Walter Mazzarri delivered a pre-prepared statement to the club's fans ahead of this weekend's game with Manchester City at Vicarage Road, which will prove his last as Watford head coach.

The Italian delivered a heartfelt, if typically Mazzarri speech to the media at London Colney this afternoon, addressing the season, the club's fans and players, and his hopes for the weekend.

Here is that statement in full.

"Since Sunday will be the last game of the season, I would like to thank all the main protagonists of this season. These are the players and the fans.

"For me, the main characters of this seasons have been the players and the fact that we managed to get this magic 40 points which was the objective, when there were still six games left.

"Of course, this is also thanks to our team and our players that they have always given 200% of what they had, and in giving always more and going always further, pushing their limits, even though it has not been an easy season because we have suffered a lot of injuries and a decimated squad at times.

"The reason I want to thank and say the fans and the players is because the fans have always helped us give more than we could. They have been very important to us.

"Also another thing I want to make clear, and I think this season it has not been communicated well enough by you [the media], is that for me the role of the manager is the first fan of the team, but also the man responsible for it.

"Of course, the players are the main characters, they are the ones who go and thank the fans but also from my side. I am behind it, but it is the players who are the main characters.

"Our fans have always been extraordinary with us and their fantastic passion has been fantastic for the whole season. We have never been alone with then, and I want to thank them genuinely, and I have also dedicated the performance from the game against Manchester City to them.

"I would sincerely like them to go and read what I have written in the match day programme because they are my honest feelings and emotions.

"I would like to thank three great personalities of English football - Alan Shearer, John Barnes and Frank Lampard. They are very important people & very well known and have always spoken very well about our season.

I have never released any further communication with any press since the press statement from the club. So anything you have read that is put in quotes after the club statement from any newspaper is not true."