New head coach Tom Cleverley says he has already been involved in discussions about player recruitment, and will be working with a particular style of play, and player attributes, in mind.
Having been confirmed in the role permanently on Wednesday, Cleverley still has two games of the current campaign to go.
However, by knowing he has the job early he can begin to play both on and off the pitch.
Obviously that means being able to form a squad that fits the way he intends to play, not something that has always been the case for previous head coaches.
“What makes it easy is that we are very, very clear about how we want to play,” he said.
“It becomes a lot easier to recruit if it’s focussed towards a specific style of play and player attributes.
“I am confident we can recruit towards that, and I have put forward a couple of recommendations.
“I have a really good relationship with the chairman, the technical director and the owner, and it’s all very streamlined.
“We will all be singing off the same hymn sheet, and I can adapt to different playing cultures. But what we will be very clear on is how we want to look as a team.
“We will recruit towards that, for sure.”
The many different coaches Watford have had in recent years have had various levels of input into recruitment, from very minimal to significant authority.
It’s always a question for each new head coach, and Cleverley is going into the job with his eyes wide open.
“I know how the club works, but I’ve already been involved in those conversations,” he stressed.
“What system we recruit to, what style of play, what profile of player, and planning a pre-season. I’ve been in those discussions.
“I’ll recommend a couple of players. Whether we end up with those players I don’t know yet, because obviously this is my first experience of recruiting.
“But I’m sure I can recommend a couple from good contacts I have in the game.
“We might have to be creative, yeah.
“We might have to tap into a couple of previous clubs or from Premier League clubs.
“Hopefully we can keep all our best players because we’ve got some really good, exciting young players.
“But I have the self-confidence that I can improve any player and I can adapt to any player, and fit them into our style of how we want to play.
“We’re very clear with our messages, so whatever squad we assemble for pre-season I am very confident I can improve those players and they will fit into the way we want to play.”
In the last three seasons, Watford have won barely more than 25% of all their league games and that, says Cleverley, means he needs to change the mindset of the players.
“Internally the messages I’m feeding to the players are that I want to create a winning environment.
“I grew up at a club where winning becomes the norm, and that is what I want to try and create here.
“There is a lot of work to be done, because that isn’t something you can just say and it happens.
“You have to do a lot of work to get to that stage but it’s work that we’re very prepared to put in, as a staff and as a squad.”
Having spent two seasons trying, but failing miserably, to get into the play-off picture never mind automatic promotion, Watford are at risk of becoming just another Championship club.
The new head coach accepts it’s a tough league, but says consistency in all areas will be essential if the Hornets are to be in the shake-up.
“From my playing days I know it’s a difficult league to get out of, and consistency is the key to doing that.
“The fixtures we’ve had in the seven games so far have been very tough as we’ve played five of the top six, but we’ve been competitive in all of them and performed at that level.
“All 23 opponents can be as hard as any other, we know that, and I’m going to try to create a winning environment – but consistency is the key.”
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