Be careful what you wish for. Fans calling for Ruddy to be dropped got their wish on Saturday, but unfortunately, Declan Rudd didn’t seem to exude any more confidence than his predecessor has in recent weeks.

Like the man he replaced, Rudd made some good saves. However, he looked a little shaky on occasions, but to give him his due was probably our best player.

Alex Neil has a difficult decision to make before our early kick-off against Everton. Although it is a little harsh on Rudd to be dropped after only one game, our position in the Premier League is too precarious to give someone the time needed to settle into a role.

So I think the sensible choice would be to choose Ruddy and give Rudd his chance to show us what he’s capable of in the FA Cup.

It was a lacklustre performance from every single outfield player and Watford deserved the win.

Since Saturday, many have mentioned that the weather affected our performance, although it was exactly the same for Watford. In fact, it wasn’t that much different from the conditions at Carrow Road six days earlier, and no blame was apportioned to the weather then.

This time, blame can be firmly laid at the feet of the players. They just did not show the same level of desire and commitment that they have shown against teams like Arsenal and Man City. It was almost as if they thought Watford would be an easy win after facing some of the so-called ‘big’ teams in recent weeks.

With more than a third of the season gone we can look back on missed opportunities and costly mistakes. Bournemouth, Newcastle and Sunderland are slowly creeping up on us, so if we don’t change our own luck we are going to be in the relegation places when we welcome in the New Year.

We have a great squad and if we can make a couple of strong defensive signings when the transfer window opens, there is every chance of a top 12 finish.

• Blog post written by Lorraine Taylor