Expert view: 'Watford board going round in circles'
Geoff Doyle, sports editor, BBC Three Counties RadioHead coaches getting sacked at Watford stopped becoming a surprise a long time ago. If the team isn't doing well, it's the head coach's fault and he pays the price. End of. Watford fans didn't particularly like this philosophy but they kind of understood and accepted it. It was the board's way of doing things and it worked to an extent. The supporters took the teasing from other fans - after all they spent six seasons in the Premier League over a seven-year period. They sucked up the fire them/hire them culture. But Watford haven't been in the top flight for what will soon be four seasons in a row. The 'blame the head coach' strategy is fine if that head coach has the necessary players and culture. If that isn't there then we're going round in circles. And the hiring and firing of managers, of course, affects the culture. More circles. The club board needs some introspection.The sacking of Tom Cleverley has hit a nerve - hard. Owner Gino Pozzo and the board can point towards a poor 2025 calendar year of results and without question, the form has been sub-standard. Their argument is they always want the team to be improving and they haven't seen that in the past four months. That's a fair point. They also believe the squad was good enough for a play-off place. But here, not many, including myself, agree. A decent January transfer window would have helped (and is a major reason for the poor form) but I'm not convinced it would have been enough. This Watford squad without Giorgi Chakvetadze and Kwadwo Baah is a mid-table team. With them, and barring no other injuries, a side who might finish close to the play-offs. A squad lacking enough depth.There is no doubting Cleverley made quite a few mistakes decision-wise (the Daniel Jebbison gamble was his and majorly back-fired) and tactically (got it wrong against some of the weaker teams) but all managers do and it was Cleverley's first season. He did a lot more right than wrong. That end-of-season form wasn't good enough but across the season it was, predominantly because he got more out of the players than any other Hornets head coach since Javi Gracia. And, crucially, having been at the club for so long he 'got' Watford - and the fans deeply cared for him as a result. Towards the end of his reign Cleverley told me the players didn't have enough consequences for their actions which was a dig at the club's environment and culture. The incoming head coach will have to adapt quickly and try and juggle numerous balls. But recently not many of his predecessors have succeeded.The fans are restless. Fortunately for the board there is a break now, giving them time to try and get through the stormiest period since the Pozzos took ownership.
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The Independent
36 minutes ago
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