Still think it is just holding off the inevitable mind. We need back to back wins if Burnley goes ahead.
Great result.. On a very difficult day.. Newcastle were so physical and we looked quite lightweight at times.. But we survived and can feel there is something to build on... Such relief when we scored... ... Even though it was a long way away.... Managed to get in the lift up rather than climbing 15 flights off stairs! Overall.. an asyouwere today.. But we need to get more out of the next two games
Difference between being a pessimist and an optimist I see it as a point rescued and we have 19 games to gell as an improved team and put a run together Newcastle see it as a disaster that confirms they are in deep trouble and need to buy a whole new team without the time needed for them to gell
I think he was referring to the headline talking about a “winner “ I guess it felt like one but not sure they meant it like that ?
Sorry, I just don't see any candidates outside the four of us. Between us we have taken twelve points from a possible seventy two over the past six games. The Leeds result at West Ham was massive. On the plus side The MoneyMags are at Elland Rd next up. I just have a feeling that Burnley's games in hand are going to be crucial.
I agree with all except the last bit. Burnley have to find time for fixtures on top of previously scheduled fixtures, they were only scoring two-thirds of a point a game, and that was before losing Wood. I don’t fancy Newcastle at all with Howe at the helm. I think we only stand a chance of finishing 17th if our new purchases shore us up a bit, and Sarr comes back from injury. If those things don’t happen, I reckon you’ll get 17th, which is where my money is currently.
Buying Wood was quite cynical. MoneyMags decided that Burnley were the team that stood the best chance and decided to weaken their team. I have no doubt that if that had perceived us to be a bigger threat big money would have been offered for Pukki. Brentford are on 23, I think that is just too big a gap. 35 points will be enough this year.
You’re right. As for ‘MoneyMags’, I heard a ‘joke’ at the weekend that is not repeatable here, that started with the old classic: “What’s black and white and red all over?” When I was a kid, the answer was either ‘A newspaper’ or ‘An embarrassed zebra’ - not any more.
Samir, Kamara and Kayembe: Watford’s £3.2 million trio of new faces find their feet quickly please log in to view this image By Adam Leventhal Jan 17, 2022 please log in to view this image 17 please log in to view this image “I want to say thank you to my club for signing these players very early for us,” said Watford head coach Claudio Ranieri after the 1-1 draw at Newcastle. He’d seen a trio of new faces — Samir, Hassane Kamara and Edo Kayembe — hit the ground running at St James’ Park. Despite so much attention having been focused on the £37 million spent by Newcastle on Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier, it was arguably the visitors’ cut-price recruits who had more of a telling contribution in making their team a better proposition. Ranieri put it succinctly: “All three were fantastic. They gave us more personality and more calm.” The Italian made the bold call to name all three in the starting line-up and it proved a wise selection. They slotted into their respective roles with assuredness amid a high-pressure relegation scrap. The initial outlay for all three cost significantly less than Trippier alone. The Athletic has learned that Watford paid Nice an initial fee in the region of £1.7 million for Kamara and £1.5 million to KAS Eupen for Kayembe. It’s understood that rather than a fee being paid to Udinese for Samir, the central defender’s acquisition was effectively free but with the player rewarded with a longer-term extension to 2025 under the Pozzo umbrella. “After six seasons at Udinese, it was the right time to accept a new challenge,” said Samir when he arrived and he looked determined from the first minute to show what he was made of. His chief task was to keep tabs on opposing debutant Wood in the first half, and on a number of occasions he showed signs — against a formidable physical presence — that the Premier League rough and tumble is unlikely to faze him. Having played the majority of his games at Udinese on the left of a three-man defence, he adapted to a new shape but was comfortable on the ball, strong in the air and willing to come forward and break lines with passes. please log in to view this image Samir coped ably with the challenge posed by Newcastle debutant Wood (Photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images) “The key to be able to reach your goals is mentality,” said Samir. “Because if our heads work properly, our legs will work properly. Everything starts from the head.” The Brazilian is motivated to succeed, and not only to help keep Watford in the Premier League: he also has his sights on international recognition. To his left, full-back Kamara — who, like Samir, is 27 — also caught the eye. He dealt with the combination of Trippier and Ryan Fraser well, especially in the first half when Newcastle had more of the ball (62 per cent compared to just 42 per cent in the second), picking his moments to press and hold well on the whole. Kamara showed off his pace, too. It helped with covering runs when the ball went in behind, but also when he attacked. After receiving a first-half pass from Ben Foster, recalled in place of Daniel Bachmann, he quickly spun away from his marker and got on the front foot. In the second half, as Watford went in search of an equaliser, Kamara put on the afterburners to create an opening for Joshua King. “I like to run box-to-box but I think I’m good defensively,” he said in his opening club interview, listing his main attribute as being able to “run, quickly and for a long time. I was a winger and then I went back (to full-back). I’m a defender firstly but I like to attack.” Having been part of the Nice squad fighting for the Ligue 1 title, he said he felt “energetic and fresh” and that his “mentality was good”. It’s a reminder that the aim of the mid-season recruitment was to bring in players that provided an upgrade on what Ranieri already had at his disposal, and for them to be uninhibited by recent bad runs. Kayembe’s performance in the No 6 position at the base of the midfield was also hugely encouraging. With Imran Louza at the Africa Cup of Nations, it was hoped Kayembe could slot in there better than others who’ve tried this season — and he managed ably. The 23-year-old, like his fellow new recruits, showed a mix of poise and bravery on the ball. Happy to take a pass and carry from the back, he was also willing to pop a ball around Newcastle players and go for a return pass in the middle. In the final third, he was happy to get involved as well. A beautifully threaded pass to King created one of a number of good opportunities. please log in to view this image Kayembe challenges Fraser in the air (Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images) The DR Congo international — an avid Premier League viewer in Belgium — seemed unfazed by his surroundings. He was more defensive at Anderlecht and attacking at most recent club KAS Eupen, so his adaptability will certainly come in handy if Ranieri wants to rotate this week (against Burnley and Norwich) and beyond. “I’m a flexible player, so I can play in a lot of different positions,” he said last week. “I can play as a box-to-box, or as a No 6, or a more offensive position.” One club insider explained that he was confident in the technical ability of Watford’s new players but admitted to being uncertain how they would adapt on their first outing in the Premier League. The upshot was that, in his eyes, Samir, Kamara and Kayembe helped bring “optimism” and “confidence” to the team prior to two more crucial relegation battles. Not that it was all about new players. There was a cohesiveness and resilience to Watford’s performance that encouraged Ranieri. “I think we showed very good character,” he said. “After we conceded a goal, our reaction was much better. There were more good combinations between my players and we have to show this from the beginning.”
