Nigel Pearson felt Watford's 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Sunday was a result that club legend Graham Taylor would have been proud of.

The game was played on the third anniversary of the death of the Hornets' most successful manager and the current head coach thought his players produced a display that his predecessor would have approved of.

Speaking after the match, Pearson said it was important for his players to have both character and a playing style that their fans enjoy watching, while also reiterating his message that there is still plenty of hard work left to do this season.

Nevertheless, the boss was impressed by his team's attitude during the game against the Cherries and said his players showed some of the qualities Taylor instilled in his side when he was in charge at Vicarage Road.

"You've got to remember the status of Graham Taylor at this football club, it's huge and if that's something that gives the fans an awful lot of pleasure then I think that's something else that the players can be proud of today," he said.

"I'm sure he would be proud of that performance because it showed a lot of grit and determination as well as ability. I've talked already about our club needing to in some ways re-establish its identity on the pitch because it's never nice for players to be questioned and for our fans not to be able to make a connection with us as a football team just because it doesn't please them, so hopefully they'll have seen some character today and seen some desire to play for the club.

"We're professionals, I expect of myself, and the players expect of their selves, to do what we're there to do. We won't always get it right of course, but I think the players have shown incredible commitment today and have done over the last few weeks and I'm very pleased that that is the case. But I'm not naive enough to think that we're anywhere near concluding what we're setting out to do, we've got a lot of hard work to do but we've given ourselves a better chance."

Pearson also admitted that he has surprised himself with what he has achieved over the past few weeks, by showing how much desire he still has to achieve things as a football manager.

Prior to his appointment, the head coach was planning to drive 9,000 miles across India on a rickshaw, with no expectations of a return to football in his mind.

Now he has returned, he wants to make the most of this unforeseen opportunity and prove some people wrong along the way.

"The one thing that I reflected on is when I wondered whether I had the enthusiasm or the drive or desire to do it and I've been pleasantly surprised that I have, which is good," he said.

"Is it better? I've never been on a rickshaw in India. Well I have, but never in a race. I'm just glad to be back in work, it's nice to find myself in a situation that I didn't think I would do and that is working in the Premier League. I didn't think that would happen again, so I, like the players, have maybe something to prove. Not that that's high on my agenda, I want to enjoy this challenge and see where it takes me. At the moment, it's just working week to week and enjoying doing what I'm doing along with the players and staff."