While Elton John almost certainly bump-started the transfer spending to put the Hornets on the road in 1977, his main financial contribution came with the development of the ground. The greyhound track was removed, the causeway between the terraces at the Vicarage Road-Red Lion corner was filled in and the old Bend between Shrodells and the Rookery stands was concreted.

Elton used to watch Cliff Holton and company from that Bend and I recall Graham Taylor being amused when a group known as The Boys from The Bend wrote to the club regretting the fact progress meant they were no longer able top pick blackberries at the start of the season and that the Marie Celeste tea-bar – so named as it never opened as if becalmed – was now no more.

The work on terracing was necessary because Watford had gained promotion to the old Division 2 – the second tier where they currently operate - and there was a need to upgrade the ground..

Elton’s dreams for Vicarage Road became focussed once he realised he had been wasting his time dealing with Watford Council. The team remained his priority but it was clear that was in capable hands after Graham achieved a second successive promotion, putting the Hornets back in the division they had reached and stayed briefly under Ken Furphy.

Elton and Graham hit it off on a personal level. Elton was to take advice from Graham, who admitted he was not particularly into the chairman’s music but, on seeing him in concert said: “I am able to recognise class when I see it and he certainly has that.”

He was also somewhat concerned that Elton was into drinking heavily. The rock star would often visit Graham at his home and eat with the manager’s wife Rita and their two girls. He would also play board-games and the two would be very competitive and there was the odd occasion when the one who lost, tipped the board over in anger. “Graham is like a brother to me,” he said.

The manager, upon hearing that Elton was drinking heavily, persuaded his wife to serve them both dinner but not put a plate in front of Elton. The fact a surprised Elton was then presented with a bottle of brandy with the explanation: “That’s all you need nowadays” suggests there was more to their relationship than that of the normal employee-employer.

He certainly cut down on his intake of alcohol but in one biography, he is quoted as saying he was into drugs during that time.

That may well have been so and I do recollect at one stage having to shoot down into the bowels of the main stand to collect something late in the second half of a game already won, and coming across Elton, who talked to me briefly about the game, while repeatedly sniffing. That came to mind only years later when reading his biography. Otherwise I can say that I never saw any evidence at Watford about his alleged use of drugs. On the contrary, I always found him frank, erudite and amusing and he always gave the impression he was very relaxed when I interviewed him.

The chairman had packed up touring as such but, as he was later to point out to me, when he saw what was happening to album sales – particularly Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours – he decided to start touring again. Watford had board meetings in Switzerland and the like and, whenever he was away, he would phone in and get connected to the Watford Hospital Broadcast commentary and listen for the entire two hours. The commentary team sat about three yards from my usual perch in the Watford press box, and would always inform me and their listeners that Elton was plugged in.

I recall Wigan’s then chairman Bill Kenyon being surprised when he received a phone call from Elton, some ten minutes after the game, and being congratulated on how well his team had played against Watford. Elton discussed incidents that occurred during the game and also the other cup results.

The Wigan chairman, assuming Elton was just down the road at his home, was baffled why Elton did not come to games as he was so keen, only to be informed the call had come from Los Angeles.

Elton would phone Graham and later Steve Harrison, Colin Lee, Steve Perryman, Glenn Roeder and then Graham again, after a match and would also put in a call during the week. This continued through the years and as he revealed recently, he still speaks regularly to Malky Mackay and Sean Dyche. It is only after Watford appointed a manager who had very poor English, that he stopped making the calls.

He would call from all over the world and, when the Hornets were away, he would phone his mother Sheila Fairbrother, and get her to keep updating him on the Teletext details on TV.

The rock star also has a good memory and retained details about players. He could talk knowledgeably on the game and its participants, despite being out of the country.

This might seem an unusual thing to point out but Watford at that time with Geoff Smith, Jim Harrowell and Muir Stratford had directors who were really knowledgeable about the game, although as Muir would often point out, the most knowledgeable director he ever met was Doug Broad who not only knew players but also the pluses and weaknesses. Such was Doug’s knowledge he was the only director Bill McGarry would ever have a conversation with.

Certainly Elton followed the game and knew more than you would normally associate with a person who spends a vast amount of every year out of the country.

This article was first published in Friday's Watford Observer.