Post by bluey69 on Aug 31, 2008 10:25:32 GMT -1
just gonna give my views on my trip ! feel free to contribute to the conversation, other opinions very welcome !
Set off from bristol early, around 1 ish. Arrived n parked up at Watford for around 4 o clock, managed to grab one of the club parking spots for a fiver. Gave us some time to look around before k/ o. Managed to get sum chips ( very nice ) tho can't remember where from ! Some milkshake company was doing a promotion, handing out free milkshares so i decided it was going to be a great day out, whatever the result !
Both Watford and Ipswich fans were mixing well together before kick off ( i didn't see any trouble ) with both walking down the narrow street in a dignified mannor ( take note Wolves, Cardiff and West Ham )
Took a few pictures outside the ground, and also inside. Thought the ground was alright inside too ! Funniest moment of the day happened for me here. To the left of the away end, is the side of the ground i presume Watford will want to redevlop at some point. Inside this, there were about 15 fans sat together on this side ! I couldn't work it out, but did get a great picture of it ( well hope its great, not yet checked my camera !!! )
n e way - moving onto the game. For once, i refrained from betting on the game. My personal assumption was we'd probably lose, but i plumped for a 1-1 draw.
The game started at quite a brisk pace. I really DON'T know what Mart Poom was doing, but he kicked the ball straight into Counago's path, who slotted the ball composedly into the bottom left corner. That sent us fans ( already in great voice for once ) into raptures. We were playing very well in the first 20 minutes, Lisbie wasting a great chance to make it 2-0. Chants of " boring boring Watford " started, and to be honest were THUROUGHLY justified. Literally all they did FIRST HALF was hit and hope, a very very ugly way of playing football. I had read somewhere that Boothroyd wants to play more attractive football this season - at that point...... i couldn't see it happening.. Very very very route 1 !!
Campo picked up a needless booking, but first half at least, we played very very well and looked a good assured side. Volz was looking a very good aquisition at right back. Watford did ( out of the blue ) have a cracking header by ( guessing Priskin ? ) that hit the post, but yeah id say we deserved to be winning at half time. If anything i was gutted it wasn't by more than 1, though apart from our goal and Lisbie's chance, despite dominating play we hadn't created a great deal else truth be told.
The half time whistle came, and i think the general assumption was if we kept going, we'd win by 2 or 3. Though i COULD see that happening, i also thought 2 other things. 1 - Watford COULDN'T be THAT BAD in the second half. 2 - We ARE Ipswich, often in control of games with the self destruct bottom around the corner. I know i should have believed in us more, but sometimes u can sorta see it coming !!!!
2nd half started, and sure as day, Boothroyd must have laid into his troops. They started to play FOOTBALL, instead of their long ball crap in the first half. In all honesty if Watford had played football for 90 minutes, they would have looked a very decent side. Saying that, we were matching them, making the second half much more of a contest. Walters had a chance that would have made it 2-0, but only had an instant to knock it in.
Watford were having more set pieces, and im NEVER a fan of us defending them, let alone against a side like Watford. When they scored from the corner, i felt very dejected and right to feel like i did at half time. What was even more embarrassing tho, was the Watford " fans " that shared the goal with us. Now i was near the left hand side, so i didn't know there were any fans sharing that goal with us. Honestly, until that moment there wasn't 1 peep out of them. Now u do get sum quiet fans. But come on, they could have joined in n shouted some stuff at our lot during the first half. May aswell have had cardboard cut outs in them seats, im not lying. Also, noise DOESN'T travel at some places - BUT - u can visibly see fans clapping or getting excited. Didn't see any of that from the stand opposite / or to the right of us, so i must say this is perhaps the biggest morgue in football ive ever been to. The ones sharing the goal with us really were absolutely pathetic.
moving along !!!
the final 20 minutes i thought Watford were in control, if either side was going to score, they were. Our central midfield by this point was looking wayward. Campo, as good a player as he is, clearly isn't quite fit yet. SHudda come off for Sumo on around 65, Magilton to me sometimes doesn't read the game especially well regarding decisions. I thought Wright made a fairly decent save for the goal that was followed up, but it turns out after i saw it on the championship this morning he should have at least parried it away from danger. Never mind.
I can't complain at the result, if u don't take ur chances in football, u will get punished. Despite having a lot of the play, we didn't create a great deal, and at the other end we seem to give chances away for fun - not sure y !
Did see Campo appearing to have a go at McAuley, rightly so in my mind. No better than De Vos from what i saw, needs games to bed in but must do better. Naylor did alright - but won't get us promoted, simple as. A quick strong CB to partner Mcauey would help - Kisnorbo when he's back from injury would make a good partnership i feel.
Volz / Thatcher were good at full back.
LM - badly need a creative gem here
and a strong/ quick CF would be handy
if we sort these positions out, think we'll be fine. If not - then to be honest, not convinced we'll make top 6 but will be top half
Set off from bristol early, around 1 ish. Arrived n parked up at Watford for around 4 o clock, managed to grab one of the club parking spots for a fiver. Gave us some time to look around before k/ o. Managed to get sum chips ( very nice ) tho can't remember where from ! Some milkshake company was doing a promotion, handing out free milkshares so i decided it was going to be a great day out, whatever the result !
Both Watford and Ipswich fans were mixing well together before kick off ( i didn't see any trouble ) with both walking down the narrow street in a dignified mannor ( take note Wolves, Cardiff and West Ham )
Took a few pictures outside the ground, and also inside. Thought the ground was alright inside too ! Funniest moment of the day happened for me here. To the left of the away end, is the side of the ground i presume Watford will want to redevlop at some point. Inside this, there were about 15 fans sat together on this side ! I couldn't work it out, but did get a great picture of it ( well hope its great, not yet checked my camera !!! )
n e way - moving onto the game. For once, i refrained from betting on the game. My personal assumption was we'd probably lose, but i plumped for a 1-1 draw.
The game started at quite a brisk pace. I really DON'T know what Mart Poom was doing, but he kicked the ball straight into Counago's path, who slotted the ball composedly into the bottom left corner. That sent us fans ( already in great voice for once ) into raptures. We were playing very well in the first 20 minutes, Lisbie wasting a great chance to make it 2-0. Chants of " boring boring Watford " started, and to be honest were THUROUGHLY justified. Literally all they did FIRST HALF was hit and hope, a very very ugly way of playing football. I had read somewhere that Boothroyd wants to play more attractive football this season - at that point...... i couldn't see it happening.. Very very very route 1 !!
Campo picked up a needless booking, but first half at least, we played very very well and looked a good assured side. Volz was looking a very good aquisition at right back. Watford did ( out of the blue ) have a cracking header by ( guessing Priskin ? ) that hit the post, but yeah id say we deserved to be winning at half time. If anything i was gutted it wasn't by more than 1, though apart from our goal and Lisbie's chance, despite dominating play we hadn't created a great deal else truth be told.
The half time whistle came, and i think the general assumption was if we kept going, we'd win by 2 or 3. Though i COULD see that happening, i also thought 2 other things. 1 - Watford COULDN'T be THAT BAD in the second half. 2 - We ARE Ipswich, often in control of games with the self destruct bottom around the corner. I know i should have believed in us more, but sometimes u can sorta see it coming !!!!
2nd half started, and sure as day, Boothroyd must have laid into his troops. They started to play FOOTBALL, instead of their long ball crap in the first half. In all honesty if Watford had played football for 90 minutes, they would have looked a very decent side. Saying that, we were matching them, making the second half much more of a contest. Walters had a chance that would have made it 2-0, but only had an instant to knock it in.
Watford were having more set pieces, and im NEVER a fan of us defending them, let alone against a side like Watford. When they scored from the corner, i felt very dejected and right to feel like i did at half time. What was even more embarrassing tho, was the Watford " fans " that shared the goal with us. Now i was near the left hand side, so i didn't know there were any fans sharing that goal with us. Honestly, until that moment there wasn't 1 peep out of them. Now u do get sum quiet fans. But come on, they could have joined in n shouted some stuff at our lot during the first half. May aswell have had cardboard cut outs in them seats, im not lying. Also, noise DOESN'T travel at some places - BUT - u can visibly see fans clapping or getting excited. Didn't see any of that from the stand opposite / or to the right of us, so i must say this is perhaps the biggest morgue in football ive ever been to. The ones sharing the goal with us really were absolutely pathetic.
moving along !!!
the final 20 minutes i thought Watford were in control, if either side was going to score, they were. Our central midfield by this point was looking wayward. Campo, as good a player as he is, clearly isn't quite fit yet. SHudda come off for Sumo on around 65, Magilton to me sometimes doesn't read the game especially well regarding decisions. I thought Wright made a fairly decent save for the goal that was followed up, but it turns out after i saw it on the championship this morning he should have at least parried it away from danger. Never mind.
I can't complain at the result, if u don't take ur chances in football, u will get punished. Despite having a lot of the play, we didn't create a great deal, and at the other end we seem to give chances away for fun - not sure y !
Did see Campo appearing to have a go at McAuley, rightly so in my mind. No better than De Vos from what i saw, needs games to bed in but must do better. Naylor did alright - but won't get us promoted, simple as. A quick strong CB to partner Mcauey would help - Kisnorbo when he's back from injury would make a good partnership i feel.
Volz / Thatcher were good at full back.
LM - badly need a creative gem here
and a strong/ quick CF would be handy
if we sort these positions out, think we'll be fine. If not - then to be honest, not convinced we'll make top 6 but will be top half
Grates me just how quiet The Vic is most of the time.
