many non-British players but do feel we could do with a bit of a British core in there. There's a few players I would have liked to have brought in but think most will now be out of our price range!

 

yes...and we know now that QSF virtually gave up once we were safe... and how poor we were back end of last season......

we are not safe by any means though

 

Maybe the Pozzo's have just been meddling too much. The idea of having a manager for the season, together with a crop of new players who lack a common language was always a potential problem. You have one manager to get you to the promised land - achieved, and then gone. Another one to survive there for the first season - achieved , and then gone. It stands to reason that a manager such as Flores should have had the opportunity to use the experience which he gained from his first year in the prem. in order to progress more in the second - anyone with any sense would have said that this was a better bet than risking another rookie who has spent his entire career in Italy. This constant changing of manager and playing personnel is having a detremental affect on our club.

 

I think they have much more involvement in the team and are around at training etc etc

Not good IMO