Watford have made public a summary of the matters discussed at their first supporter committee meeting, following statements of disappointment from supporter groups involved.

The club announced the formation of the committee last week, which proved unpopular with sections of the fanbase who were unhappy about issues around confidentiality, with only broad headlines from the topics discussed to be confirmed via the club website, while detailed notes will be circulated among those who are part of the committee.

In their first set of minutes, the club has stated that attendees "are welcome to expand on what they heard when chatting with fellow supporters" provided that details which are "commercially sensitive or otherwise confidential" are not shared, in line with a memorandum of understanding.

There was, however, no acknowledgement of supporters' concerns over the handling of the committee that had been voiced over the last two days.

The Watford Observer also approached the club for comment about the same subject on Monday, but received no response.

The members of the committee are however understood to have received an apology for the difficult situation they were put in by the club.

Included in the first summary was an "acceptance of the need to have stability with a head coach" with the club stating that some previous decisions are a matter of regret, "with the benefit of hindsight".

It is understood those "regrets" centre around the sacking of Javi Gracia, who the club look on with reflection as a person with whom they perhaps ought to have built for the future.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe was also mentioned, not as a person the club are interested in per se, but as a blueprint that they could follow due to his time at Bournemouth where he impressed the Watford hierarchy with his ability to develop young players, who would then be reluctant to move on elsewhere.

This subject arose as a result of attendees asking if the club had made the same mistakes this season as it had in the 2019/20 season when they were relegated to the Championship.

The club also responded to this by talking about their aim of "long-term stability while being as competitive and ambitious as possible" while acknowledging the difficulty for clubs outside the top six to compete, which could likely end in relegation this season.

The issue of external funding was raised as a possible means to strengthening the club's ability to compete, but it was stressed that it would have to come from someone considered to be a suitable partner for Watford.

Along the same lines of inquiry, the club's relationship with betting and cryptocurrency companies was raised, with supporters voicing concerns over morally dubious sponsorships.

As far as the club are concerned, those sponsorships offer them a chance to remain more competitive than other companies, but there was an acknowledgement that there was a "morality issue attached". 

The club's ability to compete next season was brought up, with relegation looking likely when the meeting had initially taken place and even more so now following the defeat to Leeds.

Watford stated that "players will only depart should it suit the club" however it is understood that player sales would make part of a financial strategy to allow them to push for promotion straight away, as it was last time they were relegated.

The club stated that they have plans in place for relegation and that the owner and board’s desire "is driven towards the success of the club; to win things, ultimately, and to create memories and moments for supporters to cherish".

Additionally, the club's finances were spoken about, with their latest accounts filed the same night as the meeting taking place. Details of those accounts can be read here.

Furthermore, the club committed to remaining at Vicarage Road if possible, commented on the issue of unpaid interns, which they stated are "not unusual within this and other professional sports" and said that ways to improve output of ‘Inside The Hive’ would be considered.

A desire to further develop the women's team was also expressed, with the club stating that they would like to have Watford FC Women playing more games at Vicarage Road in the future.

Elsewhere, the club acknowledged more work could be done around the academy, with work taking place between the board, owners and academy leaders to improve.

It was accepted that the uncertainty created by frequent head coach changes made the academy a less attractive prospect for younger players.