FANS' FORUM - PART TWO
LAST Tuesday evening (February 24) the Hornets held a Fans' Forum at the Harefield Academy, which ran live on BBC Three Counties Radio.
In time we will bring you the listen again audio version of the Forum, but in the meantime, watfordfc.com can bring you the edited down version of the evening's most important issues and questions and answers.
This is the second part of the transcript of those events - click here for part one.
Question from host Jon Marks about the importance of filling Vicarage Road with support.
Julian Winter (JW): "A bum on a seat creates revenue, gives support to this guy [Brendan Rodgers], generates a great atmosphere and makes people want to come back. The facilities we have at Watford do need improving over time, we accept that, but we've got to make do with what we have. If we are going to focus on one thing off the field, it's getting people through the door."
Question from the floor whether the Club's ambition should be for Premiership football, as it's perhaps unsustainable for a Club like Watford, and what is the Board's ambition for the Club.
JW: "People may have heard the term Vision 2010 in the past, that was used as a three year plan for the Club to be a top ten Premiership football club. Much of what lies underneath Vision 2010 is very, very good for Watford because it is about developing talent, being a sustainable business and being about your community. We need to build on that.
"Being a top ten club? In my view, we're a top 30 club. We should plan on being a profitable and sustainable top 30 football club. We should plan on being on the edge of the play-offs on a consistent basis."
Stuart Timperley (ST): "People talk about bums on seats but there's nothing like happy bums on seats. Fundamentally I agree with everything Julian has said; we need to be stable, we need to plan. Everything in a Club like this - of these size - needs to be working together.
"On the football side most of the signings need to work. Ultimately it is a football club and that is essentially the driver - football is the most important thing."
Brendan Rodgers (BR): "The Premier League for a lot of clubs has been hell. Moving forward we have a terrific Board, that is realistic in their ambition. I am realistic in my ambitions; I want a Watford for you to be proud of.
"It really is a top 30 club and should be and if Watford's supporters are happy with that, I'm happy. It's our ambition to be the best we possibility can. We need to make sure we're never broken."
Question from the floor about children being able to be on the pitch on match day in activities and be involved through the 'kickback' scheme that used to be in operation.
JW: "Children and families are the future of the football club as we have to introduce them to the Club. We will be going on a supporter growth agenda, which will touch upon schools activity. We have to make the attraction of coming to watch Watford as interesting and affordable as possible.
"Kickback has stopped working for us in the sense of the way we have delivered it, but the principles we will revisit for next season."
Question regarding the lease with Saracens rugby club and the use of the pitch, which is deteriorating.
JW: "I met Edward Griffiths, Saracens Chief Executive, about three weeks ago and they have a similar agenda to us with their need to grow their fan base. They see Vicarage Road as their probable home in the longer time. Saracens works for us financially as it is a revenue that helps us. If we work with Saracens in a partnership approach, rather than a landlord-tenant way, then we will all benefit from that.
"The one negative impact is the pitch, so we need to work with Saracens to improve the pitch. Whatever the deal might be in the future we need to factor in the pitch so Brendan has a better playing surface. It would be ridiculous to say we'd have a perfect playing surface."
Jimmy Russo (JR): "It was fine last week against Swansea [which raises a laugh from the crowd]."
BR: "Long-term for me we need to improve it for footballing reasons and for you, the supporters, to be proud of it as well."
Question from the floor following complaint about the front face of the Club at the stadium and the customer service received at The Buzz Store.
JW: "I will look into what you suggest happened and put that right."
Question by email about the marching band and plans to create another.
JW: "The answer to that is 'no', but they were fantastic. They were from the US, so it might be a bit impractical! The whole entertainment piece needs to be examined again."
Question from the floor asking Jimmy and Vince Russo how much money they contributed to buying back The Vic and what amount of compensation, if any, would be due to Origin housing if the ground were to be sold.
JR: "The initial investment we put in was circa £3.5m. It cost £7m to buy The Vic back. Going forward there is only so much we can do, I am no Roman Abramovic. We have invested a high proportion of the net worth we have.
"I will always do my best, and Vince will, and we will do it with integrity. I am always available to be asked any questions."
JW: "I can't talk to the detail of contractual issues with Origin. I can say the wrap-around is essentially a stand-alone structure, if we need to do something with the south stand, it is not attached, so it doesn't affect the lease of the ground."
Question from floor about having to change two new kits every year, and whether the Player of the Season award will be presented on the pitch once more.
JW: "No promises again, but the Club has to balance out its commerciality with its recognition of affordability for fans. Next year we are with a new manufacturer and it's a one year arrangement. We will factor in the thinking, we have to have a common-sense approach to our commerciality.
"If there is a real desire to do things differently and we will look at that suggestion about the awards."
Question from the floor about the East Stand and the fact that, for the Chelsea game, that people were in the newer part of the stand.
JW: "There is a technical term called 'rhythmic loading' with a principle attached to it that, too many people in it makes it unsafe. We are bound by health and safety rules and the advice was to shut the stand on that basis. The people that are in there are guests of the Club, visiting scouts and the media, because that is all that it can cope with."
That bought to a close the first half of the event. Part three will be coming on www.watfordfc.com in the coming days.
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