Roy Hodgson has conceded Watford will be relegated this season.
The Hornets are 12 points from safety with four games remaining ahead of Saturday's clash with Crystal Palace.
"The writing's on the wall," Hodgson told his pre-match press conference. "We would need more than a miracle to [avoid relegation] and I don't think it's correct even to start suggesting and giving people false hope.
"Unfortunately, our hope was in the three games, starting with Leeds and then Brentford and Burnley, we would get enough points to keep in touch with the fellow strugglers. We came close, In those games, I think we could honestly say it wouldn't have been wrong if we'd have taken more points than we did from those games because we had our moments and we looked as though we were going to get the result we wanted, but we didn't.
"That's put us in a position where we are, so we have to face up to that and it's going to obviously be tough then for players now because we got four games to play and the players can't really continue to look for that carrot, and that's not easy.
"But on the other hand, so far in the games we've played, we've been competitive. I think we could have taken more points than we have done in plenty of games and they've got to show pride. They've got to show that they are a good team and they are good players and that the club can trust them next season to help them bounce back into the into the Premier League, which will be everybody's goal."
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