Every word of Watford boss's press conference after Luton

To his immense credit, he gave honest and heartfelt responses to everything he was asked, and while his answers may not sit well with the players or other parts of the club, Wilder has most likely said very similar things that would have been heard in conversations on the supporter buses on the journey home, in households who watched on TV, or on social media in the aftermath.

To allow fans to best digest the Watford head coach’s words, and see the context in which he gave his answers, below is the press conference as it happened.

Match report: Luton 2 Watford 0

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Wilder started by saying: “The best team won. That’s why they’re 12 points clear of where we are. That’s why they’ll be fighting for something at the end of the season, if it’s going to be like this between now and the end of the season, it’s going to be mid-table obscurity for us.

“No complaints about the result. From my upbringing as a player and a manager, I think you’ve seen what I’ve tried to do in the past is build teams. There is a really good one being built here (Luton) by the previous manager and Rob is a smart manager and he’s not changed too many things.

“They’ve got it going forward and we’re just stop/start. At times I see some really good things and at times I see some stuff that is really head-shaking.

“When I took the job and I looked at it and the players at our disposal, I thought there was some really good players there individually but trying to bring them together as a team is the hardest thing.

“In the moments where we really needed to step up to the plate, and work as a team and play as a team, then we didn’t. We just went individual.

“Ultimately the best team on the day won, and the best team have got all to play for in the remaining seven games of the season.”

The next question was about whether he felt his team didn’t actually play as a team.

Wilder: “Everybody has to be a team: Liverpool, Man City.

“I was pretty critical to the players: I’m an honest manager and I think you’ve seen that in my dealings with the media and previous players and previous teams, it’s up front, it’s there, there’s no hiding place. And there is no hiding place and there wasn’t today.

“For the first time our supporters have attended a game here for 17 years and this is a big game, and it just seemed a bigger game for them.

“With my background and where I’ve been, I know what a local derby is all about, and this is a proper derby. The players that played for the opposition did their jobs, played as a team and ultimately got the win that they deserved.”

Next he was asked if Watford, as a club, need to start again.

Wilder: “I think so. I think it might be a bit of a cultural re-set for the football club. When I walked in I was really excited. And we’ve shown glimpses at times. I’ve said to the players they’ve shown glimpses of really good qualities.

“But this is Championship football. That is a Championship game out there, maybe a little bit more than a Championship game because of the edge and the local rivalry. But you’ve got to do a lot of things right physically and mentality before the tactical and the technical part even come into play.

“Tactically it was a game of two shapes against each other. Their 5-3-2 against our 5-3-2. But their front two were better than our front two, their midfield three were better than our midfield three, their wing-backs were better than our wing-backs, and their back three were better than our back three.

“So they won individual battles all over the pitch which allows them to dictate the game and allows them to go and get the result they want.

“I came in full of faith and full of optimism, but it was a step back today when a proper Championship game is decided by the better team.

“At the top of the division whether it’s Burnley, Sheffield United, Luton or Millwall, they stick to that plan. We drifted from it, we went individual.

“I suppose the biggest disappointment is when you have so many so-called talented players, the amount of times we turn the ball over is just incredible. We could never build a head of steam up. We could never dominate. We could never dictate the game. We never really had an unbelievable foothold in the game.

“Every time we got it our decision making was terrible, and our execution of really ‘not under pressure’ passes in possession got turned over, and allowed the opposition to go and counter and do what they wanted to do to us.”

He was asked if the Watford players were not as good as some people think.

Wilder: “Is it a team or is it players? That’s what ultimately counts. And I’m sure supporters want to see a team. And I think their reaction at the death said a thousand words.

“I’m always one for players going over to the fans. When they win they go over, when they lose they have to go over. But I thought the reaction of the supporters said everything of what they thought about it. It wasn’t what they expect and want to see.”

Did he think the players were hurting like the fans are?

Wilder: “You better ask them. I think you understand in terms of my tone how I am.

“I’m not sat on a three-year deal and I’ve come to give my best with the coaching staff to prepare the team. Is it them or us? No, but ultimately you put your faith in the team that goes out there to interpret the messages given to them in terms of video analysis, and from a training point of view.

“The messages are clear but at the moment in the games it’s a toss of a coin what Watford turns up. At times, really good – at times, not good enough.

“That’s why the results that previous managers have had, I’m having the same.

“They (Luton) had pace and power, they dropped on first balls, dropped on second balls and played better football than us.

“They had better players in the team and didn’t give the ball away as much as we did. I think if you’d looked through the teamsheet before the game, and said which team is going to be better in possession – and it’s not about shape – but we, under no pressure, were just turning the ball over.

“I didn’t like the reaction of a couple of the players as well. It went individual. As soon as it goes individual and goes all over the place then we’re trying to chase a result.

“I’m a proactive manager, I try to change things with substitutions and shape changes. We went 4-3-3, we went 4-2-3-1. We tried to get back into the game. I never felt we were out of the game but I didn’t feel we ever in the game, if that makes sense.

“It always felt as if the result that happened was going to happen.”

It was pointed out to Wilder that he was the third head coach this season, and the sixth in the last two seasons.

Wilder: “It can’t always be the coach’s fault. If you look back at my past record in terms of building teams, you have to have that time. I knew the situation, but we’ve just been so inconsistent.

“The biggest thing is we’ve got an incredible band of supporters that, before the game and right the way through, supported the team and were desperate to get a result. Their reaction at the end I thought told a big story.

“It might be a bigger thing that the club needs to change going forward. But the supporters will always be there. For me, they deserve better. They’ll have their own judgments.

“There’s no spin involved with me. We don’t always see the same game, but we see a pretty similar game I would say.

“If me and you sat in the pub this afternoon and had a couple of pints, and we said did he do well, did he do well – I don’t think there would be an incredible difference in our views.

“You might see something I haven’t seen, and I might see something you haven’t seen. But I think you’ll have seen how the game was, where we were lacking, and why the result was the result.

“You have to have heart at any level, if you want to succeed. You have to.

“I’m honest and open about my opinion on the game, and I’m honest and open about my opinion on the team in front of the players. It’s up to them how they take that on board. They might forget about it and think the manager is going to get changed, we’ll have a new manager next season or whatever. But I’ll always be honest with them.

“Tom Cleverley has been close to us. I think he’s a super guy and he’s had a fantastic career. I said to him ‘talk me through your career quickly’. I asked him what were the fundamental aspects of you being a top player that played for England, that played in the Premier League for a number of years and won trophies.

“He said the characteristics that you need, and what comes first. The technical and tactical are off the back of other things. If these boys want to be good players, to get to that complete all-round player, you got to show some other attributes. And I thought Luton showed those attributes in bundles.”

Was this the wake-up call Watford needed?

Wilder: “It can’t be just another wake-up call can it? It’s happened all season. It can’t be just another wake-up call. And it can’t be just another manager, can it?

“I’ll always look at my performance and the preparation in terms of the limited time that I’ve had here at the club, and the limited time I’ve had this week.

“I’ve got say I’ll put my head on the pillow tonight knowing I’ve done as much as I can - and it might be a damning statement to make – but I’ll possibly be hurting more than a few of the boys will be.”

What did he think about the future?

Wilder: “I’m here to the end of the season, to prepare and help to try and put them into a structure to win games of football.

“I’m not just saying this, the support is really great, the facilities are really good, I’ve watched the Under-21s twice now and we’ve got some really good young players coming through.

“There is, with time, I’m sure the makings of a good side. But you’ve got to get that core first that are dominant, that are strong.

“I’m just working for the football club, I don’t want to go too deep into what the club wants or what its profile is or what its DNA is. That’s not my decision.

“It has, in the past, been extremely successful. There’s no reason why it can’t be but it might just take a little bit longer than maybe I thought it would.”

It was suggested that he sounded and looked particularly disappointed.

Wilder: “I’m manager of a team that’s just been beat in a local derby. I know what a derby looks like. I’ve been a supporter at them, I’ve played in them, I’ve managed in them.

“I think Vincent Kompany did an interview the other day and he was asked if he enjoyed winning or hated losing. He hates losing. We’ve lost so it hurts me.

“That’s the reason I’ve had the career I’ve had. I don’t just brush it off and think where I am going out tonight, or what am I having for my tea. It hurts.

“We’ve come into their back yard. We always knew it would be difficult and really we’re walking out with our tails between our legs because we’ve not done enough.

“I expected a lot more from the players that we have at our disposal.”

Having worked with lesser players at other clubs, is it surprising this Watford squad can’t play as a team?

Wilder: “I think if you look at the opposition today, and what they’ve done, I would think that everybody would say ‘would you rather him over him, or him over him, or him over him’.

“But it’s the team that always wins. Everybody needs each other. Everybody that is successful this season will have had to rely and count on somebody else alongside them, to drag them through the tough periods when they have to suffer, and then to enjoy the good periods when they’re doing well.”