The result in south Wales on Tuesday night, which saw the Hornets fall into the relegation zone with eight points, Watford's lowest-ever tally 10 games into a Championship season.

Before the Cardiff defeat, Watford suffered an equally damning setback, in a 4-0 defeat at home to Burnley.

Following that game at Vicarage Road, Dionisi called the three-goal deficit his side faced at halftime “impossible”.

So when the Hornets were four goals down at halftime in Cardiff, it was perhaps unsurprising to see a few fans head for the M4 early.

Speaking after Tuesday’s game, Dionisi once again conceded that it was an “impossible” deficit to come back from, and recognised supporters’ concerns.

When asked if their growing frustration was impacting the team, the Italian insisted that the problem at the club is bigger than any one person, but that he wanted everyone to take responsibility for the situation.

“The problem is bigger in this moment,” he admitted, “Because compared to the last match, there were six new players on the pitch.

“It’s important to speak about this moment, and I want to look my players in the eyes, because now, everyone has to take responsibility, because it’s bigger, the problem is not one person.

As pressure increases on Dionisi, and fans grow increasingly frustrated about the club’s ownership, the Italian head coach has been afforded more time to turn the Hornets’ fortunes around.

He will remain in post ahead of Saturday’s visit of Charlton Athletic, retaining Gino Pozzo’s immediate backing, but he will be under no illusions that improvement is needed.