Monthly Archives: October 2018

27th October 2018- Premier League, Watford 3 Huddersfield Town 0

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Referee:Mike Dean
Attendance:20,457
 

screen-shot-2016-09-12-at-23-36-22clips of Jon Marks BBC 3CR commentary   Goals:1   2   3

Watford Observer

RELIVE – Watford vs Huddersfield Town: Roberto Pereyra scores sublime solo goal in Premier League win

Watford vs Huddersfield Town: Roberto Pereyra, Gerard Deulofeu and Isaac Success goals secure triumph

Watford vs Huddersfield Town: Javi Gracia still seeking improvements after Terriers success

PICTURES: A selection of images as Watford see off Huddersfield Town

Watford player ratings: Gerard Deulofeu and Roberto Pereyra impress against Huddersfield Town

Will Hughes: Entire Watford squad benefitting from Roberto Pereyra and Gerard Deulofeu’s quality

Isaac Success: Will Hughes hails hard working Watford forward after impressive Huddersfield display

Watford: Isaac Success keen to build on goalscoring turn against Huddersfield Town

Watford defender Adrian Mariappa praised for being ‘always ready’ to play

Kiko Femenia believes Watford need to maintain high performance levels

BBC SportTwo sublime individual goals from Roberto Pereyra and Gerard Deulofeu helped Watford secure their best start to a top-flight season and send Huddersfield to the foot of the table.

skyWatford now boast 19 points from 10 games – bettering their 17 at the same stage of the 1982-83 campaign, where they finished second.

guardianThe current Watford manager could not be happier with his squad, but does not expect them to emulate Leicester’s shock title of 2015-16. “This is the best squad in the Premier League,” he said. “I don’t think we’d be able to achieve to win the championship. But we are going to try to enjoy every game, and try to do that for our supporters, help them enjoy it with us.

Telegraph“It wasn’t our best game. We need many things to improve. Our first two goals were fine, but I preferred the last one when Isaac Success scored his first goal of the season from something we had trained for.”

BHappy imageNonetheless, here was a challenge we’ve rarely experienced before, certainly since the 1980s.  That of being the side… not just favourites but comprehensive favourites, odds-on favourites, expected to win in a top flight game.  As with all unfamiliar things it doesn’t feel altogether comfortable, as positive an indicator as it may be of the status to which we’ve elevated ourselves.  You’re much less open to disappointment – and pressure – as the underdog.  Nor had this edginess been improved by finding ourselves placed at exactly the same spot in Wagamama as we had been pre-Bournemouth.  Or by discovering, now as then, that it was much bloody colder than anticipated necessitating hat purchase for the second home game on the trot.  (Or, as an aside, that the hat was too small.  The costume fitters of the Adhoc theatre group will roll their eyes, full of complaints at the the prohibitive size of my head.  Nonetheless…  a one size fits all hat shouldn’t be too small…).

The Hornets NestA comfortable victory in the end for the ‘Orns and it could have been so much more had we put on our shooting boots for the second half but we can’t complain.

FranThe joy was tempered somewhat by the worrying news of Glenn Hoddle’s collapse.  Then, when I returned home, I heard of the Leicester owner’s helicopter crashing and the death of a Brighton fan after their game.  The Leicester owners have been such a boon to both the club and the town, when something so awful happens, all football fans share the pain.  My thoughts are with the family and friends of all affected this weekend.

A game we should have won and did with three brilliant goals. Jon, Mike, Colin and DCW talk through the performance, discuss Halloween costume ideas for Watford fans and look ahead to Newcastle.

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20th October 2018- Premier League, Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 Watford 2

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Referee:Lee Mason    Attendance:31,144
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clips of Jon Marks BBC 3CR commentary   Goals:1   2

Watford Observer

RELIVE – Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Watford: Quick-fire double sees Hornets seal Premier League win

Watford win at Wolverhampton Wanderers through Etienne Capoue and Roberto Pereyra goals

Watford boss Javi Gracia delighted with manner of victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers

Watford: Javi Gracia praises high levels of Etienne Capoue and Abdoulaye Doucoure

Watford player ratings: Hornets on song as Wolves are beaten in Premier League

IN PICTURES: Watford triumph at Wolverhampton Wanderers

Gerard Deulofeu: Watford’s perfect first half key to success over Wolverhampton Wanderers

Watford fringe players impress Etienne Capoue during Wolverhampton Wanderers win

Watford: Departure from 4-4-2 key to beating Wolverhampton Wanderers, says Javi Gracia

BBC Sport

Two goals in 58 first-half seconds saw a dominant Watford seal their first win since September and end Wolves’ six-game unbeaten run.

sky

The Hornets produced a perfect response after losing 4-0 to Bournemouth two weeks ago, and there was less than a minute between Etienne Capoue (20) and Roberto Pereyra’s (21) strikes that sealed the win for the visitors.

guardian

There was no Troy Deeney, owing to a hamstring injury, meaning Javi Gracia handed opportunities to Gerard Deulofeu and Isaac Success in attack, while the Italian Adam Masina made his first league start at left-back.  It all pointed to another home victory for a team who have been described as the best promoted side in Premier League history by Jamie Redknapp, but, in Pereyra and Abdoulaye Doucouré, Watford have players who would grace almost any team in the division.

Telegraph

Gracia said: “I am pleased because after the last match we had two tough weeks preparing for this, but this is a good reward. In my mind it was a complete performance. The key to the game was scoring the first goal and then again.

Fran

After an even start that had been short on chances, Watford took the lead on 20 minutes.  The move started with some really good work from Deulofeu before Doucouré played the ball out to Capoue who blasted a low shot from distance into the Wolves net.  There was a momentary delay before the celebration as we couldn’t quite believe what we had seen.  It was a terrific strike.  We had hardly stopped bouncing when the second goal went in.  Straight from the restart, the ball found its way to Pereyra on the left from where he effortlessly curled a shot over the keeper and into the opposite corner.  Well, that was unexpected!

The Hornets Nest

Pereyra came close to adding a third before half time, but his curled effort from the edge of the box flew over the bar.  The half time whistle brought to an end one of the finest halves of football we’ve seen in a long, long time.

It’s been two weeks since the last Watford game, it was a lose if you remember, and, with suspension and a few injuries, Javi put out a different Watford side than we are used to, this season. But everything went very well.

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6th October 2018- Premier League, Watford 0 AFC Bournemouth 4

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Bad day for 10-man Watford as they suffer heavy Bournemouth defeat

Watford vs AFC Bournemouth: Eddie Howe felt Christian Kabasele’s two yellow cards was ‘right call’

Javi Gracia admits it was a ‘bad day’ for Watford in Bournemouth defeat

Watford vs AFC Bournemouth: Christian Kabasele red card put Cherries in control, says Joshua King

Watford vs AFC Bournemouth player ratings: Defenders disappoint in desperate Premier League loss

Pictures from Watford’s heavy Bournemouth defeat

Gerard Deulofeu admits Watford need to improve ‘many things’ after Bournemouth defeat

BBC SportDavid Brooks opened the scoring for the Cherries before Joshua King converted from the spot after being brought down by Christian Kabasele, who was sent off for a second bookable offence.

skyThe result moves Bournemouth up to fifth in the Premier League after back-to-back wins, while Watford drop to eighth after failing to register a victory in their last four games.

guardianJavi Gracia said Watford must now get down to work to ensure no repeat of their hefty defeat. “It has been the first game where we hadn’t competed at the same level as other games,” the Watford manager said. “Today we have conceded more chances, we’ve made more mistakes than in all the other games put together.”

TelegraphKabasele’s red card is the 13th for a Watford player since their return to the top flight in 2015 – more than any other Premier League side in that time.

BHappy imagethe first 14 minutes were OK… Bournemouth dropped deep and invited us into congested areas, but we did an encouraging enough job having accepted said invitation.  This culminated in Andre Gray’s shot being blocked as he span away on the right hand side of the area, and shortly afterwards the cumulative attritional effect of a series of attacks peeled open a space for Will Hughes to have a go.  It was a relatively comfortable ask for Begović, who held the ball down to his right, but as an opening salvo it was perfectly acceptable.

The Hornets NestYou spend your whole week working, looking forward to the football at the weekend.  Then it comes around and you end up sitting out in the rain, watching your team go down to ten men in the first half and end up losing 4-0 at home to Bournemouth.

The worst performance of the season so far. Jon, Colin and Mike are joined by our old friend Curtis from Denver – and his Mum. The 80 year old Martha came to her first home game EVER and shares some poignant observations of the Cherries.

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