Away Match Build-Up 08/11/24 - Championship: Watford v OUFC

[Mad Dog]

Jesus Christ, all this waffle about players having to play twice in four days, f*****g didums!

They're professional athletes for god sake, who played a game of footy for an hour and half on Tuesday, probably had Wednesday off, or just went in and did some recovery, with some massages, ice baths, saunas, steams, probably a super healthy meal prepared for them, then some more massages!

Then they'll train today, probably scaled down, and will be asked to play a game of footy for an hour and half again tomorrow night, before having at least a week off afterwards!

And if they pick up the slightest little injury, they're mollycoddled for weeks or months on end, on full pay, without so much as a ticking off.

Oh and they'll be paid thousands of pounds a week on top of all that torture, driving top of the range cars, and living in lovely houses.

The poor souls!

Good grief. Imagine if they actually had a proper job, working 10 hours a day, for peanuts, and having to just work through long standing, debilitating injuries, that stop them from being able to sleep properly at night, get treated like s**t by their bosses, who barley give them time off for a doctors appointment, let alone any time off to treat any injuries, and will dock their pay, and probably give them warnings for any time off if they buckle under the pain of their injuries, and they'll go through all that, and barley be able to keep a s**t roof over their heads!

I might call in sick tomorrow, as I can't possibly work five 10 hour shifts 5 days in a row, especially when you consider there are some poor footballers somewhere, who have had to play a 90min game of footy twice this week.

Give me strength!

 

[Victor1986]

Rock on Mad Dog! Completely agree with you!
Things have certainly moved on from Tom Finney doing a plumbing job on a Saturday morning & then biking to Deepdale, playing 90 minutes & then biking home!!

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Was that not you on the phone-in on Tuesday saying 'uncharitably speaking, that might be our last win of the season'? I think I'd rather Sarge's eternal optimism.

I was being uncharitable of course.

 

[chromeyellow]

Players don't play as well when they have 3 games in 7 days.

It's not a question of whether or not certain fans with outdated ideas of masculinity think that they earn too much money or have an easy life

If you have problems at your own workplace I would recommend joining a trade union. That's one way to help ensure that your employer meets and goes beyond their the legal duty to their employees. Also don't vote for parties that will weaken your rights at work.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Jesus Christ, all this waffle about players having to play twice in four days, f*****g didums!

They're professional athletes for god sake, who played a game of footy for an hour and half on Tuesday, probably had Wednesday off, or just went in and did some recovery, with some massages, ice baths, saunas, steams, probably a super healthy meal prepared for them, then some more massages!

Then they'll train today, probably scaled down, and will be asked to play a game of footy for an hour again tomorrow night, before having at least a week off afterwards!

And if they pick up the slightest little injury, they're mollycoddled for weeks or months on end, on full pay, without so much as a ticking off.

Oh and they'll be paid thousands of pounds a week on top of all that torture, driving top of the range cars, and living in lovely houses.

The poor souls!

Good grief. Imagine if they actually had a proper job, working 10 hours a day, for peanuts, and having to just work through long standing, debilitating injuries, that stop them from being able to sleep properly at night, get treated like s**t by their bosses, who barley give them time off for a doctors appointment, let alone any time off to treat any injuries, and will dock their pay, and probably give them warnings for any time off if they buckle under the pain of their injuries, and they'll go through all that, and barley able to keep a s**t roof over their heads!

I might call in sick tomorrow, as I can't possibly work five 10 hour shifts 5 days in a row, especially when you consider there are some poor footballers somewhere, who have had to play a 90min game of footy twice this week.

Give me strength!

Sounds like you should call in sick and use the time to look for a new job!

Why should players be ticked off if they get injured?

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

Think we need to approach this like a cup game against higher opposition and shithouse and time waste and put body's on the line at the back.

Stay in the game and you never know...

 

[ECYellow]

I was being uncharitable of course.

Always a good caller on RadOx, is Tim.

Keep up the good calls .

Not seen you at an away game since we had a chat at Coventry in the FA Cup.

 

[Big Ron]

Always a good caller on RadOx, is Tim.

Keep up the good calls .

Not seen you at an away game since we had a chat at Coventry in the FA Cup.

Well certainly better than the bloke before him, the one who refers to Jerome as 'darling' - after telling us about his holiday, he then tried to slip in a 'joke' whereby he referred to ter Avest as 'ripped t-shirt' or something similarly unfunny. He should have been cut-off at that point.

 

[ECYellow]

Well certainly better than the bloke before him, the one who refers to Jerome as 'darling' - after telling us about his holiday, he then tried to slip in a 'joke' whereby he referred to ter Avest as 'ripped t-shirt' or something similarly unfunny. He should have been cut-off at that point.

Couldn't agree more. 'Neil' the 'Hanney Yellow' takes up valuable air time. Him aside, the WATG show is excellent.

 

[Mad Dog]

Why should players be ticked off if they get injured?

Players don't play as well when they have 3 games in 7 days.

It's not a question of whether or not certain fans with outdated ideas of masculinity think that they earn too much money or have an easy life

If you have problems at your own workplace I would recommend joining a trade union. That's one way to help ensure that your employer meets and goes beyond their the legal duty to their employees. Also don't vote for parties that will weaken your rights at work.

Exactly, Werthers, that's my point, they don't, and they shouldn't, but unfortunately in the real world people do get punished for getting injured, their pay is docked, and they find themselves being disciplined for being "in breach of company sickness standards" Even though it's no fault of their own.

In football, you can spend most of your career injured, through no fault of your own, but retire at 30 a millionaire, having spent your whole career being mollycoddled and pampered, and large parts of it, not even playing.
Whereas in the real world, if you keep taking time off for injuries or illness, through no fault of your own, your docked pay, disciplined, and eventually fired, and left skint, at 30, looking for another job.

Chromeyellow, players don't play as well when they have to play 3 games in 7 days? Imagine if they had to work 5 or 6 ten hour days in 7.

But they don't, they only have to play 90mins 2-3 times, in 7 days, if that, and they even whinge about that, and people fall for it!
Poor little footballers.

And it's nothing to do with having outdated ideas of masculinity, it's simply about highlighting how bloody good modern day footballers have actually got it, and you've got to be pretty bloody gullible to fall for any of their whinging about how hard it is for them!

Christ! I wish I was a superfit athlete, being pampered with all the physio and wellbeing treatments they could possibly wish for, and a super healthy diet all prepared for them at work, which is over by about 3pm every day, and paid obscenely well on top of all that, just for playing footy!

And if they get injured at all, they're pampered and mollycoddled within an inch of their lives, on full pay! What a bloody life!

I'll now offer a little perspective, in contrast:

I developed a nasty work related shoulder injury about 5 years ago, and spent months asking my bosses for help with my workload, due to the pain I was in, but they refused, saying they had nobody to do the work they'd have to take off me, so I would just have to suck it up and do it.

When I said I couldn't do it, they told me that by turning up for work, I was declaring myself fit for work, and therefore cannot expect any special treatment, and if I didn't fulfil my duties, there would be consequences.

Over the next 18 months, my shoulder deteriorated to the point that I couldn't move my arm away from my body, and I was signed off work for 5 weeks, on statutory sick pay. During this time I received physio that I had to pay for, and eventually an ultrasound guided injection (on the nhs)

I was told by doctors, on my return to work not to do any heavy lifting for at least a month, as the shoulder will have been weakened by the injection, and the lack of use for the previous 5 weeks that I'd been off work and inactive.

When I returned to work, they gave me a warning for being off sick, even though I'd had no time off sick for about 3 years prior to this, and refused to put me on light duties, on the technicality that I didn't have an official doctors note. I returned to full duties immediately, and within one week, my shoulder was knackered again.

I spent the next 6 months asking for help and support every day, and being refused again, like before. I then contacted our union, who then had me referred to occupational health, who then determined that I was unfit to work, and due to the fact I couldn't move my arm away from my side, was technically disabled.

I was then signed off for 6 months, again on statutory pay, during which time I was due to have surgery, but that was cancelled due to covid.

I ended up being off for 9 months in total, by which time, the time off alone had allowed the shoulder to heal, thus resulting in me no longer needing surgery once they were offering surgery again after the pandemic. I was able to have another guided ultrasound steroid injection instead, which finally fixed the problem.

When I returned to work, I was given another warning, but this time I had a doctors note, so they (reluctantly) put me on light duties, but were really unpleasant to me the entire time, as if it was me who had done something wrong by being injured.

This is pretty normal treatment for people in working class employment, they're expected to just turn up for work and get on with it, and if they don't, or can't, they get disciplined, or sacked. Unions are only so much use.

Then if you contrast that with how modern day footballers are treated, it's a complete different world, a different universe in fact!

They've got it so easy, are so mollycoddled and pampered, they're trained and supported to becoming superfit athletes, and have their super healthy meals prepared for them at work, and they're paid obscene amounts of money, and all they're asked for in return, is to play a game of footy once, maybe twice a week, and they still whinge and moan that it's too much. And there are people who are so gullible and soft minded that they agree with them!

Modern day footballers get signed up into academy's by the age of 10, and are mollycoddled from day one. By the time they're adults, they've completely lost touch with reality and how the real world works.

Honestly, one month in a real working class job, and they'd be gibbering wrecks!

I can't stand it when people who are living their dream lives, and have it so obscenely good, in every way, have the nerve to complain, when they have no idea what it's like in the real world, and just how bad it could really be for them.

And more and more nowadays, there are apologists, who actually agree with them!

As you can probably tell, it's a bit of a sore point for me!

I'm going for a lie down, because apparently I have a very angry, frowny look on my face as I'm typing, which Mrs MD is finding very amusing.

 

[SteMerritt]

Exactly, Werthers, that's my point, they don't, and they shouldn't, but unfortunately in the real world people do get punished for getting injured, their pay is docked, and they find themselves being disciplined for being "in breach of company sickness standards" Even though it's no fault of their own.

In football, you can spend most of your career injured, through no fault of your own, but retire at 30 a millionaire, having spent your whole career being mollycoddled and pampered, and large parts of it, not even playing.
Whereas in the real world, if you keep taking time off for injuries or illness, through no fault of your own, your docked pay, disciplined, and eventually fired, and left skint, at 30, looking for another job.

Chromeyellow, players don't play as well when they have to play 3 games in 7 days? Imagine if they had to work 5 or 6 ten hour days in 7.

But they don't, they only have to play 90mins 2-3 times, in 7 days, if that, and they even whinge about that, and people fall for it!
Poor little footballers.

And it's nothing to do with having outdated ideas of masculinity, it's simply about highlighting how bloody good modern day footballers have actually got it, and you've got to be pretty bloody gullible to fall for any of their whinging about how hard it is for them!

Christ! I wish I was a superfit athlete, being pampered with all the physio and wellbeing treatments they could possibly wish for, and a super healthy diet all prepared for them at work, which is over by about 3pm every day, and paid obscenely well on top of all that, just for playing footy!

And if they get injured at all, they're pampered and mollycoddled within an inch of their lives, on full pay! What a bloody life!

I'll now offer a little perspective, in contrast:

I developed a nasty work related shoulder injury about 5 years ago, and spent months asking my bosses for help with my workload, due to the pain I was in, but they refused, saying they had nobody to do the work they'd have to take off me, so I would just have to suck it up and do it.

When I said I couldn't do it, they told me that by turning up for work, I was declaring myself fit for work, and therefore cannot expect any special treatment, and if I didn't fulfil my duties, there would be consequences.

Over the next 18 months, my shoulder deteriorated to the point that I couldn't move my arm away from my body, and I was signed off work for 5 weeks, on statutory sick pay. During this time I received physio that I had to pay for, and eventually an ultrasound guided injection (on the nhs)

I was told by doctors, on my return to work not to do any heavy lifting for at least a month, as the shoulder will have been weakened by the injection, and the lack of use for the previous 5 weeks.

When I returned to work, they gave me a warning for being off sick, even though I'd had no time off sick for about 3 years prior to this, and refused to put me on light duties, on the technicality that I didn't have an official doctors note. I returned to full duties immediately, and within one week, my shoulder was knackered again.

I spent the next 6 months asking for help and support every day, and being refused again, like before. I then contacted our union, who then had me referred to occupational health, who then determined that I was unfit to work, and due to the fact I couldn't move my arm away from my side, was technically disabled.

I was then signed off for 6 months, again on statutory pay, during which time I was due to have surgery, but that was cancelled due to covid.

I ended up being off for 9 months in total, by which time, the time off alone had allowed the shoulder to heal, thus resulting in me no longer needing surgery once they were offering surgery again after the pandemic. I was able to have another guided ultrasound steroid injection instead, which finally fixed the problem.

When I returned to work, I was given another warning, but this time I had a doctors note, so they (reluctantly) put me on light duties, but were really unpleasant to me the entire time, as if it was me who had done something wrong by being injured.

This is pretty normal treatment for people in working class employment, they're expected to just turn up for work and get on with it, and if they don't, or can't, they get disciplined, or sacked. Unions are only so much use.

Then if you contrast that with how modern day footballers are treated, it's a complete different world, a different universe in fact!

They've got it so easy, are so mollycoddled and pampered, they're trained and supported to becoming superfit athletes, and have their super healthy meals prepared for them at work, and they're paid obscene amounts of money, and all they're asked for in return, is to play a game of footy once, maybe twice a week, and they still whinge and moan that it's too much. And there are people who are so gullible and soft minded that they agree with them!

Modern day footballers get signed up into academy's by the age of 10, and are mollycoddled from day one. By the time they're adults, they've completely lost touch with reality and how the real world works.

Honestly, one month in a real working class job, and they'd be gibbering wrecks!

I can't stand it when people who are living their dream lives, and have it so obscenely good, in every way, have the nerve to complain, when they have no idea what it's like in the real world, and just how bad it could really be for them.

And more and more nowadays, there are apologists, who actually agree with them!

As you can probably tell, it's a bit of a sore point for me!

I'm going for a lie down, because apparently I have a very angry, frowny look on my face as I'm typing, which Mrs MD is finding very amusing.

As much as I sympathise with what you've been through, professional athletes are expected to perfom in an industry where a 1% or 2% drop-off can be the difference between winning and losing, which just doesn't happen in 'normal' work situations. You just can't have your body peak repeatedly in that short amount of time. This is why squad rotation is important. I work 8 hours a day, but I'm not expected to be at absolute peak physical readiness for my job (thankfully).

Now, Watford have also played the same game frequency as us, there is no doubt that they will have a physical edge over us if they can rotate more of their players than we can from a fitness perspective.

 

[Brahma]

Need to use Vaulks more with his long throw in when the opportunity arises

We used that within 50 seconds on Tue night.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Exactly, Werthers, that's my point, they don't, and they shouldn't, but unfortunately in the real world people do get punished for getting injured, their pay is docked, and they find themselves being disciplined for being "in breach of company sickness standards" Even though it's no fault of their own.

In football, you can spend most of your career injured, through no fault of your own, but retire at 30 a millionaire, having spent your whole career being mollycoddled and pampered, and large parts of it, not even playing.
Whereas in the real world, if you keep taking time off for injuries or illness, through no fault of your own, your docked pay, disciplined, and eventually fired, and left skint, at 30, looking for another job.

Chromeyellow, players don't play as well when they have to play 3 games in 7 days? Imagine if they had to work 5 or 6 ten hour days in 7.

But they don't, they only have to play 90mins 2-3 times, in 7 days, if that, and they even whinge about that, and people fall for it!
Poor little footballers.

And it's nothing to do with having outdated ideas of masculinity, it's simply about highlighting how bloody good modern day footballers have actually got it, and you've got to be pretty bloody gullible to fall for any of their whinging about how hard it is for them!

Christ! I wish I was a superfit athlete, being pampered with all the physio and wellbeing treatments they could possibly wish for, and a super healthy diet all prepared for them at work, which is over by about 3pm every day, and paid obscenely well on top of all that, just for playing footy!

And if they get injured at all, they're pampered and mollycoddled within an inch of their lives, on full pay! What a bloody life!

I'll now offer a little perspective, in contrast:

I developed a nasty work related shoulder injury about 5 years ago, and spent months asking my bosses for help with my workload, due to the pain I was in, but they refused, saying they had nobody to do the work they'd have to take off me, so I would just have to suck it up and do it.

When I said I couldn't do it, they told me that by turning up for work, I was declaring myself fit for work, and therefore cannot expect any special treatment, and if I didn't fulfil my duties, there would be consequences.

Over the next 18 months, my shoulder deteriorated to the point that I couldn't move my arm away from my body, and I was signed off work for 5 weeks, on statutory sick pay. During this time I received physio that I had to pay for, and eventually an ultrasound guided injection (on the nhs)

I was told by doctors, on my return to work not to do any heavy lifting for at least a month, as the shoulder will have been weakened by the injection, and the lack of use for the previous 5 weeks that I'd been off work and inactive.

When I returned to work, they gave me a warning for being off sick, even though I'd had no time off sick for about 3 years prior to this, and refused to put me on light duties, on the technicality that I didn't have an official doctors note. I returned to full duties immediately, and within one week, my shoulder was knackered again.

I spent the next 6 months asking for help and support every day, and being refused again, like before. I then contacted our union, who then had me referred to occupational health, who then determined that I was unfit to work, and due to the fact I couldn't move my arm away from my side, was technically disabled.

I was then signed off for 6 months, again on statutory pay, during which time I was due to have surgery, but that was cancelled due to covid.

I ended up being off for 9 months in total, by which time, the time off alone had allowed the shoulder to heal, thus resulting in me no longer needing surgery once they were offering surgery again after the pandemic. I was able to have another guided ultrasound steroid injection instead, which finally fixed the problem.

When I returned to work, I was given another warning, but this time I had a doctors note, so they (reluctantly) put me on light duties, but were really unpleasant to me the entire time, as if it was me who had done something wrong by being injured.

This is pretty normal treatment for people in working class employment, they're expected to just turn up for work and get on with it, and if they don't, or can't, they get disciplined, or sacked. Unions are only so much use.

Then if you contrast that with how modern day footballers are treated, it's a complete different world, a different universe in fact!

They've got it so easy, are so mollycoddled and pampered, they're trained and supported to becoming superfit athletes, and have their super healthy meals prepared for them at work, and they're paid obscene amounts of money, and all they're asked for in return, is to play a game of footy once, maybe twice a week, and they still whinge and moan that it's too much. And there are people who are so gullible and soft minded that they agree with them!

Modern day footballers get signed up into academy's by the age of 10, and are mollycoddled from day one. By the time they're adults, they've completely lost touch with reality and how the real world works.

Honestly, one month in a real working class job, and they'd be gibbering wrecks!

I can't stand it when people who are living their dream lives, and have it so obscenely good, in every way, have the nerve to complain, when they have no idea what it's like in the real world, and just how bad it could really be for them.

And more and more nowadays, there are apologists, who actually agree with them!

As you can probably tell, it's a bit of a sore point for me!

I'm going for a lie down, because apparently I have a very angry, frowny look on my face as I'm typing, which Mrs MD is finding very amusing.

That sounds s**t and I'm very sorry you've had to go through it. Footballers at good clubs have it easy in comparison but the job does bring its own pressures and stresses. In terms of the club it's certainly reasonable to ask players to turn out twice a week, but the problem comes when you're up against a team that is better rested or drawn from a stronger squad with fewer injuries. Then you need to handle your players carefully in order to have a chance of competing.

 

[tim lane]

Couldn't agree more. 'Neil' the 'Hanney Yellow' takes up valuable air time. Him aside, the WATG show is excellent.

Likewise, agreed. I turn the radio off when Neil calls in. He could bore for England and that's being generous!

 

[Brahma]

Goodwin with the winner tomorrow night. I thank you.

 

[Stanford yellow]

Likewise, agreed. I turn the radio off when Neil calls in. He could bore for England and that's being generous!

Wasn't there a gentleman from Scotland used to phone in most weeks?

 

[Mad Dog]

As much as I sympathise with what you've been through, professional athletes are expected to perfom in an industry where a 1% or 2% drop-off can be the difference between winning and losing, which just doesn't happen in 'normal' work situations. You just can't have your body peak repeatedly in that short amount of time. This is why squad rotation is important. I work 8 hours a day, but I'm not expected to be at absolute peak physical readiness for my job (thankfully).

Now, Watford have also played the same game frequency as us, there is no doubt that they will have a physical edge over us if they can rotate more of their players than we can from a fitness perspective.

The thing is, my job genuinely requires full physical exertion from start to finish, for 10 hours a day, and anything less would effect productivity, and we will be expected to explain why we have fallen below what they consider an acceptable level of productivity.

It's wrong and completely unnecessary, and just leads to workers being exhausted and burnt out, both physically and mentally, and productivity suffers in the long run anyway. But try telling them that.

Working class workers are merely skivvies at the end of the day, being worked into the ground and shat on from a great height, in return for a few crumbs off some bigwig C***s table. Our health and well being doesn't matter a toss.

If only we could all be a well paid footballer eh?

 

[Common Villager]

It make sense to stick with 352 tomorrow night. Hopefully Des and the coaching staff will have been able to fine tune it slightly. I think a diamond of sorts in midfield might work slightly better, though. Something along the lines of:

 

[tonyw]

Really can't understand how anyone can not have Ter Avest in their team after Tuesday.

Dude took a little while to get going, but from ~30-40 minutes until he came off, he was the best player on the pitch. Scored the goal, had our only other good chance of the game, and defended outstandingly well. Looked strong, athletic and had a nice touch to his passing.

Sure, it was his first game of the season. But that's why we took him off after 70 minutes. It's not like he's someone who has an extensive injury history, and he's fresher than anyone. Why does he get rested having played less than 90 minutes this season, when Tyler doesn't get rested having run himself into the ground for 1237 out of the 1260 minutes we've played this year!?!


McEachran.....maybe, because he's getting on a bit and just coming back from injury. That's one for the sports science team to determine, but if they give him the OK, you get him out there again as well.

And if you're desperate to get Kioso back into the team - play him at RCB (assuming Nelson can't go) instead of Long.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Cumming
Ter Avest Long Moore Brown Leigh
El Mizouni Vaulks
Goodhram Rodrigues
Scarlett​