WATFORD'S Chief Executive Officer Julian Winter has spoken to www.watfordfc.com on the current situation at Vicarage Road and how the club moves forward following the departure of manager Brendan Rodgers.

Rodgers yesterday (Thursday) left his post with the Hornets to take up the vacant position at his former club Reading, after a compensation package was agreed between the two clubs.

Like many supporters, Watford's CEO is disappointed to see the Northern Irishman leave the club after seven months in charge at Vicarage Road.

He said: "From a personal point of view I'm disappointed, I have enjoyed working with Brendan and was looking forward to the future.

"As a board we have a plan in place for the future and Brendan had a part to play in this.

"However, the club won't crumble because of this and we believe we have the right structure to still progress as a Football Club.

"We can move on, the correct structure is there for a new man to come on board and fit into our way of working.

"There is then obviously scope for a new manager to put his identity on the team and implement the way he would like to work.

"Behind the scenes the recruitment system is in place and we will continue to work within our budget."

Speculation regarding the move has been widespread but Winter explains the thought process behind how the Hornets handled a difficult situation and why no official statement was made by the club until Thursday.

Winter added: "I understand the interest in the speculation and Brendan's position at the club, however we had to handle the matter in a professional way and maintain the reputation of Watford.

"We could only report and comment upon things once they were fact, before this point nothing was signed and sealed.

"Once Brendan made it clear he wanted to speak to another club, it would have been very difficult for us to work with someone who has interests away from Watford.

"But now the situation is clear and we have to look to move forward."