Watford have unexpectedly sacked manager Marco Silva on Sunday, even though the team lost 2-0 at Leicester City on Saturday, and a few hours later the club announced the appointment of Javi Gracia as the new boss at Vicarage Road. Marco Silva had been appointed as Watford manager in May and apparently got sacked because Everton approached him with an offer in November! An official Watford statement read: "This has been a difficult decision and one not taken lightly. The catalyst is that approach, something which the board believes has seen a significant deterioration in both focus and results to the point where the long-term future of Watford has been jeopardised."
Javi Gracia becomes 10th manager to work for Watford since the Pozzo family gained ownership of the club in 2012. The 47-year-old has been out of work since last June, when he left Russian top-flight side Rubin Kazan. He signed an 18-month contract with Watford, who are currently 10th in the Premier League table. "The team has played some good matches this season and I think they can do it again," Javi Gracia said. "It's not easy arriving in the middle of the season, but you must be ready and I am grateful and have plenty of energy to win the rest of the matches. It is a big challenge, but it is also a dream."
Javi Gracia has managed a few low-profile teams in Spain and Greece before finally making a name for himself at Malaga, where he led the team to consecutive top-ten finishes in LaLiga. Those results earned him a big-money contract in Russia at Rubin Kazan but after the team finished ninth in the Russian Premier League the club and the head coach decided to part company. Gracia's first match in charge at Watford will be Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round game at Southampton.
Watford are 5/2 at SkyBet to finish inside the Premier League top ten this season.
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Comments (1)
sharpe
01/24/18, 07:01:46 PM
Well, obviously the Pozzo family are not shy of sacking managers just like that but in the end that could end with a disaster for them if the team being relegated....
Well, obviously the Pozzo family are not shy of sacking managers just like that but in the end that could end with a disaster for them if the team being relegated. Marco Silva's dismissal was really surprising for me despite the poor performances lately but let's see what Gracia bring to the team, I think they could be in trouble in the end of the season.
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