You are indeed. I think we should brace ourselves for bids. The one nobody has spoken about of course is QSF - anyone worried he may have his head turned?
Great report from Kevin : Report: Watford 3 Liverpool 0 DEC 20, 2015BY KEVIN AFFLECK1 Carlsberg, Liverpool’s former sponsors, don’t do pre-Christmas home wins over Liverpool but if they did, they would probably look like this. Two goals in a riotous, scarcely believable first 15 minutes paved the way for a fourth straight win, which was clinched by a second from Ighalo which put the cherry on the most sumptuous of cakes. It was a three points that moved this trailblazing Watford team to within one point of Manchester United, yes, the same United who have been the dominant side of the Premier League. This really is pinch yourself time. The Christmas turkey will taste particularly sweet for Watford fans on Friday. These are heady, dizzy times to be a fan of this club. please log in to view this image “We’re just too good for you,” chorused the disbelieving Watford fans. Seasoned Watford fans thought the 2-0 win over West Ham United was one of the best performances they had seen in recent memory. Scratch that. However well you thought Watford played against the Hammers, double it and then add a bit more and you might come close to how the Hornets played here, particularly in a barnstorming first half. Forget the gegenpress, Liverpool had no answer to a hungrier, livelier, more inventive and determined home side who played with no shortage of skill. Watford out-Klopped Klopp. please log in to view this image Nathan Ake set the tone for a masterclass at left-back with the opener inside 180 seconds, Odion Ighalo shoved Martin Skrtel out the way for his 11th of the season and, as Paul Robinson said on the pitch at half time, it could have been more. It was a good game for Simon Mignolet to miss and one his replacement, Adam Bogdan, will have nightmares about. The goalkeeper was like a rabbit caught in the headlights as Watford tested his mental fortitude at every conceivable opportunity. Indeed, the Hornets looked like scoring every time Ben Watson swung in a corner. Liverpool were rattled. Klopp was having kittens on the sidelines, Alberto Moreno lashed out at Allan Nyom, Jordan Henderson barked at an assistant referee and Skrtel limped off before the break after being bullied and battered by the most feared strike pairing in the division. please log in to view this image The Hornets went down the tunnel at half time to the sort of ovation you normally get at the end of a game. The momentum and atmosphere was continued during the break by an impromptu appearance of Robinson, the left-back who has cult status at his adopted home. How he would have loved to be part of a such a high-energy team. It was always going to be tough for Watford to play with the same intensity level in the second period as they did in the first, and so it proved. Liverpool threatened briefly, through Moreno and Divock Origi, yet it was Watford who fashioned the first chance when Ighalo found himself one-v-one after a lovely turn of foot from Jose Manuel Jurado. You would have put your mortgage on him scoring but Bogdan went some way to redeeming himself with an instinctive, reflex save. please log in to view this image A virtual bystander at the other end, Heurelho Gomes was not to be outdone and he showed his agility by tipping a rising half volley over the bar from Henderson. The Brazilian was at it again to thwart Emre Can, the one Liverpool player who kept calm amid the chaos the Hornets caused. Sanchez Flores loves his team getting their nose in front so he can close the game out with the clever use of his substitutes. He did it here by bringing on Ikechi Anya to counter the pace of Jordan Ibe and then replacing Almen Abdi, who ran his socks off, with Valon Berhami. And it was Behrami, the man with a reputation as a spoiler, who showed his creative side by teeing up Ighalo to head in the third. Cue absolute bedlam. “We are going on a European tour,” chorused the delirious home fans. They might be right if this carries on. and I do suggest reading the Guardian sport today.... two whole pages with some great tactical analysis too COYH!!
My 17 year old grandson managed to drink his pint in the SEJ bar without being apprehended by the security forces, but as he had no money on him I'm still waiting for him to buy me a drink!! Unfortunately he supports Spurs first and Watford is his second team although he has been to many of Watford's games home and away with me. After the game he commented that he would willingly take a point in next week's game after watching the hornets impressive performance yesterday.
MOM?? http://www.wdsport.co.uk/2015/12/player-ratings-should-the-watford-players-just-all-be-given-1010/ What a difficult choice eh..... for me was Almen......
Yes and no..... I think it'd be very difficult to turn any of our key assets as we are in with a realistic shout of Europe..... They will not say so publicly keeping humility but it is possible. A lot being made of Ighalo Deeney partnership I think to our credit it will make a sale less likely. QSF is quality and I'm putting him up there with GT even if some might call it blasphemy. For the way things are going there must be good vibes between owners, management, coaching, players and support staff...
Two things we can bank on from the first 16 games of the season. 1) We never score from set pieces, corners particularly. Ha ! 2) Ighalo thinks heading the ball is a foul, or a medical risk 'cos he never does it. Ha ! Whenever I watch the MotD highlights, all the other teams in the league seem to have brilliant attackers that carve teams open, hit wondrous shots, or just dominate play. But when they play us they go into their shells - I wonder why this is ? No I don't winder , 'cos I don't care. I'm just loving the ride! I travelled down from Cheshire with 3 liddypool supporters who were fairly neutral about their teams prospect. When was the last time that could be said of little ol' WFC playing the 'mighty' Reds ? Ha ! Happy Christmad one and all !
Our defence was and is just awesome. The unity and structure is excellent, the number of tines we catch folk offside is amazing. Couldn't be much better. Be interesting to see how we line up without Ake next week.
I don't think anyone would have thought we'd be the joint 4th most miserly defence going into Christmas - incredible huh?
There are some wonderful quotes on the net today. One that I enjoyed. "Once I had stopped screaming, I started bouncing and was amused as I looked around the ground to see the Lower GT, the SEJ stand and, unbelievably, the Upper GT all bouncing. The Upper GT?? Seriously, where were the stewards?"
A Liverpool fans view. "Few words on Watford who I thought were exceptional. We played into their hands to an extent but that's as perfect a performance as I can remember from a premier league team this season. Throughout the game I was waiting for the moment in which the balance of the game swung in our favour but it never came (or even threatened to!) and that's testament to Watford, Flores has got it spot on there. They didn't put a single foot wrong, I was watching them in admiration by the end. (I was still fuming like)"
It says something about our performance that on the poll for wdsport Ighalo was only voted the 6th best of our players - despite his brace against Liverpool - what a team and yes I am feeling the same under QSF as I used to feel under GT.
I know we're not supposed to care what others say about us but I have got a real kick out of the reaction of some Liverpool fans and Klopp. When people associated with a club of that stature start giving us the levels of praise we got yesterday you know it's going incredibly well. This surely has to rank as one of the best performances and results in our history. Let's just hope we can kick on again.
The stream I was watching I saw Ighalo being held back and the commentator said, "Ighalo is claiming a foul there." Then they showed it in slomo and the defender was close to actually pulling Ighalo's shorts off, so he adds, "Oh yes, he was pulling him back a little bit!"
Yes but he has learnt to give as good as he gets. For his first goal you can see both his arms across Skirtle's chest for 2 or 3 paces before getting away to shoot.
