Taylor refuses to panic

Graham Taylor is refusing to panic despite six straight defeats which have plunged Watford into the Premiership drop-zone.

Graham Taylor is refusing to panic despite six straight defeats which have plunged Watford into the Premiership drop-zone.

Watford's experienced manager is preaching patience. He has his own vision of the future at Vicarage Road but insists that will be torn to shreds if the club lose the plot in a frantic bid to pay their way to top-flight survival.

Taylor said: "I must keep my nerve and not be rushed into signing people for the sake of signing. I must be confident the players we're signing are the right ones.

"It's also a question of the players keeping their nerve and me helping them to do that."

Young striker Tommy Smith offered Taylor a boost with a bright performance in the 3-1 home defeat by Middlesbrough on Sunday but the Hornets boss said it would be unfair to expect a 19-year-old to provide the goals to stop the slide.

Smith scored on his first start of the season but Taylor stressed Watford's need for physical presence, exposed against Boro's collection of six-footers, and is still shopping for players.

Taylor said: "We know what Tommy is capable of doing but at 19 it's a big thing to ask him to come into a side that isn't getting many wins and be our saviour.

"But I was very pleased with him. I've always believed, ever since I came here, that this boy has got an ability and it might take him a long way in the game.

"I hope this gives him that step. This club has a reputation of developing its own players and just because we're in the Premiership we're not going to turn our back on that."

Watford's interest in George Ndah ended last week when the Swindon striker moved to Wolves and Taylor has refused to meet the wage demands of Sheffield United's Brazilian star Marcelo.

The club is reshaping itself, said the Hornets boss. Premiership football came to Vicarage Road quicker than the former England manager had predicted but he is determined not to allow success to tempt him away from his original blueprint.

Taylor, working without a contract since his return to Vicarage Road in February 1996, has agreed a new three-year deal but won't sign until he has seen Watford's new-look board take shape.

The Hornets are about to welcome new investors into the boardroom as a result of a private share issue aimed at raising club funds.

Taylor has his own aims for the future which include establishing Watford in the top half of the Premiership, providing top-class training facilities, improving the scouting network and expanding youth development at the club.

"If we don't spend the money on facilities you're not going to see another Tommy Smith or Paul Robinson. We can't keep producing this type of player without the necessary training facilities and the necessary finance to support us," he said.