New Watford manager Nigel Pearson is certain the club can avoid relegation.

The Hornets are seven points clear of the drop zone after 16 games.

"Can we stay up, you're asking? Yes," Pearson said.

"We can stay up, for sure we can stay up, but we're going to have to have a collective buy-in from everybody associated with us," he emphasised.

"The players certainly as a group, the staff around the football club. I've been introduced to a lot of the staff who work at the stadium today.

"This strikes me as a club with an identity that maybe we need to redefine on the pitch. But I'm confident we can do that, for sure."