ENFORCERS

Hornets boss Gracia leaves his £100-a-minute fine collecting to Deeney... and when he comes knocking you’d better pay up!

JAVI GRACIA does not need to send in the bailiffs to collect £100-a-minute fines from Watford players who are late for training.

He leaves it to Troy Deeney – and, unsurprisingly, when the Hornets talisman rattles the collection tin, his team-mates pay up.

Gracia’s new charter for discipline at Vicarage Road includes swingeing financial penalties for stars who roll in late for training at their London Colney base, even if they are stuck in heavy traffic on the M25.

Deeney (right) revealed on Radio 5 Live that the meter ticks over at £100-a-minute, saying: “You’re sitting there in gridlock for 35 minutes and it’s clocking up pretty quickly.”

Head coach Gracia’s hard line on lateness has helped to focus his squad into producing Watford’s 100 per cent start over the first four Premier League games.

He said: “I don’t like to have many rules, but it is important for the players to be responsible. We have people at the entrance with an ipad, who enters what time the players arrive, so I know in a moment if they are late.

“But most of them respect the rules. They are good professionals and don’t need reminding.

“I don’t like to take away their money, but we need to see rules and respect – and it is a good way to achieve our objectives. They decide what to do with the money – I think they have different options, like charity – but

Troy collects the fines.

“I think Troy shows, day by day, that he is very important for me as the coach – and for the club as a whole during the period he has been here. “I have never been late yet – but I arrive at 7am, and we train at 10 o’clock or sometimes 11. That gives me three hours with the M25!

“Keeping Troy Deeney to score first time is really important, but it’s not the most important thing. It is about beheviour with your team-mates, and we have a lot of things to do before training – breakfast, gym, preparation, watching matches on video, and we need time to do all this.

“Sometimes you can arrive late, but it is not normal.”

Watford’s comeback to win 2-1 against Tottenham before the international break left former chairman and superstar fan Sir Elton John celebrating animatedly in the directors’ box.

Gracia, who admits some of the Rocket Man’s hits are on his playlist, added: “I spoke with Elton before the game, and when I saw him afterwards he was very happy. I will try to do the same in our next game.”