OPINION - Why Saturday's game against Sunderland is huge for Watford
I was hoping we wouldn't be in this position going into the final month of the season back in August, given the squad we have.
But heading into the final month of the 2016/17 Premier League season, Watford are by no means safe. With ten games to go, the Hornets are just seven points from the drop zone. You might think I'm over reacting because as some have said, a couple more wins and we are safe.
But this is a Watford team who have won just three times in the Premier League since the start of December. The last one of those came over a month ago against Burnley. Even then, we still nearly managed to throw our lead away, as we became nervous in the final ten minutes and Heurelho Gomes pulled off some decent saves to preserve our win.
Whatever way you look at it, this weekend's game against Sunderland is huge. We simply have to win. With the Hornets also facing West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night as well, it's fair to say these games are season defining. Win both or get four points and we're pretty much safe.
Lose them both and we're right at the heart of the relegation scrap.
Seven points might seem like a comfortable gap, but defeat this weekend and we could be just four points from the drop zone and we would be right at the heart of the relegation battle. Yet, this was a season where we were meant to be pushing on, following a 13th place finish in the Premier League last season. A relegation scrap wasn't in the mandate as far as I'm aware.
This has probably been the first season in my time as a supporter that I've not really enjoyed. I feel disconnected to the team and the manager, with this season being full of more lows than highs. Wins against Arsenal and Manchester United seem like a distant memory. The only thing you can say about this Watford side is that we've been consistently inconsistent.
Like many others, I'm very unconvinced about Walter Mazzarri and feel totally disconnected from him. The language barrier has been an issue, but Mazzarri hasn't done enough to endear himself to Watford supporters. He rarely recognises the fans and it feels like he hasn't done enough to immerse himself into life at Watford.
I'm also fed up of seeing a team set up with seemingly no game-plan and a lack of style. That comes across in the players, who look lost and don't know what to do at times during matches. But I won't go on too much more because the discussion over our head coach is for another time and another day.
Back to this weekend's game. While Sunderland might be rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, they cannot be taken lightly. In Jermain Defoe up front, they've got a clinical striker who, despite being aged 34, is still one of the best strikers in the Premier League. With 14 goals to his name this season, making him the second highest English scorer in the Premier League behind Harry Kane, Defoe is Sunderland's talisman and the Black Cats will always have a chance of scoring with the England international up front.
As a result, they can't be taken lightly and with West Brom to come on Tuesday night, four points should be the absolute minimum we are targeting from these next two games. Anything less isn't good enough, especially with the Hornets still having to face the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Everton between now and the end of the season.
Fixtures like Sunderland, like Hull, like Swansea to an extent, represent a perfect opportunity for Watford to take all three points, so it's crucial that we win games like Saturday's.
Therefore, it's time for no more excuses. No more poor performances. It's time to roll our sleeves up and be prepared to put our bodies on the line.
I, like many others, am sceptical about head coach Walter Mazzarri. But given the magnitude of this weekend's game, it's time to leave all our negative thoughts at the turnstiles outside the Rookery, Graham Taylor, Elton John and Vicarage Road stands.
We need to be the 12th man on Saturday and get right behind the Golden Boys, because losing simply isn't an option.