Rob Edwards discovered Watford godfather Sir Elton John's powers as a force for unity when the Rocket Man played two gigs at Vicarage Road.
After a private audience with the club's superstar fan and former chairman backstage, the new Hornets head coach was moved by the warmth of his reception as he took his seat before the great showman's entrance. Can you feel the love tonight? There wasn't much affection for the strolling millionaires who were relegated without a whimper last season.
Midfielder Dan Gosling, who lifted the lid on “disgraceful” attitudes in the “worst dressing room I've ever been part of” at the weekend, was given a hero's reception by supporters at the pre-season friendly against Southampton for his searing honesty. But under Edwards, Watford's eighth boss in 34 months, there are already green shoots of recovery.
And he has been boosted by Sir Elton's pledge to take a more active role in the club again when his Farewell Yellow Brick Road world tour is completed next year. When Edwards, 39, begins his reign in earnest against Sheffield United next Monday night, he knows that in the Sky Bet Championship jungle, safari seems to be the hardest word.
But with Elton's support, anything is possible. Edwards said: “He is going to be part of the show and the concert was amazing. I was able to meet him and, for what he did that night, I felt like everyone was together again. When I walked up the tunnel back to our seats, the welcome we got from the fans actually made me emotional.
“Seeing all the yellow shirts in the ground that night, it felt like it wasn't just an Elton John concert but a Watford home game as well. It showed me how big a club we are, how big we can be and how close we are as a family. He is fully behind us, and he's told me that, which can only be a positive.”
Back in 2005, when Elton played a concert at his beloved club's ground, then-manager Aidy Boothroyd built a promotion-winning side with the £1.3 million proceeds.
Five years later, when he brought his grand piano back to the Vic for an encore to boost Malky Mackay's transfer fund, Watford staked the lot on little-known striker Troy Deeney. Some 419 appearances and 140 goals later, it turned out to be a decent punt – and Deeney was among the cast of former players and managers at Sir Elton's latest gigs.
After the defensive shambles of Claudio Ranieri's 13-match reign and the joyless tailspin through the Premier League drayman's hatch under former England coach Roy Hodgson, Edwards has been encouraged by the early signs of restored unity. There was even an outbreak of chants extolling the virtues of “sexy football” at the Saints friendly – a very different tone to last season, which was about as sexy as a hen night in a convent, as Gosling's premeditated outburst confirmed.
Edwards laughed: “I think the fans were being very kind in the early stages – it was the first time they had been able to come and see us in pre-season, and when we had a little bit of possession it was nice to hear. Of course we would like it to be enjoyable football to watch, and we'll try to impose our way of playing the game, but at times we'll have to dig in as well.
“Maximum effort will be the minimum requirement. We want to see sweat on the jersey, commitment from the players, spirit, togetherness and a team fighting for each other. I want supporters to feel proud to watch their team – hopefully that takes us a long way and we can compete at the right end of the table with the quality we've got. But the minimum is to run, fight and show passion.”
Edwards, who first caught the eye as a coach working with Kenny Jackett at Wolves seven years ago, has adopted one of the Watford legend's core principles.
“Kenny used to look for three As in his players - attitude, ability, athleticism,” he said. “There are lots of things I learned from working with Kenny which have stood me in good stead, and that concept is one of them. What he did at Wolves was to work out very quickly who was going to be with him and maybe who might not be pulling in the same direction.
“But he was honest with everybody and that allowed the group to work together and collect more than 100 points that season.”
Wolves were at at low ebb, and newly-relegated to League One, when Jackett walked in the door at Molineux in 2014 – just look at them now. If Edwards' impact at Watford is anywhere near that level, another promotion party dancing in the pond and fountain at the top of the High Street may not be beyond them.
As their No.1 fan sang, almost 40 years ago: Saturday night's all right for fountain.
