Wrexham fans express frustration with Ryan Longman’s forgettable display after Watford exposed the Reds from Longman’s flank to secure a 3-1 win.
A frantic run of four Championship games in 11 days is taking its toll on Wrexham. Some drop‑off was expected, but no one anticipated the Reds would revert to their Hull City levels so soon after a dominant Welsh derby win.
Wrexham were miles away from their usual levels against Watford. While the complete side was disappointing as a whole, it was a night to forget for right-wing-back Ryan Longman.
Phil Parkinson’s decision to start Ryan Longman over Issa Kabore already raised eyebrows among the Wrexham faithful. Longman proceeded to justify those fears by delivering a disasterclass in a game crucial to the Reds’ playoff hopes.
Throughout the evening, Ryan Longman was chasing the shadows of Watford’s pacey attackers, Bola, Chakvetadze, and Kayembe. Until he was replaced by specialist full‑back Kabore in the 65th minute, the right flank remained Wrexham’s most exposed area in the 3‑1 defeat.
Ryan Longman was awful in 3-1 Watford defeat
Watford boss Ed Still had his plans crystal clear from the beginning. As soon as he noticed that Ryan Longman was starting over the dynamic full-back, Still made sure his side doubled down on Longman’s flank.
As early as the fourth minute, Watford left‑back Bola burst past Ryan Longman to deliver a perfect cross for Kjerrumgaard. However, Wrexham were lucky that the Watford number nine put the free header wide.
Such a vital chance this early in the game had Wrexham fans aware of what was coming their way. Soon, nearly every Watford attack was coming down Longman’s flank.
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In the 18th minute, Watford sprung a counterattack down Longman’s wing. Tasked with containing Chakvetadze, Longman was left flat‑footed when the midfielder flicked a backheel pass to the overlapping Bola.
Bola drove forward and finished the counterattack with a spectacular strike to give Watford the 1-0 lead.
Though Longman was fortunate not to concede a second goal down his flank, he was nowhere to be seen as Watford built their attack. Had Kayembe chosen to pass instead of shooting, he could have easily laid it off to Chakvetadze on the left, who was left miles ahead of Longman, a damning indictment of the full‑back’s positioning and tracking back.
Wrexham fans fuming at Ryan Longman after Watford defeat
Such a terrible outing in a crucial contest had fans fuming at Ryan Longman. While the game tarnished Wrexham’s playoff hopes, many supporters took solace in the fact that there are only eight league games left before they could potentially see the back of him.
One Wrexham fan mentioned, “On the bright side lads, only 8 games left before we get to never watch Ryan Longman play football again.”
Since joining Wrexham in January 2025, Ryan Longman has been deployed in a system that doesn’t suit his natural game. While he’s a wide attacker by trade, Longman has been tasked with filling in a wing-back role, which has exposed his positioning and tracking back abilities.
This issue was already present during Longman’s debut campaign with Wrexham in League One last year. But the step up to the far more competitive Championship has exposed his weaknesses with no mercy.
Unless Longman drastically turns things around in the final stretch, he could soon be on his way out. Despite having a contract until 2027, Wrexham will likely look to replace him with a more suitable wing‑back option this summer.
Another supporter added how he expects Wrexham to make some key reinforcements to replace Longman defensively. The fan mentioned, “Jay and Longman gone. Longman just isn’t good enough at Championship level. Major signings coming I think.”
Offensively, some fans might argue Longman still has something to offer. But his defensive vulnerabilities are too glaring to ignore, and they underline the need for key reinforcements at the right wing‑back role.
Ideally, Wrexham would have addressed this in January by securing proper cover for Issa Kabore on the right. Given that failing to do so is costing Wrexham their playoff hopes, the Reds would want to improve this aspect with summer signings to come back stronger next season.
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