Chris Wilder, Watford's last manager, has taken a break from work at Vicarage Road. Photo: John Walton/PA
«Heartless. No passion,» began the banner unfurled at Rookery End. «These are the players, not the manager,» he continued. Surrounding Watford supporters joined in the vote calling for the Pozzo family, owners since 2012, to cash in. This it was a rare, if painful, moment of unity in a stinking season.
On the field, the closing stages of the defeat against Huddersfield on Good Friday brought symbolic chaos. made several warnings in and around the opponent's penalty area Chris Wilder's gaze dropped to the ground The final whistle brought toxicity it oozed from every opening of Vicarage Road Enough, they decided, enough.
The late greats Graham Taylor and Sir Elton John spent decades tirelessly building an inextricable link between the club and its greatest asset. But after enduring the heartache of the playoffs and being double relegated (albeit also promoted), that relationship quickly depreciated. Now its value is nominal.
A banner at The Rookery before kickoff that reads «No heart, no passion, it's the players, not the coach»#WatfordFC pic.twitter.com /239bbZhmhQ
— Nest Hornets (@hornetsnestwfc) April 7, 2023
A week earlier, Watford fans had the infamous spectacle of watching Rob Edwards, sacked by Pozzo just 10 games into the season and joined by promotion hopeful Luton, celebrate a derby win. Stephen Brown, the outspoken and mischievous director of Watford's fiercest rivals, taunted them in his policy notes with his acrostic «Watford is shit».
Easter Monday seemed to bring resurrection, but Bachmann's deputy Ben Hamer made a disastrous mistake. And suddenly Coventry City came back to life, and Watford was lucky to escape with a 2:2 draw. «Classic us,» grumbled the guests.
The setbacks over the holidays dealt a near-death blow to Watford's already slim promotion hopes. Fourteen league games: two wins. Just not good enough.
Rumor has it that head coach Wilder, appointed only last month and in charge of just six games, was close to being fired this week. Close enough that the club felt compelled to respond to messages from the owners about a future management role that the owners spoke to Italy's Francesco Farioli: «The rumors are completely disrespectful to Chris and his staff,» the statement said. Only in Watford.
The Hornets confirm that Chris Wilder will remain as the club's head coach until at least the end of the 2022/23 season, under the terms he and Watford FC agreed on his appointment in March.
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC), April 12, 2023
The Pozzos must either leave on their own or rebuild the bridges quickly. They need to understand, as last week's banner implied, that instability is slowly killing Watford. Wilder, Edwards' second successor, became the ninth full-time employee since the sacking of Javi Gracia in September 2019. A few months ago, Gracia led the club to the FA Cup final and their best top-flight finish since 1987.
Over the past 12 months, Roy Hodgson, Edwards and Slaven Bilic have come and gone, and Pozzo has made 18 permanent appointments in total. Supporters digested it. Until now. After Luton, Wilder recently called for a «cultural reset». He optimistically stated that another change of manager would not be enough. Cursed words and those that carry seriousness.
Keeping Wilder safe in the long run should be a priority — that would be a coup — but it already looks fantastic. However, Pozzo would have done the right thing if they had trusted his reason.
Wilder is Watford's seventh permanent manager since early 2020. Photo: Tom Dulat/Getty Images
Why? Because, despite the excessive managerial responsibility, who sets the standards of the game? Inadequate performance after inadequate performance doesn't matter. And they know it. A few bad results will bring another new mode, another chance to impress, another chance to survive.
The composition of Watford is of high quality. He had to push the exit hatch of the championship hard. Joao Pedro is the diamond of the division. Ismaila Sarr has been courted by Champions League clubs relatively recently. He gives a wonderful impression of a disinterested person, and many fans have long ceased to be interested in him. Keinan Davis; Hamza Chowdhury; Imran Luza; Hassane Camara; Ismael Kone. So many talents. So much know-how.
But the basic principles have always been poorly implemented. Plain balls are out of place. Unforced errors. Cohesion? Ridiculous concept.
Indiscriminate recruitment hindered, not helped. Short term; sealing cracks; amateurish. Following his appointment, Edwards begged for young cornerbacks to build around.
Instead, he had to field Kamara — a very left and left back — to fill the gaping hole on the right. Ethan Laird was both wanted and available. Instead, the Manchester United defender joined QPR.
No, instead of fulfilling his manager's recruiting requirements, the Pozzos confirmed a duo of strikers (Wakun Baio and Rey Manage) who were short of supplies by January. .
Watford are gradually dropping out of the league playoffs. Photo: Nigel French/PA
Discontent began to mount after the removal of Edwards in September last year. Tired of the three-year managerial reception, the supporters wanted a project, some funds. They were promised it. And then everything disappeared. For reference: in 10 league games, Edwards won clean sheets over Burnley and Sheffield United.
Then came Bilić, after 10 wins in 26 games he left. Now he is replaced by Wilder.
What really annoys Watford regulars is the ceiling this team has. There was a strange glimpse, notably the Luton rout at the start of the season and a four-goal gallop at Stoke in Bilic's first leg.
Nevertheless, they failed to score in almost a third of the league games. On a recent trip to QPR, Watford gave the hosts their only win in 17 years. No one was surprised, although a couple of traveling fans got into a fight over Sarr-related disagreements.
The self-proclaimed «Original Family Club» split. Days away from home are becoming more and more inhospitable, uncomfortable and unsafe. In a post-pandemic world, this is not just Watford's problem. But this is serious considering all the great work that the inclusion club has done to make sure everyone feels ready and able to follow their club.
There was occasional racism on the Kenilworth Road ride, where fans paid £15 for compulsory buses. And, despite the club's requests before the match to remove the chant referring to «Gypos», there was clear racism.
The club is also expected to comply with EFL rules that require it to meet fans or hold forums at least twice a season, which it has not done since March 2022. the brink of violating this rule and a fine of £1,000, and less than a month to host both events, where they will no doubt meet with furious backlash. In response, the club stated that it was «in full compliance with EFL rules» and would «gladly pay the £1,000 fine to give the fan groups the necessary time to agree on a structure which means all relevant fan groups are represented at the meeting». with the club's most senior officials.”
For the mainstream fans, these words seem empty. They are just more excuses. So, die-hard fans are ready to end the relationship. What could and perhaps should have been an instant return to the top flight turned out to be a failure. Watford YoYo is finally settling down. Below.
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