Tag Archives: Management Change

4th October 2021- Claudio Ranieri is appointed Head Coach

BBC: Watford have appointed Claudio Ranieri as manager on a two-year contract.

The Guardian: Ranieri, whose first game in charge with be at home against Liverpool after the international break, will be joined at Watford by assistant coaches Paolo Benetti and Carlo Cornacchia and fitness coach Carlo Spignoli.

Sky: Ranieri last worked in the Premier League with Fulham in 2018/19 but was dismissed after just a few months after failing to arrest their struggles.

The day after Ranieri’s appointment The Guardian’s football cartoonist David Squires took our ever changing managers and included them in a strip that also featured the big Netflix TV hit of the time Squid Game.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2021/oct/05/david-squires-on-squad-game-the-brutal-drama-featuring-watford-fc

20th December 2020- Xisco Muñoz Appointed Head Coach

BBC Sport: Former Valencia, Levante and Real Betis winger Xisco, 40, becomes the Hornets’ fifth manager in just over a year.

Sky Sports: Senior club figures have been hugely impressed with Munoz, despite a relative lack of managerial experience. They believe the club has the players necessary to return to the Premier League at the first attempt, but feel a new manager was needed to change tactics and formation, putting an emphasis on attack, rather than defence first. It is expected Munoz will revert to a 4-4-2 formation.

The Guardian: The 40-year-old Spaniard – with an attacking philosophy to his coaching – was most recently manager at Dinamo Tbilisi, where he guided the club to a second successive Georgian league title in 2020.

19th December 2020- Championship, Huddersfield Town 2 Watford 0 after which Vladimir Ivic was sacked as the Hornet’s Head Coach

BBC Sport: Huddersfield capitalised on first-half mistakes by former England goalkeeper Ben Foster and Etienne Capoue to beat Watford.

Sky Sports: Goalkeeper Foster dawdled on a backpass from Ben Wilmot, allowing Isaac Mbenza to chase him down in the box. The veteran’s attempted clearance only ricocheted off the shins of Mbenza and into the path of Campbell who gleefully tapped into the empty net.

BHappy: And then he was gone.

Watford Observer: Watford head coach Vladimir Ivic has been sacked this evening following the 2-0 defeat to Huddersfield Town. 

BBC Sport: The Hornets, who have won nine of their 20 Championship games this season under Ivic, are fifth in the table, four points off second-placed Bournemouth and nine off leaders Norwich.

Sky Sports: Before arriving at Watford, Ivic had great success in Israel at Maccabi Tel Aviv, winning the Israeli Premier League in back-to-back years in 2019 and 2020 – ending a run of three seasons without the title for the most decorated club in the country. Before his arrival there, he had also won the Greek Cup with PAOK in 2017 in his first senior management role.

The Guardian: His overly defensive tactics have been unpopular with Watford fans, though, and the team’s style of play has not been easy on the eye.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55283941

15th August 2020- Vladimir Ivic appointed Head Coach

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From the Official Site: Vladimir Ivić is the new Head Coach of Watford, the club is delighted to confirm.

A two-time league winner as manager of Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, in both 2018/19 and 2019/20, Ivić also led PAOK to Greek Cup glory in 2016/17.

“First of all, from the beginning I have a big expectation of myself and of my coaching staff,” Ivić told watfordfc.com.

“It’s my first time in England and I need to adapt as fast as possible, to do the best for the club is very important to me.”

The 43-year-old has signed a one-year contract, with a further year option held by the Hornets, and will start work with the Hornets’ squad on Monday, alongside his three-strong coaching team.

Ivić added: “I’ve worked with my coaching staff for three years, so I know that we will ask the most from ourselves so we can help the players to achieve the club’s goals.”

Born in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia, the former midfielder represented the country of his birth at Under-21 level as a player before earning full caps for Serbia & Montenegro. At club level, he won the First League of FR Yugoslavia three times with Partizan Belgrade.

19th July 2020- Nigel Pearson and Craig Shakespeare leave the club

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Nigel Pearson has been sacked as Watford head coach with just two games of the Premier League season remaining. The Hornets hierarchy have acted following Friday’s 3-1 defeat at West Ham United which left the club three points above the relegation zone going into the final week of the season.

Watford sack Nigel Pearson and Craig Shakespeare – recap

Watford have confirmed the sacking of Nigel Pearson

Nigel Pearson thanks fans for support after Watford sack head coach

Watford taking a big gamble with Nigel Pearson sacking

BBC Sport Watford sack Nigel Pearson with club just above relegation zone

Nigel Pearson: Former Watford boss ‘overwhelmed’ by support messages

sky Nigel Pearson sacked after ‘frank exchange’ with Watford owner Gino Pozzo

guardianNigel Pearson sacked by Watford with two games of season remaining

While the Pozzo family have perhaps turned the club into a laughing stock, they have also turned it into one for whom relegation from the top flight is considered failure