I love the way all your goal scorers run to the mascot to celebrate! That really emphasises that you are a family club!
Well, WHAT a goal our opener was! They waxed lyrical on FS but I wondered what the fuss was all about until just now. GotS contender from the off. Sensational.
Really? Good finish but absolutely awful defending and goalkeeping. I went to the game and was genuinely impressed and had already backed you to go up. However, Bolton were so incredibly poor it's difficult to take too much from it IMO. Although he got away with it yesterday, my only fear for you is Gomes. Accident waiting to happen.
I'm sorry, I seem to have over rated our one and two touch passing from our penalty area before the defence splitting final ball and deft finish. Deary me, however rubbish the oppo you've still got to put it together.
I hope the following ramble isn't too much verbal di***hoea, but felt I would like to contribute, as I get so much pleasure from reading everybody else's efforts. Lovely feeling on journey home - good football, decent goals, clean sheet - lots of optimism. (BW did double on us last year) Great first half, lots of energy allied to imaginative build up play, a bit careless with final ball, but everyone looked up for it. Beppe has certainly got them started! So, assessing from the back so to speak... Gomez is hilarious - doesn't expect to have to save a shot! Berates people every time! He is very vocal , but I think that is good. He throws the ball further than he can kick it- and with far better accuracy. Stands on 6 yard line for corners - I like that personally. Made 2 superb saves - he is a good replacement for almunia certainly up to it in our div. Paredes - what a find ! As long as he is just as keen in December & January ! But the guy has it all, and shot up the pitch whenever possible. The right man of back 3 is going to have to be quick and aware when we charges, but actually he didn't get caught out much. Hit bar with a stunner - Lonergan nowhere. I think he will become a firm favourite. Back 3 of ekstrand/Angella/tamas looked comfortable almost all game. Ekstrand is better in middle, doesn't get exposed, but still does the job. BW had 1 clear header from a corner and 1 shot from a good defensive header (Ekstrand) but the rest was scraps. Excellent chip from their Korean dealt with by gomez - looked as if it was going in. That and another header from the korean at the post was about it. i think we will be more solid there this year even with Paredes marauding. Pudil looked v. comfortable on left, and created lots of space just inside by his movement. Perhaps not challenged as much as some will do. So the defence work was pleasing. Midfield of Abdi Toszer McGugan was interesting - very solid (Toszer esp.) and the gave McG the time to be inventive - some nice flicks - 2 gorgeous backheels into space. We can afford McG to be a bit in and out with the other 2 there. I think it is a good combination. Deeney was... Deeney! His game is more rounded than before, just started off where he left off really. Added 1/2 million to his fee ! Vydra was back to his most determined - appreciated the welcome he got. Took goal v. well, the pass over the top is ideal for him. BW didn't help themselves be getting exposed, for all goals really, but we certainly have the pace and skill to punish teams. Fessi took his goal (26 seconds on the pitch) as if he'd played whole match. It looks like a good package - and the '1st' team (anya/Dyer being the question marks) looks well organised. Other good news, goalscorers scored and clean sheet - shouold keep confidence high. In fact the score should have been 5, and could have been 7. (In which case BW would have scored 1) The other thing is the the bench can be both strong and change the way we play, as well as (Dyer/anya) inject realpace on a tiring defence. BW worked hard 2nd half, but didn't really threaten much - a couple of useful performers but not a great amount to show in all honesty. What I hope is that we respond better to setbacks this season, I think we wilted on a few occasions last term. All is fine, and a good 3 points, but Norwich will be a proper test. Most peeps reckon they are in top3.
Thanks a lot JT and others. I always enjoy reading the views of those who have been at the game and seeing how it compares with the picture that Jon Marks has painted. As usual I think he was spot on.
A middle aged woman tells it at she sees it. https://franelynn.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/off-to-a-winning-start/
Found this site that has rated our players as well as theirs. Very interesting to see it from the oppositions point of view: http://lionofviennasuite.sbnation.com/2014/8/10/5987793/player-ratings-watford-v-bolton-wanderers
Very interesting that.. Can't agree about Pudil, I thought he had an excellent game, otherwise pretty fair!
I suppose one man's defence-splitting pass is another man's clip over the top that a back four quicker than Stephen Hawking should have dealt with. Not having a go, that's just how I saw it from the Rous.
I remember losing 3-0 to a pretty awful Yeovil team last season with a far inferior defence to Bolton's yesterday.
It has always been thus, Fez. Remember the days of Glenn Hoddle, when his once-a-game 40 yard pass would have journos scrambling for the thesaurus in search of superlatives and tv commentators suffering from on-screen orgasms? The same pass was Ian Bolton's stock in trade, delivered 10-15 times per game with unerring accuracy - yet merely elicited a stifled yawn and 'ho hum, another long ball from Watford' from those same journos.
I thought he had a decent game, as did everyone. Doesn't do much for the credibility of the writer though when he credits Pudil with an assist for the first goal when it was Angella. Maybe he'll knock a mark off when he realises and score him even lower. Can't agree with the assessment of Vydra either, who put in decent shift up front and tracking back.
Oh yes BB, with you all the way on this... and every time they roll out that pigging Hoddle goal I just have to leave the room.
Although I agree that Bolton were not very good I think it is hard to tell whether that was just because they are a bad team or because we put them under a lot of pressure at crucial times and just did the key things better than them. Time will tell. As far as the goal is concerned, yes you can highlight the poor defending and bad keeping but you can do that with pretty much every goal you see. When Maradona scored his second how many people slate Fenwick, Hodge and co for not getting anywhere enar close to him. Maybe Argentina should have worked harder to stop Bergkamp in 1998 etc etc. The fact is it was a clever move which was well executed. Watford did it well and Bolton didn't. One game into the season and we're already talking about the long ball tag - God I've missed it!
Or, with the benefit of Hornet Player, you can sit back and watch the move that led to the goal in its entirety, marvel at the speed of the move out of defence along with the accurate one touch passing - both of which simply destroyed Bolton's defence.
