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Bond between Cleverley and fans has helped improve home form
Goalkeeper Dan Bachmann said the strong bond the Watford fans and Tom Cleverley has been a significant part of the vastly improved form at Vicarage Road.
Since he took over, the head coach has not lost any of his 13 home games and with six wins from seven this term the Hornets have a record on their own turf as good as any in the Championship.
“The home record has been really good since Tom came in,” said Bachmann.
“Up until Tom's appointment we hadn't won here for nearly six months.
“That shows how much we turned it around, but we've done it with the help of the fans as well.
“From his first home game you could see that we had a manager who the fans loved from the off and that could swing the momentum at home in our favour.
“We want to play for him, and that makes a massive difference, but we know we need to sort out the away form.”
The Austrian international said that collecting the vast majority of the league points so far at Vicarage Road does not put added pressure on them.
“The home form is not a burden on us - we play with a lot of freedom here and the fans play a big part. They back us whatever is happening on the field,” he said.
“We know we'll create a lot of chances in home games. I can't quite put my finger on why it works so well at home and not so well away at the moment.
“Winning one in five away games isn't good enough.
"We need to address that and sort it out. But we'll improve as the season goes on.”
Bachmann said it had been a demanding week with long trips north and west, and some arrivals back home in the early hours of the morning.
“This last week has been very tough. I'm not the kind of footballer who moans about how many games we play because I know how lucky we are,” he said.
“But it was difficult with Sheffield Wednesday away on Saturday and then Swansea on the Tuesday - it was a lot of travelling.
“You don't get a lot of sleep because, after games, it's difficult to sleep but we got through against Oxford and now for some deserved days off and time with the family.”
The win over Oxford meant the Hornets head off into the international break right in the play-off mix with a third of the season gone.
“The result put us up to fourth in the table which is a great testament to how we've overcome setbacks because it's not been very smooth so far to get to the position we're in,” said the club captain.
“But we'll continue to improve after a big win with a clean sheet. It was a bit nervy in the end, but a clean sheet is a clean sheet.
“Oxford made it hard, but we didn't put our chances away, especially in the second half, we weren't quite clinical enough, but we got one over the line in the end.
“If the game's that tight, at 1-0 it's always going to be a nervy last few minutes.
“They had a very late chance with a free-kick - I don't know how it was a free-kick - the ball hit my elbow and flew straight back to their player and it needed a bit of luck for him to put it over the bar.”
Watford went home on Friday night sitting fourth in the Championship.
“We're not at a stage in the season where we look at the table,” said Bachmann.
“We're fourth now and in a solid position points-wise but everything is very tight.
“If the teams around us win over the weekend, then so be it. I'll have a look, but I won't be too bothered.
“There are 31 games left to play, so there's a long way to go. I'm going to shoot off for three days now and enjoy some time with the family.”
