Read posts on the Watford forum feeling sorry for Burnley fans having to regularly watch our style of "anti-football" play. Possibly a knee jerk reaction to their defeat, but they are still trying to find a style of their own, changing managers regularly.

There are two scenarios.
One, we try to play like Bournemouth, Wolves or indeed Watford.We probably get relegated.
We would then lose Sean Dyche, this time, plus our Internationals - Pope, Tarkowski, Wood ,Mcneil.
In no time we become a Derby or Sheffield Wednesday or worse still Rovers, Bolton or Blackpool ! Gates down to 11,000.
Or, we accept the Dyche way, which can be dour, but no PL team likes playing us and we hold our own.
I was able to see the style of play in the 60's with Connelly,Mac and Pointer, and the 70's with James, Coates etc, but this is a new era where money talks.We have to adapt as well as we can and if you want to watch some of the best players in the world on the Turf and visit the best grounds then we have the formula right, for now at least.

Living in a country where there is good coverage of the PL and where the locals mainly support Liverpool or United, it gives me great satisfaction to see the Clarets competing with the "blg boys ". whatever the style. Long may it continue.

"Living in a country where there is good coverage of the PL and where the locals mainly support Liverpool or United, it gives me great satisfaction to see the Clarets competing with the "blg boys ". whatever the style. Long may it continue."

Same for me with Man U and Liverpool dominating the PL fan base but we are getting noticed more and more! I've yet to see a Leicester fan despite the club being owned by the family behind King Power.

Here, here.

You just have to read the autopsies of Stoke City's demise to see what happens when a team with a hard to beat, physical style try to change system to a more 'attractive' style. Our identity and play style is what keeps us where they are, other fans can b1tch and moan but it's up to them to beat us.

Long may it continue that you can have a Chris Wood up with Sergio Aguero's or a Dwight McNeil alongside Mo Salah in your fantasy team.

I think it's the Watford fans that need to look at their own team, before expressing sympathy for us .... it's not Burnley who've just recorded their 11th successive home league game without a win, a new and unwanted Club record ...

Call me unfussy, but I don't think I'll get bored of successive 3-0 wins anytime soon !

Same for me with Man U and Liverpool dominating the PL fan base but we are getting noticed more and more! I've yet to see a Leicester fan despite the club being owned by the family behind King Power.

About twice a year, we go to see the sister-in-law in Market Harborough near Leicester. It’s a rugby town, with Leicester Tigers being the shirts you tend to see and playing fields have rugby posts.

In 2017 I saw King Power shirts around town for the first time. Obviously the area were very proud of Leicester City’s achievements. Since I’ve been back though it’s reverted to being a rugby town again.

We don't play anti-football.

Football is about scoring more goals than your opponent. This means preventing your opponent from scoring more than you.

We are very good at this particularly given the resources we have.

There is a joy in watching your team consistently out battle the opposition.

I would far prefer this to watching the lacklustre performances produced by many of our "more talented" rivals.

Long Ball may it continue.

Anti football? The first touch and shots using both feet from our centre half were world class. Oh and he was ok as a defender too

I don't know why it's always the opposition fans that get all upset and angry, we have to watch it every week!

Da Da Da Da Anti Football,

It's very catchy, long may he reign.

I love watching our defence. I love us competing with the best teams in the world and occasionally getting a result.

I worried when we got promoted that I would get bored of us losing every match especially vs the big boys, but the matches in 2019 where we weren’t competitive can be counted on one hand.

When have Watford ever been a footballing team?
As Taylor invented hoofball they should have no complaints about any other style of play.
We are doing great. Nobody likes playing us but we never go out to kick the opposition off the field. We just out battle them and defend brilliantly against everybody but the elite.
Our goals per chance percentage must be unbelievable.

I can't tell you how much sorrier I feel for myself than in the mid 80s. It was so much more fun watching a bunch of park footballers trying to play 'the Burnley way' and getting stuffed every week by Aldershot, Torquay, Hartlepool etc in front of 'crowds' of 2000.

I tell you one thing for sure, I don't feel sorry for Watford being stuck at the bottom of the league looking all lost and, probably, deciding when to pot their latest manager. I won't be sorry when they get relegated.

Good grief what a moron ( Watford moaner ) they let three in and they're criticising us ??Beggars belief . .A lot of clubs find it very difficult to play against us using the Dyche system and that's why we are where we are. Long may it continue

Baliclaret wrote:Long may it continue.

I see what you did there!

It will be interesting to see which set of obnoxious, whinging fans we get rid of this season.

I think Watford will be one and Southampton possibly another. I suspect Brighton will be ok and we have to stomach them again next season

Let's not forget, a lot of football fans only watch football. They don't get what it's all about - it's a business at the end of the day. The board want points on the board - remain in the Prem - and make more money to enable us to keep improving the stadium, improve the youth team, buy players et al. The way we play, I think, and SD clearly does too, is the best chance of us doing the above - for now.

I'm sure there is a longer term plan and that's to step-by-step, keep improving the club both on and off the pitch and eventually come to the point where we can start playing more attractive football, due to the players we can afford to bring in. That was never going to happen overnight without a billionaire being the owner.

Let’s just enjoy the Sean Dyche way of trying to ‘plot’ each game. Our ‘quality’ will improve but our style doesn’t need to change.

It's amazing to me how a club can have so much outside finance, spending money on players who would not look twice at Watford if it wasn't for the amount of money on offer, then have supporters who moan when they lose 0-3 at home and blame the opposition(!), despite the fact that they have been shockingly poor all season and currently sit at the bottom of the table.

Maybe the knee-jerk reactions in the board room with a constant revolving door policy attributed to managers is now taking it's toll? Stability is key. We are the paragon of such a model.

FactualFrank wrote:Let's not forget, a lot of football fans only watch football. They don't get what it's all about - it's a business at the end of the day. The board want points on the board - remain in the Prem - and make more money to enable us to keep improving the stadium, improve the youth team, buy players et al. The way we play, I think, and SD clearly does too, is the best chance of us doing the above - for now.

I'm sure there is a longer term plan and that's to step-by-step, keep improving the club both on and off the pitch and eventually come to the point where we can start playing more attractive football, due to the players we can afford to bring in. That was never going to happen overnight without a billionaire being the owner.

Thats a way far too sensible view Frank...

After all we should be expecting the Lionel Messi and Ronaldo style of Football by now ffs .......

Lets face it its about time we started paying proper wages (instead of the Paltry £35k average) and buying players for £80+ million....

We demand Ticka Tacka Brasilian style Football ... winning Trophies and Cups every season.

Not Sensible thoughts like yours Frank bloody hell

Zom Zom wrote:It's amazing to me how a club can have so much outside finance, spending money on players who would not look twice at Watford if it wasn't for the amount of money on offer, then have supporters who moan when they lose 0-3 at home and blame the opposition(!), despite the fact that they have been shockingly poor all season and currently sit at the bottom of the table.

Maybe the knee-jerk reactions in the board room with a constant revolving door policy attributed to managers is now taking it's toll? Stability is key. We are the paragon of such a model.

I do notice that most (all?) supporters who call us for the way we play, follow a club who have/had very wealthy owners in the past which enabled them to buy the better players and play better football. They don't appear to have the required number of brain cells to understand why we play the way we do. It doesn't enter their heads.

Not forgetting the likes of Bournemouth and Wycombe.

Suratclaret wrote:"Living in a country where there is good coverage of the PL and where the locals mainly support Liverpool or United, it gives me great satisfaction to see the Clarets competing with the "blg boys ". whatever the style. Long may it continue."

Same for me with Man U and Liverpool dominating the PL fan base but we are getting noticed more and more! I've yet to see a Leicester fan despite the club being owned by the family behind King Power.

Just out of interest is this Surat Gudjarat India?

I am so envious of a team that
1) has no history
2) sacks it’s manager every 4 days
3) has a crap soulless ground
4) has never won a thing
5) has a team of mercenaries who are only there for the money
6) are bottom of the league
7) who got beaten 6-0 in a cup final

We might not be Barcelona but thank feck we are not Watford

In order to survive in this division Burnley have to target winning points from teams outside the top 6 or 7. With the odd exception they are becoming masters at this. Sam Allardyce had this same philosophy at Bolton.

Watford strike me as a poorly managed club. Changing managers like people change clothes is not good for stability and its showing. Perhaps they are reflecting that they should have kept Sean Dyche. If not they should be.

How on earth have we managed to net 20 PL goals with all this anti-football,6th highest scorers and the 3rd time we've bagged 3 in a match,not too shabby is it.

Meanwhile the Hornets have a grand total of 8(EIGHT) goals all season,Leicester bettered that in single game.

The concept of football is very simple,you put the ball in the onion bag,more times than your opponents,i know this is a novel idea for Watford as they've only achieved that feat once.

Enjoy the Championship Andre

TVC15 wrote:I am so envious of a team that
1) has no history
2) sacks it’s manager every 4 days
3) has a crap soulless ground
4) has never won a thing
5) has a team of mercenaries who are only there for the money
6) are bottom of the league
7) who got beaten 6-0 in a cup final

We might not be Barcelona but thank feck we are not Watford

Agreed on most of that. Not the “crap, soulless ground “ bit, mind.
Vicarage Rd is, like the Turf, a town centre ground that has developed in a very organic and piecemeal way. I was impressed by its form and aesthetic, and atmosphere when we won there two seasons ago.

Lord Beamish wrote:Agreed on most of that. Not the “crap, soulless ground “ bit, mind.
Vicarage Rd is, like the Turf, a town centre ground that has developed in a very organic and piecemeal way. I was impressed by its form and aesthetic, and atmosphere when we won there two seasons ago.

Yep maybe - I was also thinking more about the place itself - which is best known for being a “gap”. When your most redeeming feature is a service station.....

TVC15 wrote:Yep maybe - I was also thinking more about the place itself - which is best known for being a “gap”. When your most redeeming feature is a service station.....

Watford and Watford Gap - are two entirely different things - Watford Gap is a geographical feature that has a service station named after it and Watford is the place we go to collect our points

Watford Gap is about 90 miles north of Watford!

Agree its a drab town, they're not sure if its in London or not. Off to work for three days in Northwood tonight, 2 miles from the ground. Hopefully see a few Hornets fans and stick it to em.

SalisburyClaret wrote:Watford and Watford Gap - are two entirely different things - Watford Gap is a geographical feature that has a service station named after it and Watford is the place we go to collect our points

Well I never knew that !
It’s one of the few grounds I have never been too. Going to have to go now...especially given we have a decent record down there recently

We now know what that big gap in the away end was yesterday. TVC's coach ended up at Six Fields after taking the scenic route to Watford Gap services

Watford Gap does get its name from Watford but it is the close by village of Watford

We seem to have a decent record at Vicarage Rd. I've seen us win there 3 times I think. Obviously forgetting the dismal FA Cup quarter final defeat!

If only we had Gray and Deeney up front so we could play the beautiful game like Watford.

Sean Dyche gave us the correct answer at Earby Con Club last month, it isn't 'Long Ball or Anti Football' it is simply 'Effective Football'.

Quite a laugh seeing opposition fans moaning, however, we also have quite a number of our own fans who just don't get the wonderful 'team' performances we produce. Every player plays his part but it is not always appreciated by some.

In the words of our song "no one likes us we dont care" Long may our bad results continue UTC

Darnhill Claret wrote:Not forgetting the likes of Bournemouth and Wycombe.

Yes.

Who could forget Wycombe?

No point going down but playing attractive football. Better off having 2 poor defeats and 2 great wins playing mediocre football than say 3 draws and one loss playing some great eye catching football. Taking chances is what matters and defending resolutely. We do both quite well.

Blackrod wrote:No point going down but playing attractive football. Better off having 2 poor defeats and 2 great wins playing mediocre football than say 3 draws and one loss playing some great eye catching football. Taking chances is what matters and defending resolutely. We do both quite well.

Whatever Watford may be doing, they aren't playing attractive football. Playing our way scoring 20 goals and winning is a lot more attractive than playing their way, scoring 8 goals and losing.

TVC15 wrote:Well I never knew that !
It’s one of the few grounds I have never been too. Going to have to go now...especially given we have a decent record down there recently

You might have to wait a few seasons then

I like Watford and have always thought of them as a similar club to us in terms of finance, until recently. They also seemed to invest in youth but I don't see much evidence that it has produced too much recently.

On the field I'm not sure where it's gone wrong. They were quite impressive at times last season.

There is nothing worse to watch than a back four pouncing about and getting nowhere!

Lots of passes to nothing is boring, boring, boring.

Yes we launch a little too often, however, we also can play very effectively with beat passing which counts.

I remember it was Graham Taylor who devised the long ball style, as his analysis showed that it was the swifrest method of hitting the front, before defences were settled and that a knock down in or around the box led to more goal chances, than any other means!

Watford should check their history!

IanMcL wrote:There is nothing worse to watch than a back four pouncing about and getting nowhere!

Lots of passes to nothing is boring, boring, boring.

Yes we launch a little too often, however, we also can play very effectively with beat passing which counts.

I remember it was Graham Taylor who devised the long ball style, as his analysis showed that it was the swifrest method of hitting the front, before defences were settled and that a knock down in or around the box led to more goal chances, than any other means!

Watford should check their history!

I'm convinced that many managers like to play it about at the back because it's pretty - not because it benefits them at all. In fact, I bet it punishes more teams than it benefits.

I must say I was impressed with the comment from a Watford fan that Chris Wood's goal would have been disallowed by VAR if it hadn't been for big club bias! Very complimentary.

FactualFrank wrote:I'm convinced that many managers like to play it about at the back because it's pretty - not because it benefits them at all. In fact, I bet it punishes more teams than it benefits.

Especially Arsenal and Norwich.

Having read (and listened to) the views of many West Ham and Watford fans following the successive 3-0 victories, I've come to the conclusion that West Ham fans "know" football far better than Watford fans do. Lots of credit given to Burnley and Dyche from the Irons' fans - quite the opposite from the Hornets'

TVC15 wrote:Yep maybe - I was also thinking more about the place itself - which is best known for being a “gap”. When your most redeeming feature is a service station.....

Our "Watford Gap" is currently 13 places, +10 points and +20goals

How many times do you see teams play it around at the back, then eventually play it long because they’re getting closed down

The difference in sentiment about our approach to the game is hilariously different on this board according to our current form.