Ipswich v Watford Preview

It would be fair to say that neither of these teams has anything to play for, with both sat in comfortable mid-table positions. Ipswich approach the fixture sat in 16th place although Paul Jewell will be the first to admit that he’ll want just a couple more wins to guarantee the club’s safety. Watford meanwhile have bypassed the 50-point barrier and with the Hornets positioned in 11th, Malky Mackay is probably already preparing for next season.

There’s no doubt that there is something of a breath of new life around Portman Road these days, with Paul Jewell preparing to rebuild the club following a dismal two years under the leadership of Roy Keane. The Tractor Boys are still recovering and their position of 16th emphasizes that, but under Jewell there has certainly been an improvement of performances and that has encouraged the Portman Road faithful. However, they are on something of a bad run and having won just one out of their last six, they need a victory to regain some confidence. What’s more, having accumulated forty six points already they appear safe for now, but Jewell will know how important it is to get past that 50-point safety barrier and guarantee their status.

Watford on the other hand are just recovering from a slump in form and the Hornets have now risen to 11th in the table. With ten games remaining, it appears highly unlikely that they’ll be able to close the seven point gap that keeps them from the top six. However, with the Vicarage Road outfit not on the best financial footing, they know how important it is to finish in a lofty position and reap the monetary rewards. Malky Mackay’s men certainly look to be finishing the campaign strongly as well, with the club losing just one out of their last seven and collecting seven points from their last three games.

As for team news, Ipswich will be without David Norris who sits this one out through suspension, while Mark Kennedy will continue to sit out due to a hamstring problem. However, Paul Jewell will be able to select Jimmy Bullard who showed no ill-effects following a hamstring injury. There’s just the one piece of information to report for the visitors meanwhile as Lee Hodson struggles with an ankle problem. Despite early fears he had suffered a fracture, test results have shown that is not the case but the full back will still not be available for this one.

Despite Ipswich’s poor form of late, they did manage to grind out a good point against Leeds at the weekend and they are certainly no pushovers. Bearing that in mind we think they will be good value for a point

QPR v Watford Preview

This is one of two games this Friday evening as these two London sides go head-to-head. After a slight blip in form, QPR’s promotion push is finally back on track and the R’s have now created a three point lead at the top of the table. Watford meanwhile have put some bad form of their own behind them and Malky Mackay’s men are in a comfortable 10th position.

After a run which saw them win just one in seven, QPR appear to have kick started their bid for promotion again after winning their last two games. Neil Warnock’s men have beaten both Preston and Cardiff in recent weeks, which has now given them a return of forty one points from their opening nineteen matches. Another positive for R’s is that following a postponement last weekend, the Loftus Road outfit also have one game in hand. What’s more, while we say they have recovered from their

Barnsley v Watford Preview

These are two teams who were tipped to struggle at the start of the season yet both are performing rather well, with Barnsley sat in 12th spot while Watford are in 14th. However, it’s still early doors and despite occupying mid-table positions now, both managers know how tight this league is and how easy it is to plummet. On the flip side, both know that a couple of good results can catapult a team and actually, the top six are not too far from either.

Just like many teams in the division, Barnsley have experienced something of a rollercoaster campaign and their fans just don’t believe their eyes at some points. The Tykes looked something of a lost cause a few weeks ago after putting in an awful performance to be comfortably beaten 2-0 at home to Leicester. That put them on the brink of the bottom three yet amazingly, they responded with three consecutive victories against Preston, Ipswich and Portsmouth. Those wins were even more the surprising considering two were away from home

Crystal Palace v Watford Preview

Posted on November 10th, 2010 in English Championship

At the start of the season many thought that both of these sides were destined for League One, although now that only appears partly true. Crystal Palace are living up to pre-season expectations and are rock bottom of the division after a dismal start to the campaign, while Watford on the other hand are having a reasonable season and sit comfortably in 11th place.

When George Burley took over during the summer he was probably hoping for a fresh start at Selhurst Park after the club were taken over following a summer of financial crisis. However, it appears there are still big problems at the Eagles and with Burley having such little cash to bring in new players, it’s no surprise that they’re battling at the wrong end of the table. Just eleven points have been accumulated in the opening fifteen games and that puts them in 24th spot, four points from safety. Things don’t look like they’re going to improve either and the Eagles are in awful form, winning just once out of their last nine. They were unlucky in their last outing after conceding late against Middlesbrough, but there’s no doubting that things need to change quickly if the club are to survive.

Watford meanwhile were also tipped to struggle, yet the Hornets surprised everyone in the opening couple of months of the campaign by launching themselves into a lofty top six position. In recent weeks that form has tailed off though and while many supporters of the club would happily take a final finish of 11th

Derby v Watford Preview

Posted on October 30th, 2010 in English Championship

Both of these sides have experienced Premiership football within the past few years although despite their recent history, both were expected to struggle in this campaign. As it turns out both managers have engineered very good starts, with Derby sat comfortably in 12th while Watford are all the way up in 5th.

It was only last week that Derby were knocking on the door of the playoffs, only to see a 2-0 defeat them send them right down into 12th. That shows exactly how tight the division is, but that result was their first defeat in seven so it’s certainly not all bad for the Rams. Eighteen points from their first thirteen games will please the majority of the Pride Park faithful, who have become used to struggles at the wrong end of the table in recent seasons. However, Nigel Clough appears to have got the balance right in this campaign and with key players such as Kris Commons now injury free, the Rams have an excellent opportunity to make an assault on the top half. Commons’ form in particular should be highlighted, with the former Nottingham Forest man notching a terrific seven league goals from midfield already this term.

Watford meanwhile are having a brilliant season. The Hornets’ expectations were even lower than Derby’s, although Malky Mackay’s shrewd management appears to have paid off and the Vicarage Road outfit have netted an impressive twenty one points from their opening thirteen fixtures. Just like the visitors, the Hornets are coming into this game following a 2-0 home defeat to Scunthorpe that was completely unexpected considering their brilliant start to the campaign. That loss meant that Mackay’s men have now lost two out of their last three and while it’s hardly a crisis considering their overall start, it’s something that he’ll want to put right as soon as possible.

As for team news, Derby will have Luke Moore available again after they reached a deal with West Brom to extend his loan contract. Elsewhere however, Russell Anderson will not feature as he struggles with a hamstring injury while Stephen Pearson may only be fit enough for the bench having only just recovered from a knee issue. It’s mixed news for Watford who will be without Lee Hodson through a back complaint. However, Malky Mackay is hopeful of including strikers Danny Graham and Marvin Sordell who have both been struggling with niggling injuries.

Derby have comfortably won their last three games at Pride Park and with that, we’re going to tip a Rams victory here. Watford won’t make it easy, but we think Nigel Clough’s men will come out on top in this outing in a 2-0 victory.

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Portsmouth v Watford Preview

Both of these sides have severe financial difficulties and because of that, both were tipped to struggle. With enormous debts and other troubles Portsmouth were made favourites for the drop by the bookies, whereas Watford were also tipped to be flirting with the bottom three throughout the campaign. As it turns out Pompey have now put their bad start behind them and sit just outside the relegation zone, while Watford are having an absolutely storming season and sit in 4th spot.

It was only a few weeks ago that Portsmouth recorded their first victory of the season but before that, relegation looked a foregone conclusion. However, a 6-1 win on the 24th September over Leicester looks to have turned their season around and Steve Cotterill’s men are now looking to surge up the table. Since that win over Leicester, the club have beaten fellow strugglers Bristol City 3-1 as well as recording a very good draw to promotion favourites Middlesbrough. Obviously, three results aren’t going to make their season and there is still a lot of work to do, but on paper their squad still possesses some very good players and we think they’ve got more than it takes to climb up into a mid-table standing.

Having lost several key players in the summer and with limited funds, the outlook did not appear too good for Watford. However, they’ve surprised absolutely everybody and Malky Mackay has put together a squad that is right up there challenging with the top teams. What’s more, their form coming into this game is nothing short of superb with the Hornets riding on four wins from their last five outings. Goals certainly don’t seem to be a problem with Mackey’s men bagging fourteen in that handful of games

Sheffield United v Watford Preview

At the start of the season most people will have expected Sheffield United to be the side sitting around the playoff places, while Watford were expected to struggle. As it turns out there are surprises for both teams, with United occupying a bottom half position while the Hornets are absolutely flying and sit in 4th spot.

When any player decides to take up management there is always an element of risk and at the moment, the jury still seems to be out for Sheffield United manager Gary Speed. Since taking over in mid August, the former Wales midfielder has managed to pull the Blades out from the relegation zone but their position of 18th won’t sit well with supporters. Their form in general can only be described as inconsistent and in their last five games they’ve managed two wins, two defeats and one draw. While that may not seem too shoddy to some, those opponents have mainly been sat below them in the table and most are games that fans would expect to win. Of course, Speed needs time to put together his own squad, but on paper the Blades still possess some very good players and should be much higher up in the table than they currently are.

Watford on the other hand are having a storming season. The Hornets were tipped for a real season of struggle after losing several key players and hardly strengthening during the summer, but Malky Mackay is working miracles at Vicarage Road. They will have been disappointed to lose their last game at home to Swansea, but before that they were in fine form and recorded three consecutive victories having beaten Bristol City, Millwall and Middlesbrough. Strangely, it’s their away record which has put them into such a healthy position after Mackay’s men have won three and drawn one of their four games on the road so far this season. Perhaps if they can improve their record at Vicarage Road, they could be a real force this year.

In terms of team news, Sheffield United have a few problems coming into this one. Chris Morgan and Kyle Bartley have both been ruled out through injury, while Gary Speed will also be without the services of Jamie Ward who sits out through suspension. It’s a completely different story for Watford who have a fully fit squad to choose from. After an early scare with an ankle injury, Dale Bennett is now fully fit and available for selection.

As for a prediction, we’re going to tip a draw in this one. Watford have a very good away record, while Sheffield United’s form at Bramall Lane is average at best. With that, we’ll predict a 1-1 draw here.

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