Article: Watford V Leeds united, match thread Watford FC Football

A stupid challenge which makes no contact or a player who breaks a keepers neck... appropriately closing a season where one of your fans punched a keeper in the face.

 

The intent of one of the incidents was much worse than the other. What about your player who pole-axed Morison? I can understand the disappointment but get a grip on yourself, it was a mistake from a youngster that only got a yellow card because of the unintended consequences.

 

the bitterness is hilarious

Regardless of the outcome, if you looked at it objectively you'd realise that it wasn't a dirty challenge.

If you want a dirty challenge, look at Troy Deeney's challenge on Brown. It made contact, had Brown's leg been on the ground he'd have his career ended. I'd say prematurely but he's about 76.

End of the day, we weren't dirty, Poleon didn't deserve a red, without the injury it wouldn't have even been a yellow, and you're just bitter because you missed out on the opportunity to go up. It's easy to blame "dirty Leeds" when in reality it's your players fault, and incidentally your fans didn't help. Quietest set of tinpot fans I've ever heard, last time we were in your position we created an atmosphere that scared the **** out of the opposition to the point where they crumbled under the pressure. Oh and guess what? That day we were down to 10 men for a lot longer than you were today, we were playing against a team with nothing to play for and the difference in quality was somewhat similar.

You lost, it was your own teams fault, not the refs or "dirty Leeds", in fact most decisions went your way. Brown's booking wasn't a booking, wasn't even a free kick.

Get over it.

 

A professional footballer should really think about the consequences though, I think. Don't remember the Morison incident. Just feels all the more disappointing knowing that Poleon's actions have had such a direct influence on the way the game ended.

 

In fairness Mark most of us have taken it on the chin. But I agree that was a pretty poor comment.

 

If professional footballers were busy worrying about the consequences of challenges that are safe 99.9% of the time then nobody would ever make a challenge.

Your keeper was decent enough and not much was asked of him, Deeney's actions had a far bigger influence on the outcome of the game. I can't understand why you're still trying to claim that our "dirty" player has dictated the outcome of the game when in reality it was your own red card from your ex-con player who made the difference.

 

Oh please do not misunderstand. When I say the bitterness is hilarious, I mean strictly from those showing it. I'm impressed that the majority of you seem to be objective about it. Most fans take the "blame dirty Leeds" angle because it's easy and means they don't have to ask questions of their own inadequate teams. We've had Forest blaming "dirty Leeds" for a red card that they got for a horrendously dangerous challenge that nearly ended their play off hopes, as we battered them 4-1 after that.

 

Not saying Deeney should get off without any blame, and I admit it was unnecessary to mention the incident with the fan, however, I can't understand how you are defending what Poleon did, and even worse decribing it as a "challenge".

 

Well, I watched it and wanted to calm down before I said anything!

I can't fault the ref for Deeney's red card, he gave the ref no choice, BUT..... if the ref had given Watford the stonewall penalty, accompanied with the red card for the Leeds defender, it would have been a whole different game!

Bad luck Golden Boys, you were beaten by the ref yet again!

Just make sure you win the play-offs!

 

Well as long as you ensure Leicester stay down I will be happy. I wonder in the end if the loan players turn out to be your downfall would contracted players be more committed?

 

We weren't really though. We had it in our hands as it turned out and didnlt do enough to win the game. Gutting but that's just how it is. I'm off for a beer

 

Because he was shoulder to shoulder in a battle for the ball, he pushed a player, free kick at most and would never have even been a booking had it not been for the accidental, unpredictable injury.

I'm defending it because you seem to think it was deliberate, when it was simply unfortunate. Every striker and every defender has done exactly this kind of push in a battle for the ball, and it's never a booking, free kick at worst. Don't go throwing the intent argument around, he's a young, inexperienced player who made a mistake that unfortunately resulted in an injury, nobody, and I mean literally nobody, does something like that thinking "I can take out two of their players here". He was simply trying to beat his man.

 

What about Varney being booted in the face in the area in the second half? Far more "stonewall" IMO than the Watford one where the player appeared to be looking for it and the ref was unsighted. I don't think Watford can have any complaints about the result.

 

big bite 😜😜😜

 

I've missed this "stonewall" penalty decision but with the way people are talking about it I can't imagine it was anywhere near stonewall, just bitter fans. Apart from canary-dave, I can imagine he just wanted Leeds to lose and doesn't like that a Leeds win has decided who goes up and who doesn't, despite the fact it was a deserved win in a reasonably clean game.

 

I accept that he didn't intend for the injury to happen, and the injury was unfortunate. But I still believe it was a push on the defender, whether petulant or nasty,, because he realised he couldn't get to the ball. And I'm sure raising your arms to push a player is violent conduct. Anyway it's done now, he wont get a ban because he got booked. Hopefully he'll learn from it.

 

Raising your arms to someone's face is violent conduct. Pushing someone in the way he did is not a red card, is never a red card, is never given as a red card, and should not be a red card. It wasn't even a hard push. He doesn't even deserve a ban for it. You're again failing to acknowledge that your own defender did the exact same thing to Poleon moments later in the build up to his goal. Should that not also be a red card by your logic? Granted, had Poleon been sent off then the situation wouldn't have happened but it's still hypocrisy.

You lost because your team weren't good enough on the day.

 

Well we got beat fair and square. And fair play to Leeds for making a fist of it.

But to be honest I doubt either of the goals would have gone in had Almunia stayed on. But such is life and we move on. And I feel a little sorry for Bonham - he could not have expected this. And I hope his confidence isn't too badly dented. But today was not his day.

 

Almunia wasn't even on, he was injured in the warm up.

 

The Bond incident I have no issue with: what the Leeds player actually did deserved a booking, the tragic consequences of it don't warrant a harsher punishment. Deeney's red was one of those: didn't deserve to be booked first time around, could have gotten a yellow or red for the second one, and suspension wise two yellows aren't as bad as a straight red. As Dave says, it's the penalty and red that should have been that are much harder to stomach.

All in all, 2nd wasn't lost today. I can think of two games where we absolutely dominated and lost 1-0 (Blackburn and Millwall). Draws from those matches would have taken us up.

Guess we'll just have to earn promotion the traditional way.