How do we justify and excuse today?

[Hardhouse44 261]

Sitting on the train on the way home from what was until kick off a great day out with mates. Some beers, some laughs and then the football. 
 

How can we excuse today. Outplayed all over the pitch. Weaker, less technical!!! and totally out played. You can’t deny it. You can’t dress it up and somehow justify the performance. We were second best all over the park. 
 

If things never change they stay as they are. We have to have a change at the business end of things or I fear we won’t win a game all season. 
 

 

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

1 minute ago, Hardhouse44 said:

Sitting on the train on the way home from what was until kick off a great day out with mates. Some beers, some laughs and then the football. 
 

How can we excuse today. Outplayed all over the pitch. Weaker, less technical!!! and totally out played. You can’t deny it. You can’t dress it up and somehow justify the performance. We were second best all over the park. 
 

If things never change they stay as they are. We have to have a change at the business end of things or I fear we won’t win a game all season. 

I thought the first half was relatively even, and I still felt quite positive at half time. The second half was an absolute shocker and extremely concerning. The only way we can excuse today is by winning a couple of games; nothing else matters.

[Uncle Fred 526]

15 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

I thought the first half was relatively even, and I still felt quite positive at half time. The second half was an absolute shocker and extremely concerning. The only way we can excuse today is by winning a couple of games; nothing else matters.

Assume you will be raising it urgently with your fan liaison person 

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

Just now, Uncle Fred said:

Assume you will be raising it urgently with your fan liaison person 

OSP has nothing to do with on-pitch matters... as well you know, you little tinker 😉

[The Great Mass Debater 1,076]

I thought by the end of the half it was about even. At around 60 minutes I thought we had become the stronger team and looked the more likely to get a second.

Then the sucker punch one is used to as a City fan.

 

We werent great today, but we werent awful generally. I never really thought we'd beat Watford as they generally seem to better us. Perhaps low morale and then expectancy of a 'winnable' game became a factor

[birchfest 397]

I think we just have to accept it and hope the squad roll up their sleeves this coming week and show they really want to be in this league. I'd also argue there are some potentially key players who need to now be training and knocking on the mangers door to be involved; Dowel, Cantwell, Omobamidele etc

[CDMullins 436]

We've got poor defenders

Weak midfield area

Toothless attackers.

 

I genuinely don't know where to start.

[shruk4 60]

I though Sargeant and Pukki looked very good together. Loved the little high fives they were doing to each other after tehy linked up and created a chance. Gilmour was better as a no 8, Normann was decent, some good passing but not enough energy. Tim Krul with some nice saves. 

Other than that McLean had an average preformance, rashica not too impressive, subs pretty average. The entire defence were subpar although Kabak had a couple good moments. Good news is the entire back 4 can be changed if needed and we have a lot of options in midfield and attack. On the balance of play it was pretty even. 

I dont think there's any need to throw in the towel at all. 

[Badger 2,405]

42 minutes ago, Hardhouse44 said:

Sitting on the train on the way home from what was until kick off a great day out with mates. Some beers, some laughs and then the football. 
 

How can we excuse today. Outplayed all over the pitch. Weaker, less technical!!! and totally out played. You can’t deny it. You can’t dress it up and somehow justify the performance. We were second best all over the park. 
 

If things never change they stay as they are. We have to have a change at the business end of things or I fear we won’t win a game all season. 
 

 

I certainly think that we need to defend better at times and I'm sure that most would agree.

If you really believe that we won't win a game all season you could end up a rich man if you pump all your spare cash into this prediction!

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,735]

We've heard all the excuses...

Covid distrupting pre season

New players taking time to gel

Players away on international break 

Players signed late in rhe window and needing time to integrate

A hard start to the season fixture list (on paper)

....its tiresome now. As if we're the only club that any/all of the above has affected.

It comes down to either the players arent good enough and we have spent £60-£70m on duds....or the manager isnt good enough to manage them....or both

[Kenny Foggo 1,116]

We have lost 15 premiership games on the trot, we are the first team to lose the first 5 games. It is not acceptable end off...

[Google Bot 3,256]

Honestly, these players have barely played together. Today was a classic sign of a team not clicking. 

Misplaced/Misjudged passed lost us possession and we conceded goals as positioning was poor and no one took responsibility where players sat between mid and def areas. 

Just have to give it a few more games as there were promising signs early in the game , how much gelling and familiarity will improve us I don't know as there's a massive gap to make up. 

That said, it's a game of fine margins. If we got that pen we may have sat 2-1 up and start playing with more confidence. 

Just annoyed that I've got to wait another week to see how we improve. Efl Cup will be a nice break I guess. 

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,243]

55 minutes ago, Hardhouse44 said:

Sitting on the train on the way home from what was until kick off a great day out with mates. Some beers, some laughs and then the football. 
 

How can we excuse today. Outplayed all over the pitch. Weaker, less technical!!! and totally out played. You can’t deny it. You can’t dress it up and somehow justify the performance. We were second best all over the park. 
 

If things never change they stay as they are. We have to have a change at the business end of things or I fear we won’t win a game all season. 
 

 

Simple. 

 

We can't and shouldn't try to. It's just not good enough. 

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,735]

5 minutes ago, Google Bot said:

Honestly, these players have barely played together. Today was a classic sign of a team not clicking. 

Misplaced/Misjudged passed lost us possession and we conceded goals as positioning was poor and no one took responsibility where players sat between mid and def areas. 

Just have to give it a few more games as there were promising signs early in the game , how much gelling and familiarity will improve us I don't know as there's a massive gap to make up. 

That said, it's a game of fine margins. If we got that pen we may have sat 2-1 up and start playing with more confidence. 

Just annoyed that I've got to wait another week to see how we improve. Efl Cup will be a nice break I guess. 

A few more games?...how many?. It could be too late by then , we'll be cut too far adrift.

If we're  still gelling by gameday 6, as it will be, then something just hasnt gone right at the club... were signings made too late, do we know our strongest XI ?

Edited September 18, 2021 by GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary

[Kenny Foggo 1,116]

1 minute ago, GodlyOtsemobor said:

Simple. 

 

We can't and shouldn't try to. It's just not good enough. 

15...yes 15 games in the premiership and zero wins. I will always like Farke but it really is time for a change.

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,243]

Just now, Kenny Foggo said:

15...yes 15 games in the premiership and zero wins. I will always like Farke but it really is time for a change.

I agree, Eddie howe is out there somewhere. 

[Capt. Pants 4,195]

Probably need a minimum of 5 points from our next 3 games, or it's game over and we can start planning for the Championship.

[non-scoring strikers 113]

Farke is not good Enough for this league 

[Clever Farke 64]

Not much in it until the woeful second goal. It would do schoolboy errors a disservice.  It looked like it was Normann’s job to cover for Williams. He seemed to be going in slow motion and was nowhere near. He can’t be that slow?  Is he’s not fit yet? Hence him being subbed shortly after. Worrying if we are expecting him to cover back like Skipp who would’ve at least busted a gut to get back. That still doesn’t excuse the 2 strapping central defenders seemingly glued to their spots a metre apart, ball watching while Sarr jogged across them to the near post for a tap in. Shocking really. Really shocking. 
 

[Tommo 51]

Disappointing but watford to be fair at the start of the season I feel would finish comfortably in mid table. Last season they were powerful on the counter especially with Sarr and our new players are still gelling and even get up to speed with prem football. Judge it after 12 games - we need minimum 3 wins and a draw to get us back on track 

[hogesar 9,615]

7 minutes ago, GodlyOtsemobor said:

I agree, Eddie howe is out there somewhere. 

Eddie got to spend our sort of budget this season 3 or 4 times over and still ended up getting relegated. Or did he leave before the official relegation? Either way.

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,243]

How many seasons did he keep them up though, everyone has their sell by date and he reached his there that's all. 

[Christoph Stiepermann 1,131]

Farke has predictably blamed individual mistakes while seemingly ignoring how easy it was for Watford to get into the positions for those mistakes to happen in the first place because we're so soft and open. Watford carved us open today at will and they didn't have to work hard or be clever, they just ran at us into the huge spaces we left out wide and in front of the defense. Arsenal created 30 shots against us last week as well, there is a deep tactical issue here that is over exposing our defenders. Of course they're going to make mistakes when so overworked. 

[Sooty57 403]

We don't justify OR excuse it. We just improve on it.... or resign ourselves to the drop ☹️

[Sparta Plastic 30]

2 hours ago, The Great Mass Debater said:

At around 60 minutes I thought we had become the stronger team and looked the more likely to get a second.

And we would have probably got one from the penalty spot if he referee had not been useless. I don't like to slag off refs but he was terrible today. 

[Mullet 293]

3 hours ago, Kenny Foggo said:

We have lost 15 premiership games on the trot, we are the first team to lose the first 5 games. It is not acceptable end off...

I totally agree with this. You battle in the championship to get in the premier league and it's then an embarrassment to be there. Where is incentive to do well in the championship apart from the money. Us paying fans deserve better we are a laughing stock all around the country. In two seasons Farke (who I really like ) is too stubborn to relinquish trying to play like Man city instead of getting points. It's time for change even if we go backwards a bit first we will never be more than a chump side under Farke.

[Google Bot 3,256]

22 hours ago, GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary said:

A few more games?...how many?. It could be too late by then , we'll be cut too far adrift.

As long as it takes really.  If we see progression we know it's still coming together.  If they remain making mistakes such us not playing on the same wavelength and poor positioning where no-one picks the man up - we know it's a sinking ship and see where to go from that. 

But, a lot yesterdays performance can be put down to us still finding our feet.  I mean, you either crap the bed and starting sacking people today, or you keep belief and give your team benefit of the doubt for a few more matches.

Ripping everything up this early is going to take much longer to gel a new manager in that's for sure, at least with Farke we know he has the ability to get us back up too, so offers a longer term security. 

Trouble is, we are what we are.  We couldn't sign an experienced player at the end of his career (Like Cahill for example) so this is why we're left with a lot of rough diamonds that come with no guarantee - if you expect them to be ready performers you're living in cloud cuckoo land.  And that's just the cold facts, we can't afford these high wages, and we can't pull end of career players either as they don't want a relegation fight.

Furthermore the system we play looks dreadful when the players are unable to hold possession, so I can see why people are so unhappy and it's also making Farke looking clueless. He's at least earnt some loyalty from us for the great work he's done with twice guiding us to the prem as champions.

I'm 70-80% sure the problem lays with the manager and out of depth coaching team at this point.  I don't think any of them have anywhere near the experience needed to be wise at this level, none of come close to high tier football - and that's the core issue, we're just so naïve to the tricks of the game at the high level.  Players getting runs on us, giving silly fouls away, opponent getting away with fouls on us etc.  

Truth is our players are more experienced than the coaches.   So, this is why I say we need time.. for everyone to learn and gel.

[Bluefloyd 58]

I think Normann tiring was pretty pivotal in the game. He of course was implicated in their 2nd, and had he been on the pitch and fully fit probably would have been where Kenny was for the 3rd.

We were out muscled. Billy gave his best but sissoko was kicking his a45e. He should have gone down more but we got very little protection from the ref. Josh king bullied max too. They won the physical battles everywhere except near Normann, kazak and Sargent. 

Cleverley and their other cm were streetwise, bought fouls to break up play. 

Otherwise it was an even game with periods of play swinging in each team's favour. When we were ticking, there was 15 mins when we should have scored to take the lead. had them under all sorts of pressure and Watford resorted to the hoof. 

It isn't all doom and gloom. But it does feel like it.