Match Thread: Watford v Southampton

The vast majority. That's what I'm getting at: we've brought in six players on permanent deals since the beginning of the season (Jack Cork, Billy Sharp, Tadanari Lee, Jos Hooiveld, Danny Fox and Steve de Ridder) with the money from the AOC transfer, rather than by incurring a massive debt. We've also canceled transfers because players were asking for wages beyond our wage structure (but lower than the top-paid players of a good many Championship teams).

Thus, as Beddy says, we're not in bad financial shape...no external debts, and by all accounts we have not been ringing up a significant deficit for the Liebherrs, either.

 

It would only happen if the owner was still alive. Sadly Markus Liebherr passed away and we are using the funds he left to us in his estate. So... yeah.... we aren't in debt..... The Liebherr's invest their own money as a gift. The only return they want is success...

 

Owners who are in it for the short haul do not build new training grounds.

 

Yeah and the other was a dive - not doubt nigel won't own up to that

Southampton fans are beginning to sound just like the florests when they came up thinking they'd walk over everyone too. Lets hope Southampton don't mimic them over the next few years - their fans are remarkably quiet now!!

Remenber there's still a third of the season to go

 

the first penalty wasn't - we all agree on that.

the second however, lambert was going to have a free header and he certainly didn't fall down by himself so i struggle to understand how you think the second was a dive.

 

Pretty sure your player just wrestled Lambert to the ground when he was going to go for a free header... Not really a dive, now, is it?

 

That is a total rubbish statement Just as the hornets have their fantasizers so do we. The vast majority have their feet firmly planted on the ground and realise that no leagues a walkover the same as any other game as you well know. With an exception of a very tiny few the discussions on the boards have been good healthy debate. Lets just try and keep it that way. You will find out how quiet the fans are on Saturday lets let the footall do the talking shall we?

 

Well I am feeling reasonably confident about the match, but this is only after seeing Saints come back into form. All our main players are fit and we have nobody suspended. Yes it's an away match against a bogey team for us, but having seen one of the performances of the season at St Marys last weekend, it would be disingenuous to pretend that I am not optimistic about the outcome. And anyway, we really need the points.

 

I for one don't mind Saints fans thinking they will win this, lets face it if we were second in the league playing the team in 17th we would be feeling pretty confident ourselves. However as with any watford game I don't make any predictions as we never know which team is going to turn up, we can be sublime at times and ridiculous at others. I wish saints every success this season apart from saturday

 

So in your imaginary world, did he dive in one penalty or two? Or did he do a "belly flop" after the first penalty was given for handball

 

Final statement applies to us as well, really, especially away from home; we have been unbeatable at times, and very beatable at others. Certainly not treating a win as given...while Watford surrender a good many goals, and we lead the Championship in goals scored, we're hardly invincible. A loss would be a bit of a surprise, but a 2-2 draw would not.

 

Lambert is one of the last to dive. Refs watch him being pulled all over the place and give him nothing, so I expect he's lost all hope of getting a verdict in his favour.

 

How is a full bodycheck a dive?? He deliberately blocked Lambert off. Admittedly the first penalty was wrong but the second was stonewall

 

Right, i will settle this now. BOTH pens were right in the away leg!!! The first was handball by Eustace (took me ages to admit) and the second was obstruction.

 

...

 

why are you saying that? even if it did hit his hand, it had no affect on play as it was the slightest touch and wasn't on purpose which the rule states it needs to be.

if that first one was given against southampton, i'd be most annoyed.

 

It is painful to admit, but after so many months i dont see the point in having the same argument. But if the last few officials are anything to go by, we should have plenty of things to debate after.

 

Some of your fans are lucky you don't play West Ham every week... If you were I would suggest some of them might implode after the amount of laughable refereeing decisions going in favour of the absolutely massive London club that belongs in the Premier League and has the best manager ever in Sam Allardyce and some of the best players outside of the Premiership including Kevin Nolan who is purported to be the best midfielder in the Championship and is only on the lowly wage of 50k a week. West Ham are the best.. Yay.... F*CK OFF WEST HAM YOU PR*CKS!

 

He gained an advantage by handling the ball in that it took it away from Lallana (i think) and allowed it to be cleared. Therefore it is handball.

 

If i were a West Ham fan i would have shot myself, or hidden in a corner after the Milwall game. How that winning goal was allowed to stand i will never know!!

I often criticise officials for protecting keepers too much, but when one is flattened like Forde was, i think it has to be a foul. You would get sin-binned in rugby for a tackle like that!!! And thats a contact sport!!!