0:13

Hello and welcome

0:15

to From the

0:17

Rookery End. I'm

0:19

Dave and joining

0:21

me for this

0:24

episode. I've got Jace.

0:26

How are you Jace? Oh

0:28

good, thank you very much.

0:30

Well, I say all good.

0:32

Just get over a cold.

0:34

But yeah, we'll get there.

0:36

Oh, I thought you were

0:39

going to start telling us

0:41

about how you feel about

0:43

Wofford. Oh, no. We'll be

0:45

here all night. And we've

0:47

also got with us, again,

0:49

Opta's Matt Furnis. Matt, how

0:51

you doing? Not to your

0:53

bird. Good evening to you. As

0:56

with Jason, I've struggled with the cold

0:58

and that misery has continued by going

1:00

on with Wofford on the pitch. Let's

1:02

have a... brief chat about how we're

1:04

feeling about Watford considering the events or

1:06

lack of events of the last last

1:08

week. Mike and John had a lengthy

1:11

discussion about all the issues many of

1:13

them familiar on the on the most

1:15

recent pod give that listen if you

1:17

haven't yet it's you know I think

1:19

they did a really good job of

1:21

summing up how they're feeling and also

1:23

how a lot of Watford fans are

1:26

probably feeling right now but briefly start

1:28

with you Jay's how are you feeling

1:30

given the backdrop of the last week

1:33

or so. I think my overall feeling

1:35

is one of sadness. It's just every

1:37

sort of bit of information that comes

1:40

out of what might or might not

1:42

be happening. Just upset is probably the

1:44

wrong word, but it's just a sort

1:47

of here we go again kind of

1:49

feeling. And all this talk about

1:51

cleverly is he going to be

1:53

replaced? I think it's been said

1:55

enough times that we know the

1:57

fans, we've got a connection with

1:59

the players with the coaching staff and

2:01

that is down to Tom and what

2:03

he's done and what he's done with

2:06

the players and despite the struggle with

2:08

recent results that connection is still there

2:10

and it's starting to feel a bit

2:12

more fun going to games that victory

2:14

drove it hasn't been fun under the

2:16

last few managers now it does and

2:18

and the sort of the personal thing

2:20

for me is we've just bought my

2:22

son his first season tickets so the

2:24

half season tickets that came out that

2:26

was one of his Christmas presents say

2:28

say say what you like about that

2:31

but yeah he's he's got his first

2:33

season ticket at a time when we

2:35

just about to have all that fun

2:37

snatched away from us again it feels

2:40

like it's just it's that and then

2:42

you see the sort of transfer activity

2:44

with a lack of transfer activity is

2:47

that Geno standing firm again I I

2:49

Tom's not my man therefore I'm

2:51

not going to give him the

2:53

tools he needs to do the

2:55

job who knows but again it

2:57

just it all feels petty playgrounds

2:59

it's just yeah just just like

3:02

I say feels what fills me

3:04

with sadness from that point of

3:06

view of watching football. And how

3:08

about you Matt? What's your take

3:10

on the last week or so?

3:12

Yeah, I would agree with the

3:14

kind of like overarching feeling of

3:16

sadness. I think frustration is more

3:18

the case in my part because

3:20

you feel like things have changed

3:22

and then again we're proved that,

3:25

oh no, they're still the same

3:27

and we're just going round in

3:29

circles yet again doing... the same

3:31

thing making the same mistakes and

3:33

it is absolutely baffling that

3:35

the owners can't see that our

3:37

squad is decimated nowhere near good

3:39

enough with the key players missing

3:42

and it's just kind of a

3:44

self-harm at this point and they're

3:46

trying to sell the club and

3:48

they are lucky that Tong Clevely

3:50

has got them in a position

3:52

that relegation is pretty much impossible

3:54

really well I say that but

3:57

it feels impossible this season but

3:59

if we were in... If we had maybe seven

4:01

or eight more points fewer than we

4:03

do right now, I would be severely

4:05

worried with the squad that we have

4:07

and the injuries that we have and

4:09

Yeah, it's just the general feeling now

4:11

is back to kind of like, well,

4:13

I told you so. All of those

4:15

fans that don't support Watford are kind

4:17

of like, ah, it's saying on Watford

4:20

again, and it's just so frustrating to

4:22

have that. And we've got some that

4:24

feels like it could be good, which

4:26

is just the most annoying thing. And

4:28

I was, I mean, we said in

4:30

the what's I grew a few weeks

4:32

ago when the room was that cleverly

4:34

was in trouble, I could not believe

4:36

it. and even with a few poor

4:38

results now, but as Mike and

4:41

John and yourself kind of warm me,

4:43

it's the posos. That's what they do.

4:45

And there's a very, very small chance

4:47

that could have lived here next season.

4:49

Now that feels like, yeah, that is

4:52

the true answer and that probably is

4:54

going to be the case if he's

4:56

not gone before the end of the

4:58

scene. Just to say, Opta have given

5:01

Watford a 0.12% chance of going down

5:03

according to the predicted table. That's less

5:05

than Tottenham in the Premier League, so

5:07

I'll tell you that. Okay, but yeah,

5:09

I mean, I agree with both of your

5:12

points really. I think a lot of people

5:14

will feel the same. I sort of part

5:16

of me is annoyed at myself. for allowing

5:18

myself to think that maybe things were different

5:21

and things had changed. Why did we think

5:23

that? What reason was there to think that,

5:25

apart from us feeling good about what we

5:27

were seeing on the pitch, but it's not

5:30

like Gino really gave any indication, certainly not

5:32

publicly, that he was going to be any

5:34

different and he was all of a sudden

5:36

putting himself behind Tom Cleverly? All be it.

5:39

Those words did come out this weekend,

5:41

you know, in the second of the

5:43

two tweets talking about Cleverly responding to

5:45

the speculation, Gino is now quoted in

5:48

a way of saying that he supports

5:50

Tom cleverly and always felt that he

5:52

would be the one to get behind

5:54

this season. Obviously we still can't completely

5:57

take that at face value and we

5:59

can't completely... because we've been burnt too

6:01

many times before we don't need to

6:03

go into this in too much detail

6:05

again John and Mike covered it but

6:07

it's clear that there's probably tension between

6:09

Juno and Scott and there are differences

6:11

of opinions in terms of the people

6:13

at the club in terms of the

6:15

direction we should go in and all

6:17

that but yeah I feel a bit

6:19

annoyed I feel a bit sad. And

6:21

also, I'm just a bit tired of

6:23

it really. I mean, I just can't,

6:25

I can't be bothered with another ordeal

6:27

and another, you know, the whole merry-go-round,

6:29

the whole cycle, dealing with it internally,

6:31

dealing with the external opinions and all

6:33

that. So I hope, I hope, just

6:35

for that sake, that Tom continues on,

6:37

if nothing else. In your defense about

6:39

your annoyance, Dave, I think this season...

6:41

not completely different to last season maybe

6:43

towards the end but the season before

6:45

definitely there's a lot more pressure on

6:47

the club to be going up like

6:49

this season it felt like there's no

6:51

real pressure on us everyone thinks we're

6:53

going to go down so anything better

6:55

than that then we've done a good job but

6:57

because he started so well the pressure became

6:59

quite different on cleverly I suppose where we're

7:02

actually oh this isn't a great league and

7:04

maybe we could get in the playoffs but

7:06

for that pressure to be existent surely there

7:08

needs to be some backing from the board

7:10

to go, well actually, we've given you loads

7:13

of money and we've given you these players

7:15

and you've still not done it, but there's

7:17

not been that. So what do they want?

7:19

What do they want from the club and

7:22

what do they want from Cleverly? Exactly. I

7:24

guess the only pressure that still remains there

7:26

is financial. Again, as Mike and John talked

7:28

about and has been documented elsewhere as well

7:31

with the accounts coming out and we know

7:33

the financial picture isn't great and that pressure

7:35

to get back up and keep the wall

7:37

from the door will always remain. Tom

7:39

with him being under pressure, with him sort

7:42

of having to kind of publicly but

7:44

sort of subtly fight his corner. He

7:46

can't quite come out and really go

7:48

against Gino although he sort of is

7:50

in and so of the players you

7:52

know Pollock or what he was saying

7:54

at the weekend. There is this tension

7:56

that doesn't seem to be healthy and

7:58

it can't be conducive. to a healthy

8:00

positive environment to producing and delivering your

8:03

best at the moment. But let's

8:05

have a look really in terms of

8:07

why, regardless of the right or

8:09

wrongs about it, why is Tom cleverly

8:11

under pressure in the eyes of

8:13

Gino and maybe others. The reason is

8:15

the poor form and we can

8:17

dig into the reasons why that poor

8:19

form may have come about. It's

8:22

not necessarily all Tom's fault. There are

8:24

injuries, the squad issue, but we

8:26

have nevertheless since we last spoke with

8:28

you, Matt, which was sort of mid

8:30

-December, we've dropped off dramatically and we're always

8:32

waiting for this moment, weren't we? The pods

8:34

we've done this season, we've all been talking

8:36

about overperforming the numbers and we've been speculating

8:38

as to whether this drop -off would come and

8:41

whether we would regress. And that's exactly what's

8:43

happened, even though we're still in touch with

8:45

the playoffs. We're three points off the playoffs

8:47

still, we're in ninth. Last time we spoke

8:49

to you, we were one point off the

8:51

playoffs in seventh. So there's not been a

8:53

massive drop -off in terms of points in

8:55

the table, but the performances and the results

8:58

has been a big drop -off. Yeah, I mean,

9:00

it's 12 points from the last 12

9:02

games since that nil nil home

9:04

draw the QPR. And yes, we know

9:06

the reasons behind that. It's the

9:08

lack of support that we've had in

9:10

the transfer market, even more so

9:12

now with the injuries. And Tom hasn't

9:14

helped himself in some games with

9:16

the somewhat passive approach that we've had.

9:19

We need to keep a clean

9:21

sheet and try and protect our defense

9:23

and maybe go for it at

9:25

the end. But that doesn't really work

9:27

when you concede early goals. No

9:29

matter how defensive he seems to be,

9:31

it's a lack of

9:33

concentration, potentially

9:36

experiencing some quarters, and football

9:38

just now, like just not

9:40

making stupid decisions all the

9:42

time, quite often coming from

9:44

the goalkeeper, usually backman, not Jonathan

9:46

Bond. And it's just,

9:48

yeah, I mean, we talked about it, I

9:51

think two or three podcasts ago, where

9:53

we play very passive football, we sit very

9:55

deep, we invite pressure on, we don't

9:57

press high at the pitch, we're not really

9:59

counting. to attacking side, I would say.

10:01

There are elements where you, we saw a lot

10:03

of, more so I mean, the opening

10:05

two thirds of the season with Chatfordetto,

10:07

we would get the ball from deep,

10:09

carry it great distances and you'd

10:12

hope that either Bayo or Bar or one

10:14

of those players inks at the time, I think

10:16

it was all key inmate, would join him and

10:18

we'd offer a bit of a threat in like

10:20

maybe three V3 breaks, but I mean

10:23

our possession start line, which is where.

10:25

how many meters from your goal you

10:27

start your average open play possessions is

10:29

the second lowest in the league only

10:31

Plymouth are lower it's just we start

10:33

possessions very deep and that is all

10:35

well and good when you're winning one

10:37

nilling games or two nil etc and

10:39

you can you can break and teams

10:42

are coming on to you and you

10:44

have players like bar and vata and

10:46

Georgie who can and break those players

10:48

bar more so than those other two

10:50

I think now we're probably not going

10:52

to have bar in the side for

10:54

a few months potentially the rest of

10:56

the season. We don't know based on

10:58

waffles like with injuries in recent times

11:00

and that is terrifying really when you

11:03

think about we're not going to have

11:05

that outlet. But the the major issue

11:07

was like I alluded to earlier on

11:09

is the ability in inability to seemingly

11:11

kind of get the team to how

11:13

any structure or perform well in the

11:15

first 15 to 20 minutes of

11:17

matches, meaning we're like consistently on

11:19

the back foot against opponents. And that

11:21

has worked well in some games, especially the home alien

11:24

season where we had some strength on the bench that

11:26

we could bring on the last half an hour and

11:28

that would really change the game, most notably, bar coming

11:30

off the bench. And earlier on in the season, I

11:32

would even add Rayavich to that, there's that threat of

11:34

the bench. And earlier on in the season, I would

11:36

even add Rayavich to that, there's that threat of Rayavich

11:38

to that, there's that threat of being being, I would

11:40

even add Rayavich to that, I would even, Rayavich. I

11:42

would even add Rayavich to that, Rayavich to that, Rayavich.

11:44

I would even, Rayavich. I would even, Rayavich. I would

11:46

even, Rayavich, Rayavich, Rayavich. I would even, Rayavich, Rayavich, to

11:48

that, Rayavich, Rayavich, Rayavich, to that, to that, I would

11:50

even, Rayavich, I would even the poor starts that we

11:52

keep having. One, like you say, because we're starting

11:54

poorly, we're never on the front foot. I think

11:56

we sort of covered that. We're always on the

11:58

back foot and you need... that you need teams

12:01

to be coming at you so perhaps

12:03

that explains why we're doing better we've

12:05

had good results against good size and

12:07

struggled against the likes of Cardiff and

12:09

Preston at home but do you think

12:11

also that you mentioned Georgie and how

12:13

he'd pick up the ball and run

12:15

a lot of people have talked about

12:17

him managers have talked about him opposition

12:19

fans have talked about him do you

12:21

think now people know about him that

12:23

he's marked more closely and they are

12:25

nullifying that threat and that's stopping that

12:27

approach to games for Wofford? I think

12:30

so, but I thought Geordi had a

12:32

really good game of Coventry on Saturday

12:34

and that should also mean there is

12:36

space elsewhere on the pitch to exploit.

12:38

The problem is that the players aren't

12:40

as good as Geordi Chatfortezé, so they're

12:42

not going to cause the many problems.

12:44

I do think that a part of

12:46

the problem of trying to play that

12:48

kind of... counter attacking football is that

12:50

you need to have a good squad

12:52

of players that can interchange in those

12:54

positions and we just don't have that.

12:56

This is the 46 game season. I

12:58

think... This midweek is the first midweek

13:00

we've not had a game Saturday and

13:03

midweek for four weeks. And the grind

13:05

is just impossible to manage with a

13:07

squad of small lazaars. And track for

13:09

Tazze, the game, what was the game

13:11

before, Coventry, where he was rested. It

13:13

was the kind of, yeah, the first

13:15

game that he'd missed in the league,

13:17

I think this season. And that's mad

13:19

for a player, the role that he

13:21

plays that he's had to play every

13:23

game. And that was always going to

13:25

be one that would... come up eventually

13:27

he wasn't going to last the whole

13:29

season without having a break and I'm

13:31

probably sure he'll need another break now

13:34

and God for it if he gets

13:36

injured as well. He's playing all the

13:38

international breaks as well for Georgia. Yeah

13:40

I do think that Vatt has now

13:42

obviously the star boy and we all

13:44

like him and it's been great to

13:46

see him come to the floor and

13:48

he's showing immense talent but we do

13:50

have to remember he's still very raw

13:52

and maybe expectations a bit. high at

13:54

the moment for that for the rest

13:56

of the season. We cannot rely on

13:58

him. There's still parts of his game

14:00

where, yeah, there's been a couple of

14:02

games recently, actually, where he just... no

14:04

real impact and they're a bit worrying

14:07

that we're now relying on him and

14:09

chat for Tazze to really keep our

14:11

season going. So let's have a look

14:13

at the early concession of goals then.

14:15

It's been a problem all season for

14:17

us, comically early in some matches, but

14:19

even if you extend it to sort

14:21

of the opening 15, 20 minutes, it's

14:23

still an issue, a repeated issue. Is

14:25

that something that you can dig down

14:27

to in terms of data? Because there's

14:29

probably at some point anyway. Maybe not initially, but

14:31

at some point it probably becomes a sort of

14:34

mental thing. And I think when we spoke to,

14:36

I think it was either Pollock or Porteous and

14:38

when we were doing the fan chats earlier in

14:40

the season and I asked them a question about

14:42

that. You know, they alluded to the fact that

14:44

it... maybe was becoming a mental thing. And that

14:47

was a long time ago now, and it is

14:49

still happening. But is there any other way of

14:51

looking at it? Yeah, so I've broke down the

14:53

data for every club in the championship in the

14:55

first 15 minutes this season, and no team have

14:57

conceded more goals than us in the opening 15

14:59

minutes of games. We're level with Portsmouth.

15:02

on 11 goals conceded in that period. We

15:04

scored two ourselves in that period as

15:06

well. So our goal difference of minus

15:08

9 is the worst in the division

15:10

in that 15-minute period. I can't think

15:12

of a game where we considered more

15:15

than once in the opening 15 games,

15:17

so in opening 15 minutes. So I

15:19

think possibly that covers 11 different games

15:21

as well. Leads, maybe, did we? Yeah,

15:23

maybe leads, yeah, how could we forget?

15:25

Yeah, that was in the opening 8,

15:28

I think, I think. We've had the

15:30

fewest shots ourselves in the opening 15

15:32

minutes of games, so we don't really

15:34

go at teams. That doesn't help. We've

15:36

allowed 50 ourselves, so opposition teams have

15:38

had 20 more shots than we've attempted

15:40

ourselves in the opening 15 minutes. We're

15:43

not quite as bad as Plymouth in

15:45

that aspect, who have allowed 44 more

15:47

shots than they've attempted themselves in that

15:49

period. But they don't concede as many.

15:51

So, yeah, there you go. But it is

15:53

worrying. I think it's kind of, we go

15:56

into games now expectinging to go one meal

15:58

down. fairly early in games and then having

16:00

to work your way back into them. When you

16:02

have players on the bench you can change games

16:04

in your favour, like we had bar, I'll say

16:06

Revich, but actually it was more Jefferson

16:09

because we didn't really know what he

16:11

would offer. It was bar and vata,

16:13

really. Vata wasn't starting in the early

16:15

part of the season at all, was

16:17

he? You either start the season, you

16:19

had Sema and Kayembe would come off

16:21

the bench quaffin and make a difference

16:23

as well. I mean Ken Sema, remember,

16:25

remember, remember, remember him, remember him, remember

16:27

him, So 12 game period where we've

16:30

only won our last 12 points, we've

16:32

led for just 162 minutes out of

16:34

1,190 play, that includes added time. So

16:36

what, 13, 14% of match time? And

16:38

95 minutes, 21 seconds of that was

16:40

against Darby. So yeah, we're just not

16:43

getting in positions to kind of, and

16:45

when we do get positions like the

16:47

Darby game, yes, we had a bit

16:49

of fortune, but it's kind of... it

16:51

works with us on that on that

16:54

day and yeah over this season only

16:56

Plymouth that's 46.3% of their game time

16:58

have been in a losing position more

17:01

than we have in the league so

17:03

we've been in a losing position 39.9%

17:05

of match time this season which

17:07

is a worrying statistic really when you

17:10

consider Plymouth are absolutely dreadful. And I

17:12

looked at the start of the season.

17:14

We talked about that kind of bench

17:17

impact. And in the first 10 games,

17:19

the first 19 games of the season,

17:21

cleverly made 87 Suds and no subs

17:23

contributed four goals to assists and a

17:26

penalty won. The penalty won was

17:28

quite important because that was bar against borough

17:30

where he got the equaliser from the penalty.

17:32

for to get equalize and then to score

17:34

the winner in that game. And that was

17:36

that point where you're kind of like, well,

17:38

we could bring bar off the bench and

17:40

everything will be all right. In our last

17:42

10 games, we'd pay 41 subs, just one

17:44

has scored, and that was early on in

17:46

that 10 game run against Portsmouth when Rockavata

17:48

scored that winner. And one has assisted, and that

17:50

was Sissoko against Darby after coming on, assisting

17:52

K and base goal. So we just haven't

17:54

had that impact of the impact of the bench

17:57

in recent weeks in recent weeks in recent weeks

17:59

where you think. are someone's going to come

18:01

on and make a difference? Now

18:03

that would be very unfair to

18:05

kind of criticize someone like Dumbia

18:07

who is so raw and is being pushed into

18:10

the first team way much much earlier

18:12

than he should have really but you're

18:14

looking at players like what Tomins like

18:16

what is he really providing in that

18:19

scored now early in the season he

18:21

had that lead cut success in two

18:23

games I think you were hatchequins like

18:25

MK Don's and then I think he

18:27

got a couple more in another

18:29

game. And he got a silver

18:31

Wednesday, didn't he? And a good

18:33

city as well, he scored, didn't

18:35

he? Yeah, it's great, Chef Wednesday,

18:37

but now we're not really seeing,

18:39

when he comes on, there's no

18:41

impact there. Vatteras start having to

18:43

start, less games now. We don't have

18:45

that option, or something like Ken Semmer,

18:47

off the bench, who can play out

18:49

wider on... the academy really to provide

18:51

bench spots for... We've recalled adi-pocu as

18:54

well, haven't we? Yeah, I think, I've

18:56

got a thing that he'll be sent

18:58

out alone to another, yeah, football league

19:00

club. I like adopocu, I've actually seen

19:02

a fair bit of the under 21s

19:04

over the last few years, and he's

19:06

always impressed me, still quite raw. He

19:08

was also coming on around that time

19:10

when Slav and Billich brought adi-o-bo into

19:12

the team, and we've not seen adi-o

19:14

ever since because he's because he's... had awful

19:16

luck with injuries and I don't think we'll

19:18

ever see him again to be honest which

19:20

is a real big shame because that was

19:23

a real highlights point more for the last

19:25

few years. It does feel like things are

19:27

just caught up with us, doesn't it,

19:29

in that sense? Like you say, the

19:31

relative depth and flexibility that we had

19:33

in the early part this season, we're

19:35

unable to use that now. We don't

19:37

have, the players who were coming off

19:39

the bench and making a difference. They're

19:41

starting, or in bars case, they're injured.

19:43

And Festi's case, who's come off the

19:45

bench in some games and made an

19:47

impact and had his moments. He's been

19:50

up and down and down and down,

19:52

obviously, he's going to turkey, he's going

19:54

to turkey, you know even loser who

19:56

wasn't starting at the beginning of the season and

19:58

came on in some games or whatever He's now,

20:00

when fit, having to start and has

20:02

played well. But yeah, the squad. wasn't

20:05

the deepest and the most flexible to start

20:07

with and now it has diminished even further

20:09

and as we sit here what five days

20:11

five six days before chance of window shuts

20:13

I'm sure that's been a source of frustration

20:15

for Tom and if you do you know

20:17

chase if you can see if you keep

20:19

conceding early goals I've lost count the amount

20:22

of times I've turned around to you in

20:24

the stand this season just you know with

20:26

knowing glances after calamitous moments even when we

20:28

haven't conceded goals in in early parts of

20:30

the game there's been moments where we should

20:32

have done there's been a lot of games

20:34

we could have conceded even more goals

20:37

early. And if you keep doing that,

20:39

as Thomas said a few times, it's

20:41

just going to catch up with you.

20:43

You can't always come back from setbacks

20:45

like that, especially when they're so self-inflicted.

20:48

No, and you sort of look at

20:50

those numbers and think about what

20:52

we've talked about in terms of the

20:54

squad and now with that lack of

20:56

depth there and not having players that

20:58

can come off the bench and turn

21:00

things around. Is there an argument there

21:03

just to say why don't we just go for

21:05

it at the start? And it's easy to say,

21:07

and that's what people want to see, people want

21:09

to be excited when they go to football, I'm

21:11

sure that's something Graham Taylor used to say, but

21:14

you sort of look at those stats and Matt

21:16

you talked about how poor we are in terms

21:18

of conceding early, but in terms of that sort

21:20

of chance creation as well, the XG and how

21:22

low we're looking there. So it's not like it's

21:25

sort of gung ho football or end football or

21:27

end football and we're leaving ourselves open to the

21:29

back to the back to the back to concede.

21:31

to get adds up to, let's just go for

21:34

it. If we don't think we got the players

21:36

off the bench to change the game for

21:38

us, and we're struggling just by playing

21:40

this passive football because clearly the numbers

21:43

are saying that, let's just go at

21:45

teams, let's just attack them, might even

21:47

take them by surprise. The one game

21:49

I remember, we did kind of go

21:51

gung home and went through, it was

21:54

the Sunderland home game where we would,

21:56

that was our best first half of

21:58

the season, it was like... we're back

22:00

to that again. But I am

22:02

in no means qualified to kind

22:04

of make a call on this kind

22:06

of thing or sign something about it. But

22:08

how, what are they doing to prepare

22:10

the team before games? Because there must be

22:12

something there that is not working if they

22:14

are so bad in every game in

22:16

the first 15 minutes. But is the warm

22:19

up not vigorous enough? Are they not

22:21

having that kind of like real tactical pep

22:23

talk early in games? Do the players

22:25

really know what they're doing or just running

22:27

on vibes? I don't know, it feels like it a

22:29

lot in games that they're just making up as

22:32

they go along. And it's the sort of thing

22:34

that if this was happening at Sunday League and you

22:36

conceded and you were conceding goals in the first

22:38

five, 10 minutes of games every week, you'd do

22:40

something. You'd say like, lads, let's all get their 10

22:42

minutes earlier this week, or I'm going to change

22:44

the warm up. I'm going to bring some cones

22:46

and we're going to do a different drill or

22:48

something. You do something different, wouldn't you? Yeah, swap the

22:50

Lucas eight. Wrong music

22:52

in the dressing room. That's what it is.

22:54

It is mad. But does it stem from

22:56

that kind of poor leadership in the team as

22:58

well? Maybe. I mean, we all know the

23:01

general feeling about our club captain and the

23:03

other club captain who was club captain before.

23:05

Hardly those leaders that I think Tom's even

23:07

come out and said to Soco is one

23:09

of those leaders that you just look at

23:11

and he's a leader. He doesn't have to

23:13

say a lot. I would argue that, yeah,

23:15

this team does need something to say a

23:17

lot. And yeah, that might be

23:20

further proof that he's not suited to be

23:22

captain. Yeah. I mean, I wouldn't also,

23:24

I think something that we shouldn't overlook is

23:26

the amount of personnel changes that

23:28

there's been in terms of the defensive

23:30

players. You know, we've had different

23:32

systems as well. We've kind of flipped

23:34

recently between a back four and

23:36

a, you know, three centre backs of

23:38

wingback system. And within those systems,

23:41

the players, I think really apart from

23:43

Pollock, who's pretty much the mainstay

23:45

of the whole thing everyone else has

23:47

been has been in and out.

23:49

And that can't be helpful for, you

23:51

know, consistency and relationships and feeling

23:53

solid and feeling safe. Yeah, we've had

23:56

11 different two /three

23:58

man central offensive. combinations

24:00

this season. The most

24:02

used is Portious Pollock Serialta, which we've

24:04

used in eight games to start. Only

24:06

three teams have had more central defensive

24:08

partnerships/trios based on, yeah, five at the

24:10

back or three at the back or

24:12

four at the back. Plymouth, Luton and

24:14

Schiffler -Wesday and two of those are

24:16

the bottom two teams in the table.

24:18

So, yeah, that says a lot. Just

24:20

to remind everyone the Luton are bottom

24:22

two. Yeah. Could be worse. We do

24:24

need to keep reminding ourselves of that

24:26

for sure. I mean, all of this

24:28

stuff, when you keep comparing us to

24:30

all these teams statistically, it is

24:32

interesting because I have been looking

24:35

at the, again, to look at

24:37

the Opta analysts expected and predicted

24:39

tables. So, the expected table with

24:41

Opta has 18th, has 18th, like

24:43

right in the relegation battle. For

24:45

most the season around that sort

24:47

of position. And we've said it

24:50

often, of me, that actually that

24:52

probably is where we are, like

24:54

lower mid table/mid table kind of

24:56

side. And then I think Coventry

24:58

and now Coventry are really high

25:00

in that expected points table and they have

25:02

been for quite a lot of the season. They're

25:04

third in the expected table. Yeah. Yeah. They are starting

25:06

to show a bit of form now. I really

25:08

like that Coventry side. I wasn't surprised to be lost

25:11

to them on Saturday. So, I think they'll make

25:13

a late run for the playoffs, Coventry, and we'll make

25:15

it. I think there's bottom two spots in the

25:17

playoffs are up for grabs. So, I

25:19

think there is something to be taken

25:21

from the expected points table. I don't

25:23

think you can read, like take everything

25:25

out of it and say, oh,

25:27

that means that this should be the

25:29

table because it is essentially based on

25:32

expected goals for and against in matches.

25:34

And if you play those games so

25:36

many times or 10 ,000 times, that's

25:38

how they would normally finish. But not

25:40

every chance has an extra attached to

25:42

it. If you don't get a shot

25:44

away, et cetera, or you have a

25:46

breakaway, which we've had often in

25:48

games this season where the ball's gone

25:51

to the box and someone couldn't get

25:53

in the end of it or something.

25:55

So, I think it's a good marker

25:57

over a season to see where your

25:59

team's at and what for that

26:01

are probably where everyone expects them to

26:03

be at the start of the season

26:05

in that table. You've got us predicted.

26:07

So, this is different from... the expected this is

26:09

predicted where you think the rest of the season will go out based on

26:12

similar data I guess you've got us finishing 11th but with it but

26:14

with a 10.1% chance of promotion through the playoffs which I you know I'll

26:16

take I'll take 10% at this stage. 64 points we're averaging in our project

26:18

at the moment that is going down every week. But

26:20

yeah, if we were to play the

26:23

rest of the season now, we would

26:25

average 64 points, you think. But they

26:27

go, that doesn't factor in the fact

26:30

that the bar is injured. You've got

26:32

loot and predicted to be second bottom

26:34

though, come the end of the season.

26:37

So, so... God, we can only hope.

26:39

It's all good. But I'm sure

26:41

they'll be able to beat us

26:43

in a few weeks. Yeah, indeed.

26:45

Another area, a topic of much

26:47

discussion this season and increasingly of

26:50

late, is central midfield. It has

26:52

been a problem area for us

26:54

all season, hasn't it really? But

26:56

it, you know, with the exception

26:58

of losers relatively recent resurgence, he's

27:01

had some moments before he got

27:03

injured against Preston. Largely, whichever combination

27:05

we've used, whichever system we've played,

27:07

it's been difficult to watch, isn't

27:09

it, those central midfield players, particularly, with Sesokoko's

27:11

alarming. all season but I think he was

27:14

a bit better towards the start the season

27:16

and he has dropped off a lot very

27:18

notably KEM Bay again pops up here and

27:20

there with the odd goal but generally flatters

27:22

to deceive. Tom Delhi Bashiru come back from

27:24

injury now and has been getting some minutes

27:27

but clearly can't be relied upon to play

27:29

every single week you know he's in the

27:31

team then he has to have a be

27:33

out the team the next week that needs

27:35

clearly needs to be managed and you know

27:37

it's it's it's a real problem for us.

27:40

Yeah and I we seem to Omo come in

27:42

as well and I thought he looked tidy whenever

27:44

he played but he's gonna be out for

27:46

a while as well and you would say

27:48

if you had a midfield three of what

27:50

we had in the squad right now of

27:52

to Omo, loser and Tumba deli Beshiri that's

27:54

actually not a bad three for

27:56

the championship but at the moment it's kind

27:58

of like no one really knows what Kayambe's

28:00

best position is. What do you think

28:02

it is? Probably is a 10. Like

28:05

out of the the positions that you

28:07

could play, maybe that is because he's

28:09

not solid enough defensively. He takes far

28:11

too long on the ball when he has

28:13

it to get out of his

28:15

feet. And playing in a 10

28:17

causes... the least amount of destructive

28:19

potential, I think. But Sococo, for

28:21

me, I'm sick of seeing him

28:23

in that side. He is a

28:26

player who has relied on his

28:28

fitness over the years and his

28:30

legs. He was never a playmaker

28:32

or a fantastic passer of the

28:34

ball, even in his years at

28:36

Tottenham or Newcastle, and now those

28:38

legs have gone. I don't see what

28:40

he offers, his passing looks even worse

28:42

than he did for, he just looks

28:44

so tired. There's been games where he's

28:46

just stood there watching and it's embarrassing

28:49

that the other club's fans are like,

28:51

who is this guy? That's not the

28:53

social use way for Spurs is it?

28:55

Yes it is. And he's just a

28:57

passenger and you can't afford to have

28:59

a passenger in a team. low on

29:01

confidence and especially as your captain. Yeah,

29:04

I think Kayembe, I mean I change

29:06

my opinion with Kayembe quite often, at

29:08

the moment he's not good enough, but

29:10

every time he's actually, he's offered

29:12

something to that squad and as

29:14

he pops up sometimes and gets

29:17

important goals and... And I think it was

29:19

a quote I saw about Sir Alex Ferguson

29:21

saying similar about cleverly and when he was

29:23

breaking from the United side like he had

29:25

his failings but he would always pop up

29:27

and get you seven or eight goals a

29:29

season and that was really important to the

29:31

Ferguson and maybe cleverly sees that in Kayen

29:33

Bay but I mean I've looked at some

29:35

of the days for the soccer this season

29:37

and in his position you expect him to

29:39

be able to cut out opposition passes fairly

29:41

regularly and. He makes new interception every game

29:43

and a half from central midfield on

29:45

average. He's lost possession more than double

29:47

the times he's won it back for

29:50

us. Just over a quarter of his

29:52

passes go forward. The nadir was pressed

29:54

at home recently where every time he

29:56

got the ball it was just safety

29:58

first, pass it into a really crap.

30:00

position and we're just offering absolutely nothing. Whereas

30:02

Kayembe is one of the worst jewelers in

30:04

the league. That's basically 50-50 battles. They can

30:06

be the air, they can be on the floor.

30:08

Of championship midfielders to be involved in 200

30:10

plus jewels this season, that's 51 championship midfielders.

30:12

He's got the second worst jewel percentage. He's

30:14

won 37.5% of those. I think Sam Greenwood

30:16

is the only player that's won fewer. and

30:18

I think traditionally he's a forward. So one

30:20

thing I always said about Kondo is he

30:22

looked quite strong and he would be quite good

30:24

in battles but there's been times this season where

30:27

then I can't remember what game it was it

30:29

maybe it was that Preston game where he just

30:31

completely bottled a challenge and wasn't interesting going and

30:34

wasn't interesting going for it and wasn't interesting going

30:36

for it and wasn't interesting going for it. And

30:38

yeah that has been a massive problem in

30:40

recent times and the injuries. I can't even

30:42

think of anyone from the Academy. that could

30:44

maybe even step in? Like, why are we

30:46

not signing a century of order? Like, it's

30:48

just, yeah, baffling. Yeah, I'm with you on

30:50

that, Coenbe style. It is quite surprising to

30:52

see that he's struggled with jewels. Because you feel

30:54

like he's that combative typed, and you feel like

30:57

he's getting stuck in, but then clearly he's not

30:59

winning as many. I mean, they say. Some of

31:01

that could be dribbling as well, like in that

31:03

10. pretty worrying. Yeah, because again, trying to find

31:06

the positives on him, there have been times when

31:08

he's been able to pick up the ball

31:10

and... get out of tight situations and run

31:12

with it but yeah like you say he's

31:14

then done nothing with it or lost the

31:16

ball at the end of it. Those moments

31:18

are the things that you do tend to

31:20

remember right it's it's like the the moments

31:22

in football matches where crowds weirdly sort of strong

31:24

supportive amounts of applause for relatively simple tasks you

31:27

know a classic one is that a player who's

31:29

sort of in a little bit of trouble gets

31:31

the ball and sprays it out into into safe

31:33

possession everyone's oh fantastic but you kind of don't

31:36

remember remember the little incidents,

31:38

the little niggly challenges

31:40

here and there and

31:42

the things that he's

31:44

losing weigh more than

31:46

the good things that

31:48

he's doing, I think.

31:50

But I do think

31:52

the crowd is starting

31:54

to sort of turn, certainly

31:56

turn against Ahsoka and

31:59

more against KMB as well.

32:01

There's a lot of

32:03

people around us, Jax, where

32:05

we sit in the

32:08

Rookery, a lot of

32:10

groans, particularly old John,

32:12

who sits behind us

32:14

and sits few down

32:16

from you, always having

32:18

a go at KMB

32:20

and it's pretty much

32:22

fair, I think, most the

32:24

time. Yeah, it's difficult,

32:26

isn't it? It's very much

32:29

a 50 -50 player for

32:31

me in terms of we talk

32:33

about his goals and are they,

32:35

like you suggest, papering over

32:37

the cracks of his abilities

32:39

and his performance. But they're

32:41

not, they're sort of not make quick

32:43

goals. The majority of those, I assume, are

32:45

going to be important goals because most

32:47

of our wins have been by the odd

32:49

goal, give or take a couple of

32:51

games at Stoke and Shuffle Wednesday. Yeah. And

32:54

we know the horror show that some

32:56

of our penalty taking has been in recent

32:58

season. And he's been pretty consistent in

33:00

that and sort of stepping up to the

33:02

mark and taking those. And he does

33:04

take a good penalty, I think, as well.

33:06

But yeah, like you say, it's like,

33:08

it's those things are going well. But yeah,

33:10

the nuts and bolts of it all,

33:12

the getting stuck in it. And perhaps

33:14

this then is what is contributing

33:16

towards these passive starts. If a player like

33:18

him is playing in a central role and

33:20

not winning those battles, if you're not winning

33:22

those battles in the middle of the park,

33:24

then you're always going to struggle. You're always

33:26

going to be on the back foot. Yeah.

33:29

One thing I to say about Ken Bay

33:31

is obviously he's called that goal a

33:33

derby, but the game against Cardiff, the involvement

33:35

that he had in that goal was really important

33:37

as well. I thought he did really well there

33:39

before giving the ball to Bar to do what

33:41

Bar does. But I mean, So Soco is just

33:43

one of those players where he is this season's

33:45

Jake Lidmore, isn't he really? The experienced central midfielder

33:47

who's meant to be a leader, whereas Jake Lidmore

33:49

quite obviously led on the pitch and was a

33:51

really good leader in the field. And you could

33:53

see the qualities that he brought to the team

33:55

from that. You just don't see any of that

33:57

from Soco. So what is the point in him

33:59

being in that side if we have

34:01

other players fear it can play there.

34:04

I'd even go as far to say

34:06

I would play serialter in that role

34:08

that Ishmael played him in over to

34:10

Soko. I just can't watch him play

34:12

for what fit anymore. Does my head

34:14

in? It doesn't seem like there's certainly

34:17

not much talk of there being midfield

34:19

recruits coming in. It all seems to

34:21

be around the striker which which obviously

34:23

we need but yeah there doesn't seem

34:25

to be any talk of players and

34:27

you're looking at... we've spoken about, you've

34:30

spoken about your dream signing of Matt Grimes

34:32

before, looks like he's going to be joining

34:34

Coventry I think from Swansea and there's been

34:36

a few other moves as well and it

34:38

is frustrating to just know that even if

34:40

we are trying to bring people in it's

34:43

just it's not going to be these sort

34:45

of solid upwardly mobile experienced championship players which

34:47

we do need more of. It's fine to

34:49

pick and choose and you know there's loads

34:51

of good players in Europe and further afield

34:54

and getting hidden gems has been one of

34:56

the things that Potsos still are just about

34:58

doing and have done really well throughout their

35:00

whole tenure so that's fine but if you

35:02

look back to the first promotion we had

35:05

that blend so well between the sort of

35:07

championship experienced players whether they be on loan

35:09

or whether we've signed them the summer before

35:11

and the European players and players from further

35:14

afield and it was a really nice blend

35:16

and it just feels that we haven't

35:18

really got that as much anymore have

35:20

we? What we would do now for

35:22

a Guadiora in that with fields? And

35:25

then you had obviously Daniel Tozer who

35:27

was very good very good player and

35:29

even players like Manari that could come

35:31

in and and do a job in

35:34

central midfield when they were missing so

35:36

yeah it's is not great at the

35:38

moment and I think that obviously there's

35:40

been some links to Ishmael-Koni coming back

35:43

on loan, more out of hope than

35:45

expectation I think from Watford fans, but

35:47

he's not really a central midfielder. I think he'd

35:49

be an excellent option in that ten, which I

35:51

would love to see him back at the club.

35:54

I was sad when he left, but yeah, will

35:56

that happen? Can't see it. Especially when he, I

35:58

think he's been linked to some pretty... decent names

36:00

across the continent as well. He's not

36:02

gone well for him at Marseille. He's not

36:04

played that many games, but it be

36:06

pretty big step down for him to come

36:08

back as well. If you were him,

36:10

you're thinking, back and back here again, it's

36:12

not gone, try somewhere else, fine, but

36:14

don't go back to the place that you

36:16

left in the summer. The transfer window

36:18

shuts on Monday, weirdly. I assume that's because

36:20

they don't want the transfer window. The

36:22

31st is Friday, and I assume that that

36:24

would just be a nightmare for clubs

36:26

having a transfer window on a Friday the

36:28

day before everyone's playing. But that said, you've

36:30

had transfer windows closed on mid -weeks

36:32

when there's been matches happening on

36:35

the same night in the past, so

36:37

who knows what the reason is

36:39

really. But the window is shutting on

36:41

Monday, the 3rd of Feb at

36:43

11 p .m. As it stands, we've

36:45

had one incoming, that's James O 'Banquah

36:47

from Udonazion Loan, nothing else, but there

36:50

has started to be a few

36:52

little rumours and links swirling out there.

36:54

We had some sort of rumblings

36:56

that Emmanuel Dennis might be coming back

36:58

for the third part of a trilogy

37:00

that nobody ever wanted to see.

37:02

And then we've had links with Sheriff

37:04

Indy of Red Style Belgrade, who's had

37:06

a decent season from what I can

37:09

see, but he's 29 years old, Senegalese

37:11

striker, figures touted of around 10 million

37:13

euros, which feels astonishing, really. And then,

37:15

literally within the last few hours, reports

37:17

re -emerging, potentially collecting Iain Acho coming

37:19

in, which obviously was something that we

37:21

heard about a little while ago and

37:23

seemed to go quiet, but that seems

37:26

to coming back. So it seems like

37:28

they're trying to do some things, but

37:30

what would you make of those three, who you're

37:32

picking from those three? Iain

37:34

Acho, for me, I think, yeah, he's

37:36

got a good record. I think the

37:38

only problem with Iain Acho is that

37:40

in his Premier League career, a lot

37:42

of his time was off the bench.

37:44

So his goal record was actually a lot

37:47

more impressive than most people think. He's not had

37:49

a great season at Sevilla, I think it's

37:51

nine La Liga games he's been involved in and

37:53

not scored, but he had scored three goals

37:55

in other competitions. Sevilla, a little bit a mess

37:57

as well. So it's, I mean, he did,

37:59

he did really well. Leicester over the time, but that

38:01

left the side. It was the period when

38:03

Brendan Rogers was there and they were really

38:05

good that he got the most goals. I

38:07

think one year he got 19 goals. But

38:09

last season the championship didn't play a lot,

38:12

but I would anticipate if he does come

38:14

in. I do think Emmanuel Dares will come

38:16

back, which it's got to the point I

38:18

think I tweeted about it the other day.

38:20

It feels like the UK government in recent

38:22

years in that they offer you such a

38:24

bleak outlook that you end up... They leave it

38:26

so late in the day and offer you this

38:28

alternative that you're just like well it's better than

38:31

that bully count look so I guess we'll just

38:33

have to take it and it's that is that

38:35

it is kind of like well it's better

38:37

than nothing so we'll take Dennis okay like surely

38:39

not you know what if he if he could

38:42

get fit which will take two months, he might

38:44

be quite good for the last three games of

38:46

the season. So, and actually when Klevily came in,

38:48

Klevily's first two games, he won the game

38:50

at Birmingham with a really good finish, don't

38:53

think he played that well in that game,

38:55

but leads at home, the second game, I

38:57

thought he was brilliant in that match and

38:59

he scored a great goal, obviously made it

39:01

all about him because that is what, I

39:03

mean, he did, this is great. He got

39:06

injured straight away afterwards, didn't he? Yeah, but

39:08

he then played straight away. quite soon after,

39:10

but he, fitness was the issue there and

39:12

he hasn't played a single game competitively since

39:14

his last game for us, which is in

39:16

April against Sundland and he came off for

39:19

half-time in that. There's a lot of talk

39:21

isn't there on social media and I think

39:23

a lot of it is just crap to

39:25

be honest that he's an unsettling figure, people

39:27

don't like him and invakes it all about

39:29

him. I don't think that is true. I

39:32

think there were times last season where he

39:34

would score a goal and you didn't see

39:36

like players wild in celebration with him because

39:38

I think actually at that point the season

39:40

quite a lot of people just tired of

39:43

the season and it became a bit toxic

39:45

in some in elements and I think the

39:47

timing of his arrival didn't really

39:49

help obviously Ishmael leaving kind of

39:51

a few months later but there were some

39:54

times where like I think Norwich away was

39:56

that game where he came on and was

39:58

just dreadful didn't track back. bothered Ishmael called

40:00

him out post-match and basically said look there's

40:03

people coming on who'd decide aren't fear and

40:05

don't want to be fit and things like

40:07

that and that was the end. for Ishmael

40:09

because obviously Dennis is one of the posos

40:11

golden boys so you criticize him you're in

40:14

trouble but maybe I'm just naive and think

40:16

that Dennis has got to be better than

40:18

some options that we'll have but the fitness

40:20

is just it makes it pointless like he

40:22

hasn't played so how is he fit how

40:25

is he anywhere near match fit and we

40:27

need someone to come into that side now

40:29

and make a difference and that isn't

40:31

gonna happen with Amanda Dennis I mean,

40:33

I just imagine being the person on

40:35

the social media team and the content

40:38

team who has to do the third

40:40

Dennis announcement video. I mean, how can

40:42

you sell that with any, with a

40:44

straight face and with any credibility? I'll

40:46

be interested to see, just on that

40:49

basis, I'd like it to happen just

40:51

to see how they deal with the

40:53

announcement. But third time's a charm? Maybe,

40:55

yeah. But I mean, Jay, not that

40:57

we necessarily know much about Sherry Fin

40:59

Die. I wouldn't expect you to be,

41:01

you know, you know, you know, you know

41:04

in that shows hardly played any any football

41:06

this season as we mentioned Dennis clearly not

41:08

going to be a match for it at

41:10

least a player regardless of him being 29

41:12

and us paying over the odds for him

41:15

put that to one side for a second

41:17

but someone who's actually playing football and scoring

41:19

goals surely that's the safest bet I mean

41:21

you'd think so wouldn't you that would be

41:23

the advantage that's that's the guy that would

41:26

be hitting the ground running but like you

41:28

say there's just yeah so many things there

41:30

that make you go No, not Watford, not

41:32

Potsoe. That's 29. What's his resale

41:34

value going to be after playing...

41:37

I mean, we're thinking of buying

41:39

him rather than alone. You think

41:41

a loan would be more... Can

41:43

you days you not buy him

41:46

and we just loan him off

41:48

them? So, yeah, so if we

41:50

buy him, he's 29, his resale

41:52

value is not going to be

41:55

whatever we pay for him. So

41:57

that's definitely not a potso signing

41:59

signing. me ones if it is

42:01

potso or people at the

42:03

top putting these rooms out there to try

42:05

and keep everyone happy almost look we

42:08

are making waves we are trying to make

42:10

things happen oh they just didn't come

42:12

off yeah it's all a cover I've got

42:14

a bit of data on him because we actually

42:16

do analyze the Serbian Superleague so I've looked

42:18

into it I've watched some clips from him and

42:20

I don't know about him he's not like

42:22

when I remember when we saw Revit and I

42:24

watched tips of him and I was thinking

42:26

God he's slow I didn't think anything like I

42:28

thought he looks like your bog standard championship

42:30

striker who just appears for six months does all

42:32

right and then never see him again but

42:35

he's since the start of last season he scored

42:37

24 goals in the league there's three of

42:39

those from the penalty spot and that's more than

42:41

ever player the big thing to me was

42:43

like 23 percent of his touches have come

42:45

in the opposition box which is like wow that

42:47

is that is a hardland levels of

42:49

their touches in the box you can

42:51

play on Revit during their what for

42:53

careers in the league they average 13

42:55

% and Revit you think is a

42:57

player box player but how does that

42:59

suit the way we play because you

43:01

need a player like Bayo does

43:03

so much running and it has to

43:06

basically press on his own up

43:08

there is this guy going to be able to

43:10

do that don't know I haven't seen enough

43:12

him in those situations and but it

43:14

is important to say that the

43:16

he is playing for the best team

43:18

in the league who create a

43:21

lot of chances and he doesn't require

43:23

him to kind of drop deep

43:25

and get involved we're a I'm

43:27

out I think I think that

43:29

the this is just a link

43:31

that won't actually come to fruition if we

43:33

sign him I'd be very surprised and

43:35

it would further increase my worries about the

43:37

recruitment process at Watford should be baffling

43:39

her to spend eight nine ten million euros

43:41

whatever that is and and having not

43:44

invested anything like that in in signings earlier

43:46

in the season or earlier in this

43:48

window it would just be strange and it

43:50

would you know it would lead people

43:52

to ask certain questions as well I think

43:54

but we'll see we'll see who comes

43:56

in one thing I wanted to do before

43:58

we go I've been doing a little bit

44:00

of data compiling of my own map. perhaps

44:02

not quite as neat and tidy as

44:04

some of you some of the stuff

44:06

you guys get up to at Opta,

44:08

but I have been putting in the

44:10

work with Tom's situation in mind and

44:12

all the speculation and everything I did

44:14

this I did this a week or

44:16

so ago probably about 10 days ago

44:18

now when when it all first started

44:20

to swirl up I thought I'm gonna

44:23

have a look back at all of

44:25

the sackings under genopo and just try

44:27

and work out if there's a pattern

44:29

is something I can see particularly there

44:31

yeah So, I'll go through all of

44:33

them and we'll see if we can

44:35

spot anything. Early on, obviously, things are

44:37

a little bit different, but we'll start

44:39

with Jean Franco Zola just to be

44:42

completest. So he's, the form going into

44:44

his sacking. He was sacked on the

44:46

16th of December 2013. His last game

44:48

was a one-nilled defeat at home to

44:51

a Sheffield Wednesday. His most recent run

44:53

of form was nine without a win.

44:55

five defeats of those nine were at

44:57

homes. We lost five home games in

45:00

a row in that season. and the

45:02

acts finally fell. Beppe Sinino conversely obviously

45:04

won four of his first five games

45:06

of this season in 2014, 15 and

45:09

then was sacked but he did lose

45:11

the last four in a row in

45:13

the previous season including the four one

45:16

battering at home to Huddersfield on the

45:18

last day which you know you kind

45:20

of think that that probably should have

45:23

been the moment that he went. Interestingly

45:25

though his last game was actually a

45:27

four two win against Huddersfield at home.

45:29

That was 10 members and Abdi's called that

45:31

great go, breakaway go, yeah, that was a

45:34

great game. Oscar Garcia, obviously, you know what

45:36

happened there, stepped down due to heart problems,

45:38

he was in charge of four games, one,

45:40

one, lost one, drew two, his last game

45:42

was a two all-away draw with Blackburn, Billy

45:45

McKinley was in the job for a week.

45:47

Two games, one, one, one, drew one, nothing

45:49

to complain about there. So if you see

45:51

a can of it, obviously contract was not

45:53

renewed after promotion, but he won 10 of

45:55

his last 14 games before he left the

45:58

club. Obviously his last game was that. still

46:00

annoying one or home draw with Sheffield

46:02

Wednesday on the last day of the season.

46:05

K, round one. This is where it starts

46:07

to get a bit interesting now. We can

46:09

start to perhaps look at some sort of

46:11

patterns and kind of moments of decline. So

46:14

his departure was announced prior to the final

46:16

game of the season, if you remember. And

46:18

he had 12 defeats in the second half

46:21

of that Premier League season, only three wins

46:23

in the final 15 Premier League games and

46:25

of course lost the FA Cup semi-final to

46:27

Crystal Palace, who we did finish above in

46:30

the league that season. His last game

46:32

was the last game of the

46:34

season, two all home draw with

46:36

Sundlin, but like a really bad

46:38

run of form. led to potso's

46:40

thinking we've got to we've got

46:42

to make a change here. Water

46:44

Matsari comes in the season after.

46:46

He loses his final six games

46:49

of the season including 5.0 at

46:51

home to Man City on the

46:53

final day where he named two

46:55

keepers on the bench. Yeah, and

46:57

was out smoking cigarettes a half

46:59

time on the unoccupation road. I

47:01

wonder if he bumped into the

47:03

lady with a sign. Marko Silver

47:05

loses eight of his last 11

47:07

games. Yeah but he was wearing

47:09

an awesome Everton track suit at

47:11

that point. His head was turned

47:14

supposedly on the 13th of November.

47:16

He was sacked. actually sat on

47:18

the 21st of January. He lasted

47:20

until late January that season, which

47:22

is kind of weird to think

47:24

about now actually. He kind of

47:26

limped on for a long time

47:28

because there was that sort of

47:30

standoff, that legal standoff between Watford and

47:32

Everton. But before that happened, he actually,

47:35

he had only lost one of the

47:37

first 10 Premier League games that season

47:39

and that was to Manchester City. So

47:41

that was the best period. Even better

47:43

than the Garcia period, we were brilliant

47:45

in those 10 games under silver. Really.

47:47

Really good. of the last 11, obviously,

47:49

yeah, that was enough. Having Grazia obviously

47:52

had that whole season with us. We

47:54

came in after Silver and then had

47:56

the whole 18-19 season culminating in the

47:58

cup final, but he lost. three of

48:00

the opening four games of the season.

48:02

His last game was a one all

48:04

away, Georgia Newcastle, but enough was enough.

48:06

But if you extend it over to

48:08

the season before, he lost five of

48:10

the last eight in the previous season,

48:12

including the six nil cup defeat. So

48:14

that's eight defeats in 12 across the

48:17

two seasons. So you're sort of beginning

48:19

to kind of see a bit of

48:21

a pattern here. If you kind of

48:23

lose sort of most of any ten

48:25

to... 15 game spell, you're in big

48:27

trouble, which maybe there was something in

48:29

that. The background to that Garcia one

48:31

though was that we were in pole

48:33

position for European football, weren't we? And

48:35

we bottled it at the end of

48:37

the season with poor performances. That was

48:40

the frustrating thing. Absolutely. I remember that

48:42

when we got, we were away to

48:44

Huddersfield, weren't we? I think we

48:46

did we win at Hudson. We

48:48

won that one, yeah, one, two,

48:50

one, two. One, two. One, two.

48:52

One, two. And I think that

48:54

put us right in the in

48:56

the hot sea. Delafoe, two, is

48:58

it? And we just, we just

49:00

fritted it away. K, Mark, two.

49:02

This is where it gets, this

49:04

is where it really starts to

49:06

get comical. Only one win in

49:08

10 games, including five defeats, comes

49:10

in. Obviously he had the big

49:12

COVID disclaimer with this one, but when

49:14

he came back from COVID, loses four

49:16

of his last seven games in that

49:18

weird project restart spell. So he was

49:20

actually sacked on the 19th of July,

49:23

which is weird to look at now,

49:25

after we lost three one away to

49:27

West Ham. That was the six point.

49:29

It was the next West Ham are

49:31

down there as well. And we surrendered

49:33

meekly. Villa went and beat Arsenal who

49:35

no I thought they'd beat. That was

49:37

the season they'd beat us as well

49:39

with that. Tyrone means when he should

49:41

have been sent off, wasn't it? A lot

49:43

of what ifs in that season, for

49:46

sure. You're bringing back a lot

49:48

of bad memories. This and out.

49:50

Yeah. I'm sure if you're denied,

49:52

I'd have the goal across the

49:54

line. The goal line technology wasn't

49:56

bloody working. He only loses four

49:58

of the 20 league. games. that

50:00

he managed, but he only got

50:02

two wins in his last five

50:04

games and it was kind of

50:07

a bit miserable, loses two nil

50:09

away to Huddersfield, sacked on the

50:11

19th of December, etching capoo scoring

50:13

an own goal in the championship

50:15

away to Huddersfield. That's a thing

50:17

that happened. Then, Cisco comes in,

50:19

leads us to promotion, but loses

50:21

four of his first seven games

50:24

of the Premier League season, including

50:26

the last game which was a

50:28

pre-dismal one-know-a-a-way defeat to lead-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a 10

50:30

of his 12 games in charge, including

50:32

7 of the last eight, the last

50:34

of which was a 3-nil home defeat

50:36

to Norwich on a Friday night when

50:38

Mrs Sisoko wrote to all the fans

50:40

before the game saying we need your

50:42

support. Don't even mention the next manager

50:44

because it would just rile me up.

50:46

Roy Hodgson loses 13 of his 17

50:48

games in charge, including 8 of his

50:51

last 9. The final game of the

50:53

season was a 2-1 away, defeated Chelsea.

50:55

We were already down at that point

50:57

and Roy had already burnt, burnt, torched.

50:59

all the bridges by applauding the palace

51:01

fans. Then Rob Edwards comes in. So

51:03

he only loses two of his first

51:05

10 league games, but only one win

51:08

in the final five of that spell.

51:10

A few draws in there. The last

51:12

game was a two or home draw

51:14

with Sunderland. Obviously very harsh, only 10

51:17

games. Then Billich, interesting with Billich. So

51:19

he only won three of 13 games

51:21

post World Cup. But before the World

51:24

Cup break, he wins six of his

51:26

first ten. So there's really a sort

51:28

of tale of two different spells

51:30

out for him. Didn't the Al Pedro

51:32

get injured? and he was missing in

51:34

that, in that long spell, in that

51:36

period. And then he was having to

51:38

play players like Adopoco, Adiyeno, etc. Grieves,

51:40

I think, played as well. And he

51:42

was, yeah, I recall him being frustrated

51:44

with the with the transfer window, the

51:47

January transfer window as well in that

51:49

season. But yeah, he dropped off massively

51:51

after the World Cup, only won three

51:53

of his last 13 games. Yeah, Chris

51:55

Wilder comes in after him, only wins

51:57

three and 11 and 11, five defeats in

51:59

that run. but his last game is

52:01

a two-nill home win over Stoke. Then

52:03

Valerian Ishmael, six defeats in his last

52:05

eight games, two wins in his last

52:08

14 games, his final game being a

52:10

two-one-defeat to Coventry, and he was sacked

52:12

on the 9th of March of 2024.

52:14

So if you look at... And the

52:17

Dean Austin text, may well have been

52:19

the final nail in that particular coffin.

52:21

Obviously there's a lot of different situations

52:23

there. It's a lot of different context

52:26

to break down. You can't really nail

52:28

any sort of significant trend. but if

52:30

you do look at the sorts of

52:32

Sackings that have been in this part

52:34

of the season in the championship in

52:36

particular. So you're looking at Bilech, you're

52:38

looking at Ishmael. Over any 10 to

52:40

15 games fairly, if you're losing sort

52:42

of 8 in 10 or 9 in

52:44

11, that sort of thing, you're on

52:46

thin ice. And what are we at

52:48

the moment? The last 12 games, so

52:50

that takes us from the end of

52:52

November in the nil, nil jaw, a

52:54

home to QPR, we've lost six of

52:56

our last 12 games, winning only three

52:58

in that 12 game spell. That does

53:00

shine with the recent sackings. We are clearly

53:03

in that danger zone for Tom and yes,

53:05

as you say, the next few games are

53:07

for Watford are home to Norwich City this

53:09

Saturday and lunchtime game. You've got a way

53:12

to Sunderland the week after, then you're at

53:14

home to Leeds United, then you're away to

53:16

Middlesbrough, and then the week after that, you're

53:19

at home to Luton. So my theory, when

53:21

this whole thing started to swirls, Jay, see

53:23

if you agree with this, was that we

53:25

would continue to limp on, and this was

53:28

before the sort of whole thing last week

53:30

with the statements, but let's ignore that for a

53:32

second. We would continue to limp on, we might

53:34

get a draw here or there, whatever, we might

53:36

squeak a result here and there, but that run

53:38

of Sunderland Leeds and Middlesbrough, would finish us off,

53:40

we'd lose all three of those, and then he'd

53:42

sack Tom, and then you left, with the potentially

53:44

interesting situation, with the potentially interesting situation, with Paul

53:46

Robinson being a caretaker caretaker being a caretaker caretaker

53:48

charge, a caretaker charge for a caretaker charge for

53:50

a home game, a home game, a home game

53:53

against Luton charge for a home game against Luton,

53:55

against Luton, against Luton town. That's almost that's almost

53:57

romantic isn't it? But I don't yeah, I'm not

53:59

sure if If Gino would do a

54:01

caretaker in this sense, like you say,

54:03

if we can see it coming, obviously

54:05

he knows it's coming. And we had

54:07

all the rumors about someone being lined

54:09

up to replace him already. I'm sure

54:11

if it's on his radar, he'll have

54:13

someone lined up and they'll swing someone

54:15

in. I guess the only saving grace

54:18

for Tom at the moment is that

54:20

there's no international break for about another

54:22

six weeks. And we know he likes

54:24

to make a change around those, but

54:26

with the stats that you've given us

54:28

there. I'm not sure he would wait

54:30

that long. If we get the results,

54:33

we think we're going to get in

54:35

these next few games. It does spell

54:37

trouble, doesn't it, based on the form.

54:40

It's still not what we want to

54:42

happen, but it does look lightly. It's

54:44

just, I just don't say a point,

54:47

what's the point? Now we're not going

54:49

to go down, and we're not going

54:51

to get in a play off. That's

54:54

a phrase that's been used quite in...

54:56

going along to watch a team, a

54:58

group of players that you no longer

55:00

have a connection with. But yeah, so

55:02

that, it chimes and it's fair use

55:04

of that phrase for making that decision.

55:06

What is the point in making that

55:09

decision? What is the point in making

55:11

that decision? We've ended things on a

55:13

bit of a low note here. Are

55:15

we good at anything Matt? Is there

55:17

any stat out there that we're one

55:19

of the best at? We've won 12

55:22

points from losing positions and only two

55:24

teams of one more. There you know.

55:26

Who knows? Who said that last time

55:28

and it wasn't. Exactly. Look, we might

55:30

beat Norwich. We might beat Norwich at

55:32

the weekend. We might sign a player

55:35

or two on Monday and this time

55:37

next week we could be a little

55:39

bit happier maybe than we are now.

55:41

We could be Luton. We could be

55:43

Luton. We could be Luton. Right, Chase,

55:46

thanks very much. No problem, you're welcome.

55:48

Matt, good to hear from you again.

55:50

We'll catch up with you soon. Cheers.

55:52

And we'll be back at the weekend

55:54

with a podcast after the Norwich game. I believe

55:57

I'm not going to be there, actually. I'm going

55:59

to be a... Birmingham City against against weekend

56:01

for my weekend for but believe some of

56:03

the lads are lining up a bit

56:05

of a post -match session in the of a

56:07

so I'm sure you'll hear from them

56:09

in some way, shape or form on

56:11

Saturday. Until then, some way, come on form on

56:13

Saturday. Until then, come on your horns.