Watford manager Tom Cleverley admitted delivering a half-time dressing-down as his side earned a point from a goalless draw against Plymouth at Vicarage Road.
In spite of an improved second-half performance, the draw narrowed Watford’s chances of making the Championship play-offs.
Cleverley said: “We wasted 45 minutes at home against a team that we feel we’re good enough to beat. That’s the main regret.
“We didn’t play with enough tempo, enough desperation to score, enough penetration and too many unforced errors.
“There has to be a determination to break down that back line and I didn’t see that in the first half. It’s not just going to happen, you have to make it happen.
“The second half was how we should play, a more entertaining style, more direct, no mistakes. It’s a bit of a head scratch how the ball’s not found its way into the net, but that’s the way it’s been going for us at the minute.
“I’ve a lot of admiration for our second-half performance, how the players reacted to a bit of a rocket at half-time.
“There have only been two or three rockets this season. I feel the players are mentally strong enough to take them, otherwise I wouldn’t do it.
“It probably wasn’t my character when I was a player but I have developed it. It’s a stressful job.”
Cleverley recalled receiving the hairdryer treatment from Sir Alex Ferguson during his playing days at Manchester United when he answered back in the dressing room during a cup tie at Chelsea.
He added: “I had it once, but I think if you’re a smart guy, you have it once and never again. A short remark back to the boss is not advised. It was a respectful one, but it still got the treatment.
“My job now is to keep the team believing because we’ve reduced our margin for error. Until it’s mathematically (impossible) to make the play-offs, it’ll always be alive in my eyes.”
Plymouth manager Miron Muslic praised his side for keeping a first clean sheet in the league under him and only the Devon club’s third in the Championship this season.
Muslic said: “We were almost perfect in the first half in not allowing Watford a shot on target. And they are a very good team with a fantastic home record so it’s not easy to keep them out.
“The next step is to reward ourselves with goals. We created so many good things due to good structure.
“We had a lot of opportunities but we needed to be a bit calmer and show more efficiency. If we had given Watford the same chances that we had, I think they would have taken them.”
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