CRUZ CONTROL

Brazil gig taught Paulo how to handle pressure

- EXCLUSIVE BY MIKE WALTERS

PAULO PEZZOLANO carried the hopes of 10 million fans working for Brazilian legend Ronaldo at Cruzeiro - so his latest gig with Watford should be a doddle, right?

Er, not quite. As the Hornets' new head coach begins his reign among the beating drums of Charlton's biggest crowd for 17 years, Pezzolano took stock of his task and said: "The greatest pressure comes from inside yourself."

Holding court in his office at the training ground, the 42-year-old Uruguayan is the Hornets' latest left-field pick to mount a promotion challenge from under the radar.

And ahead of today's opener at The Valley, even the most forensic analysts would agree absolutely anything is possible at Vicarage Road this season.

Predictably, Pezzolano's appointment in May was greeted with lazy, stereotypical gags about revolving doors when the 21st different head coach in 13 years under Gino Pozzo's ownership slipped into the cockpit.