Watford 'probably need to win six of last eight'published at 17:21 18 March
Geoff Doyle
BBC 3CR sports editor


Tom Cleverley can 'hold his head high'
Watford will probably need to win six of their last eight games to make the Championship play-offs. That task seems unlikely so they may have to settle for a top 10 finish - the lack of squad depth is likely to cost them.
Watford have as strong an 11 as most in the Championship and some top players in the form of Giorgi Chakvetadze, Kwadwo Baah, Imran Louza and James Abankwah but dig down a bit and the quality is not quite there.
It's most apparent in the striker department. There aren't many number nines who are going to finish the season with over 15 goals in the league. The traditional number nine position seems to be getting more difficult to master than ever before and Watford have suffered more than most up top recently.
Vakoun Bayo has 10 for the season but four of those came in one match and he hasn't scored since mid-January. When he returned from suspension last month 19-year-old Mamadou Doumbia was chosen ahead of him.
Doumbia is a raw and exciting talent and could be the answer to Watford's nine problem but even he failed to score in the six matches he started although he did win penalties and provide assists.
Watford have started their last two matches without a recognised striker with Bayo on the bench. With several other key players missing the thin squad hasn't got Watford as close to the top six positions as they would have liked.
The injury to Baah has had the greatest impact. Watford don't possess any other player with the raw pace and ability to go past players like him in the final third.
If it's not to be this season Tom Cleverley can still hold his head high. There were relegation predictions at the beginning of the season and the Watford boss had to endure a turbulent period in January where it looked like he'd been replaced, so to get them where he has has been a fine effort.
Watford aren't far off being a credible promotion-chasing side. With three or four quality additions you would fancy their chances next season but that's as long as they keep their own four or five top performers.
With Premier League parachute payments a distant thing of the past that seems unlikely with the Hornets owner, once again, likely to want to balance the books.