Roy Hodgson launches his last crusade with a huge basement battle at Turf Moor, vowing he will fight to the bitter end to save Watford.
The former England coach insists the Hornets' result against Burnley will not be the “be-all and end-all” of their relegation dogfight.
In 2008, Hodgson orchestrated a great escape at Fulham, closing a nine-point gap to cheat the hangman, and he will not tolerate any defeatist talk if his baptism among Lancashire's dark, satanic mills ends in disappointment.
He warned: “If we don't win, God forbid, we've got to be very careful that we don't start thinking that because this game has gone against us it's all over.
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“It should have been all over at Fulham, when we were 2-0 down at Manchester City with three games to go and absolutely no chance of catching up the nine points we needed if we lost. We did it.
“As far as I'm concerned, our faith will last until that very last moment when we really can't do it any more. Then we would have to take out hat off and apologise to the fans.”
Hodgson begins his 18-game mission to save Watford claiming opposite number Sean Dyche will have a more “organised” team at his disposal – because the Clarets boss has been calling the shots for nine years instead of nine days.
Burnley did not look like a bottom-of-the-table side as they held out for a point at Arsenal before the winter break.
And although Hodgson, 74, can't wait to unleash flying winger Ismaila Sarr and top scorer Emmanuel Dennis, he will have to make ends meet without either of them at Turf Moor. Dennis is suspended and Sarr is preparing for Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations final against Egypt.
Since flying winger Sarr was crocked by a poor challenge from Donny van de Beek in the 4-1 win over Manchester United in November, Watford have collected just one point from a possible 24.
That dismal run cost head coach Claudio Ranieri his job, and Hodgson admitted: “It's going to be vital to have a player of his quality.
“I had a situation in my previous job at Crystal Palace where we had a player not too dissimilar, Wilf Zaha, and there was a comparable accusation that when Wilf didn't play, we didn't get the wins or results.
“I'm used to that one, but if he (Sarr) can do as much to help this club as Wilf did for me at Palace, I shall be really happy – and I believe he can.
"We could be in a better situation going into the Burnley game. To be without two of the top goalscorers and top players at the club in Dennis and Sarr doesn’t help a great deal.
"On top of that we’re going into it with me having come in nine days ago meeting 23 new players. We’re not in the same situation Sean is in.
"He's putting a team out that he has formed to play in a certain way. I’m a lot less confident that we will be as organised as his team is because he has been doing it for years and we've only been having a go at it for eight or nine days.
"The game is going to be built up as the be-all and end-all, but it would be unfortunate for us if that was the case.
"It's going to be an experienced, well-drilled, well-oiled team against a team that I think have got the ability to keep us in this league and I'm fascinated to see how they will go on Saturday.”
