He is not always the most perceptive of pundits, but Savage hit the nail on the head here.
Watford may have edged out Middlesbrough 1-0 at the Riverside, but Robbie Savage has argued on Twitter that the visitors should have had an ever easier ride with Antonio Barragan lucky to stay on the pitch.
Jose Holebas’s second-half wonder-goal secured a vital three points for an inconsistent Watford, while consigning Aitor Karanka’s hosts to 17th place and the verge of the relegation zone.
And, as the boos rang out loud and clear at full-time, the Spanish tactician (below) will be under no illusions as to how an increasingly disillusioned fan base felt about his sides’ performance on Sunday afternoon.
Middlesbrough were, quite simply, awful, completely lacking in creativity, not to mention care, in the final third. From aimless long balls rolling harmlessly out of play to shanked crosses into the under-worked arms of Heurelho Gomes, the seemingly realistic hopes of mid-table safety that followed the high-profile signings of Alvaro Negredo (below), Victor Valdes and Martin De Roon feel more fanciful by the week.
More performances like this and Boro’s long wait for a Premier League return will be brought to a brutally premature end. And it could have been worse, too.
Antonio Barragan, plying his trade on the Castellon coast with Valencia last season, cynically dragged back the relentless Isaac Success late in the first half, minutes after receiving a yellow for a foul on the same player.
West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell (below) could be forgiven for feeling a little miffed if he had the misfortune of spending a hard-earned rest day witnessing this Sunday snooze-fest, after receiving a second yellow for a similar yet infinitely less severe ‘foul’ against Crystal Palace yesterday.
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