Graham Taylor believes that if Watford retain their Premier League status at the end of this season it will be comparable to when he guided the Hornets to their highest ever league finish in the club’s history.

It was the 1982/83 season when Watford, fresh from winning promotion to the top tier of English football for the very first time, took the old Division One by storm to finish runners-up behind champions Liverpool.

That achievement was discussed on Saturday morning when Taylor and Luther Blissett were guests on BT Sport’s Fletch & Sav show prior to the Golden Boys’ 2-1 defeat at home to Manchester United.

Asked by host Darren Fletcher if retaining top-flight status would be comparable to finishing runners-up, Taylor replied: “I think so because at the end of the day things have changed in football,” clearly referring to the huge financial shift the top flight has undergone since Watford’s most successful era.

“Everything moves on and sometimes it’s a little bit hard to say this is how it was then and this is how it is now. It’s now. Then has gone. Yes it was great, yes it was wonderful but what you’re looking at now is a Premier League and if they [Watford] do stay up…I think they’re going to be a mid-table side and that will be as good as what we achieved.”

Blissett’s 27 goals were a central ingredient of Watford finishing second in the top flight and the club’s record goalscorer added: “I think you’ve got to look at the players as well. You mention [Manchester] City and people like that and the players they have at their disposal now, top players from all over the world, so for Watford to be mid-table in the Premier League would be a great achievement.”

Despite Saturday’s defeat, Watford have 16 points from 13 games and are so far on track to ensure their top-flight stay lasts longer their two previous Premier League seasons.

Asked by Fletcher whether Watford’s top-flight status is sustainable, Taylor responded: “It all depends for me on the leadership from who owns the club.

“In my time, our time, Elton John was there and was a tremendous leader. So we had good leadership, we had a supply of money without it being as it is these days so that played a very, very big part [in what was achieved].”