Tom Cleverley spoke to the media ahead of the Hornets' final Sky Bet Championship home game of the season against Sunderland on Saturday (April 27, 3pm KO).
In his first press conference as permanent Head Coach, he discussed having a full week to prepare for the game, the new challenge of playing a side in a similar league position and acknowledging the fans' support.
Read what the Head Coach had to say below...
On becoming permanent Head Coach:
The first time it sunk in was when the pen hit the paper on the contract. It is a really significant moment in my career, and to do it at a club that means so much to me, I’m feeling very proud, but all focus quickly turns to progressing the team and forward planning.
On whether he feels a difference from interim to permanent:
It is a little bit more exciting to be honest, as I said when I came into the job all focus was on the next game, and that’ll be the same, but the exciting part for me now is to plan for next year, to plan a squad, to plan a pre-season.
I think that will be a huge period for us to set the foundations, I see a lot of scope for improvement in our squad, and I’m looking forward to pre-season and being ready for next year.
On well wishes:
A lot of people from the football world and some significant people have been in touch, so I appreciate those comments.
On the pressure:
I’ve been hugely focused so the pressure of the job I’m in, I’ve not really concentrated on it. I am more about planning and preparing the team for the next game, and being totally focused on how we win those three points, and how I develop football players. So I've not had much time to think about the pressure of the job, and the stress of the role.
On enjoying being in the role:
Massive credit goes to the players I’ve been working with, they have made it a lot easier for me with the way they’ve applied themselves. They have fought for the results, they’ve defended their goal, they’ve turned and trained the way we play.
That makes the job really enjoyable. The exciting thing moving forward is I think there is a lot more progression in us, a lot more learning in us. The more they learn our ways of wanting to play, I think we have got an exciting time ahead.
On having a clear week to prepare for tomorrow’s match:
It’s been brilliant. We’ve made a point from last week’s game, we want to try and get some consistency in our game. With the absence of Ryan Andrews from the start at Southampton we had to go back to a back four, so we are looking for consistency.
We’ve set some strong foundations, now it is all about adding layers onto them and reinforcing our messages. That should result in a home win.
On what to expect from Sunderland:
They are a young team, a dynamic team, and they will play without fear. They’ve gone to a back three in recent weeks and looked very solid in that, I think after they had a heavy defeat against Blackburn, they’ve then conceded only one in their last four.
We expect a very tough test, a hard nut to crack. I don’t expect a game that looks like two teams in mid-table winding down, we certainly have a lot to play for, and we are really desperate for that home win to send our fans away with a smile on their face and a lot of hope for next season.
On the challenge posed by playing a side in a similar league position:
They will be motivated for their own fans. They are always well travelled and well supported, and they haven’t had the easiest of times recently. It will be two teams that are desperate for three points, and that will certainly be credit to my players, given the mid-table nature of the end of our season.
We have not looked like that at all, it has not been a squad that’s got its flip-flops on, it is a squad that has been fully motivated which excites me even more when everyone starts on a level-playing field next season.
On the role the fans can play:
I will always demand from the players that they are the catalyst for creating a good atmosphere. We know our fans will help, we know our fans will stick with us through thick and thin.
Trust me, we really do feel that support from a staff perspective and the players’ perspective. We feel that support, we appreciate it and one of my non-negotiables will be the players always acknowledge that at the end of the game.
We will be presenting our End of Season Awards, before, during and after the game. Hopefully the fans stay behind after a successful 90 minutes and pay their respects to those who have won the awards, and also give the players a chance to pay their respects to the fans.
