Dale Tempest sees it being a battle down at Brighton against Watford with bookings again on the best bets menu.
It’s all about your attitude. I remember as a kid at Fulham under-15s our youth team coach Terry Mancini drilling into us every week that if you want it more than the opposition then there’s a good chance you’ll come out on top even if your opponents are far superior.
It sounds an obvious truism but it’s worth remembering. You can only imagine the sort of things Watford coach Nigel Pearson was saying to his players on Saturday after throwing away a two-goal lead to Everton and then conceding a 93rd minute goal to lose against 10 men.
It won’t have been pleasant but that’s what he does. It’s that’s intensity and smouldering volcano approach that has got the Hornets back in touch with the other relegation battlers.
Whilst Watford haven’t taken a point in the last two games the one thing we have been able to rely on is the “in your face” approach to the opposition. Since Pearson arrived in December, starting with the 2-0 loss at Anfield, referees have been particularly busy in terms of getting their cards out, with yellow card records of 3, 4, 3, 6 (+1 red), 5 (+1 red), 2, 5, 4 and 5 (+ 1 red) in his nine games.
No matter what the result the one consistent factor has been the aggressive approach. They don’t go down without a fight. This weekend at Brighton the bookings line looks particularly low. but that’s because the Seagulls aren’t an overly physical side.
If you take the bookings numbers from games at the Amex stadium, starting with the 1-1 draw with West Ham back in August then you get 2, 4 (+1 red), 2, 3, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 2 ,5 and 6 - hence you can see the extremely low arbiter involvement.
But, and it’s a big but, look at those last few games now that Brighton have been dragged into the relegation dog fight. 17 yellows in the last four games at the Amex and with only 13 games left the pressure is starting building on those within reach of the drop-zone, so don’t be surprised if the red mist descends on the south coast this weekend.
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