* The Unofficial "Official" Boro v Watford Match-Day Thread *

r00fie1

r00fie1

Well-known member
Its that time again>>>>.

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Michael Carrick believes that a "little bit of success" in a game can give players confidence, but when asked in his recent Media Conference if Boro had "turned the corner", he replied "not really". Carrick`s boys have won two games in less than a week, but that doesnt gloss over the disappointing start to the season. Certainly a step in the right direction. The lads gave a good account of themselves against Southampton - playing some excellent one-touch passing football, moving high up the pitch, defending well when required and intercepting crosses and opposition passes - putting them out of their stride and sending the Saints home pointless.
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[https://twitter.com/Boro_Away_Fans]

Bradford was a test of a different kind: a chance for other players in the squad to cut their teeth and show how much they want to be part of the team going forwards. Latte-Lath scored a great goal and could have got a second - he showed a lot more nous and awareness than he did at the start of his Boro career. McGree certainly put on the after-burners and at the moment is up at the top end of his game. Rogers is showing "there is a player in there somewhere". Confidence is clearly a big key. As Carrick says - he believes in the boys and keeps doing what he knows how to do best. He has always said he believes in the group and what they are capable of. But he repeated yesterday that "We cant get carried away". Its just two good results. Every game is a "tough game".

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Perhaps one interesting comment was about confidence increasing the "aggressive nature" of the game. That was evident against Bradford, where [for instance] Hackney held off a tackle from a big midfielder and just kept going - like a knife through butter. Similarly, against Southampton, the boys were that foot closer with the likes of Jonesy not afraid to come blindside and wrestle the ball off a midfielder. Its a new element to our game: instead of standing off or afraid to get stuck in for the sake of getting a yellow card - we are noticeably more robust and confident we can win the ball cleanly, clear it out of danger areas and instantly turn defence into attack. Taking calculated risks comes with confidence and belief that a player can do the job without making mistakes or committing unnecessary fouls.

Today`s opponents, Watford, are a shadow of the side which was relegated from the Premiership two seasons ago. Gone are the big earners - the ones Chris Wilder intimated were too big for their boots [!]. Watford have had four coaches since they were relegated: the latest is Valerien Ismael, who took the reigns in May 2023, so hes doing well up to now! He was previously the Manager at Barnsley and lead them to the play-offs in 20/21 season. He is a Manager who likes the game played in a certain style and is already under pressure given the Hornets poor start.

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Interestingly, his assistant is non other than one Dean Whitehead [!] Good luck to Dean - after today.

A point today wouldnt be a bad result - but three points would be much much better. Lets not kid ourselves that all in the garden is going to be rosey and that we have "turned the corner". There really is a "long way to go" and we need to pick up the pace and finish teams off. Some of the new lads - like O`Brien and Van Den Berg seem to be catching on. Jonesy is looking back on form, Gilbert and Greenwood are getting into the frame. All good signs we are making progress. Lets hope today we can take that progress with us and bring back three crucial points.​

UTMB (y)

r00fie1 30.09.23
 
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Watford Boss Valerien Ismael Previews Boro Game:

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Valérien Ismaël spoke to the media ahead of Watford’s encounter against Middlesbrough at Vicarage Road on Saturday (September 30, 3pm KO), with the Hornets looking to bounce back following a disappointing defeat to Leeds United.

Covering a range of topics, including team news ahead of the Sky Bet Championship fixture, bouncing back from defeat and his thoughts on Boro, read what the Head Coach had to say below…

On the game against Middlesbrough:

We are looking forward to this home game, in front of our supporters and with our fans behind us. It’s been a good week, a hard week for the guys in training. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we worked on a lot of points and as usual the guys absorbed the sessions and it was very high quality. We are ready for the game tomorrow.

We know that we have strength at home, but we are still in the process of building something. We need to replicate the strength that we have at home in our away matches at some point, but at the minute we have this home match to focus on. We have two away games afterwards so there is more focus on this game. We need 100 per cent from everyone tomorrow.

This is the Championship and anyone can beat anyone. We are focused on ourselves and what we have to do. We know the energy we have to put on the pitch and we know what we have to improve on from the last game. We are focused on our principles and our game plan, and as I say, we play at Vicarage Road so we need to make sure our performance is right. We still have three games until the next international break so we are still on track.

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On team news ahead of the match:

Ken Sema is still out; it’s his calf. He hasn’t trained with the squad – he is still doing individual sessions. I think it will take another week until he can come back with the squad. I don’t expect him to be back before the international break. Elsewhere, at the minute, everyone is available for the game, which has put us in a good position to pick the squad. There is a high level of competitiveness in the training sessions, which means it has been high quality.

On bouncing back from the Leeds United defeat:

I think it’s all part of the process. Sometimes it’s good to see that an opponent is better than you. We have to recognise it, accept it and make it better. We have to make it harder for them. It’s not only the players, but it’s on the staff and I next time to assess the situation better and maybe be more flexible.

We saw that the opponent found another way to play against us. The first way was to stay deep, stay compact and wait for any mistakes and counter. Now there is another way - when the opponent uses their quality to find a way to force us to defend more. We have to all work on that situation and perform better.

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On Mileta Rajović:

We are pleased to have him. It’s clear that he is still a young player and he just changed countries and leagues so this is something different for him. It’s more up and down throughout each game with him, but he has the ability, we believe in his quality and he will score a lot of goals for Watford. At the same time, we will work on what we need to improve to make him a complete player.

On remaining patient:

When you choose a new way, you have to know that it will be bumpy and there will be some issues, but in the end you have that picture. If you imagine building a house, it’s exactly the same. You have some stressful situations, maybe you have to spend more money and deal with any issues, but at the end of the day, you have a nice house to live in. It’s the same idea.

We know where we want to go, but we know throughout the process we will need to take three or four steps. We made the first one with a massive cleanout, we are now on step two in implementing and adapting. Afterwards, we can move to the next one, but at the same time we need to compete on the pitch to get the points. It’s always the case to find the right balance. We need to work on our way and how we can improve with what we have in the squad. The base is there to build something stronger and more sustainable for the future.

www.watfordfc.com

Preview: Ismaël Speaks Ahead Of Middlesbrough Clash

Valérien Ismaël spoke to the media ahead of Watford’s clash at Middlesbrough on Saturday (September 30, 3pm KO). Covering a range of topics, read what the Head Coach had to say here…
www.watfordfc.com www.watfordfc.com
​
 
Watford - Last Time Out:

23rd September 2023
Leeds United 3 Watford 0.
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Scorers:

Piroe [67]
Byram [70]
Anthony [89]
This was the first time Leeds have won three consecutive games against Watford.
They were all over Watford, who could have lost by a much bigger margin had United finished off their numerous chances.
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Danny Farke was chuffed and said Leeds would have won anyway because of his teams "greediness" [?!]
Watfords Ismael thought "We made it too easy"[?!]

Shots on target.
Leeds - 10
Watford - 1
Possession:
Leeds - 59%
Watford - 41%
Corners:
Leeds - 8
Watford - 1
 
Laughing said:
Am I right in thinking the Watford boss has the coolest name in football.
Click to expand...
He`s got the coolest name, but a reputation for being very formulaic and dogmatic in the way he uses "systems" to Manage his teams. It works with certain players. On the other hand, Watford have had a massive clear-out, particularly of former Premiership players and he is trying to coach a whole new set of players........mmmm:unsure:
 
I think this shows that VDB is first choice right back now.

Fry and McNair have 100% clean sheet record this season... (*I know it was Bradford*) - we might find that Lenihan was the defensive liability all along.
 
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