Watford v Wolves FA Cup Semi-Final Matchday Thread

[nortonwolf]

I don’t mind playing defensively. We’ve done that most of the season to great success. But there’s a difference to playing defensively and what we did after the second goal. Agree with Woody, shoulda put Traore in earlier. He can relieve pressure on his own, even if he doesn’t end up creating any real chances. Teams have to respect his speed and skill. We could have had a third. Had open men on the break and Neves wasted a ball. Nuno was not happy. Came back to bite us.

Can complain about the close penalty call and I think it was a penalty in the end. But we shouldn’t have let it get to the point where it mattered.

At the end of the day, if you offered me a semifinal cup run at the beginning of the season, I’d have been delighted.

The semi final place and 47 points at this stage, its been a great season already. Watford edged it in my view, fair play to them. I thought Nuno should’ve left Jota on his runs were taking the pressure off? Top day out anyway.

[abbobrom]

When we were in division one, who would have thought that in just two years we would be sitting in the top ten in the Premier League and in an FA Cup semi final? Gutting to lose yesterday and even more gutting in the way it happened. A penalty in the dying seconds of injury time. So near but so far.

If I am honest I did not really enjoy yesterday, it wasn't the result, but the whole experience. I found Wembley too big, and having paid £65 for a seat I was disappointed with the view. I was warned that I would need bins to see, but you are so far away from the players, I just did not feel involved. I know several on here would have given their right arm to have been there, but I certainly now do not want Wolves to be playing in a 60,000 capacity stadium, 40 to 50,000 yes.

Travelling from Euston on several underground trains to the stadium was manic, with all the trains bouncing with excited vocal Wolves supporters. While the walk up Olympic way to the stadium was something else. The alcohol was flowing, the fans were making a terrific noise and credit to them and the Police, it seemed to be accepted behaviour. Beer was being thrown in the air, which at around £6.00 a pint was a bit wasteful.

On entering the stadium, the escalator that takes you up to level five stopped working and we were forced to climb up the steps. I admit I had to stop for a rest halfway up, but determination drove me on. As we surfaced high above the Wembley turf there were more steps to ascend. I dropped into my seat, knackered. How some of the alcohol fuelled fans made it higher, I haven't a clue.

I thought it would be a tight game, and the first thirty odd minutes proved so with neither side wanting too loose the match. At 2-0 I thought this might just be our day but you sensed that Watford would throw everything at us, as they had everything to gain. So close but once it went into injury time after the late penalty, the momentum was with the hornets, and so it proved.

We have played better this season, and we have played worse. The players now need to regroup and battle for the seventh spot. However, what ever happens between now and the end of the season, it has been a memorable one.

[wolves71]

The semi final place and 47 points at this stage, its been a great season already. Watford edged it in my view, fair play to them. I thought Nuno should’ve left Jota on his runs were taking the pressure off? Top day out anyway.

This is only my opinion, but i thought Jota looked tired, hence why Nuno replaced him.

[wolves71]

The journey down to Wembley, bar a few hold ups on the M40 was a good one, our fans on our coach were all in good voice. Wembley itself was only a short walk away from where the coaches were parked up. The walk up Wembley way was an experience that will live long in my memory., i did this earlier on this season for the Spurs game, but to be there with my Dad and one of my sister's was something else.

Having already been to Wembley this season to see Wolves beat Spurs, the view from the lower tier then wasn't the greatest. We were in block 505 yesterday, on the front row and above club Wembley. My view was good, but at times at a distance. The mosiac before kick-off was good to see and even the flags being wave by the Watford supporters looked good. I did think for a stadium that size it was often difficult to get all our fans singing together, the sound often travelled. I also have to say the occasion brought out quite a few 20+ year old fans with no respect for their fellow fans when asked to sit down when blocking other people's view. We were fine on the front row.

As for the game itself, in my eyes we started the better and created openings, to go 2-0 up without Watford barely causing any sort of threat to Ruddy in the Wolves goal. Doherty, Jota and Jimenez caused Watford no end of problems. The game changed for me once Deulofeu came on and pulled one back for Watford. His effort left Ruddy stranded. Once they got that back, i just thought Watford had the momentum. I've only seen the penalty back once, i think it's a soft one, but i can see why it was given. It's not good conceding so late in any game, but in this one, in added time made it feel a lot worse.

If there was to be a winner, i just felt Watford looked the fresher of the two sides, i won't begrudge them their winner. I just with Cavaleiro could have done better with his chance in the dying minutes of the second half of added time.

Questions were asked about the subs Nuno used, i just feel Jota had nothing left in the tank. A lesson required is that we need stronger options from the bench next season.

It wasn't to be, we have had a great couple of seasons under Nuno, top ten in the premier league and an fa cup semi-final in our first season back. I would've taken that at the beginning of the season. I just hope our season doesn't fade now.

[nortonwolf]

This is only my opinion, but i thought Jota looked tired, hence why Nuno replaced him.

I'm sure you're right, but he has that will to keep going and as it was the 89th minute I'd have left him on.

[abbobrom]

Gav talks about 20+ year olds standing up while others wanted to sit. It was a concern of mine before the game and when it happened to me, a quiet word in their ear worked and we got on fine afterwards.

However, a friend of mine, who moved to England from Italy had the same problem in the stadium with two youths. He asked them not to stand up and was met with a torrent of abuse, questioning his parentage. My friend is not a tall man, quite small in fact, but is built like a brick sh.. house. He grabbed one by the throat and threatened to throw him down the steps. The two lads decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and disappeared to find a seat elsewhere.

I also witnessed a young Wolves supporter trying to sell three tickets to a tout for £120 each. Terrible when supporters who would have loved to have been there, couldn't obtain a ticket.

[nortonwolf]

Out of 35,000 fans there’s bound to be a few drunk and up to no good, it’s a football match... to be honest compared to what I used to see home and away in the seventies and eighties we’ve moved on massively. It was good that the fans mixed on the concourse outside the ground and in the main it was friendly, before and after the game.

I travelled down with my mate who now lives in Manchester, haven’t seen him for twenty years... we went to both the semi finals in the late seventies and the League Cup final, along with a lot of home and away games in that time it was great to catch up and have the Wembley experience again. Shame about the game from eighty minutes on, but all considered I had a great day.

[abbobrom]

Norton I agree about the fans mixing before the game, but there were reports of trouble after the final whistle. I read that Deeney's family were involved. Also a coffee throwing incident in the stadium. Several reports of young and old Wolves supporters taking drugs in the toilets and being sick in their seats. Then spending almost the entire game with their heads down, missing the match. A friend told me that he saw one middle aged chap, with two young children, who could hardly stand he was so drunk, totally irresponsible. Fans were drinking on the railway station at ten o'clock in the morning, while on the train they spent much of the two and a half hour journey up and down to the toilet. Each to their own, but why spoil such and occasion for yourself and others with such yobbish behaviour?

I witnessed some really violent scenes back in the seventies and eighties, and yes we have come along way since then. However. it appears that it would not take much to spark a return.

I sometimes go to watch Leicester tigers in the Premiership Rugby. Crowds of around 20 to 30,000, all drinking outside, mixing together inside and out, taking their pints into the seats and enjoying the sport, win lose or draw. I also go Horse Racing and trouble there is rare, however, on occasions if there is no football on a particular Saturday, drunken fights have been known to break out with rival fans. Mainly at Haydock Park, which is midway between Liverpool and Manchester.

[wolves71]

Out of 35,000 fans there’s bound to be a few drunk and up to no good, it’s a football match... to be honest compared to what I used to see home and away in the seventies and eighties we’ve moved on massively. It was good that the fans mixed on the concourse outside the ground and in the main it was friendly, before and after the game.

I travelled down with my mate who now lives in Manchester, haven’t seen him for twenty years... we went to both the semi finals in the late seventies and the League Cup final, along with a lot of home and away games in that time it was great to catch up and have the Wembley experience again. Shame about the game from eighty minutes on, but all considered I had a great day.

I'm not exaggerating, every away game there's drugged up individuals, who want to fight the world and their own fans. I witnessed with my own eyes in the concourses of block 505 at half time, a couple of Wolves fans, one with a child trying to fight each other. The child was rightly moved out of the danger by his mother. The stewards had to jump in to stop it.

[wolves71]

There's also a video on the Express and Star website where a Wolves fan wants to fight the world. Out of order from a so called fan who can't accept defeat.