December 14, 2024
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[Watford FC] to offer ownership to fans. : r/soccer

How Watford respond will be ‘my biggest test as a coach’

Having won their first trio of league games, the 4-1 drubbing at Norwich today made it three without a victory and head coach Tom Cleverley said he now faced his biggest test as a coach so far as he battles to turn things back around.

[Watford FC] to offer ownership to fans. : r/soccer

Watford were in fine form as they scooped up nine points in the opening three fixtures, but since then they were poor in defeat at Sheffield United, were second best for 45 minutes against Coventry and today were bossed for most of the 90 minutes at Carrow Road.

[Watford FC] to offer ownership to fans. : r/soccer

“My biggest test as a coach is certainly how we respond to this, and how we get better from it,” Cleverley conceded.

“I’ve always operated in high-pressure and high-stress environments, and I know exactly how to respond to a setback.

“The obvious place to start is the start of the game again.

[Watford FC] to offer ownership to fans. : r/soccer

“We’re coming to a team who possibly had a slow start to the season, and yet we don’t give ourselves a chance to let the environment become fragile and unsettled.

It is something we have to keep working at to put right.”

[Watford FC] to offer ownership to fans. : r/soccer

With the Canaries breaking the deadlock after three minutes – and it could have been even earlier had Josh Sargent not been denied by Dan Bachmann – the longest Watford have held out from kick-off in their last four Championship fixtures is a paltry four minutes.

“It’s something we are going to have to look long and hard into,” admitted the head coach.

[Watford FC] to offer ownership to fans. : r/soccer

“I’m preparing this team, from a logistics point of view, in the same way as when I played 180-odd times for the club.

“It is something that is happening on the field and we will continue to work hard to put it right.

“We won’t stop until it does.

[Watford FC] to offer ownership to fans. : r/soccer

“I’ve never experienced anything like this before. It’s very strange.

“It’s not just goals in the first 10 minutes, it goals in two or three minutes. They could have had one before they actually scored today.

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