LUCA VIALLI warned fans not to get carried away just because the Hornets have won two successive games at home.

Stressing the need for improvement after Saturday's (October 13) victory over Sheffield Wednesday, the Watford boss lamented the failure to keep a clean sheet.

"The problem is unfortunately we can't keep a clean sheet. Going forward we are playing well as a team. That is not just the strikers or the midfield, but the entire team," he said.

"When we are out of possession we are improving, but we are not perfect yet. To be successful in this division we have to be solid and consistent, and that is something we have to work on.

"Even though I keep seeing improvements all the time, and that pleases me, we need little improvements, so there is no point in getting carried away because we have won a couple of matches."

Vialli accepted the referee did not help the situation when they conceded a goal by failing to stop play following the injury to Neil Cox.

"I think it was quite difficult once Coxy went down because we could not play offside," said the manager. "But I think if one of your players is down in a dangerous position so that you are not able to defend, then the referee should stop the game.

"So I think we got caught in a situation we did not know how to handle. It is something we have to improve upon because, as I have mentioned to you before, when we make one mistake we carry on making mistakes.

"We recovered from the first mistake, and then we made another and then the goalkeeper saved the opportunity very well.

"We make a mistake and compound it. Instead of keeping cool and dealing with the situation, we panic.

"I think that is also down to confidence in that we are not in the greatest situation, and some of the players have not played so often, so they are not 100 per cent confident. Their minds are not clear because they have so many thoughts in their minds.

"Once we get a few good results then I am sure the minds will become clearer and the decision-making better."

Vialli also pointed out that he does not enjoy the "dog-eats-dog" trends in the first division.

"What strikes me when I look at the first division results is that anything can happen. Everything is unpredictable, and I don't like that from my point of view as a manager. I just want to be a consistent, solid side and win games," he said.

"When we realise we are not enjoying one of our good days, we need to make the best of it and be solid.

"Now you can see there is an improvement in the way the players perform as a team. It is is not just about individuals.

"I can see the players communicate with each other, help each other, and are getting to know each other and what they have to do. They know their strengths and weakness and they are looking after each other.

"If we keep improving we can be one of the contenders. Unfortunately we had a bad start and didn't have the confidence.

"Sometimes it is all a matter of confidence, but I think we have had to dig inside ourselves and get stronger for we were put to the test. I am not saying we have passed the test, but we are getting better, and, hopefully, will continue to get better.

"We are a good side and we can be one of the contenders."

Asked about Marcus Gayle, Vialli explained the player came back from a bout of flu, trained, but was feeling weak, and his back did not feel good after having a couple of days off.

Vialli acknowledged that with the return of Gayle, he would have more competition for striking places; "Which is what all managers want," he said.

Explaining why he removed David Noble from the proceedings after 60 minutes, the manager said: "The midfield players were working really hard. Stephen Hughes has been out for a long time; David Noble has not played regularly, and Micah has been in and out because of injuries.

"I wanted to change our shape and get our two wide players to exert more pressure on their back four. They were causing problems with our defenders too deep and under pressure. So I asked the two wide players; Tommy and Heidar, to push up a bit and put them under pressure to prevent them playing nice, easy balls forward. That is why I changed it."

He admitted there was an element of good fortune about the opening Watford goal.

"There was a bit of a push, but I don't really feel like saying the referee has been good to us today because there should have been thousands of free kicks given for fouls on Gifton, and he also brought about the situation where we conceded a goal.

"I think in the first half we should have been two or three goals up. It was a good first 45 minutes."

October 19, 2001 11:40

Oliver Phillips